UNH 2018-19: Souza The Opportunity

[Dan]

Re: UNH 2018-19: Souza The Opportunity

1-0 UNH after two - fifteen shots on goal for the Wildcats, only seven from forwards.

[Dan]

Re: UNH 2018-19: Souza The Opportunity

1-0 UNH after two - fifteen shots on goal for the Wildcats, only seven from forwards.

Interesting night around HE - UMass leads RPI 5-1 after two and is 4-for-6 on the PP, while UConn is ahead 4-1 at Army with a pair of SH goals. Maine is beating St. Lawrence, but UML and NU trail Atlantic Hockey programs. Big games tonight for BC & BU. Providence smoked Miami with two goals for NH's Spenser Young...

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Colgate outshooting UNH 4-0, in the third, and Tyler Penner ties the game for the Raiders...

[Snively65]

There was speculation on Hockey's Future that Engaras (along with Lake States's Melvin Karlson) would have to serve some sort of penalty for his six SHL appearances. Karlson did not play last weekend for the Lakers, but is in the line-up tonight. So, maybe, maybe not?

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Nazarian must be injury or discipline.


Pierson scores for UNH on the PP - so he is getting prime run after all. A nice surprise. He only needs three more to match my initial expectation!! Assist to the captain, Vela and *BVR...

* changed to Gildon

And, our captain only needs five more assists!

[Dan]

Re: UNH 2018-19: Souza The Opportunity

Cockerill scores for Colgate. 2-1 Raiders...

[Dan]

Re: UNH 2018-19: Souza The Opportunity

2-1 is your final score. UNH outplayed (outshot 32-19) for large portions of the first (14-7) and third (10-4) periods by a Colgate team not exactly overflowing with talent. They'll have to be much better tomorrow and moving forward. Robinson played well with 30 saves...

[HockeyRef]

Re: UNH 2018-19: Souza The Opportunity

Well not the outcome most of us expected; but you don't know til you get out there and play so am hoping for a better tomorrow. Faceoffs...hmmm. Glad Mike had a solid outing; 30 saves is awesome. Happy for Freshman Jackson Pierson getting his first NCAA goal. Echoing Dan we have to better tomorrow. Go 'Cats!

[C-H-C]

Re: UNH 2018-19: Souza The Opportunity

19-year-old "true freshman" Jackson Pierson scored his first NCAA goal in his first UNH game.

[deltabravo62]

Re: UNH 2018-19: Souza The Opportunity

Call that game a big pile of meh. Nothing glaringly wrong but nothing really went right either. For a team that was talking about their team speed they got out skated the majority of that game. The offense never really got anything going in the offensive zone, no great setups, no cycling, it was usually a harmless shot that rebounded to a Colgate player and quickly made its way back out. Once again a lot of dump and chase, as in, dump it in and chase Colgate back out of the zone. When will we get a system that can transition the neutral zone with pace and possession? I'm really hoping that over the course of this season we can see a true departure from the failures in philosophy of the last few years of Umile's tenure. One game does not make or break the season but I was certainly looking for more of a statement than what we got tonight.

Robinson had a good game, he was challenged a few times and held his own. Goals against were on a two on one following a blatant uncalled cross check in the neutral zone and the other on a pig pile at the front of the net. I still think we will see Taylor in net tomorrow night, goaltending was far from the problem out there tonight so I would not be worried either way on who starts.

Aside from that I could not really point out anything good or awful in particular. In short, the execution was lacking in all zones. We continue to be completely lacking in the faceoff department which stymies a lot of our offensive chances before they even get started. I'm not going to lose my head over a single game, this group is young so they can grow and develop as the year goes on as long as the systems they are being taught are ones that will make them successful.

On the positive side I did not see the defense getting clogged up in their own end nearly as much as I have seen in the recent past, we will see if that is a change in their defensive schemes or a reflection of the opposing talent.

I will trade a win now for long term success, so get to work on the long term.

[Chuck Murray]

Re: UNH 2018-19: Souza The Opportunity

Suspect we're all going to have to get used to this, at least for a little while. Let's face it, the program has been in the dumps for at least the last three seasons (and that's probably being charitable). The hardest thing to do is to turn a losing program into a winning program overnight. Right now, this is a program that's used to losing. The returning players have known nothing but losing during their time at UNH. That's a hard habit to break. Sad and simple, but unfortunately all too true.

It's almost like Newton's First Law of Competition - a losing program will remain a losing program, unless/until impacted by an external force. Souza has to be that external force. And that's complicated by the fact he's been part of the program during these last three (worst) seasons. Something has to change in Umile's absence. The same coaches have been the ones who have been doing the recruiting, then and now. Maybe that's Guiliano … but if it is, that's not going to happen overnight either. Or maybe the dynamics shifting with the current staff in the absence of Umile is what gets that done? I can't believe it will be the same staff (aside from Guiliano) "coaching the guys up", we didn't see that when Umile was in charge in his final years, and I refuse to believe they would have been holding back on that front when their mentor was pulling out all the stops for his NRN.

It will be interesting to see how some of this other stuff plays out. Nazarian being out is puzzling, as was his absence from any leadership designation … maybe he was injured, or maybe ticked off at not getting a letter, and saying so? Based on limited sourcing, that last scenario would surprise me. Robinson getting the start definitely feels like the residue of the "old ways", but I can't say that bothers me in this instance.

It's only one game, and I guess no one should be too surprised that a losing program with a new HC and a lot of new faces lost a close game to what projects to be a mediocre-to-average opponent on the road. We'll see what tomorrow brings, and then the next weekend, next month, next year, next season, etc. Long term.

As an aside … I watched Once Upon a Time in the West tonight. Great movie, almost 50 years old now, might be the greatest movie of its kind ever made that no one's ever heard of (and the kind no one makes anymore). Highly recommended, WIS gives it a star rating, especially on an evening when the bright future of the UNH Men's Hockey program still feels so far, far, far away ...

[Snively65]

Call that game a big pile of meh. Nothing glaringly wrong but nothing really went right either. For a team that was talking about their team speed they got out skated the majority of that game. The offense never really got anything going in the offensive zone, no great setups, no cycling, it was usually a harmless shot that rebounded to a Colgate player and quickly made its way back out. Once again a lot of dump and chase, as in, dump it in and chase Colgate back out of the zone. When will we get a system that can transition the neutral zone with pace and possession? I'm really hoping that over the course of this season we can see a true departure from the failures in philosophy of the last few years of Umile's tenure. One game does not make or break the season but I was certainly looking for more of a statement than what we got tonight.

Robinson had a good game, he was challenged a few times and held his own. Goals against were on a two on one following a blatant uncalled cross check in the neutral zone and the other on a pig pile at the front of the net. I still think we will see Taylor in net tomorrow night, goaltending was far from the problem out there tonight so I would not be worried either way on who starts.

Aside from that I could not really point out anything good or awful in particular. In short, the execution was lacking in all zones. We continue to be completely lacking in the faceoff department which stymies a lot of our offensive chances before they even get started. I'm not going to lose my head over a single game, this group is young so they can grow and develop as the year goes on as long as the systems they are being taught are ones that will make them successful.

On the positive side I did not see the defense getting clogged up in their own end nearly as much as I have seen in the recent past, we will see if that is a change in their defensive schemes or a reflection of the opposing talent.

I will trade a win now for long term success, so get to work on the long term.

Thanks for detailed game report, DB. Sorry to hear that our Souzacats are still playing dump and chase hockey, an offense for loser teams, imho. But, I am pleased that we scored a PPG so early in the season, and good on one of our freshmen and our captain.

[Darius]

Re: UNH 2018-19: Souza The Opportunity

Fewer penalties then the opposition. Even strength scoring.

[HockeyRef]

Re: UNH 2018-19: Souza The Opportunity

Fewer penalties then the opposition. Even strength scoring.

Was just looking at the stats from last night; didn't realize we had 4 penalties to their 2 as I didn't get to see the whole game. At least we killed them off. Agree; small strides.

[HockeyRef]

Re: UNH 2018-19: Souza The Opportunity

Thanks for detailed game report, DB. Sorry to hear that our Souzacats are still playing dump and chase hockey, an offense for loser teams, imho. But, I am pleased that we scored a PPG so early in the season, and good on one of our freshmen and our captain.

Were you at the 'Mack v Bentley game last night?? Close one there. Scott B gets his first win. (with an * as he's been a D1 coach before?)

[Dan]

Was just looking at the stats from last night; didn't realize we had 4 penalties to their 2 as I didn't get to see the whole game. At least we killed them off. Agree; small strides.

Special teams were good - 1/2 on the PP and 4/4 on the PK. They were outplayed even strength - which has been a trend in recent seasons. I hope they are willing to admit that and make a concerted, focused and targeted effort to change that starting tonight...

[deltabravo62]

Re: UNH 2018-19: Souza The Opportunity

Special teams were good - 1/2 on the PP and 4/4 on the PK. They were outplayed even strength - which has been a trend in recent seasons. I hope they are willing to admit that and make a concerted, focused and targeted effort to change that starting tonight...

I do not know if there is much that you can install in 16ish hours. Hopefully they could review and find something to exploit within that time to go after in tonight's game. It will be interesting to see what, if any, adjustments will be made for round 2.