2009-2010 UNH Wildcats Season

[Malts18]

Re: 2009-2010 UNH Wildcats Season

First of all, I'd be remiss if I didn't say: STUPID HICKS! I HATE YOU ALL!!! ARGGGGHHHH!

Now with that out of the way, I was thinking the same thing, which is this team can really fly. Way outskated BU. I was curious if this is a typical performance out of the team, or if they were just extra "jacked and pumped" to quote Pete Carroll for this game? If this is a typical performance, they should run away with hockey east, although Foster does seem to give up a few too many rebounds (based on this one game mind you).

Rover... pretty normal game, really. The Cats are 9-0-2 in their last 11 league games now and are starting to gel well. The team defense has been pretty good lately and this team's heart and chemistry are excellent. It is like they are really starting to "get it" as the season goes on. Fun to watch for sure.

As for Jacques.... one word: ignore.

[Greg Ambrose]

Re: 2009-2010 UNH Wildcats Season

At the start of the year when UNH was doing very poorly, I made a comment that if UNH made the NCAA's this year it would be the best coaching that Umile, Borek, and Lassonde have done. On the heels of losing JVR, Cam Reid, Ryan Borque, Matt White, and Danny Dries (all who should be on the roster this year) they have no business being first in hockey east and 7th in the PWR. Excellent coaching job and Umile is the front runner yet again for COY... It just annoys me to see NCAA watcher post such negative things about the recruiting that guys like Borek do... Also, so many fans have turned their backs on Umile when things have been going wrong... I just wanted to make a post to point out the exceptional job here this year...

I applaud the ultimate sentiment of your post, that Umile et al. are doing a great job and that they don't get due credit. However of the five players you cite who should be playing this year for UNH, only one realistically could have been on the roster. JVR was ticketed for no more than two years the minute he stepped on the UNH campus. And Reid and, I guess, White just couldn't cut it academically. The Bourque thing was duplicity at the highest level, the kid was never coming here because the family does not value education (witness no-credits Chris at BU). My opinion of Ray Bourque has turned 180 degrees. So I say Dries is the only one who had the opportunity to be here. He held his fate in his own hands, but his constant missteps on and particularly off the ice left the coaching staff no choice to dismiss him, as they did three days before the game vs. UND.

Like you I get tired of Watchers negativity (or should I say realism) sometimes. I prefer to look at these guys not based on what they did at some far flung junior team, but what they do when they start playing college hockey. As much as I love Watchers insights, sometimes the man is wrong (Brad Flashians comes to mind). But at least he and guys like Carl S. are out there trolling the websites and keeping us informed on who UNH is hot after. They perform a valuable service.

[Jacques "Rabbit" Poriveau]

Re: 2009-2010 UNH Wildcats Season

You're awesome, thanks for chiming in once every few months with originality. Keep up the good work.

Originallity is zee reqwire pour posting on dis tread? Zut alors, you boys ad me fooled on dat one!

[Jacques "Rabbit" Poriveau]

Re: 2009-2010 UNH Wildcats Season

yeah we get it you fat bass.taad now tell us something we don't know,k

man are you a genius or what

Uhh Rico I pretty shure Dover382436 not getting it, eh?

I juss saying lets not get all chubbed up ovure a January winning streek mes amies...n'est ce pas?

[unhpuckfan2001]

Re: 2009-2010 UNH Wildcats Season

First of all, I'd be remiss if I didn't say: STUPID HICKS! I HATE YOU ALL!!! ARGGGGHHHH!

Now with that out of the way, I was thinking the same thing, which is this team can really fly. Way outskated BU. I was curious if this is a typical performance out of the team, or if they were just extra "jacked and pumped" to quote Pete Carroll for this game? If this is a typical performance, they should run away with hockey east, although Foster does seem to give up a few too many rebounds (based on this one game mind you).

The only thing I'll comment on today is this post (although lots of posts sparked comments).

A lot of people comment on how many rebounds Foster gives up. Once described to me by a now-graduated player as, "the best puck handler on the ice", I see a goalie who usually moves the puck where he wants it. Yeah, the rebound travels 20 feet, but it's straight into a corner, where an offensive player has no angle. More than other goalies, Foster looks to keep the puck moving to his teammates, often creating good up-ice chances, where a lot of other goalies would cover the puck (out of habit?). He nearly always seems poised and in control to me.

My season tickets are just in front of Brian's net for the 1st and 3rd, and on some perimeter shots I have actually seen him, or heard him (before they made the glass taller) directing his two more experienced defense men (Krates and Kessell) to a specific corner, where he then directs the rebound. Very subtle, very impressive, pad and stick work on a consistent basis.

[CarlS]

Re: 2009-2010 UNH Wildcats Season

My take on watching a full 60 minute game last night - the first time I have been able to watch an entire game on tv or in person was that UNH was skating great and their backchecking was great as well.

They, IMHO, for the most part have always had great team speed, but it was very noticeable last night. I don't know if that was a result of BU not skating or just a noticeable discrepancy between the two teams. It was also great to see that after BU made the initial shot, or dump in into the zone UNH was able to very quickly transition out of their zone and break back against BU. I don't know if that has been common this season, but UNH has struggled with that before.

I did not notice anyone player standout - it just appeared each line was producing pressure with their speed.

puckfan - your comments on Foster remind me of watching Greg Moffet play in the '78 season. Don't know if time has changed my view, but it seemed that he was great at kicking the rebounds out to the corners and UNH was able to transition from there. Greg A. might be able to shed some more light on that.

As for Umile's coaching this year - what can you say - he has done a great job getting this team to perform. Let's hope it continues ... because that just helps attract more recruits

[Darius]

Re: 2009-2010 UNH Wildcats Season

Great win on Saturday. Butler's goal, Krates' block, PT's diving hustle back check, scoring goals just after a PP ended and a couple of PK blocks were plays that came from what this team learned in the '09 NCAA regional.

Does anyone know if the team travelled back to Durham Friday night or if they stayed in Boston?

[RockTheWhit]

Re: 2009-2010 UNH Wildcats Season

Does anyone know if the team travelled back to Durham Friday night or if they stayed in Boston?

They did drive back to Durham on Friday and down to Boston on Saturday in order to keep their "regular routine."

[Snively65]

Re: 2009-2010 UNH Wildcats Season

Snive...UNH was up to #7 at night's end. Great weekend!

The PWR really can change a team's ranking quickly, and one must wait for all of the western scores to be tallied each night. Somewhere earlier in this thread, after we only picked up one point in the Wisco and Redhawk four games, I recall reading the gloom and doom about how the Cats would need to win the HE tourney, not just the HE regular season, to get the autobid for a NCAA post-season (yikes, I even may have agreed with that ).

[UNHHKYRKS]

Re: 2009-2010 UNH Wildcats Season

Does anyone know if the team travelled back to Durham Friday night or if they stayed in Boston?

the team travelled back to durham on friday night as coach umile wanted to keep them on as much a routine schedule as possible.

[UNHhockey29]

Re: 2009-2010 UNH Wildcats Season

Kipper has made huge strides in that this year.

Big time. We were talking about that last night. Don't remember him being this fast last year or even at the beginning of the season.

[Greg Ambrose]

Re: 2009-2010 UNH Wildcats Season

This is the best puck handling defense at UNH. When the puck goes in the corner, they end up with it because they have skill to get it and also beat a forechecker, if necessary.

While the skill level of the forwards is much below what we've seen in the past, they are able to get pressure because from center ice, they utilize the defensemen more, passing it back if their half of the rink is clogged, allowing the puck to be reversed to the other side of the rink. In the past, UNH's center ice play was the wide, cross ice passing and those lanes could be clogged. Now, they go back more, opening up the ice.

BTW, Kostolansky remains UNH's best defenseman. I'm surprised that with all his points, Kessel is probably only 3rd among D in skill of getting the puck out of a corner. Kipper has made huge strides in that this year.

I'm glad you and Carl weighed in after actually watching a game. I agree that the d has been much more mobile than I would have expected. But Kostolansky is not their best defenseman. He is better than expected, but he is slow, something that was painfully obvious earlier in the season. Over the last couple of months he has gotten better at spacing, not over committing and, as a result, he has become more effective. Kessel remains the best pure d-man. Last night he made a couple of plays where he allowed a forward to go deep in the corner, backed off a bit, then basically took the puck away. The guy that has opened my eyes a bit is Kipp. I'm not sure whether it is him, or perhaps the BU forwards, but a couple of times last night he broke out of the zone and within in two strides had clearly escaped the forechecking from BU. For breakouts and setting up the offense, this is clearly the best collection of d-men we have had in awhile. I'm wondering if you recognized this before the season started.

[UNHhockey29]

Re: 2009-2010 UNH Wildcats Season

He's actually quite a good skater, from my view. Fast in straight ahead direction, and very agile on side to side, with an ability to accelerate quickly. Far better skater than Kessel, who caughed the puck up a couple of times when it was passed to him and he had a fairly unimpeded outlet to the blueline.

I didn't feel that Kessel had a great game. At times we were commenting on how he just didn't look like himself out there. From what I have seen my opinion is that Kessel is our best defenseman.

[unhpuckfan2001]

Re: 2009-2010 UNH Wildcats Season

I didn't feel that Kessel had a great game. At times we were commenting on how he just didn't look like himself out there. From what I have seen my opinion is that Kessel is our best defenseman.

Agreed. Couldn't afford to go, but watching on TV Blake did seem to have an off night.

Are we talking about all around player, or are we talking about best player inside the blue line? Because you have to at least mention Nick Krates' work. The term gets thrown around a lot, but he is a true 'stay at home defensemen'. Not the flashiest player, but take, for example, Saturday night's game at BU; there was a loose puck just off the left post, maybe two feet away from an open net.

Foster was sliding across, and most likely would have been in position to stop the shot, but it never got through. Krates, knocked down on the previous sequence, scrambled across, and got his body (shoulder, namely) in front of the shot. Great, smart, defensive play. Just one example of why he's my choice for best pure defensemen. Are there other things that Kipp, Kessel, and Kostalasnky do better? Yeah. But I'll take Nick when the puck is loose in the crease.

For all Wildcat fans, though, this is a nice discussion to be able to have. Not the worst, but the best, defensemen on the team. Quite a turnaround from the start of the year, eh?

[JB]

Re: 2009-2010 UNH Wildcats Season

We must have seen another shift in the Umile UNH program. By that I refer the first shift as the change pre 98-99 and post 98-99. Pre 98-99 UNH didn't care one lick about D it was all about scoring goals. 98-99 on there is more of a tendency towards team D. The shift I think we are seeing is in the type of D-men UNH is going after and getting.

This is a very solid group right now even if at times getting to this year and early this year they were questionable. It is a solid group that can handle the puck. Since the players skills are better there has been a change in technique.

They don't throw the puck behind the net they hold it or bounce it so there partner is not left out to dry. I think this change is best embodied by Kostalansky. He was the first this year that I saw fake behind the net and then pivot away on this backhand. Now they all seem to do it. UNH used to be very predictable on the back end. Under pressure just get the puck off your stick, 99% of the time by throwing behind the net to nowhere. That has all but vanished.

Also the trap used to kill UNH. The D couldn't carry the puck and once out of zone no forward would dream of passing it back. Couple this with the games against Wisco and Miami and UNH learned that dumping the puck means you have to work to get it back. They are more content and comfortable passing the puck back to the D and starting over. All the guys on the ice seem comfortable carrying the puck and treat it as a precious item.

Look at the incoming recruits - Agosta (hands), Laleggia (puck moving), Chevrier (two-way), TvR (QB, puck moving). The only exception of the next group is Knodel who also has puck skills. Even Hardowa is good with the stick just need to work on skating and positioning.

On another note: It has been nice to see the lessons learned last spring still being applied. Exhibit A was Saturday at BU. Thompson took the shot and then hustled back on the play to get a diving poke check in to spoil a BU odd man rush.