UNH Wildcats 2018-2019: Souza the Opportunity or Louza the Opportunity

[Darius]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2018-2019: Souza the Opportunity or Louza the Opportunity

Big game for Wyse. Crazy ice time, he played 4 min plus of overtime... And that was after a similar work load in the late 3rd. I would be interested in his minutes in this game.

When does a 5-5 tie feel like a win... When you come from 4 goals back and then again from 3 goals back to get it.

This is potentially a big step forward. The last few Umile teams would have rolled over and played dead down 3-0 after one. It is good to see them dig, scratch and claw. Lots of effort against a clearly more talented team.

Yes and yes.

Since the last poll Yale is 1-2-1 so let's not get carried away.

Now let's... what fun last night! The Yale thread is comparing last night to the epic Harvard beats Yale 29 - 29 football game. It has been quite some time since the boys had fans with elevated heart rates starting the U-N-H chant. They never quit or thought they were out of it and were rewarded with some breaks. I can't recall attending a game where each team replaced the goal tender.

Angus (5 SOG) is showing that he is the real deal. His goal scorer's mentality is obvious as his confidence increases. Increasingly he displays awareness of what is happening around him and showcases his skating. One move in the 3rd period prompted a check of line up chart for his height and weight. In addition to quick, he is sneaky strong.

Wyse and Maass logged (((massive))) ice time. They were on the ice together a lot as well as part of other pairings and one of them was on pretty much at all times for the first 10 - 15 minutes of the 3rd period until one shift where Wyse was obviously gassed. Coach Souza saw it and mixed in McKinnon and Verrier more evenly for two rotations. The increased leadership and experience is a silver lining to Max's injury.

Vela is a solid captain. He took only one penalty while knocking people around all night. He is displaying more skill than in the past. He got tossed from the face off circle several times for being aggressive and not taking any crap. His play was a message to a sneaky chippy Yale team.

A great game to watch.

[Snively65]

UNH went over a year without a SHG, and now they have three in the past month, two by BvR, I think.

And, Mack beat NU 1-0 tonight, so that might help our PWR?

PWR apparently dropped to 28th. But, no matter, as the only way any HEA team other than Flagship, NU, or PC makes the NCAAs is by winning the conference tournament. And, we do have the fifth best PWR of HEA teams at the moment. Fifteen games against all HEA to go, with three each against Maine and NU.

[Dan]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2018-2019: Souza the Opportunity or Louza the Opportunity

Dartmouth, Dartmouth, Bentley, MC, depleted Yale is a pretty weak stretch of opponents - and they've faced goalies in those games with the following save percentages, .899, .688, .888, .849 and .888...

But, the first step back to respectability is to beat the bad teams. So, good on them. They weren't doing it consistently the last few seasons...

It will be a much bigger test this weekend against two good goalies and the Boston schools (who can't win non-conference games these days, but are still playing ok to very well within HE). UNH finishes with three against Northeastern and two against Lowell, so whatever they plan to accomplish this season will happen in between with eight-straight against their direct bottom half competition...

@ MC, @ Maine, @ UConn, UConn, Maine, Maine, @UVM, @ UVM

That's where their HE finish (and level of improvement) will be determined. Can they continue to beat the bad teams or will they come back to earth??

[GrouchyUNHer]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2018-2019: Souza the Opportunity or Louza the Opportunity

Does tonight solidify the “Taylor experiment is over”

Lest we forget, kiddies, that everyone said that the "Robinson experiment" was over last year. Taylor's a young'n....he'll find his role.

AND WHY IN TARNATION ARE ALL OF YOU STILL ON MY LAWN?? GIT!!

[Snively65]

Lest we forget, kiddies, that everyone said that the "Robinson experiment" was over last year. Taylor's a young'n....he'll find his role.

AND WHY IN TARNATION ARE ALL OF YOU STILL ON MY LAWN?? GIT!!

Welcome to the thread, Emily. Please pay no attention to GrouchyUNHer. And, any lawn is a fabric of his imagination. :-)

[deltabravo62]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2018-2019: Souza the Opportunity or Louza the Opportunity

Personally I don't really care that Yale was missing two of their best players and most of the goals were scored against their backup goalie. You play the game that is presented to you. That being said, Yale is a greatly talented team and really put it to UNH for a good part of this game. It is easy to spot when you are punching upwards, which UNH was doing from the outset. After the game got to 3-0 early I pretty much expected things to get out of hand, couple that with a shorthanded goal against and I was having flashbacks to the recent Lowell games that have gotten into the 8-2 range. Taylor got pulled and the boys woke up, Yale never really pulled back but they were giving up a lot of space and opportunity that UNH took and ran with. It was great to see and be a part of the crowd getting behind them, that the team and with them the crowd didn't just roll over and die.

That has been the difference so far this season, I have been quoted (in person, not on these boards) saying "This team has a lot of quit in them" the last 2-3 years. Haven't said it once this year and if they keep on this track I will not have to. I'm not going to oversell this as "The boys are back and ready to compete for the NCAA's" but last night was fun and I'm quite alright with fun at this point.

I agree with Dan, the final season standings are going to be determined starting after next week, getting a couple wins from BU, BC, NE, or UML will be great if they happen, but the focus needs to be on the teams that we are directly competing with. It will be an interesting ride to the finish.

Last bit of personal opinion, whoever has decided to give away the student section tickets to various groups or STH's to bring others in for a game while the students are gone, good job. Put butts in the seats and give them a reason to want to buy that ticket the next time. I know some STH's feel like they are getting the short end because they have to pay while the school is giving out tickets and I can understand to a point but I would much rather them pack the place in however they can than watch a game in a morgue. With a full team autograph session post game and much more interaction between the team and the fans, I say great work to whoever is making these calls. I listened to the interview from The Mack Report with our radio guys and they say Souza has been a driving force in some of this so hopefully this is the indication that people within the hockey program are getting the message.

Edit to add: Taylor had a rough night out there but I would not count him out just yet. I think Robinson has solidified through his performances that he is going to be the #1 goalie but I think we will see Taylor a few more times this season.

[HockeyRef]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2018-2019: Souza the Opportunity or Louza the Opportunity

Personally I don't really care that Yale was missing two of their best players and most of the goals were scored against their backup goalie. You play the game that is presented to you. That being said, Yale is a greatly talented team and really put it to UNH for a good part of this game. It is easy to spot when you are punching upwards, which UNH was doing from the outset. After the game got to 3-0 early I pretty much expected things to get out of hand, couple that with a shorthanded goal against and I was having flashbacks to the recent Lowell games that have gotten into the 8-2 range. Taylor got pulled and the boys woke up, Yale never really pulled back but they were giving up a lot of space and opportunity that UNH took and ran with. It was great to see and be a part of the crowd getting behind them, that the team and with them the crowd didn't just roll over and die.

That has been the difference so far this season, I have been quoted (in person, not on these boards) saying "This team has a lot of quit in them" the last 2-3 years. Haven't said it once this year and if they keep on this track I will not have to. I'm not going to oversell this as "The boys are back and ready to compete for the NCAA's" but last night was fun and I'm quite alright with fun at this point.

I agree with Dan, the final season standings are going to be determined starting after next week, getting a couple wins from BU, BC, NE, or UML will be great if they happen, but the focus needs to be on the teams that we are directly competing with. It will be an interesting ride to the finish.

Last bit of personal opinion, whoever has decided to give away the student section tickets to various groups or STH's to bring others in for a game while the students are gone, good job. Put butts in the seats and give them a reason to want to buy that ticket the next time. I know some STH's feel like they are getting the short end because they have to pay while the school is giving out tickets and I can understand to a point but I would much rather them pack the place in however they can than watch a game in a morgue. With a full team autograph session post game and much more interaction between the team and the fans, I say great work to whoever is making these calls. I listened to the interview from The Mack Report with our radio guys and they say Souza has been a driving force in some of this so hopefully this is the indication that people within the hockey program are getting the message.

Edit to add: Taylor had a rough night out there but I would not count him out just yet. I think Robinson has solidified through his performances that he is going to be the #1 goalie but I think we will see Taylor a few more times this season.

Great post DB62! I know that Souza has been out in the community, working to become more visible, putting his face on UNHHockey. They got a good look at the squad this weekend and I have to say, in the 5 years that we've been following, this past weekend was the best at the 'Whitt in a long time. There was a ton of enthusiasm, clapping, standing up for good plays. That's been lacking the last couple of seasons. And, lest we forget, WE played without our best player and still have a very young team out there battling night in, night out. No question they stayed in the game, didn't give up, and that in itself is gratifying. Personally that's all I ask of them, and that is to compete to the best of their abilities. It's awesome when we win, but last night really was a blast to see. Great competition with both teams coming close in the OT. Gutsy coming back down 4. Just gutsy!

All that being said, the competition only gets tougher. This weekend is a big one. I'd be thrilled with a split, ESP beating BC would be most gratifying as that's been since 2012 (correct if wrong) since we've defeated the Beagles, er, Eagles. I'm still holding out for making the HE tournament as a huge success for this group...and I believe it can be done. They have work to do to get there, but I believe they are down for it! Go 'Cats!!!

[HockeyRef]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2018-2019: Souza the Opportunity or Louza the Opportunity

Does tonight solidify the “Taylor experiment is over”

Hey Emily welcome to the board...keep coming back!!!

[Chuck Murray]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2018-2019: Souza the Opportunity or Louza the Opportunity

Terrific to see the comments about things Coach Souza has been doing behind the scenes.

Much needed, certainly overdue (not on him, but his mentor) and very welcome. Kudos!

[UNHProf]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2018-2019: Souza the Opportunity or Louza the Opportunity

The thing with Taylor is that in each occasion where he has been pulled, it was an indictment of his team more than of him. Last night, his team left him out there to dry.. What I will say is that him being pulled (2 or 3 times at home by my recollection) does not do wonders for a young goaltenders confidence. I certainly hope the staff is coaching him up, lest we do some serious damage to this young mans career who plays in a position where confidence is critical.

[Chuck Murray]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2018-2019: Souza the Opportunity or Louza the Opportunity

What I will say is that him being pulled (2 or 3 times at home by my recollection) does not do wonders for a young goaltenders confidence. I certainly hope the staff is coaching him up, lest we do some serious damage to this young mans career who plays in a position where confidence is critical.

Bingo. But I will say, Coach Souza has given Taylor a lot more rope than his predecessor is likely to have given him. I'm not looking to dredge up old arguments as to the relative abilities of Tirone, Clark, and Robinson, but I think it's fair to assume if Coach Umile was still in charge, Taylor would be buried and out of consideration for the foreseeable future (i.e. barring injuries, until next October). Just another one of those small examples and subtle differences in the approaches adopted by both men.

[bostonewe]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2018-2019: Souza the Opportunity or Louza the Opportunity

Haven't been able to make it to many games this season, but was happy to see the play of the boys in last night's game! One of my least favorite things about watching the Umile teams was when they would play back get defensive with any tie or when they would, I hesitate to say "give up", but give up on a game when down by a few. This was a great show of grit and determination, especially once Robinson returned to net. I hadn't seen Taylor prior to last night, but I felt like he got hung out to dry a bit by the team and when Robinson came into the net, the team was more aggressive. Maybe that was due to a rousing speech during the 1st intermission or it was because of a different goalie, but either way...it made for an exciting rest of the game. Our little section was the most supportive and animated that I've seen them in awhile (rather than going through the motions).

When does a 5-5 tie feel like a win... When you come from 4 goals back and then again from 3 goals back to get it.

This is potentially a big step forward. The last few Umile teams would have rolled over and played dead down 3-0 after one. It is good to see them dig, scratch and claw. Lots of effort against a clearly more talented team.

I completely agree with this. While it wasn't a win, it felt as good as one given where they were after the first and the improvement in play during the 2nd and 3rd.

Angus (5 SOG) is showing that he is the real deal. His goal scorer's mentality is obvious as his confidence increases. Increasingly he displays awareness of what is happening around him and showcases his skating. One move in the 3rd period prompted a check of line up chart for his height and weight. In addition to quick, he is sneaky strong.

Vela is a solid captain. He took only one penalty while knocking people around all night. He is displaying more skill than in the past. He got tossed from the face off circle several times for being aggressive and not taking any crap. His play was a message to a sneaky chippy Yale team.

I hadn't noticed Angus during the 2 earlier games that I had seen earlier in the season, but he was everywhere last night and really seems like he's got good hockey sense and is not too bad at playing hockey either...

Vela looked pretty good, though he had a boneheaded play or two. I definitely appreciated his physicality and it's always nice to see as that's something that I feel like the teams of previous years have lacked.

Dartmouth, Dartmouth, Bentley, MC, depleted Yale is a pretty weak stretch of opponents - and they've faced goalies in those games with the following save percentages, .899, .688, .888, .849 and .888...

But, the first step back to respectability is to beat the bad teams. So, good on them. They weren't doing it consistently the last few seasons...

We talked a lot about this on the drive home -- that you have to start somewhere and where they were not consistently beating bad teams (especially the last 2 seasons), that any wins (or big comeback ties) will generate a change in culture/vibe that will hopefully lead to more games where they show determination throughout the whole game.

The thing with Taylor is that in each occasion where he has been pulled, it was an indictment of his team more than of him. Last night, his team left him out there to dry.. What I will say is that him being pulled (2 or 3 times at home by my recollection) does not do wonders for a young goaltenders confidence. I certainly hope the staff is coaching him up, lest we do some serious damage to this young mans career who plays in a position where confidence is critical.

I agree with this post.

Looking forward to catching the matchup against BC and the tilt vs. UConn.

[Darius]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2018-2019: Souza the Opportunity or Louza the Opportunity

The thing with Taylor is that in each occasion where he has been pulled, it was an indictment of his team more than of him. Last night, his team left him out there to dry.. What I will say is that him being pulled (2 or 3 times at home by my recollection) does not do wonders for a young goaltenders confidence. I certainly hope the staff is coaching him up, lest we do some serious damage to this young mans career who plays in a position where confidence is critical.

Perhaps, but Robinson immediately made some saves that Taylor was not making.

Bingo. But I will say, Coach Souza has given Taylor a lot more rope than his predecessor is likely to have given him. I'm not looking to dredge up old arguments as to the relative abilities of Tirone, Clark, and Robinson, but I think it's fair to assume if Coach Umile was still in charge, Taylor would be buried and out of consideration for the foreseeable future (i.e. barring injuries, until next October). Just another one of those small examples and subtle differences in the approaches adopted by both men.

Coach Souza will manage this, keeping Taylor's confidence up by letting him know that his coaches and teammates are behind him, but that playing time = performance, same as the forwards and defense men. I am thinking Robinson starts Friday and if he plays well, again on Saturday.

[HockeyRef]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2018-2019: Souza the Opportunity or Louza the Opportunity

Perhaps, but Robinson immediately made some saves that Taylor was not making.

Coach Souza will manage this, keeping Taylor's confidence up by letting him know that his coaches and teammates are behind him, but that playing time = performance, same as the forwards and defense men. I am thinking Robinson starts Friday and if he plays well, again on Saturday.

I agree; while I think it's important to play the both of them to keep confidence going (for both) you still gotta ask, who's the better skilled of the two? This is D1 hockey and the players know that I'm sure. The best of goalies out there struggle from time to time. The best should play, period. Personally I was surprised to see the goalie situation Friday night; fully expected Taylor to play v MC but then those 2 HE points matter more than beating Yale. Taylor is a great goalie and he showed that v Dartmouth; we are lucky to have him and he will continue to get his shot I'm sure.

That's the nature of sport esp. at this level...I will say it's great to see players getting a shot at it, which isn't something we've seen (as Chuck said) in the recent past. No way could Souza leave Taylor in regardless of how the D was playing v Yale and if Robinson (should he start Friday v BU) gets lit up early, I'm sure Souza would do the same. At least I would expect him to? Regardless...we will have our hands full with both teams this weekend and I'm looking forward to it!!!

[deltabravo62]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2018-2019: Souza the Opportunity or Louza the Opportunity

The thing with Taylor is that in each occasion where he has been pulled, it was an indictment of his team more than of him. Last night, his team left him out there to dry.. What I will say is that him being pulled (2 or 3 times at home by my recollection) does not do wonders for a young goaltenders confidence. I certainly hope the staff is coaching him up, lest we do some serious damage to this young mans career who plays in a position where confidence is critical.

Just to clarify, Taylor has been pulled twice this season, once at CC where he had 3 goals against in the first 10-15 minutes and this past Saturday.