Friends of UNH Hockey

Welcome to Friends of UNH Hockey

The Friends of UNH Hockey is the largest athletic booster organization at the University of New Hampshire and one of the most successful in college hockey. We have been supporting the Wildcats since 1972 and are looking forward to another exciting season of Hockey East action! You can read more about our history or join us right now using our new online system.

Be sure to check back throughout the season for more information. As a member of the Friends, you’ll also be kept up to date with Blue Lines, our monthly newsletter as well as notifications of upcoming events. GO CATS!

WILDCATS FACE-OFF AGAINST BU

UNH HOSTS AT THE WHIT, TRAVEL TO BOSTON ON SATURDAY

It’s been eight months, but for many fans it seems just like yesterday when the Wildcats battled Boston University down to the wire in the NCAA Northeast Regional Final in Manchester, losing in the final seconds, 2-1, on one of the more bizarre plays you’ll ever see.
There’s little question that the Boston University hockey team was just about all-everything last season. Although they edged Northeastern for the Hockey East regular season crown on the last day, barely got by UMass-Lowell in the league championship game, and had to stage an improbable comeback against Miami University (never mind against UNH) in the NCAA championship game, with their 35-6-4 record the Terriers were undoubtedly the best team in the country.
But this is a new season and BU has gotten off to a rough start. Gone are Hobey Baker Award winner Matt Gilroy, first team All-American Colin Wilson, plus senior forwards Chris Higgins, Brandon Yip, and Jason Lawrence. They were five of the top six scorers for the Terriers last year. The sixth, junior forward Nick Bonino, separated his shoulder in early November and only returned to the BU lineup last Saturday against Merrimack.
This depletion of talent has given the Terriers and their fans a harsh wake-up call.
Ranked first or second in all pre-season polls, they started the season 2-2-0, then lost their next four, all to Hockey East opponents. This past weekend they split with newly resurgent Merrimack, losing away 6-3 before hanging on for a 6-4 win last Saturday night at Agganis Arena.
Without Bonino in the lineup the Terriers have struggled to score and currently are averaging about two and half goals per game. Two of the three leading scorers are junior defensemen Kevin Shattenkirk (2 goals, 7 assists) and Colby Cohen (3-3-6), with sophomore forward Chris Connolly (3-4-7) sandwiched in between. The leading goal scorer is freshman Alex Chaisson, who has lit the lamp four times.
Besides Shattenkirk and Cohen, the BU defense is anchored by sophomore David Warsofsky and senior Eric Gryba. In goal sophomore Kiernan Millan was nothing short of sensational last year going 29-2-3, including four straight wins in the NCAA tournament. This year things have been a little bit rougher as he already has three times as many loses (2-6-0) as he had all last season.
Despite BU’s early season woes, even UNH’s most casual fans are aware that the Wildcats have had their struggles over the years against BU (43-94-18 overall). The Terriers are the only Hockey East team to have a winning record at the Whittemore Center (9-7-5), although the Wildcats have turned the tables at BU’s new home, Agganis Arena, where they are 4-1-2 since the facility opened in 2006.
Last season UNH was one of the few teams to win a game against the Terriers, taking a tight 2-1 victory at the Whittemore Center in October on James vanRiemsdyk’s second period goal. BU took the next three meetings, sweeping a home-and-home series (5-0 and 3-1) in January before edging out the Wildcats, 2-1, in the thrilling NCAA Regional Final in Manchester on March 29.
Bobby Butler is the only Wildcat with more than one point against the Terriers in his career, having gone 2-3-5 in 10  games. Phil DeSimone and Mike Sislo are the only others who have scored against BU. On the other side, BU returns just two players who have scored against the Wildcats, sophomore forwards Cory Trivino (2 goals) and Vinny Saporono (1 goal).
Both teams will be somewhat depleted. For UNH, forwards Greg Burke (separated shoulder) and Dalton Speelman (bruised/infected shoulder) will most likely miss action. Also still out is defenseman Nick Krates (high ankle sprain), who is not expected to return until January. The Terriers may have gotten Bonino back, but this week they probably lost Connolly, who reports say separated his shoulder in practice.

WILDCATS SPLIT AT UMASS

MINUTEMEN WIN IN OT SHOCKER, 4-3
‘CATS REBOUND BEHIND BUTLER, 4-2

The Wildcats had some mixed emotions and some mixed results this past weekend when they took on UMass at the Mullins Center, Amherst, MA. On Friday night the ‘Cats played one of their better all around games of the season, only to see the Minutemen tie it with 11 seconds left, then win in overtime, 4-3. The ‘Cats apparently shook off any ill effects of that sudden defeat the next night when, led by Bobby Butler’s two goals, they came away with a solid 4-2 victory, their first in three weeks.

Friday night UNH came out flat and found themselves down 2-0 at the end of the first period. Before a crowd that was noisy and engaged from the opening whistle, UMass took control early. After two failed power plays (the only penalties on UNH the entire night) Michael Lecomte scored at 16:28 when he banged home the rebound of a Will Ortiz shot from the slot. Justin Braun then made it 2-0 at 18:39, when he got an edge on a UNH defender and beat Brian Foster blocker side.

If the Wildcats didn’t match UMass’ intensity in the first period, they sure made up for it in the second when they dominated the Minutemen in every facet of the game, outshot them 18-7, and tied the game. Stevie Moses got UNH on the board at 10:27 when he beat Paul Dainton from in front after taking a feed from Kevin McCarey. Peter LeBlanc tied the game when he banged home the rebound of a Brett Kostolansky’s shot from the right point at 17:52.

Butler gave the Wildcats the lead just 1:19 into the third period slipping the puck past Dainton after collecting a pass from Paul Thompson. From there the ‘Cats seemed to gain confidence and appeared to have the victory in hand, even when Dainton was pulled for an extra skater with less than a minute to go. Play was in the UNH end when the puck came around to Danny Hobbs at the right point. Hobbs closed, but partially whiffed on a slapshot, and fell to the ice. As the puck squirted out from under his body, Hobbs swiped at it, “passing” the puck over to Casey Wellman, who banged it home as he stood uncovered to the right of the crease.

Despite the shock of the tying goal, UNH began the overtime by pinning UMass back in their zone. But on the Minutemen’s first breakout David Marcou found David Boehm streaking down the left wing. Boehm collected the pass and, using a UNH defender as a screen, fired a wrist shot past Foster at 2:05 for the improbable come-from-behind victory.

On Saturday UNH apparently overcame any ill effects from the previous night’s excruciating loss in a hurry. Led by Butler’s two goals and a 33-save performance by Foster, the ‘Cats put in a solid two-way effort throughout the game on their way to 4-2 victory.

LeBlanc set the tone early on, forcing Dainton to make a spectacular glove save in the first minute of play. Taking advantage of some sloppiness by the Minutemen, UNH took the play to UMass. They were finally able to strike at 16:39 when Butler converted on a backhander after Phil DeSimone forced a turnover inside the blue line.

UNH was back on their heels for most of the second when they were outshot by the Minutemen 20-4. But despite the disparity in shots, the Wildcats were able to hold their ground, scoring two goals to maintain the lead. After some pretty loose play by both teams to start the period, UMass tied the game on a Will Ortiz wrist shot at 4:37. LeBlanc got that one back at 5:21 after he stole the puck deep in the zone, walked in front and beat Dainton with a backhander. Butler then gave UNH a two goal lead when he took the rebound of Mike Beck’s blast from the point and backhanded it past Dainton at 13:47.

Despite UNH’s two goal lead, it was UMass which dominated most of the period when they forced Foster to make 18 saves. After the teams were whistled for penalties 26 seconds apart, UMass finally hit pay dirt, with defenseman Martin Nolet’s slapper from the slot beat Foster cleanly at 18:24.

Early in the third UMass had chances to tie it up, with the best one coming six minutes in when Brett Watson was denied in front by Foster. After some spirited action at both ends of the ice, UNH finally got the cushion they needed at 11:59. Streaking into the zone on the left wing, LeBlanc fed a pass to Mike Sislo, who crashed the net and knocked the puck past Dainton for a lead that, this night, the Wildcats would not relinquish.

COMMENTS FROM THE COACH
“We played very well on Friday, played very hard. It was a disappointing loss because I thought in the second we came out and played a solid period and tied it, then came back and played a real strong third and got the go-ahead goal. It was just unfortunate that there was a crazy bounce of the puck and they tied it up. We block a shot, the kid falls on the ice, makes a blind pass and it goes right on Wellman’s stick for a goal. (There were) a couple of bad coverage plays when they scored, but the fact is the guys stayed with it and we played a solid hockey game. It was a tough one to lose because we played hard and had nothing to show for it.

“I thought we bounced back really well on Saturday. (Butler’s) goal that we got right away was key, to bounce right back like that says something. They had us running around a little bit in the second, but Foster made a couple of good saves and we made some good decisions with the puck. LeBlanc’s (third period) goal was huge for us. Ending the game with a one goal lead could have been tough, so having that two-goal margin was key for us.”

“These guys have played as hard as any team I’ve had in the last couple of years. I’m pleased with the way they have competed. They came back (on Saturday) and played hard. They never quit. We’ve had some good character games already and that was one of them. I told the team that I was proud of how hard they played all weekend. We played good, solid two-way hockey all weekend.

“I like the way the team is playing. We’re playing better defensively. (Brett) Kostolansky and (Connor) Hardowa are starting to get it, getting better in their own end. We’ll need them to continue to improve since we won’t have (Nick) Krates (high ankle sprain) for a couple of more weeks.

“Putting Butler and LeBlanc on different lines has got both of them going. Bobby is playing extremely well for us right now. Thompson and DeSimone have started to pick it up and Sislo’s starting to get it going. He had a nice goal on Saturday. We’re battling out there, we’ve lost a couple of guys (Greg) Burke (separated shoulder) and (Dalton) Speelman (bruised shoulder infected), so the rest of the guys have to step it up.

“Right now I’d say we’re improving every week. This past weekend was better than the week before. Not just because we won, but because we competed better and were more consistent. We’re getting there. Another tough week coming up (two games vs. BU) but I think we’ll be ready.

WILDCATS TAKE ON UMASS THIS WEEKEND

UNH TRAVELS TO AMHERST FOR TWO GAME SET
After garnering only one point in two Hockey East games last weekend, the Wildcats will attempt to get back on track when they face off against UMass in a two-game set at the Mullins Center, Amherst, MA. This will be the first time in league play that the teams will play back-to-back games at the same arena. The change was made this year at the behest of UNH’s travel considerations.
After going 5-1-1 at the start of last season, the Minutemen lost seven of their last 11, wound up seventh in the league, and were eliminated in the first round of the Hockey East playoffs by Northeastern. This year they are off to another strong start, with a league record of 3-1-0, good for second in Hockey East. Last weekend UMass took two non-conference wins from Niagara to boost their overall record to 6-1-0, tops in the league.
UMass has plenty of firepower back from last year’s team, led by junior James Marcou and sophomore Casey Wellman. Marcou led the team in scoring last season with 47 points (15 goals, 32 assists) while Wellman was second with 33 (11 g, 22 a). The duo has picked up right where they left off, with Marcou currently leading the team with 13 points (3 g, 10 a) and Wellman right behind with 11 (4 g, 7 a). The top freshman so far has been Rocco Carzo, who has five points in five games.
On defense sophomore Matthew Irwin leads the way with a team high five goals. Also giving Coach Don “Toot” Cahoon some experience are seniors Justin Braun and Martin Nolet. Junior Paul Dainton, who had respectable numbers last season, has again seen most of the action in goal and has a 5-1-0 record, 2.18 goals against and .934 save percentage.
Although the Wildcats have not lost to UMass in their last seven meetings, all three games last year went to overtime with two ties (1-1, 2-2) and UNH coming out on top, 3-2 thanks to a Bobby Butler goal on January 10. Butler has had some success (5 goals, 4 assists) in the 12 games he has played against the Minutemen. Mike Sislo (2 goals) and Peter LeBlanc (1) are the only other returning players who have scored against UMass.
It has been well documented that the UNH penalty kill has been nothing to write home about, with Boston College and UMass-Lowell scoring 7 goals in 11 attempts last weekend. UNH’s 72% overall kill rate is the worst in the league. On the other hand, UMass has been hot, converting 12 of 40 chances for a whopping 30% scoring percentage. If the ‘Cats are to come away with a couple of points this weekend, their special team’s success will be the key. Staying out of the penalty box, and keeping UMass off the board when they are in it, will go a long way in making the Wildcats’ late Saturday night bus ride a happy one.

UNH TIES BC, 4-4, LOSES AT LOWELL, 6-3

SPECIAL TEAMS DO-IN THE WILDCATS
UNH took a step back this past weekend, failing to win a game for the third time in the last four weekends. After being unceremoniously swept at Wisconsin the weekend before, the Wildcats looked to get back on track when they hosted Boston College on November 6, then traveled to Lowell to take on the Riverhawks on the 8th. While the ‘Cats played well in spurts, especially in their come-from-behind tie vs. the Eagles, the end result was the taking of just one point out of four and a fall to third place in Hockey East. The most glaring culprit in the two losses were the UNH specialty teams, which gave up seven power play goals in 11 chances while scoring only one of their own.

On Friday, the UNH penalty kill left much to be desired as it gave up three first period power play goals, then another in the second, as the Eagles rushed out to a 4-1 lead against the ‘Cats. All three BC goals in the first came off the sticks of Eagle defenseman, and all were shots from the high slot, inside the blue line. Tommy Cross got the first at 8:17, then senior blueliner Carl Sneep got the next two at 10:23 and 14:38.
In the second, UNH sruck first when Peter LeBlanc banged home the rebound of his own shot at 4:47. But BC got it back with their fourth power play goal (they would go 4 for 5 on the night) when Ben Smith nudged the puck past Brian Foster at the crease at 13:31.

At that point it looked as though the Wildcats had no life, but at 4:16 of the third they got their lone power play goal of the weekend when Mike Sislo beat John Muse from the slot. A minute later LeBlanc was in the penalty box for interference but it was here that the game turned as Foster held off the Eagles on what was probably their best power play effort of the night.

Paul Thompson cut the lead to one at 8:46, jamming the puck home at the crease after a furious scrum by the Wildcats. That goal gave the ‘Cats some life and over the next few minutes they carried the play to the Eagles. They finally tied it when Bobby Butler backhanded a rebound past Muse with just 53 seconds left. Muse was then forced to make three big stops in the overtime to preserve the point for BC.

Read about Sunday’s Game against Lowell and Coaches Reactions Read more »

UNH GETS BACK TO HOCKEY EAST ACTION

WILDCATS HOPE TO REBOUND AGAINST BC AND LOWELL
After some major struggles against the University of Wisconsin last weekend, UNH will look to get back to their winning ways this Friday and Sunday when they face-off against Hockey East opponents Boston College and UMass-Lowell. The Wildcats will host BC at the Whittemore Center on Friday, then travel to Lowell on Sunday afternoon to take on the Riverhawks. Both games will be televised, with Friday’s tilt on NESN beginning at 7PM and Sunday’s on ESPNU at 5PM.

Scouting Boston College
bcLast year was not one of the best in recent memory for the Eagles. After winning the national championship in 2008 (their third straight trip to the national final, eighth to the Frozen Four in eleven years), last season they finished 18-14-5. Their high watermark came when they swept UNH in the quarterfinal round of the Hockey East playoffs. So far this year BC is 2-2-0 (1-2-0 in Hockey East), including a split with Merrimack and a loss at Vermont.

Although they lost top scorer Brock Bradford, current San Jose Shark Benn Ferriero, and rugged defenseman Nick Petrecki, BC returns several familiar faces. Notable players up front are junior Brian Gibbons (9-29-38 last season, 2-3-5 currently), senior Ben Smith (6-11-17, 2-2-4), and junior Joe Whitney (7-8-15, 2-2-4). A newcomer to watch is forward Chris Kreider, a 6’2” speedster who was the first round (17th overall) pick of the New York Rangers in last spring’s NHL draft.

On defense BC will be young, with only senior Carl Sneep (2-9-11, 1-2-3) and sophomore Tommy Cross returning. They will look to get some help from freshmen Philip Samuelsson (1 assist), Brian Dumoulin, and Patrick Wey, all of whom were drafted by NHL teams (Carolina, 2nd round, Pittsburgh, 2nd round, Washington, 4th round respectively). In goal will be junior John Muse, who sputtered a bit last year after backstopping BC’s run to the title as a freshman. So far this season he is off to a slow start, going 1-2-0 with a 3.70 goals against average and .843 save percentage.

Scouting UMass-Lowell
umlThe Riverhawks turned it on in the late stages of last season. Barely over .500 during the regular season (17-15-2), they made a run in the Hockey East playoffs with a quarterfinal sweep at Vermont, a semi-final win over Northeastern and a heroic 1-0 loss to Boston University in the final. With only two players graduated and their top seven scorers returning, UML was the sexy pick in a lot of pre-season polls. This season they are off to a good start, going 4-2-0 (2-1-0 in Hockey East), including a split with BU last weekend, each team winning at the other’s rink.

One of the reasons for optimism is at forward where Lowell has ten returnees who had at least ten points. Leading the way are Scott Campbell (14-16-30 last season, 3-2-5 currently), Kory Falite (14-8-22, 2-4-6) and David Vallorani (9-18-27, 2-4-6). One newcomer to watch is Riley Wetmore, who had 75 points with Green Mountain in the EJHL last year and already has three points in his first six games for Lowell.

On the blue line the Hawks return three who had more than 20 points – Maury Edwards (11-18-29, 1-3-4), Nick Schaus (5-17-22, 2-3-5) and Jeremy Dehner (3-23-26, 3 assists). Barry Goers and Tim Corcoran also return. Carter Hutton and Nevin Hamilton will once again split the goaltending for Lowell. Last year their combined goals against was 2.11, with a save percentage of around .920. Hutton already has a shut out this season, a 3-0 win vs. St. Lawrence.

WILDCATS SPOOKED BY THE BADGERS

UNH DROPS TWO ON HALLOWEEN WEEKEND, 4-1, 6-1
jack-o-lantern1Halloween weekend at the University of Wisconsin? Well the overriding theme for most is the anticipation of Freak Night, when thousands of students and assorted hangers-on, attired in all manner of costume, descend on downtown Madison to celebrate All Hallows Eve. Unfortunately for UNH, this year’s festivities included a two-day celebration at the Kohl Center, where the Badgers humbled their visitors, 4-1 and 5-1 on consecutive nights.

Although Wisconsin has dominated the series since the teams first played over 30 years, UNH had won the last three meetings, including a 5-1 win in last season’s opener at the Whittemore Center. Any thoughts that there might be a repeat were quickly dispelled on Friday night when the Badgers dominated from the opening whistle, out shot the Wildcats 51-12, and came away with a 4-1 victory.

After a scoreless first period when the ‘Cats managed only five shots, Wisconsin took control of the game in the second. Freshman defenseman John Ramage got the first goal of his career when his slap shot from the left point beat Brian Foster through a screen at 5:43. John Mitchell, one of the Badgers leading scorers a year ago, then got his first of the season at 12:47, snapping one past Foster after a UNH turnover in the zone. The lone bright spot in the period, and the night, for the ‘Cats came at 14:03 when Peter LeBlanc scored shorthanded, finishing off a 2-on-0 with Bobby Butler.

Read the rest of the Recap Read more »