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UNH FACES CORNELL IN ALBANY REGIONAL
WILDCATS REACH NCAA TOURNAMENT FOR NINTH STRAIGHT YEAR
As everyone knows by now, on March 21 UNH was selected to participate in the NCAA Men’s Hockey Championships which begin this coming Friday, March 26. The Wildcats will face-off against Cornell University in the East Regional semi-finals in Albany, NY. The game is scheduled to begin at 6:30 at the Albany Times-Union Arena and will be televised nationally on ESPNU.
Cornell, a perrennial powerhouse going back more than 40 years, won the ECAC title this past weekend in Albany, shutting out Brown and Union by identical 3-0 scores each night. The Big Red are currently 21-8-4 and are led by the soon-to-be All-American goalie Ben Scrivens (right), who has played all but 32 minutes this
season. His statistics are impressive, with a 1.78 goals against average, .937 save percentage and seven shutouts in the season.
Up front Cornell is led by Blake Gallagher (19 goals, 18 assists), Colin Greening (15-20-35), and Riley Nash 12-22-34). Top blueliners are Brendon Nash (2-17-19) and Nick D’Agostino (4-14-18).
UNH and Cornell are no strangers to each other as they met on January 3 in a non-conference tilt at the Whittemore Center. The Wildcats were no match for the Big Red in that game, losing 5-2 in game that wasn’t even that close. Cornell, who outshot the ‘Cats 43-22 in the game, broke open a 2-2 tie with three goals in the third period. Mike Sislo and Matt Campanale scored for the Wildcats.
This will be the sixth time UNH and Cornell have met in the post-season. And to this observer, each one of those meetings had some significance to the Wildcats. Their first meeting occurred in March, 1972 when UNH, led by Captain Dick Umile played in their first ever ECAC semi-final. Facing off against Cornell in those days was a daunting task so, despite their best efforts, the ‘Cats were defeated 6-3.
UNH fared much better in subsequent meetings, the first of which came in the 1977 ECAC semi-finals when the ‘Cats took the Big Red, 10-9, on a Bob Gould goal 23 seconds into the second overtime. That victory propelled the Wildcats into their first ever ECAC final and, more importantly, secured their first ever bid to the Hockey Final Four. Two years later the teams met again in the semi-finals. And while the game was not as raucous, once again the ‘Cats were victorious, beating Cornell. 5-2, as a prelude to their 3-2 victory over Dartmouth for their first and only ECAC championship.
It would take another 23 years before the teams would meet again in the post-season and this time a bid to the Frozen Four was on the line. In the Northeast Regional final in Worcester in March, 2002, two goals by Jim Abbott gave UNH a 4-3 victory and a trip to St. Paul. The next year, the teams met again, but this time in the national semi-finals in Buffalo. Cornell was the number one team in the land, with 30 wins and counting. But behind two Steve Saviano goals and the stellar goaltending of Michael Ayers, UNH was able to hold off the Big Red to play in the second ever national championship game.
While past performance is not an indicator of future results, UNH does have a history with the Big Red. Let’s drop the puck and see what happens! See you in Albany!
COMMENTS FROM THE COACH
“We started off well the last time we played them and they took the game away from us late in the third period. They were a little stronger than we were then. That was right after the Christmas break. They had played a couple games and we hadn’t played in three weeks. We’ll focus on the fact that we’ll be stronger than we were at that point and we can fight through that.
“I think (playing the NCAA tournament) is a chance to prove a lot of things. It’s an opportunity to get to the Frozen Four. That’s the goal. The first challenge is to get through Cornell in Albany. The guys are excited. We had a decent scrimmage on Saturday. Everybody was a little anxious knowing that we could possibly not play. Everybody was excited Sunday when we found out where we were going. I think they like the idea of staying in the East and playing Cornell. We’re familiar with them. So let’s go.”
ALUMNI ASSOCIATION TO HOST PRE-GAME RECEPTION
The UNH Alumni Association and Athletics Department cordially invite you to join fellow alumni, parents and Wildcat fans in Albany (N.Y.) when the 12th-ranked University of New Hampshire men’s hockey team competes in its ninth straight NCAA tournament! The third-seed Wildcats will square off against second-seeded and sixth-ranked Cornell University on Friday, March 26 at 6:30 p.m. at the Times Union Center. The winner advances to the regional final game on Saturday, March 27th against the winner of the Denver v. RIT game.
We’ll kick off Friday night at the Times Union Center with a pre-game reception from 5:00 to 6:30 p.m. – look for the “UNH Reception” signs on the second floor of the front Atrium. The Beast of the East UNH Pep Band will be performing at 5:30 along with an appearance of our very own mascot, Wild E Cat! UNH men’s hockey coach Dick Umile will also stop by to talk to the crowd before the game! Come enjoy complimentary light refreshments and a cash bar. The game is only a few steps away inside the arena!
The Times Union Center is located on Pearl Street in downtown Albany, NY. For directions visit: http://timesunioncenter-albany.com/info/directions.aspx
BUTLER WINS WALTER BROWN AWARD
SENIOR CAPTAIN NAMED TOP AMERICAN BORN PLAYER IN NEW ENGLAND
Bobby Butler was named the 58th recipient of the Walter A. Brown Award, presented annually to the best American-born college hockey player in New England. The President of the Gridiron Club of Greater Boston, former New England Patriot quarterback Steve Grogan, made the announcement Wednesday, March 24th, in Boston. 
Butler, along with sophomore defenseman Blake Kessel (Verona, Wis), was named one of 16 semifinalists back in February. After being named a finalist last week, the Marlboro, MA native then topped the other two finalists –Sacred Heart’s Nick Johnson and Yale’s Broc Little – to win the award. Butler is the seventh Wildcat to earn the award, joining Bob Miller (1977), Ralph Cox (1979), Ty Conklin (2001), Michael Ayers (2003), Steve Saviano (2004) and Kevin Regan (2008).
Butler has already taken home his share of hardware this season. Last week he was named the Hockey East Player of the Year and was selected first team All-Hockey East. He is currently one of 10 finalists for the Hobey Baker Memorial Award, the winner to be announced during the Frozen Four weekend in Detroit the second week in April. Butler was also the Hockey East Three Stars Award winner, given each year to the player who has the most Player of the Game Awards in a season.
Butler is enjoying not only his best season as a Wildcat, but also arguably the greatest season by any Wildcat forward in recent history. Butler ranks first in the nation in goals with 27 and is fifth overall in scoring with 50 points (1.35 ppg). Butler sits third in goals per game at 0.73, sixth in points (51), ninth in short-handed goals (2) and 18th in game winners (4). He ranks first overall in goals, third in points, seventh in power play goals, second in short-handed goals and third in game-winning tallies. In conference play, Butler finished first in points (41) and goals (21), and sixth in assists (20). He became the first player in Hockey East to register 20 goals and 20 assists in league play since 1999 Hobey Baker winner Jason Krog of New Hampshire.
The Walter A. Brown Award is given each year in the memory of a legendary Boston sportsman who owned the Boston Garden and was president of the Boston Celtics for several years. In 1953 he was instrumental in bringing college hockey into the spotlight with the introduction of the Beanpot Hockey Tournament, originally played at Boston (now Matthews) Arena and then the Boston Garden.
BUTLER NAMED PLAYER OF THE YEAR
UMILE CO-COACH OF THE YEAR, THREE WILDCATS ON FIRST TEAM
Senior co-captain Bobby Butler was named Hockey East Player of the Year at the Hockey East Awards Banquet held on March 18 in Boston. Butler led Hockey East with 21 goals in league games and tied Maine’s Gustav Nyquist for the league lead with 41 points. He is the first Hockey East player to register at least 20 goal and 20 assists in league play since UNH’s Jason Krog did it in 1999.
The POY award is one of the many accolades that the senior from Marlboro, MA has received this season. Butler was named Hockey East Player of the Week three times and was Hockey East Player of the Month in November. He has been nominated for the Walter Brown Award as the top American-born player in New England and for the Hockey Humanitarian Award for his off-ice efforts in the community. On March 18 he was named one of the ten finalists for the Hobey Baker Memorial Award as the premier player in the country.
Butler is the seventh Wildcat to win Player of the Year honors in the past 12 Hockey East seasons. The most recent winner was Kevin Regan in 2008, preceded by Steve Saviano (2004), Michael Ayers (2003), Darren Haydar (2002), Ty Conklin (2000), and Jason Krog (1999). He becomes the sixth Wildcat to be selected as a Hobey finalist, following Mark Mowers (‘98), Conklin (‘01), Haydar (‘02), Saviano (‘04) and Regan (‘08).
Butler was also one of three Wildcats to be named All Hockey East first team, joined by goalie Brian Foster and defenseman Blake Kessel. It
is the first time that UNH has had three first team selections in the same season. They were joined on the first team by Nyquist, BU defenseman Colby Cohen, UMass defenseman Justin Braun, and BC forward Brian Gibbons.
After a less than stellar start to the season, Foster (right) backstopped the Wildcats as they made their run to the title in March. He played more minutes than any other goalie in the league (1,594:18), finished second in saves (764), second in saves per game (29.4), fourth in save percentage (.913), and fifth in goals against (2.75). He was Hockey East Defensive Player of the Week four times and was the league’s Goalie of the Month in December and January.
Kessel (below) finished third in league scoring for defensemen with 24 points (6 
goals, 18 assists) and was also third in plus/minus rating at +11. He’s only the third UNH defenseman (Scott Malone, ‘94 and Brad Flaishans, ‘08 are the others) to gain first team honors in the 26 year history of Hockey East.
Also feted at the Awards Banquet was Coach Dick Umile, who was named Bob Kullen Co-Coach of the Year along with Merrimack’s Brian Dennehy. UNH was ranked fourth (with Vermont) in the pre-season coaches poll. After a rocky start the Wildcats took sole possession of first place the third week of November and were never headed. They clinched the regular season title in dramatic fashion, coming from three goals down to tie Boston College in the last home game of the year. It is the sixth time Umile has received COY honors, having previously been named in 1991, 1997, 1999, 2002, and 2003. The award is named in honor former UNH coach Bob Kullen, who passed away in 1990.
Photos Courtesy of Mike Silverwood & UNH Athletic Media Relations
UNH DROP QUARTERFINALS TO VERMONT
WILDCATS LOSE 1-0 ON CONSECUTIVE NIGHTS
UNH hadn’t been shutout all season. In fact, the Wildcats had never been shut out in consecutive games in the programs history. But that was the hand that they were dealt last Sunday, just around 10PM, when Jay Anctil, a senior from Wolfeboro, NH, scored with 4:08 left in the first overtime to give the University of Vermont a 1-0 win at the Whittemore Center. The victory gave the eighth seeded Catamaounts a semi-final date with Boston College at TD Garden in Boston.
After some pretty lackluster play for most of the game, the Wildcats had found their skating legs and regained some offensive presence in the overtime. Rob Madore, who had pretty much been called out by his coach, Kevin Sneddon, after a 
miserable performance on Friday night, was on top of his game, especially during the first 10 minutes.
UNH, with desperation in their eyes, took the play to Vermont and had several chances to score. However Madore stifled jam shots at the crease by Paul Thompson, Peter LeBlanc, and Bobby Butler, then flashed the glove when Phil DeSimone looked like he had picked top corner at the 8:37 mark.
The winning goal, as it often does in overtime, came on a deflected play. With the teams battling in the corner to the left of Brian Foster, a UNH clearing pass bounced of a skate right on the stick to Anctil. He wheeled into the slot and beat Foster top left corner. “They got a lucky bounce off the wall and the kid walked in,” Foster said after the game. “He had a pretty a good shot. I kind of lost track of it a little bit.”
Things did not look good for the Wildcats as they headed into overtime. After playing poorly the night before, they came out in the rubber game of the series inexplicably flat. Vermont had the better of the play in the first period, the second 
period, and pretty much all of the third. UNH spent little time in the offensive zone, while fighting to fend off an aggressive UVM forecheck in their own end. The game would have been decided pretty early if it wasn’t for the play of Foster, who made 41 saves in regulation and a career high 50 overall).
“It’s a tough way to lose it,” said Coach Umile after the game. “We had our chances in overtime to win it. It’s a tough one to take.”
The night before the Wildcats picked the worst possible time to lose their first game at home to a Hockey East opponent and get shut out to boot. Vermont, with their backs against the wall and their bid for the NCAA tournament fading, used a third period goal by freshman David Pacan to gain a 1-0 win and extend the series to a third game.
After UVM’s third period meltdown the night before (see below), Coach Kevin Sneddon all but called out Madore for his ineffective play. And while UNH hardly mounted any consistent pressure in the Vermont zone, they had their chances to take the lead.
Madore denied Phil DeSimone in the first period, then watched as Butler’s rebound attempt rang off the crossbar. In the second, a period when UNH had only three shots on net, Madore made a great save on DeSimone, sliding across the crease to foil a 2-on-1 break with Butler. Then, in the third period after the 
Catamounts had taken the lead, he flashed out a pad to stop a Mike Beck slapper from the high slot.
That was about it for UNH’s chances in the entire game, as the were able to muster just 17 shots on net (a season low) and failed to score at least two goals for the first time since back in October when the were swept at Wisconsin.
The lone goal of the game came with 5:16 gone in the third. Off one of Vermont’s all-to-frequent end zone face-offs, the puck went into the corner where Pacan grabbed it, forced his way through traffic and got off a knuckler that went over Foster’s shoulder and squeezed in under the far post.
“It was a very defensive game,” Coach Umile said after the game. “It’s playoff hockey. Their interior defense did a good job keeping us out of the scoring area. They executed on their goal and we didn’t when we had the chance. It was a battle. We didn’t get much zone time until the last eight or nine minutes of the third period. We had our chances late in the third period to tie it up but we just didn’t get it done.”
In the opening game of the series, UNH fell into an all to familiar pattern, falling behind, then mounting a third period comeback to even, then win the game. This time the visiting Catamounts led 4-2 before the second period was even half over. 
But the Wildcats roared back, scoring once in the second, then four times in the third to take an improbable 7-4 victory. Butler and Mike Sislo each had two goals and an assist to lead the way.
After barely scraping their way into the Hockey East playoffs the weekend before, it looked as though eighth place UVM might be easy pickings for the Wildcats. But the teams had played two overtime games three weeks ago in Durham, with UNH fortunate in taking 3 of 4 points. After 28:40 of play, overtime looked like it might be a godsend for the Wildcats.
UNH broke on top with a power play goal at 6:16 of the first period. Butler got his 26th of the year when he snapped the puck past Madore after taking a pass from Blake Kessel. Vermont got the next two however, Drew MacKenzie scoring at 12:09 when he beat Foster through a screen off an end zone face-off. The Catamounts then took the lead at 17:53, Jay Anctil scoring when he stuffed a backhander in at the near post after swinging around the net.
UNH tied the game at 1:27 of the second after LeBlanc won a face-off. The puck came back to Nick Krates at the left point and his shot beat Madore to the far post. Vermont got the lead back at 4:03 on a Josh Burrows wrist shot after a face-off win.
Over the next 10-12 minutes, Vermont had the better of the play and gave UNH fits in their own end. But they couldn’t beat Foster when they had the chance and with
two minutes to go gave up what turned out to be a crucial goal. Sislo brought the puck into the UVM zone on the left wing, faked a shot which got Madore moving the wrong way. Sislo then circled the net and scored easily on a wraparound.
That goal gave UNH the momentum they needed, especially given their recent third period heroics. Kessel tied the game for the Wildcats just 38 seconds in when he fired the puck past Madore after picking up a rebound of a Butler shot. Sislo then gave UNH the lead at 3:25, when he tipped a LeBlanc shot home from just outside the crease. Forty-three seconds later, Butler made it 6-4 when he took a pass from DeSimone and snapped the puck home under the crossbar. Thompson ended things with an empty net goal at 18:58.
Coach Umile was happy with the win but unhappy with how his team got it. “Don’t let the score kid you, we were fortunate to get the win,” he said. “We battled back in the third period, but I’m getting tired of that. Our second periods need to be better. I’m disappointed in the way we’re playing in our own end 5-on-5. We’ve got to play better defensively in our end.
Photos Courtesy of Josh Gibney
FRIENDS GATHERING SATURDAY NIGHT
The Friends of UNH Hockey would like to invite all of our members to join us after Saturday Nights Game (March 13) in the Skybox Lounge 15 minutes after the final buzzer, as we celebrate UNH Hockey’s Championship winning regular season. We hope you’ll take this opportunity to say “goodbye for now” and “’til next year” to all your UNH Hockey buddies.
Hope to see you there. Go Cats!!!
