Monday, November 28, 2011

UNH Recruits Update: Week 9

Player of the Week - Jamie Hill

2012 Recruit Jamie Hill had his most productive week of the season scoring a goal and three assists in 3 games for the Waterloo BlackHawks. In a 8-4 victory over Team USA on Nov. 22nd, Hill had a goal and two assists and was awarded the #1 Star. He now has a scoring streak of at least a point per game over the last 5 games. This is Hill's third season with Waterloo in the United States Hockey League. Last season, he accumulated 119 penalty minutes in 58 games (an average of 2 PIM per game). Over the first 8 games of this season, Hill managed to stay out of the penalty box. However, in the last 9 games, Hill has 28 penalty minutes including a 10-minute "Abuse of Officials Misconduct" in a game against the Indiana Ice. Hill's reputation as a fiesty player remains intact.


PlayerTeamLeagueGPGoalsAsstPtsPIM
2012 Recruits
Dan CorrealeGrande PrairieAJHLInjured0000
Maxim GaudreaultSioux CityUSHL1844814
Jamie HillWaterlooUSHL17471128
Collin MacDonaldJersey HitmenEJHL 201492310
Kyle SmithJunior BruinsEJHL20920292
Mike VecchioneTri-CityUSHL174596
2012 or '13 Recruit
Jordan MastersMuskegonUSHL 1526829
2013 Recruits
Matias ClelandWaterlooUSHL1002015
Dylan MallerTri-CityUSHL80112
Brett PesceJersey HitmenEJHL81344
Andrew PoturalskiBuffalo Jr SabresOJHL2112172912
2013 or '14 Recruit
Michael McNicholasMuskegonUSHL60000
2014 Recruits
Shane EisermanCushing AcademyNEPSAC00000
Tyler KelleherUSA U17 TeamUSHL84374
2015 Recruits
Jason KalinowskiSalisbury Prep NEPSAC0 00 00

News & Notes

USHL:
~ After being punched in the head and banging his head against the ice in a fight on Nov. 19th, Jordan Masters missed one game this week. Masters returned to the Lumberjacks' lineup on Saturday and scored an assist.
~ Defenseman Matias Cleland of the Waterloo BlackHawks scored his first two assists as a rookie in the USHL during 2 games this week.
EJHL:
There were no games in the Eastern Junior Hockey League during the week of Thanksgiving. The EJHL returns to action on Wednesday, Nov. 30th.
New England Prep School Hockey Conference:
~ Shane Eiserman and Cushing Academy begin their regular season on Friday, Dec. 2nd at the Winchendon School.
~ Jason Kalinowski and The Salisbury School begin the season at home on Dec. 3rd against Williston-Northampton.

Friday, November 25, 2011

Alabama-Huntsville's Farewell Tour Comes to UNH

There's an NCAA Division I hockey program south of the Mason-Dixon Line? Well, yes and no, not much longer. The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) launched an NCAA hockey team in the heady days of 1985 when Huntsville was thriving as the home of the Marshall Space Flight Center and the U.S. Army Missile Command. The ice hockey program, which began as a club hockey team in 1979, has played its home games at the Von Braun Center - named for former German scientist Wernher von Braun who served as the Director of the Marshall Center. With that heritage, you might expect the team to be named the "Rockets", not the "Chargers" (a white stallion).

During a successful 1986-87 season, when UAH was playing in the old NCAA Division II, the infamous Governor George Wallace dubbed Huntsville "The Hockey Capital of the South." In 1996 and 1998, UAH won the NCAA Division II Championship. Division II was disbanded and since the 1998-99 season, Alabama-Huntsville has been a Division I team. In 1999, UAH became a founding member of the Central Hockey Association, a league which included Air Force, Army, Bemidji State and Niagara, and played in the CHA until it was disbanded following the 2009-10 season.

The Chargers may be best known as the team that, in the 2006-07 regular season, finished below .500 but advanced to the NCAA Division I Tournament after winning the CHA Championship Tournament. Alabama-Huntsville pushed Notre Dame to the limit in the first round game but lost in double overtime. In 2010, the final season of the Central Hockey Association, UAH won the CHA Championship and advanced to the Division I Tournament for the second time. The Chargers lost in the first round 2-1 to Miami. Although UAH fans could not have known it at the time, that NCAA Tournament battle against Miami was the last hurrah for the program. Last season, Alabama-Huntsville played as a team without a conference. Finally, last month, University of Alabama Systems chancellor Malcolm Portera announced that the UAH hockey program would leave Division I of the NCAA at the end of this season and return to club hockey status. The reason given was that it would cost too much money to maintain a Division I team.

The University of Alabama-Huntsville hockey team arrives in Durham for a game at the Whittemore Center on Saturday evening in what must be dreary circumstances. The future for the players, most of whom played Junior A hockey in various Canadian Leagues before going to Huntsville, is uncertain. As the new feature on our blog - a link to The College Hockey News "Tale of the Tape" (see right sidebar) - shows, UAH has not won a game this season. They've spent Thanksgiving "vacation" over a thousand miles from home losing games at Merrimack and UMass-Lowell.

The UNH team that will face Alabama-Huntsville is entering the weekend on a losing streak of its own. Against BU, they were competitive but lost 4-1. On Tuesday, UNH gave up a four-goal and then three-goal lead to lose to Harvard 7-6. These loses followed a convincing 5-0 shutout of UMass Lowell last Friday. UNH fans are left wondering which UNH team will skate against UAH.

Will Matt Di Girolamo, who had his first shutout of the year against Lowell but gave up 9 goals in the last two games (not counting the empty net goals) be in net? Will Sophomore goalie Jeff Wyer get his second start of the year? Maybe Freshman Casey DeSmith will get to play his first NCAA game just down the road from his hometown.

Of the six defensemen who have played every game - Damon Kipp & Eric Knodel, Connor Hardowa & Trevor van Riemsdyk, and Justin Agosta & Brett Kostolansky - only TvR has a positive rating in the +/- column. The rest have negative ratings ranging from -3 to -6. Will either of the two freshman defensemen, Eric Chevrier or Ryan Randall, play in their first NCAA game? Chevrier's strengths include his physical, shutdown defensive play. Randall converted to a defenseman while playing with the Junior Monarchs in the EJHL. Last season, Knodel and Agosta practiced with the team but did not play in any regular season games. As a result, they will be allowed to play this season and three additional seasons. Will that be the plan for Chevrier and Randall?

The out-of-conference game against Alabama-Huntsville will not impact UNH in the Hockey East standings. This would be a logical game for the UNH coaches to make changes in the lineup, forward lines and defensive pairings. Should be an interesting game at the Whittemore Center. Next week, UAH returns to the South to play out their final season while UNH returns to Hockey East competition.

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

UNH Scores Plenty; Gives Up More (to Harvard)

BOSTON, MA - When the 2011-12 season began, it took UNH seven periods to score their first goal. They've largely solved the problem of putting the puck in the net. Tonight, UNH flew out of the gate at the Bright Arena and scored 4 goals in 12 minutes against Harvard (3-3-1).

The offensive character of this UNH team is somewhat different than in recent years. So far, they have not relied on a high-scoring first line (e.g., Thompson-DeSimone-Sislo) and one offensively gifted defenseman (e.g., Blake Kessel) to put up the majority of points. All four forward lines in tonight's game had one or more players who have scored at least 3 goals this season. With Senior Stevie Moses playing on the third line tonight, the leading goal scorer on Lines #1 through #3 were Nick Sorkin (5 goals), John Henrion (4 goals), and Stevie Moses (6 goals), respectively. With both Grayson Downing and Kevin Goumas each scoring two goals tonight, the first and second lines have an additional 4 goal scorer. The scoring across the lines has been balanced and all four lines have played regular shifts. This is another departure from past seasons when it was not uncommon to see little of the fourth line in the final period. This year's defensive corp has also shown balanced scoring. Connor Hardowa, Damon Kipp, Eric Knodel, and Trevor van Riemsdyk have 5, 5, 4, and 6 points, respectively.

Now, the obvious challenge for UNH is to find ways to keep the opposing team off the scoreboard. When UNH lead a talented Harvard team 4-0 after the first period and 5-2 sixteen minutes into the second period, they needed to play tight and disciplined defense in their own end. That didn't happen. Harvard's goals did not come on odd-man rushes. The problem was what was happening, or not happening, directly in front of Matt Di Girolamo. Three of the goals resulted from UNH players not clearing the puck away from the front of the net and a Harvard player burying a point-blank shot past Di Girolamo. Another goal came when a Harvard player, positioned in front of Di Girolamo, tipped in a shot from the top of the circle. The sixth Harvard goal came on a slap shot from the point with at least three players screening Di Girolamo. This goal was essentially the game winner since the 7th Harvard goal was an empty net goal and the 6th UNH goal came on a scrum around the Harvard net with one second left in the game.

With the exception of Brett Kostolansky, the UNH defensemen are big. They range in height from 6'1" to 6'6" and weigh between 185 and 225 pounds. In addition, three of the centers - Nick Sorkin (6'3"), Kevin Burke (6'3"), and Jeff Silengo (6'1") - are tall guys with long arms. Together, they have the potential to keep the puck and opposing forwards away from in front of the net at most key junctures in the game. Granted, the Harvard team UNH played tonight is talented with 8 players who have been drafted by NHL teams. However, UNH will face several talented teams during the remainder of the season and they need to find ways to tighten up on defense, particulary when they have jumped out to 3 or 4 goal leads.

UNH HIGHLIGHTS

~ Freshman Grayson Downing scored two goals on four shots and he added two assists. Downing came to UNH as a heralded scorer from the British Columbia Hockey League. With 4 goals and 6 assists over the first 12 games, he is the leading scorer among the freshmen and tied for second in scoring on the team.

~ Freshman Trevor van Riemsdyk scored his second NCAA goal on a rising wrist shot from the left point with 8:04 remaining in the first period. He added an assist on Kevin Goumas's short-handed goal in the second period. Overall, his +/- rating was +3. Those are the numbers. What didn't show up on the score sheet was an amazing individual rush that happened with about 3 minutes left in the second period. TvR gathered the puck in the UNH end, skated around two consecutive players in the neutral zone, and sent a wrist shot on goal. I was standing near an NHL scout at the time and I noticed out of the corner of my eye that he shook his head while smiling.

Next up, an opportunity to see a Division 1 hockey program probably playing in its final season - The University of Alabama - Huntsville. Gametime 7:00, Saturday, November 26th at the Whittemore Center.

Monday, November 21, 2011

UNH Recruits Update: Week 8

Player of the Week - Brett Pesce

After missing 10 games and over a month of competition, 2013 Recruit Brett Pesce made a major statement upon his return to the lineup this week - one day after his 17th birthday. Playing in his first season in the Eastern Junior Hockey League, the Jersey Hitmen's defenseman suffered an upper body injury on Oct. 8th against the Jr. Bruins. Pesce returned to practice with the Hitmen on Nov. 1st. In his first game back on Nov. 16th against the Capital District Selects, Pesce scored two assists - one on a power play and another on a short-handed goal. The latter assist was on the game-winning goal. He then played in two more EJHL games on Thursday and Saturday. Finally, in a 11-2 victory yesterday against the Boston Bandits, Pesce scored the game-winning goal and added an assist. The goal was during 5-on-5 play and was assisted by 2012 Recruit Collin MacDonald. Four points in 4 games - Brett Pesce is back.

PlayerTeamLeagueGPGoalsAsstPtsPIM
2012 Recruits
Dan CorrealeGrande PrairieAJHLInjured0000
Maxim GaudreaultSioux CityUSHL1543710
Jamie HillWaterlooUSHL1433624
Collin MacDonaldJersey HitmenEJHL 201492310
Kyle SmithJunior BruinsEJHL20920292
Mike VecchioneTri-CityUSHL154486
2012 or '13 Recruit
Jordan MastersMuskegonUSHL 1425727
2013 Recruits
Matias ClelandWaterlooUSHL700011
Dylan MallerTri-CityUSHL60110
Brett PesceJersey HitmenEJHL81344
Andrew PoturalskiBuffalo Jr SabresOJHL2112172912
2013 or '14 Recruit
Michael McNicholasMuskegonUSHL50000
2014 Recruits
Shane EisermanCushing AcademyNEPSAC00000
Tyler KelleherUSA U17 TeamUSHL74264
2015 Recruits
Jason KalinowskiSalisbury Prep NEPSAC0 00 00

News & Notes

INJURY REPORT:
Jordan Masters - In a home game against the Green Bay Gamblers on Saturday night, Jordan Masters of the Muskegon Lumberjacks was involved in a fight which resulted in him hitting his head on the ice. According to an article in the Muskegon Chronicle:
"In the latter stages of the game, Muskegon's Jordan Masters took a hard punch from Green Bay's Grigory Dikushin. Masters then hit his head on the ice and was disoriented as he was helped off the ice. Lumberjack owner Josh Mervis said Masters was coherent following the game."
As of post time, there have been no further updates from the Lumberjacks on Masters' condition. When more information becomes available, it will by posted on @UNHRecruitsCHC.

Dan Correale - When the incoming group of freshman players to UNH was announced early last summer, Dan Correale of the Grande Prairie Storm was on the list. However, in mid-summer he underwent surgery for an upper body injury and the decision was made for him to rehabilitate, return to the Storms' lineup this season, and enroll at UNH in the fall of 2012. Don Moon, the Business Manager for the Storm, has provided us with an update on Correale's progress. It is Moon's understanding that the 20-year-old Correale has started skating again but is not yet practicing with the team. Further he is still planning on returning to the Storms' lineup some time in December and attending UNH in September, 2012. Moon added that this schedule is probably dependent on the healing process.

Sunday, November 20, 2011

UNH Drops Tight Matchup with BU

BOSTON, MA - Although UNH's seccond visit to the Agganis Arena this season ended in a loss, the team's performance was measurably better than the first time around. In the season opener for both teams on October 8th, UNH did not score as five players played in their first NCAA game. Tonight, UNH looked poised and made very few mistakes. When Freshman Trevor van Riemsdyk (TvR) scored his first collegiate goal at 5:05 of the final period, the score was tied at 1-1 and the shots on goal were even at 20 - a good indicator of just how tight this game was.

For the second consecutive Saturday, UNH juggled its lineup to compensate for players unable to play. Last weekend, Connor Hardowa was away on a family emergency and Kevin Goumas was shown the exits at UVM following a major penalty midway through the first period. Prior to tonight's game, two veteran forwards were injured and not in uniform. Junior Dalton Speelman got hurt last night against UMass-Lowell after crashing awkwardly into the bottom of the boards behind the net. His arm injury is still being evaluated. Sophomore Jeff Silengo was unable to play due to a sore, upper body injury. That gave Freshmen Jay Camper and Matt Willows the opportunity to step up. Playing in just his fifth college game, Camper centered the third line with fellow freshman Casey Thrush on left wing and Austin Block on right wing. Willows, playing in his inaugural college game, was on the right wing of the fourth line with Mike Borisenok at center and Kevin McCarey on left wing. UNH has only played 12 games this season and already seven new players have been integrated into the lineup.

In the first period, BU played with noticably less energy than the last time I saw them play (in the season opener). They appeared to be skating at medium speed and there were few body checks thrown. Offensively, the period was uneventful as BU outshot UNH 9-4. At about 11:30 of the period, Greg Burke made a nice rush up the left side of the BU zone and passed to John Henrion for a quick one-timer - one of Henrion's five shots on goal for the night. UNH's defensive play was solid. TvR won a few 1-on-1 battles in the defensive zone. Casey Thrush made an outstanding defensive play on BU's Charlie Coyle. With less than a minute left in the period, Coyle carried the puck around Thrush in the neutral zone, forcing him to spin around but Thrush hustled to catch up to Coyle and ended up blocking his shot. Coyle, who is BU's third leading scorer, did not get any shots on goal all evening.

The second period began much the same way. It took an unusual turnover followed by a sharp-angle shot for BU to get onto the scoreboard with 11:35 left in the period. Captain Damon Kipp, who was positioned just outside the UNH blueline, went to poke the puck toward the BU end. The puck jumped over his stick and BU's Wade Megan gathered the puck and skated well wide of Matt Di Girolamo toward the left corner. Just before the puck reached the goalline, Megan got off a rising wrist shot from a nearly impossible angle. Di Girolamo was forced to stand taller than normal and the puck slipped past his blocker into a tiny opening inside the post. In the ensuing minutes, UNH was able to test Kieran Millan a number of times. With about 9 minutes remaining in the period, Eric Knodel sent Kevin McCarey off on a partial breakaway with a pretty pass. McCarey got a shot on goal and was promptly hooked down to the ice. At the 14:32 mark, Mike Borisenok got off a quick shot from the top of the slot requiring a nice save by Millan. A minute later, Grayson Downing circled in the BU zone and got off a shot that Millan bobbled.

At 17:25 of the second period, Stevie Moses went after the puck behind the BU net and, in one continuous motion, poke checked the puck and contacted the skate of a BU player. The player went down and Moses was called for tripping on what looked like a marginal call from my position about 15 rows away. Behind 1-0, UNH could not afford to give up a goal so late in the second period and their penalty killing responded. Early on, Casey Thrush made a nice play, poke checking the puck out of the zone. The UNH defensemen did an effective job for the remainder of the BU power play keeping the BU players away from the front and sides of the net. BU was not able to score. At the end of two, the shots on goal were 19-11 in favor of BU.

At the start of the third period, UNH noticably stepped up the offensive pressure. In the first minute, TvR carried the puck into the BU zone, deked around one BU player, then deked around another, got a shot off on Millan, circled behind the net, went to the blueline, stopped the puck from clearing the zone and got off another wrister on goal. Two testing shots by TvR in less than half a minute. At 1:08, Alex Chiasson was called for high sticking. With some nice passing on the power play, UNH registered four more shots on goal. Then at 5:05 of the third period, TvR tied the score with a wrist shot - his first NCAA goal.

In an attempt to relieve the UNH pressure, BU tried a home run pass from inside their zone across two lines but the puck was iced. Seven minutes into the period, Freshman Matt Willows raced with the puck from his own end into the BU zone and wristed a shot on Millan. The momentum had shifted in UNH's favor.

In a quick turnaround, BU scored twice in less than a minute. At 7:29, Max Nicastro's slap shot from between the top of the circles got past a screened Di Girolamo. At 8:05, BU broke in on Di Girolamo with a 2-on-1 and the puck appeared to go off Corey Trivino's upper body into the goal. The play was reviewed and the goal stood. At that time, the shots on goal were even at 22 and BU was ahead 3-1.

Over the last eleven minutes of the final period, UNH pressured BU outshooting them 12 to 5. At times, UNH was swarming around the net getting shots on goal and trying to poke and jamb the puck past a sprawling Millan. At one point, the first line of Goumas, Sorkin, and Moses kept the puck in the BU end for an entire shift. But, it was not to be. Di Girolamo was pulled with 1:43 left to play. Austin Block poked at the puck a couple of times but Millan stood his ground. At 18:47, Matt Nieto sent a weak shot toward the empty net - it bounced and dribbled down the ice and curved ever so slightly into the net. Final score: BU 4, UNH 1. SOG: UNH 34, BU 27.

UNH HIGHLIGHTS

~ Trevor van Riemsdyk has figured out what it takes to play at the Division 1 level and his confidence is evident. In the offensive zone, he doesn't rush when he is controlling the puck and often feathers tape-to-tape passes. In the defensive zone, he is difficult to beat one-on-one and his positioning has improved.

~ Eric Knodel has quietly played solid defense. When he gains control of the puck in his own end, he handles it with poise and patience.

~ Matt Willows, in his first college game, played with speed, tenacity, and grit. He didn't shy away from using his body when he was forechecking. In one sequence in the third period, Willows was checked by a much larger BU player just inside the blueline but retained the puck and passed to Kevin McCarey who got off a shot on goal.

~ Kevin Goumas, playing in Speelman's place on the first line, seemed to be around the puck much of the night. He finished the game with 6 shots on goal.

Next up, a rare game against Harvard. Gametime 7:00, Tuesday, November 22nd at the Bright Hockey Center.

Monday, November 14, 2011

UNH Recruits Update: Week 7

Player of the Week - Tyler Kelleher

Tyler Kelleher and the US National Under-17 Team went undefeated in the 2011 Under-17 Four Nations Tournament in Balashikha, Russia and won the Title. In the opening exhibition game against Russia, Kelleher scored 2 goals and an assist as Team USA won 6-2. In the tournament games, Team USA defeated Slovakia 4-0, Switzerland 10-5, and Russia 5-0. Tyler Kelleher scored a goal against the Swiss team and added a goal and an assist in the final game against Russia. Kelleher and his teammates will resume play in the United States Hockey League on Nov. 22nd against the Waterloo BlackHawks. Kelleher, who will turn 17 in January, has committed to play at UNH in the fall of 2014.

PlayerTeamLeagueGPGoalsAsstPtsPIM
2012 Recruits
Dan CorrealeGrande PrairieAJHLInjured0000
Maxim GaudreaultSioux CityUSHL143368
Jamie HillWaterlooUSHL1222414
Collin MacDonaldJersey HitmenEJHL 16126188
Kyle SmithJunior BruinsEJHL18918270
Mike VecchioneTri-CityUSHL134484
2012 or '13 Recruit
Jordan MastersMuskegonUSHL 1224618
2013 Recruits
Matias ClelandWaterlooUSHL700011
Dylan MallerTri-CityUSHL40110
Brett PesceJersey HitmenEJHL40002
Andrew PoturalskiBuffalo Jr SabresOJHL2112172912
2013 or '14 Recruit
Michael McNicholasMuskegonUSHL40000
2014 Recruits
Shane EisermanCushing AcademyNEPSAC00000
Tyler KelleherUSA U17 TeamUSHL74264
2015 Recruits
Jason KalinowskiSalisbury Prep NEPSAC0 00 00

News & Notes
**UPDATE ON ANDREW POTURALSKI**
2013 Recruit Andrew Poturalski broke his ankle during a weekend practice session and will be out of the Buffalo Junior Sabres' lineup for 6 to 8 weeks. Poturalski was having an outstanding season leading the Jr. Sabres in points with 12 goals and 17 assists in 21 games. He was tied for 7th in the Ontario Junior Hockey League in assists and tied for 9th in points. The NHL Central Scouting Service had given Poturalski a "C" rating on the "2012 NHL Entry Draft Players to Watch" list, indicating that he has the potential to be drafted in Rounds #6 or #7 in the NHL Entry Draft next summer. The broken ankle is an unfortunate setback for Poturalski who could miss as many as 20 games during the prime time of the season. We wish Poturalski a full and speedy recovery.
**UPDATE**

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Shane Eiserman & the Massachusetts Tier 1 18-Under State Tournament:
~ 2014 UNH Recruit Shane Eiserman and the Greater Boston Junior Bruins advanced to the championship game of the Mass 18-Under State Tournament in Foxboro on Sunday. In a close game, the Jr. Bruins lost to the Cape Cod Whalers 6-4. Pat Bohan of the GB Junior Bruins organization informed me that Eiserman played extremely well scoring 6 goals and 2 assists in the five tournament games. He and his teammates must be disappointed that they will not represent the Massachusetts District in the USA Hockey National Championship Tournament next spring. Eiserman begins his first regular season with Cushing Academy on Dec. 2nd against the Winchendon School.
USHL:
~ 2012 Recruit Mike Vecchione had his second multi-point game of the season, scoring a goal and assist for the Tri-City Storm against the Lincoln Stars.
~ So far this season, forward Michael McNicholas has seen more playing time with the Muskegon Lumberjacks. He has played in 4 games and registered 4 shots on goal.
EJHL:
~ 2012 Recruit, Kyle Smith, added 2 assists in two games this week with the Junior Bruins and is tied for 5th in assists in the EJHL.

Sunday, November 13, 2011

UNH Cobbles Together 4-4 Tie at UVM

Burlington, VT - In terms of wins and losses, the 2011-12 UNH Wildcats have shown steady progress. With tonight's 4-4 tie at the Gutterson Fieldhouse, UNH has not lost over the last 6 games (4 wins and 2 ties). Another indicator of a team's progress is how it adapts to unplanned changes in the lineup. Last weekend, veteran forward Greg Burke missed both games due to illness. Freshman center Jay Camper stepped up with a +2 game against UMass Amherst and his first NCAA goal against Maine. This week, steady, dependable defenseman Connor Hardowa was called away due to a family emergency. Coach Umile and Tortorella decided to improvise by playing forward Scott Pavelski at defense. An interesting choice since freshman defensemen Eric Chevrier and Ryan Randall, who have not played yet this season, were in the stands. The adjustment worked out well through most of the first period. UNH was outshooting UVM 9-2, they maintained the puck in the UVM end for long stretches and were ahead 1-0 thanks to the second goal of the season for freshman Grayson Downing.

Then came an incident which would change the character of the game. With 6:29 left in the first period, sophomore forward Kevin Goumas would be ejected from the game for hitting Brett Leonard in the head at mid-ice. I did not see the hit from my vantage point in the corner stands and it happened away from the play as UVM was entering the UNH zone. Leonard was on the ice for several minutes. UNH was forced to juggle the lineup again. Pavelski was moved up to play left wing with Jeff Silengo and Austin Block, leaving just 5 defensemen - three playing their first season of college hockey - to play for the bulk of the game. The penalty energized the Catamounts. They scored midway through the 5-minute major and again with 49 seconds left in the period. UVM outshot UNH 14-13 in the first period.

Less than 2 minutes into the second period, UVM forward Brett Bruneteau - a transfer student from the University of North Dakota, where he played for 2 seasons - appeared to try to retaliate for the Goumas penalty. He crushed Mike Borisenok into the boards from behind and was given a game misconduct for his effort. Despite being short-handed, UVM maintained the momentum scoring a goal a little more than 1 minute into the 5-minute major. Trailing 3-1, UNH was at risk of the game getting away from them. However, 2 minutes later, UNH would answer with a powerplay goal. Freshman Trevor van Riemsdyk (TvR) controlled the puck near the top of the left circle and sent a wrister toward the net. Dalton Speelman tipped it by UVM goalie Rob Madore.

Over the final half of the second period, UNH regained the momentum. At 11:53, defenseman Justin Agosta made a nice play to keep the puck in the UVM zone then fed Austin Block for a shot that required a great save by Madore. At 12:16, freshman Casey Thrush worked a pretty give-and-go with TvR for another shot on Madore. Then, at 13:07, Stevie Moses made a terrific centering pass to Damon Kipp who was crashing toward the net. Kipp beat Madore to tie the game at 3. With about 5 minutes left in the 2nd Period, TvR intercepted the puck just inside the blueline, streaked to the lower circle and made a beautiful pass to Greg Burke in front who shot it just over the net. At the end of 2 periods, UNH was outshooting UVM 25-20.

Early in the final period, both teams played more cautiously with a lot of play in the neutral zone. Then, with about 12 minutes left in regulation, senior Stevie Moses made the kind of play that Bobby Butler became known for in his senior season. Moses stole the puck from an unsuspecting UVM defenseman to the right of goalie Madore, looped around in front of Madore and beat him badly for an unassisted goal. UNH 4, UVM 3.

For almost all the remainder of the 3rd period, UNH effectively contained UVM in neutral ice and kept the puck away from Di Girolamo when the puck got into their end. Brett Kostolansky, in particular, shut down an advancing UVM forward on several occasions. With 1:39 left in regulation, UVM called timeout. On the ensuing play, a UNH player attempted to clear the puck around the boards and out of the UNH zone. In the meantime, an extra UVM player had hopped onto the ice (after Madore skated to the bench) and raced to the blueline. The player, H.T. Lenz, reached the puck inches before it could cross the blueline then shot from the top of the circle. The puck beat Di Girolamo in between his pads. From my vantage point, it didn't look like Di Girolamo was screened but he might have been. After 3 periods, UNH had outshot UVM 34-27 but the game was tied at 4.

With UVM hungry for their first Hockey East victory and the Gutterson crowd screaming for an overtime goal, UNH got the better of the play in overtime. They outshot UVM 6-2. TvR appeared to savor the opportunity. With 2:17 left in OT, he made a quick move around a defender and got off a shot at Madore from the top of the circle. A few seconds later, TvR got off another wrister from about the same spot and Madore bobbled the puck but then covered up. With less than a minute to go, TvR made an outstanding 1-on-1 defensive play in the corner to the right of Di Girolamo, gathered the puck and made a perfect breakout pass to John Henrion. Henrion rushed into the zone and forced Madore to make another save. The one scary moment for UNH came with 2:30 left. A UVM player gathered the puck just inside the UNH zone and would have broken in on goal if not for a diving poke check by Jeff Silengo.

The UNH defensive group all deserve recognition for playing with poise despite having only 5 defensemen for most of the game. The UNH Stars go to:
#1 Star: Stevie Moses - A goal, 2 assists and 5 SOG.
#2 Star: Trevor van Riemsdyk - 1 assist, 6 SOG and some pretty passes.
#3 Star: Brett Kostolansky - Played shutdown defense when UNH needed it most.

Wednesday, November 09, 2011

*UPDATE* Shane Eiserman: UNH's Youngest Recruit

**UPDATE**

2014 UNH Recruit Shane Eiserman** is scheduled to play in the Massachusett Hockey Tier 1 National Bound State Tournament this weekend. We have received the tournament schedule and team rosters from Pat Bohan of the Greater Boston Junior Bruins organization and Eiserman is on the Jr. Bruins' 18 and under roster. The U18 and U16 State Tournaments are hosted by the Massachusetts Selects Tier 1 Midget Hockey League. The U18 games will be played at the Foxboro Sports Center while the U16 games take place at the Kasabuski Arena in Saugus and Devine Rink in Dorchester.

Here is the schedule for the U18 Championship:

Friday, Nov. 11:

6:00 - Cape Cod Whalers vs. Bay State Breakers
6:10 - Neponsent Valley River Rats vs. Boston Bandits
7:55 - Valley Jr. Warriors vs. South Shore Dynamos
8:00 - Greater Boston Jr. Bruins vs. Eastern Mass Senators.

Saturday, Nov. 12:

9:40 - River Rats vs. Dynamos
10:10 - Whalers vs. Senators
11:35 - Warriors vs. Bandits
12:05 - Jr. Bruins vs. Breakers
5:00 - Dynamos vs. Bandits
5:10 - Senators vs. Breakers
6:55 - River Rats vs. Warriors
7:00 - Whalers vs. Jr. Bruins

Sunday, Nov. 13:

8:50 AM - Semi-Final
9:00 AM - Semi-Final
4:00 PM - 18 Under Championship Game

If Eiserman and the Jr. Bruins win the Championship Game, they will represent the Massachusetts District in the USA Hockey National Championship Tournament next spring.

**UPDATE**

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

In mid-August, when West Newbury, Massachusetts native Shane Eiserman made a verbal commitment to play for the University of New Hampshire, he was 15 years, 10 months old and was on summer break between his freshman and sophomore years of high school. In an interview published in the Newburyport (MA) News, the youngest of three, hockey-standout brothers described his rationale for choosing UNH:
"I've wanted to go to UNH since I was a little kid. I went for a visit last week, and they offered a full scholarship. I couldn't turn that down. UNH saw me for the first time when I was with Team USA. They called me in for a visit. I met all the coaches — Coach Umile, Coach (Scott Borek). It felt like a college atmosphere, and I really wanted to play there. The rink is unreal. Coach Gagnon (Cushing Academy) went to and played at UNH, so he was a big influence."
The article also reported that "Eiserman said he committed to UNH because he feels the school gives him the best chance to win a national championship."

Fall Hockey Season
Shane Eiserman, a 6'1", 180-pound forward, turned 16 in mid-October and is now a sophomore at Cushing Academy in Ashburnham, MA. Like fellow UNH Recruit Jason Kalinowski (who is 3 months older and a junior at the Salisbury School), Eiserman has been preparing for the prep school hockey season by playing fall hockey. He plays for the Massachusetts West Under 19 team in the New England Fall Prep Hockey League. The NEFPHL is made up primarily of New England prep school juniors and seniors (and some post graduates) who are 1 to 3 years older than Eiserman. He is one of only an handful of 16-year-old sophomores playing in the league. The Mass West team includes several Cushing Academy players who will be Eiserman's teammates when the 2011-12 Prep School regular season begins in early December.

I had an oppportunity to correspond with Head Coach George Sullivan about the Mass West teams' season and Eiserman's play. The team is currently in 8th place with a record of 4 wins, 8 losses, and 2 ties. Coach Sullivan explained that individual player statistics for League play are not readily available. However, he provided the following assessment of Shane Eiserman:
"What I can tell you is that he is big, strong, fast and is a very dynamic player. He is one of the best players in our league (which is high quality) and he is three years younger than the oldest players in the league. I liken him to Chris Kreider at Boston College. He is very athletic, speedy and has excellent size. He is a real high end prospect for UNH."

This Sunday, November 7th, the NEFPHL will conduct its end of the season playoffs at The Icenter in Salem, NH. Play begins at 9:30 AM and ends with the Championship Game at 3:30.

Greater Boston Junior Bruins U18
The Greater Boston Jr. Bruins Under 18 team plays in the Massachusetts Midget Selects League which is a Tier 1 AAA Elite League. They play a 10-game, regular season in the Fall culminating in the Massachusetts Midget Major State Championship in mid-November. In addition to his busy schedule of NEFPHL games, Shane Eiserman has played in 4 games with the GB Jr. Bruins. He has scored a goal and an assist in these games. A primary reason for playing in the Mass Midget Selects League is that it offers an avenue for playing in the USA Hockey National Championships in the spring. The winner of the Midget Major State Championship advances to the National Championship as the representative of the Massachusetts District. Last year, 2012 Recruit Mike Vecchione played a few games with the GB Jr. Bruins and went to the Nationals held in Simsbury, CT. The Jr. Bruins advanced to the semifinal game but lost in overtime to the eventual National Champions, Shattuck St. Mary's from Minnesota.

This year, the Mass Midget Major State Championships will be held November 11, 12, and 13 at the Foxboro Sports Center. If Shane Eiserman plays on the Jr. Bruins' team, he will be hoping for a trip to the Nationals in April.

** Photo Credit: bigmanwithacamera.com.

Monday, November 07, 2011

UNH Recruits Update: Week 6

Player of the Week - Jordan Masters

In his second season with the Muskegon Lumberjacks of the USHL, 17-year-old Jordan Masters has begun to pick up the scoring pace. Over the last three games, Masters has scored 2 goals and an assist to bring his season total up to 5 points. The two recent goals came in the Lumberjacks' third and fourth victories of the season. Masters has also generated more shots on goal with 4-3-3 SOG over the last three games. He is on track to easily exceed the 4 goals and 7 assists he accumulated last season when, at the age of 16, he was one of the youngest players in the USHL. With the early departure of Casey Thrush to UNH, the Lumberjacks need Masters to emerge as a key player and he is doing just that. Masters has committed to play for UNH in either the 2012 or 2013 season.

PlayerTeamLeagueGPGoalsAsstPtsPIM
2012 Recruits
Dan CorrealeGrande PrairieAJHLInjured0000
Maxim GaudreaultSioux CityUSHL102246
Jamie HillWaterlooUSHL1122412
Collin MacDonaldJersey HitmenEJHL 15126186
Kyle SmithJunior BruinsEJHL16916250
Mike VecchioneTri-CityUSHL103364
2012 or '13 Recruit
Jordan MastersMuskegonUSHL 1023516
2013 Recruits
Matias ClelandWaterlooUSHL600011
Dylan MallerTri-CityUSHL20110
Brett PesceJersey HitmenEJHL40002
Andrew PoturalskiBuffalo Jr SabresOJHL1911172812
2013 or '14 Recruit
Michael McNicholasMuskegonUSHL30000
2014 Recruits
Shane EisermanCushing AcademyNEPSAC00000
Tyler KelleherUSA U17 TeamUSHL74264
2015 Recruits
Jason KalinowskiSalisbury Prep NEPSAC0 00 00

News & Notes

~ Jason Kalinowski and the Mid Fairfield Midget Minor 1 team played over the weekend in the New England Yankee Hockey Conference's Regional Championship Tournament played at the Berkshire School. On Saturday, I took the picturesque drive out to the bucolic town of Sheffield, MA to catch their game against the New Hampshire Pro Ambition team from Nashua. The tournament was played on the NHL and Olympic rinks of the very impressive Jackman L. Stewart Athletic Center. The Mid Fairfield Blues won the game easily 9-0 and coasted into the Championship Game on Sunday. However, Mid Fairfield did not repeat as the New England District Midget Minor Champions losing to the Rhode Island Saints 4-3. Unfortunately, this means that Jason Kalinowski and the Mid Fairfield Midget Minor team will not represent the New England District in the USA Hockey U16 National Championship next spring.
In the opening-round game I saw, Jason Kalinowski scored a goal and was a strong physical presence on the ice. Watching him skate in open ice and banging in the corners, he reminds me of Paul Thompson. He skates with an upright posture with his head held high. Of particular note was how strong he was with the puck - on several occasions, players attempted to either knock him off the puck or steal the puck from him without success. Also, in the offensive zone, he readily went to the front of the net, with or without the puck, and stood his ground in front of the goalie. On his goal, Kalinowski was camped at the side of the net, picked up a loose puck, and stuffed it home.
Kalinowski now moves on to play with the Salisbury School in the New England Prep School League and their first regular season game is at home on December 3rd.

~ In his first ever USHL game, 2013 Recruit Dylan Maller scored a power play assist for the Tri-City Storm. Maller, a 6'2", 180-pound defenseman, missed the preseason and first 8 games of the regular season with a hip injury. He plays on the Storm with 2012 Recruit Mike Vecchione.

~ Tyler Kelleher and the US National Under 17 Team are headed to Balashikha, Russia for the 2011 U-17 Four Nations Cup. The NTDP team will play against teams from Russia, Switzerland and Slovakia from Nov. 9-13.

Tuesday, November 01, 2011

UNH Recruits Update: Week 5

Player of the Week - Kyle Smith

19-year-old center and 2012 UNH Recruit, Kyle Smith, is excelling in his third season with the Junior Bruins of the Eastern Junior Hockey League. He has 8 goals and 15 assists over the first 14 games which ranks him tied for 3rd in EJHL scoring and tied for 4th in assists. In a week shortened by the Halloween snowstorm and power outages, the Jr. Bruins played one game against last season's Regular Season Champion, the Jersey Hitmen. Smith had one assist in the Jr. Bruins' 7-3 victory. At this time last year, Kyle Smith had 3 goals and 13 assists so he has increased his scoring this season by 7 points. Originally, Smith was slated to enroll at UNH this fall but the decision was made to have him play one more season of junior hockey. So far, Smith is having a dominant season with the Jr. Bruins who have the best record in the EJHL.


PlayerTeamLeagueGPGoalsAsstPtsPIM
2012 Recruits
Dan CorrealeGrande PrairieAJHLInjured0000
Maxim GaudreaultSioux CityUSHL92136
Jamie HillWaterlooUSHL1022410
Collin MacDonaldJersey HitmenEJHL 13126184
Kyle SmithJunior BruinsEJHL14815230
Mike VecchioneTri-CityUSHL82354
2012 or '13 Recruit
Jordan MastersMuskegonUSHL 812314
2013 Recruits
Matias ClelandWaterlooUSHL50009
Dylan MallerTri-CityUSHLinjured0000
Brett PesceJersey HitmenEJHL40002
Andrew PoturalskiBuffalo Jr SabresOJHL1711172810
2013 or '14 Recruit
Michael McNicholasMuskegonUSHL20000
2014 Recruits
Shane EisermanCushing AcademyNEPSAC00000
Tyler KelleherUSA U17 TeamUSHL74264
2015 Recruits
Jason KalinowskiSalisbury Prep NEPSAC0 00 00

News & Notes

This week, 2012 or 2013 recruit Jordan Masters scored his first goal of the season as the Muskegon Lumberjacks won their first home game - a 4-2 victory over the Waterloo BlackHawks. 2013 Recruit Andrew Poturalski, scored another goal and 2 assists in the Buffalo Jr. Sabres' three games this week. Poturalski is 5th in scoring in the OJHL and tied for 7th in both goals and assists.

Tri-City Storm Defenseman Dylan Maller, who has missed all the preseason and regular season games with a hip injury, is scheduled to return to action on Nov. 4th against the Omaha Lancers. Last summer, Maller was given a "B" rating by the NHL Central Scouting Service on their Preliminary Futures List of North American Players. At that time, the CSS believed Maller had the potential to be drafted in Rounds #3 through #5 in the NHL Entry Draft next summer. His injury and lack of game experience this season must have contributed to him not being included in the most recent CSS "Players to Watch" list.

I've just received an update from Head Coach Toby Harris of the Jersey Hitmen regarding 2013 Recruit Brett Pesce. Pesce suffered an upper body injury on Oct. 3rd in a game against the Jr. Bruins. He will be out of the Hitmen's lineup for 4-6 weeks, probably returning on Nov. 9th at home against Apple Core. Pesce skated for the first time today in practice, but his participation was limited.

Finally, the two UNH Recruits who will be playing New England Prep School hockey this season - Jason Kalinowski and Shane Eiserman - will be playing in Fall Season tournaments this weekend. Kalinowski and the Mid Fairfield Midget Minor 1 team will compete in the Tier 1 AAA Regional Tournament at the Berkshire School in Sheffield, MA. Eiserman and the Massachusetts West Under-19 Team will compete in the New England Fall Prep Hockey League Playoffs at the Icenter in Salem, NH.
Web Site Hit Counter

Firefox 2