UNH Recruits Update: Week 21

Player of the Week - Shane Eiserman

For the second time this season, 2014 Recruit Shane Eiserman** has been named Player of the Week among all UNH Recruits. As the regular season of the New England Preparatory School Athletic Council (NEPSAC) entered the final week, Eiserman and the Cushing Academy Penguins were battling for the final playoff spot in the upcoming Elite Eight Tournament.

NEPSAC utilizes a complex formula to determine the top 8 teams among the 61 prep school hockey teams. These teams compete in the Stuart/Corkery Tounament (aka: Elite Eight Tournament) at the end of the regular season. The remaining 53 teams may still qualify for two other post-season tournaments - the Large School Tournament and the Small School Tournament. However, the winner of the Elite Eight Tournament is considered the champion of New England Prep School Hockey.

In recent weeks, Cushing had fallen off the U.S. Hockey Report's Division I Prep Hockey Poll. The Top Ten Rankings are a regular feature on USHR - the site that provides the most extensive coverage of New England prep school hockey. In early January, Cushing had risen as high as #4 in the USHR Poll.

In order to have any chance of qualifying for the Elite Eight Tournament, Eiserman and Cushing Academy needed to win the final two regular season games last week. On Wednesday, Feb. 22nd, Cushing defeated the New Hampton School 7-1. Shane Eiserman scored a goal and two assists, including an assist on the game-winning goal.

In the final regular season game against Berwick Academy on Saturday, Eiserman's dominant performance propelled Cushing to a 4-3 overtime victory. In the second period, Eiserman scored Cushing's second goal which put them ahead 2-1. Berwick scored the final two goals in regulation to tie the game at 3-3. Just under 5 minutes into overtime, Shane Eiserman scored the game-winning goal. It was the sophomore forward's 18th goal in his 29-game regular season. Eiserman is Cushing Academy's leading goal scorer and he has accumulated the second most points on the team.
** Photo Credit: Kenny Fitzgerald

NOTE
The statistics for the recruits, presented in the table, are categorized by the projected year they will enroll in UNH. For example, the "2012 Recruits" are projected to begin playing for UNH in the Fall of 2012. I have based these projections on a number of factors including:
~ How old the player would be upon admission.
~ Number of years in junior hockey prior to admission.
~ Anticipated date of high school graduation.
~ Number of seniors leaving the team at the end of the previous season.
~ The player's performance in the current season.

Player	Team	League	GP	Goals	Asst	Pts	PIM
2012 Recruits
Dan Correale	Nanaimo Clippers	BCHL	23	8	10	18	14
Maxim Gaudreault	Sioux City	USHL	46	11	11	22	36
Jamie Hill	Waterloo	USHL	38	6	15	21	46
Collin MacDonald	Jersey Hitmen	EJHL	45	27	18	45	14
Brett Pesce	Jersey Hitmen	EJHL	17	1	5	6	18
Harry Quast	Bay State	EJHL	45	8	24	32	58
Jamie Regan	Philly Revs	EJHL	25	9W	16L	3.97	.903
Kyle Smith	Junior Bruins	EJHL	43	24	38	62	32
2013 Recruits
Jordan Masters	Muskegon	USHL	31	5	10	15	39
Matias Cleland	Waterloo	USHL	26	1	5	6	28
Dylan Maller	Tri-City	USHL	36	3	6	9	10
Andrew Poturalski	Buffalo Jr Sabres	OJHL	33	16	22	38	32
	Playoffs	OJHL	7	5	2	7	0
2013 or '14 Recruit
Michael McNicholas	Muskegon	USHL	31	4	4	8	10
2014 Recruits
Dylan Chanter	Merritt Cents	BCHL	51	2	10	12	45
Shane Eiserman	Cushing Academy	NEPSAC	29	18	26	44	-
Tyler Kelleher	USA U17 Team	USHL	25	10	9	19	16
2015 Recruits
Jason Kalinowski	Salisbury Prep	NEPSAC	25	12	15	27	-

News & Notes

New England Prep School Hockey Conference:

~ 2015 Recruit Jason Kalinowski and The Salisbury School finished the regular season as the #1 team on the U.S. Hockey Report's Division I Prep Hockey Poll. Kalinowski scored an assist in Salisbury's final game; a 3-1 victory over Canterbury. On a team with 4 high-scoring seniors, the junior Kalinowski finished tied for 2nd in goal scoring and 3rd in points.

The Salisbury School earned the #1 Seed in the Elite Eight Tournament. On the strength of their two victories last week, Cushing Academy earned the final, #8 Seed. This sets up a quarterfinal matchup between Salisbury and Cushing on Wednesday, Feb. 29th at 3:45. The game will be played at Avon Old Farms in Avon, CT which is west of Hartford. This will be the second time Jason Kalinowski's team has played Shane Eiserman's team this month. Salisbury defeated Cushing 3-1 on Feb. 12th at UMass-Amherst. The winner of the quarterfinal game will advance to the semifinals of the Elite Eight Tournament. The semifinals and Championship Game will be held on Saturday and Sunday at the Ice Center in Salem, NH.

United States Hockey League:

~ U.S. Hockey Report reported that 2013 Recruit Jordan Masters was dismissed from the Muskegon Lumberjacks for a "violation of team rules" and will not play for the remainder of the season. Plans for where Masters will play the 2012-13 season will presumably be finalized over the summer.

~ After missing 7 games, 2012 Recruit Jamie Hill returned to the Waterloo lineup on Feb. 24th. Hill scored a power play goal in Waterloo's 4-3 victory over Des Moines on Sunday.

~ 2013 or '14 Recruit Michael McNicholas scored the game-winning goal for the Muskegon Lumberjacks in their 3-1 win over the Indiana Ice on Feb. 24th.

Ontario Junior Hockey League:

~ With the Buffalo Jr. Sabres facing elimination in their second round playoff series against the Oakville Blades, 2013 Recruit Andrew Poturalski scored a goal last night in Game 4. The Jr. Sabres defeated Oakville 4-1. So far, Poturalski has scored 5 goals in the playoffs which is the most on the Jr. Sabres. He is third in the OJHL in playoff goals.

Eastern Junior Hockey League:

~ The regular season of the EJHL has been completed and the playoffs are set to begin. 2012 Recruit Harry Quast and the Bay State Breakers will compete in a "play in" series against the Rochester Stars on Feb. 28th and 29th. The winner advances to the EJHL quarterfinals.

~ 2012 Recruit Kyle Smith and the Junior Bruins have already qualified for the EJHL quarterfinals and will have the home ice advantage. Collin MacDonald and the Jersey Hitmen have also earned home ice for the quarterfinals. The EJHL quarterfinals will be held on March 3rd and 4th.

Casey DeSmith & UNH Clinch Playoff Berth

AMHERST, MA - On the strength of a mind-numbing, 48-save performance by freshman goalie Casey DeSmith, UNH held off UMass-Amherst 4-3 at the Mullins Center. With the victory, UNH has earned 24 points in 25 Hockey East games. Mathematically, there is no way for UMass-Amherst to beat out UNH for the 8th and final playoff spot.

UMass has 18 points with 3 games remaining in their regular season. Even if they beat UNH Saturday night and sweep Merrimack in a home-and-home series next weekend and UNH loses their remaining 2 games, the two teams would be tied with 24 points. UNH would advance to the Hockey East playoffs by virtue of winning the season series against UMass.

The last time UNH did not qualify for the Hockey East playoffs was in the 1987-88 season - 24 years ago. With so much at stake, UNH finally saw the puck bounce their way against a speedy and tenacious UMass effort.

In the first period, the teams played each other evenly with both teams registering 13 shots on goal. UNH scored the first goal of the game with about 6 and 1/2 minutes left in the period. A hustling Matt Willows controlled the puck low in the faceoff circle to the right of UMass goalie Kevin Boyle. Willows saw Trevor van Riemsdyk open at the top of the left faceoff circle and fed a perfect pass to him. TvR beat Boyle to the high stick-side on a slap shot. Given how tenaciously Willows has been playing since midseason, it's hard to believe it was his first point as an NCAA player.

Earlier in the period, Willows had made another nice pass from behind the goal line to set up another one of UNH's shots on goal. On another play, Willows unloaded what has become a trademark hit to a much larger UMass defenseman behind the UMass net. If Willows is battling for the puck along the boards and he has an opportunity to take an opponent out with a body check, he goes for it.

The second period began much the same as the first with each team registering a couple SOG. Approximately 4 minutes into the period, Kevin Goumas skated behind the UMass goal and was set to feed a wide-open Stevie Moses in front of the net. However, the puck slid just beyond Goumas' reach. Shortly after, Trevor van Riemsdyk gathered the puck between the top of the right circle and the blueline and launched another slapper. This time, the shot was low to the ice and appeared to deflect off a UMass defenseman's skate into the goal.

TvR's second goal of the evening seemed to ignite the UMass offense. They rattled off 7 shots on goal in the ensuing four minutes forcing Casey DeSmith to make several saves in traffic. With UMass buzzing around in the UNH zone, Greg Burke was called for hooking at the 9:16 mark. Following a strong effort by Kevin McCarey to clear the puck and another couple saves by DeSmith, UNH was close to killing off the penalty. In an effort to control the puck, Kevin Goumas and Stevie Moses went deep into the corner to the left of DeSmith but UMass managed to move the puck away from them. With only 2 seconds left in the penalty, Conor Sheary was wide-open in the slot and beat DeSmith with a high wrist shot.

Trailing 2-1, UMass poured it on for the remainder of the second period. By my unofficial count, UMass outshot UNH 11 to 2 over the final 10 minutes of the period. Among DeSmith's many saves were two of the amazing variety. With about 3 minutes left in the second period, DeSmith went to his knees in a butterfly position and made a flashing glove save. With less than a minute to go, he speared the puck out of the air with his glove on a point blank shot. The Casey DeSmith show was well underway. Shots on goal through two periods - UMass 38, UNH 18.

A prime factor in the UMass resurgence was the speed of their forwards. A little over 3 minutes into the final period, the teams were called for matching penalties. The 4-on-4 play gave UMass even more room to create separation. UNH was unable to control a loose puck behind DeSmith and Joel Hanley beat him high on the blocker side at the 4:47 mark. Score tied 2-2.

Over the next 5 minutes of play, UMass was pressing hard for the go-ahead goal. The UMass defensemen were taking chances by pinching up from the blue line in an effort to keep the puck active in the UNH end. This strategy may have cost them. With 13 minutes left in the period, Stevie Moses started a 2-on-1 breakaway by feeding Kevin Goumas on the right wing. Goumas and Sorkin rushed into the UMass zone and Goumas made a nifty bang-bang pass to Sorkin who beat Boyle to his right.

Just seconds after Sorkin had put UNH ahead 3-2, defenseman Connor Hardowa made a long-range pass to Kevin Goumas who had snuck into the neutral zone behind the UMass defense. Goumas went in on a breakaway, skated diagonally in front of Boyle, and beat him on a back-hand shot. However, given the stakes and the way UMass had been buzzing around in the UNH zone, this 4-2 lead was anything but comfortable.

With just under 8 minutes left in regulation, UMass pressured UNH in their own end for an extended shift. Brett Kostolansky and Justin Agosta had pretty much run out of gas when a UMass forward gathered a stray puck behind DeSmith and fed Danny Hobbs who was wide-open in front. UNH 4, UMass 3.

From my vantage point directly behind Casey DeSmith, I was the only fan squirming in my seat for the ensuing 7 minutes as the UMass fans all around me were jumping out of theirs. At one point, there was a scrum around DeSmith and he ended up on his back with his head and upper body in the net and his legs sticking out the front. Somehow, the puck didn't go in. With 3 and 1/2 minutes left, the puck eluded TvR and landed in the slot in front of DeSmith. He made a gut save on a shot from point-blank range.

At the 2:51 mark, UMass was called for tripping and the action settled down as UNH protected the puck. But, with a minute and 1/2 left in regulation, Connor Hardowa was called for holding along the boards in the UNH end - a borderline call.

So a minute and 24 seconds is left on the game clock. There's still 34 seconds left in the UMass penalty. With Connor Hardowa headed to the penalty box, the teams would normally play 4-on-4 for 34 seconds. However, UMass Head Coach Toots Cahoon pulls his goalie giving UMass a 5-on-4 advantage. 51 seconds on the clock and DeSmith makes a huge glove save.

The UMass penalty ends so they now have a 6-on-4 advantage. UMass pressures in the UNH zone and Jeff Silengo and a UMass player fall down on the ice while going for the puck. The UMass player is called for a hand pass so with 34 seconds left, a faceoff is called down in the UMass end. 27 seconds left and another faceoff is called in the neutral zone. UMass controls the puck for one more rush and DeSmith makes a huge cover up save. On the ensuing faceoff, UMass star Mike Pereira gathers the puck behind the UNH net and inexplicably passes the puck around the boards. The puck flutters into center ice and the buzzer sounds.

During a midweek press conference, Coach Umile said that Saturday would be a very long day if UNH did not win on Friday night. Following perhaps the biggest win of the season so far, the UNH Wildcats will finally get to relax a little - at least until game time Saturday night at the Mullins Center.

UNH Adds Top 1995 Prospect - Defenseman Dylan Chanter

The UNH hockey program already has commitments from three, high-scoring forwards born in 1995 - Tyler Kelleher, Shane Eiserman, and Jason Kalinowski. Now, UNH has added a top 1995 defenseman from the British Columbia Hockey League - Dylan Chanter. In his rookie season with the Merritt Centennials, the 6'3", 195 lbs., right-shot defenseman has posted 2 goals and 10 assists and logged 45 penalty minutes in 50 games.

Dylan Chanter (DOB 9/17/1995) is one of only three 16-year-old defensemen who have played the entire season in the BCHL. Beginning in the 2011-12 season, the BCHL mandated that each team must have at least one 16-year-old on the roster. All the BCHL teams chose to carry only one 16-year-old player on their rosters. The vast majority of BCHL players are from 18 to 20-years old. The other two 16-year-old defensemen playing in the BCHL - Nolan DeJong (Victoria Grizzlies) and Bo Pellah (Langley Rivermen) - have already committed to Cornell and Penn State, respectively. All three, including Chanter, have scored 2 goals so far this season.


Last season, Dylan Chanter played Midget Minor (U-16) hockey for the Pursuit of Excellence (POE) team based in Kelowna, British Columbia. In 56 regular season games, Chanter scored 4 goals and 18 assists. At the end of the 2010-11 season, Chanter decided to try and make the jump from minor hockey to Canadian Junior A hockey, bypassing Junior B hockey. Chanter participated in Merritt's spring camps and signed with the Centennials in June, 2011.

In the following video, produced by the Merritt Centennials, Dylan Chanter discusses his adjustment to playing in the BCHL:



As you might expect, a 16-year-old Canadian player talented enough to play in the BCHL would attract the attention of Major Junior teams. The Portland Winter Hawks of the Western Hockey League (WHL) acquired the WHL rights to Dylan Chanter early in the summer of 2011. The WHL holds its Bantam Draft for 15-year-old players in May of each year. A youngster drafted by a WHL team is added to the teams 50 Player Protected List. A player on a protected list may not play for another WHL team or participate in another WHL team's training camp. They are free to play in Junior A leagues in Canada or the United States.

WHL teams have two methods for adding a player to their protected list. The first is through the Bantam Draft. The very top bantam prospects are the ones drafted. Dylan Chanter was not drafted by Portland. Following the Bantam Draft, WHL teams are allowed to add other bantam prospects to their protected list. Dylan Chanter was "listed" by the Portland Winter Hawks through this later method. As a player on Portland's Player Protected List, Chanter participated in the Winter Hawks summer training camp in August, 2011.

By verbally accepting an offer to play at the University of New Hampshire, Dylan Chanter has signalled his commitment to obtain a college education in the United States. The U.S. Hockey Report indicated that Chanter plans to enroll in the fall of 2014. The Portland Winter Hawks of the WHL may continue to pursue Chanter but for now, he has listed Durham, NH as his destination. Chanter, whose hometown is Armstrong, British Columbia, would join a long list of outstanding players from Western Canada who have played for UNH. Other standouts have included Damon Kipp, Connor Hardowa and Grayson Downing from the current roster and past players such as a Colin Hemingway and Hobey Baker Winner Jason Krog.

UNH Recruits Update: Week 20

Player of the Week - Andrew Poturalski

For the second week in a row, Andrew Poturalski's has been named Player of the Week among all UNH Recruits. Poturalski and the Buffalo Junior Sabres swept the Hamilton Red Wings in the first round of the Ontario Junior Hockey League playoffs. Across the three game series, Poturalski scored at least a goal-a game for a total of 4 goals and 2 assists. The Jr. Sabres will face the Oakville Blades in a best-of-seven, second round series beginning Feb. 21st in Buffalo.

NOTE
The statistics for the recruits, presented in the table, are categorized by the projected year they will enroll in UNH. For example, the "2012 Recruits" are projected to begin playing for UNH in the Fall of 2012. I have based these projections on a number of factors including:
~ How old the player would be upon admission.
~ Number of years in junior hockey prior to admission.
~ Anticipated date of high school graduation.
~ Number of seniors leaving the team at the end of the previous season.
~ The player's performance in the current season.

Player	Team	League	GP	Goals	Asst	Pts	PIM
2012 Recruits
Dan Correale	Nanaimo Clippers	BCHL	21	8	9	17	10
Maxim Gaudreault	Sioux City	USHL	43	11	11	22	32
Jamie Hill	Waterloo	USHL	35	5	15	20	44
Collin MacDonald	Jersey Hitmen	EJHL	45	27	18	45	14
Brett Pesce	Jersey Hitmen	EJHL	17	1	5	6	18
Harry Quast	Bay State	EJHL	42	8	24	32	46
Jamie Regan	Philly Revs	EJHL	24	9W	15L	4.90	.904
Kyle Smith	Junior Bruins	EJHL	43	24	38	62	32
2013 Recruits
Jordan Masters	Muskegon	USHL	31	5	10	15	39
Matias Cleland	Waterloo	USHL	24	1	5	6	24
Dylan Maller	Tri-City	USHL	33	3	5	8	8
Andrew Poturalski	Buffalo Jr Sabres	OJHL	33	16	22	38	32
	Playoffs	OJHL	3	4	2	6	0
2013 or '14 Recruit
Michael McNicholas	Muskegon	USHL	27	3	3	6	10
2014 Recruits
Shane Eiserman	Cushing Academy	NEPSAC	27	15	24	39	-
Tyler Kelleher	USA U17 Team	USHL	22	10	8	18	16
2015 Recruits
Jason Kalinowski	Salisbury Prep	NEPSAC	24	12	14	26	-

News & Notes

United States Hockey League:

~ According to a story on MLive.com, 2013 Recruit Jordan Masters has been dismissed from the Muskegon Lumberjacks for a "violation of team rules." No further details have been reported to date. I'll post any further updates on Twitter.com, @UNHRecruitsCHC.

~ 2012 Recruit Maxim Gaudreault played a tremendous game for the Sioux City Musketeers on Saturday night. In a 5-2 win over Sioux Falls, Gaudreault scored 2 goals and an assist and generated 6 shots on goal. Gaudreault earned the #1 star for the game.

Eastern Junior Hockey League:

~ 2012 Recruit Collin MacDonald scored 2 goals and 2 assists in a three-game stretch last week in the EJHL. One of the goals was the game-winner against the Rochester Stars. It was MacDonald's 5th game-winning goal of the season.

New England Prep School Hockey Conference:

~ 2015 Recruit Jason Kalinowski and The Salisbury School continued their hot play last week. In a 14-0 win over Kingswood Oxford, Kalinowski scored a goal and an assist. On Saturday, Salisbury defeated Avon Old Farms 1-0. The Salisbury School is now the new #1 team on the U.S. Hockey Report's Division I Prep Hockey Poll.

UNH Seniors Leave The Whitt As Winners

DURHAM, NH - Following an emotional Senior Night ceremony at the Whittemore Center, the 2011-12 UNH Wildcats took care of business defeating Vermont 3-1. The evening began with individual introductions of the six UVM seniors lead by long-time nemesis, goalie Rob Madore. The crowd's applause was steady throughout. In a classy display of respect, Head Coach Kevin Sneddon stood on the ice in front of the UVM bench during the introduction of his seniors and the entire ceremony surrounding the UNH seniors.

Next up, the introduction of the six UNH senior players who have made unique contributions to the team's success over the last four seasons. As a group, they are the only senior class in Division I hockey to have advanced to the NCAA Regional Finals over the last three seasons. Tyler Scott, who entered UNH as an outstanding prep school goalie from the South Kent School, made countless saves against prolific UNH goal scorers such as Bobby Butler, James van Riemsdyk, and Paul Thompson. The importance of a backup goalie at a top-flight Division I program is largely unrecognized, but Scott was a key contributor to the team's development.

Kevin McCarey came to UNH from the prestigious U.S. National Team Development Program in Ann Arbor, Michigan. So far in his senior season, McCarey has scored 4 goals and 6 assists and has an impressive +/- rating of +4. McCarey is a mainstay on the UNH penalty kill.

The next player to accept flowers and an embrace from his parents was goalie Matt Di Girolamo. The moment gave UNH fans an overdue opportunity to thank DiGi for his award-winning junior year and express their appreciation for the standup way he has handled the changing of the guard in the UNH net. The applause was prolonged.

One of the most electrifying players to ever don a UNH jersey, Stevie Moses, has treated us all to his blazing speed from the moment he jumped onto Lake Whittemore and scored an assist against Wisconsin in October, 2009. Moses ability to generate shots on goal, often entirely on his own, is unparalleled. In his senior season to date, Moses has registered 149 shots on goal in 31 games (4.80 SOG per game) - just shy of 5 shots on goal per game. That's the highest rate of shots for any UNH player over at least the last decade. The only Hockey East players to generate more shots on goal since the 1999 season were Boston College's Nathan Gerbe (5.65 in 2008) and Patrick Eaves (5.28 in 2005). Stevie Moses and UMaine's Joey Diamond are the only Hockey East players to score 20 goals so far this season.

Co-Captain Damon Kipp from Salmon Arms, British Columbia travelled the farthest to play for the Wildcats. The amiable defenseman and his pro-style game have lead the resurgence of UNH's team defense. Since the Frozen Fenway loss to Maine, UNH has given up an average of only 2 goals per game over the last 11 Hockey East contests.

Finally, Co-Captain Mike Borisenok hustled to center ice for his moment of recognition. The tale of the tape lists Borisenok as the shortest player on the UNH roster. However, the example he set as a high-energy, fierce competitor was crucial in guiding UNH beyond a slow start early in the season.

Capping off the pregame ceremonies was a moving rendition of both the Canadian and United States National Anthems by Reverend Robert Thompson. The special acknowledgement of Canadian players Damon Kipp, Connor Hardowa, and freshman Grayson Downing was fitting and would be a welcome addition to all pregame ceremonies.

Game Highlights and Notes

~ Although Matt Di Girolamo may have been the sentimental favorite to start against Vermont, the importance of the game dictated the need to go with #1 goalie Casey DeSmith. In the shocking 4-3 overtime loss to UVM on Friday night, DeSmith may have had his least proficient performance in goal. The freshman gave up 4 goals on only 21 shots. UVM scored on its only shot on goal during overtime.

Saturday night was a sharp contrast. DeSmith made a number of glittering saves - some during key points of the game. Perhaps his biggest save of the game came with just under 13 minutes left in the game. With UNH leading 2-1, UVM entered the offensive zone 3-on-2 and Justin Agosta was playing without his stick. UVM swarmed the net and DeSmith made a sprawling save to stop the action.

The only goal allowed by Casey DeSmith was flukey. With about 3 minutes remaining in the 1st period, DeSmith made a routine stick save on an innocent shot but the puck ricocheted off the backboard and landed right in the crease. Junior Brett Bruneteau, a transfer from the University of North Dakota, easily tapped it in.

~ If not for several spectacular saves by UVM's Rob Madore, UNH could have won by many more than 2 goals. Madore was peppered with 41 shots and he stopped 38 of them. Madore has always played exceptionally well against UNH. Who can forget the Hockey East quarterfinals in 2010 when Madore and UVM shut out UNH 1-0 in the final two games? Whenever I remember Rob Madore, I'll have an image of him on the ice, in a spread-eagle split, snatching the puck with his glove.

~ In the opening 10 minutes of the game, UNH played somewhat tentatively without a lot of energy. One exception was freshman Casey Thrush who made a strong rush toward the net and registered an early shot on goal. With about 11 minutes left in the period, Thrush went aggressively toward a UVM puck carrier along the half-boards in the UVM zone. Thrush was called for hitting from behind and because the UVM Captain Brett Leonard crashed awkwardly into the boards, Thrush was given a game disqualification.

UNH's penalty kill play has become a strength as the season has progressed and they successfully killed off the ensuing 5-minute penalty. Early on, Stevie Moses and Kevin McCarey separately generated a shot on goal against Madore after breaking out of their own end. UVM didn't record their 1st shot on goal until 2 minutes into the penalty. Fittingly, Casey DeSmith ended the penalty kill with a glove save. UVM registered only 3 shots on goal during the 5 minutes.

~ For reasons not made public, John Henrion was a "healthy scratch" on Friday night. Henrion is the team's 5th leading scorer with 5 goals and 12 assists. More importantly, the Downing-Burke-Henrion line has emerged as the one Coach Umile matches up against the top line of opposing teams. Henrion's absence in the overtime loss on Friday was noticable.

On Saturday night, Henrion played aggressively with high energy and hustle. He made a number of tape-to-tape passes to his linemates, generated a team-high 6 shots on goal and added an assist on the game-winning goal. That powerplay goal at the 15:02 mark of the 2nd period demonstrated the strength of that line. All three players were parked around the front of the crease - Downing to the left of Madore, Henrion in front, and Burke to the right of the crease. Henrion took the initial shot and Burke banged home the rebound.

~ Seniors Kevin McCarey and Mike Borisenok made their last game at the Whittemore Center one of their best. Borisenok had an assist and 2 SOG and earned the #1 Star. McCarey stepped his pace up a notch, was often around the puck, had 4 SOG and scored the game-tying goal. On that play, Borisenok stole the puck at the top of the circle, rushed toward the net and fed McCarey who was wide open on the right wing.

The Road Ahead

In the battle for the final Hockey East playoff spots, UNH (22 points) is now in 7th place and has maintained its 4 point lead over Northeastern and UMass-Amherst (tied for 8th). Both have played one less Hockey East game than UNH.

UNH plays two games against UMass-Amherst next weekend at the Mullins Center. UNH can virtually guarantee a playoff spot by winning one game or tying both games in Amherst. UNH will play its final regular season game on Saturday, March 3rd at Maine. The 4:00 PM game will be covered by NESN.

UNH Adds Goalie Jamie Regan For 2012-13 Season

All-Star goalie from the Eastern Junior Hockey League, Jamie Regan, has committed to play for the University of New Hampshire in the fall of 2012. UNH will lose senior goalies Matt Di Girolamo and Tyler Scott at the end of this season. Regan will join established goalies Casey DeSmith and Jeff Wyer. DeSmith, a freshman from Rochester, NH, has been UNH's #1 goalie since his start against Maine in the 2012 Frozen Fenway. Sophomore Jeff Wyer played in three games earlier this season and helped UNH earn its first point in a tie with St. Cloud State University. Wyer underwent knee surgery in December and recently began skating again.

Jamie Regan, who turned 20 on January 15th, is in his second season with the Philadelphia Revolution of the EJHL. On a team with the second fewest points in the league, Regan has posted a save percentage of .904 and a goals against average of 3.92. Regan played for the Southern Division team in the EJHL All-Star game last month. In the shootout, Regan stopped all three shots he faced and the South won.

The 6'2", 170 lbs. goalie is from Bainbridge, Ohio, a suburb of Cleveland. Regan's hometown is just down the road from Chagrin Falls, the hometown of fellow 2012 Recruit Harry Quast. As a junior at the University School, a private boys school in Shaker Heights, Ohio, Regan lead his team to the 2009 State Championship. As a senior, Regan was named the Player of the Year by the News-Herald of Northern Ohio.

UNH Recruits Update: Week 19

Player of the Week - Andrew Poturalski

Last week must have been the most exciting one of Andrew Poturalski's young hockey career. For the 2013 UNH Recruit, the week began in a typical fashion. On Monday and Tuesday night, Poturalski scored a goal and 3 assists in two games with the Buffalo Junior Sabres of the Ontario Junior Hockey League. But then something special happened. Mark Carlson, Head Coach and General Manager of the Cedar Rapids Rough Riders of the United State Hockey League, called Poturalski up to play in two weekend games against the Dubuque Fighting Saints. Last summer, Poturalski had a tryout with the Rough Riders and made the team's Affiliate List.

The callup came at an opportune time for both Poturalski and the Junior Sabres. They only had two games remaining in the OJHL regular season and had already secured a third place finish in the West Division. The OJHL playoffs wouldn't begin until Monday (today).

Andrew Poturalski's debut in the USHL couldn't have been much more successful. In the Cedar Rapids' 6-3 victory over Dubuque on Friday night, Poturalski scored 2 goals and an assist and earned the #1 Star for the game. On Saturday night, none of the Rough Riders could score as Dubuque won 3-0. Overall for his two USHL games, Poturalski finished with a +/- rating of +2.

The current plan is for Poturalski to make a playoff run with the Buffalo Junior Sabres, finish his senior year at the Nichols School in Buffalo, and play for Cedar Rapids in the USHL next season. He is projected to enroll at UNH in the Fall of 2013.

NOTE
The statistics for the recruits, presented in the table, are categorized by the projected year they will enroll in UNH. For example, the "2012 Recruits" are projected to begin playing for UNH in the Fall of 2012. I have based these projections on a number of factors including:
~ How old the player would be upon admission.
~ Number of years in junior hockey prior to admission.
~ Anticipated date of high school graduation.
~ Number of seniors leaving the team at the end of the previous season.
~ The player's performance in the current season.

Player	Team	League	GP	Goals	Asst	Pts	PIM
2012 Recruits
Dan Correale	Nanaimo Clippers	BCHL	18	7	8	15	10
Maxim Gaudreault	Sioux City	USHL	41	9	10	19	28
Jamie Hill	Waterloo	USHL	35	5	15	20	44
Collin MacDonald	Jersey Hitmen	EJHL	42	25	16	41	14
Harry Quast	Bay State	EJHL	40	8	23	31	44
Kyle Smith	Junior Bruins	EJHL	39	23	37	60	28
Brett Pesce	Jersey Hitmen	EJHL	17	1	5	6	18
2013 Recruits
Jordan Masters	Muskegon	USHL	31	5	10	15	39
Matias Cleland	Waterloo	USHL	22	1	3	4	24
Dylan Maller	Tri-City	USHL	31	2	4	6	8
Andrew Poturalski	Buffalo Jr Sabres	OJHL	33	16	22	38	32
2013 or '14 Recruit
Michael McNicholas	Muskegon	USHL	25	3	3	6	10
2014 Recruits
Shane Eiserman	Cushing Academy	NEPSAC	25	15	24	39	-
Tyler Kelleher	USA U17 Team	USHL	20	10	8	18	16
2015 Recruits
Jason Kalinowski	Salisbury Prep	NEPSAC	22	11	13	24	-

News & Notes

Eastern Junior Hockey League:

~ Brett Pesce has announced on Twitter that he will be coming to UNH next fall. With Senior Captain Damon Kipp graduating, next year's team is projected to have 4 right-shot defensemen - Pesce, Hardowa, van Riemsdyk and Agosta. Left-shot defensemen will include Kostolansky, Knodel, Ryan Randall, and Harry Quast. Brett Pesce is still out of the Jersey Hitmen's lineup with an injury to his right arm. The Hitmen have three games remaining in the regular season. The EJHL playoffs are set to begin at the end of February.

United States Hockey League:

~ Tyler Kelleher and the U.S. Under-17 NTDP team won the 2012 Vlad Dzurilla Under 18 Tournament in Piestany, Slovakia. On successive days, Team USA beat Switzerland 6-1, Germany 8-0, and Slovakia 8-3. Tyler Kelleher scored in every game and ended the tournament with 3 goals and 4 assists. The U-17 NTDP team returns to USHL action on February 17th at home against the Green Bay Gamblers.

~ 2013 Recruit Matias Cleland, a defenseman in his first season with the Waterloo Black Hawks, scored his first USHL in a 4-2 victory over Omaha on Saturday night. In 22 games this season, Cleland has a +/- rating of +3.

~ 2013 Recruit Dylan Maller has scored a power play goal and 3 assists over the last 2 games with the Tri-City Storm.

~ 2012 Recruit Jamie Hill of the Waterloo Black Hawks has missed the last 4 games with an undisclosed injury.

British Columbia Hockey League:

~ 2012 Recruit Dan Correale scored a goal and 4 assists in his last three games with the Nanaimo Clippers. The goal was a short-handed, game-winning goal in a 7-2 win over Alberni Valley.

New England Prep School Hockey Conference:

~ Cushing Academy vs. The Salisbury School - In the matchup yesterday at the practice rink on the campus of the University of Massachusetts in Amherst, Salisbury beat Cushing 3-1 with an empty net goal. For an informative writeup of the game and the leading players, check out U.S. Hockey Report.

2014 Recruit Shane Eiserman scored the lone goal for Cushing Academy in the loss to The Salisbury School. Eiserman is now tied for the lead in goals on the Cushing team.

~ Although 2015 Recruit Jason Kalinowski did not score in the Cushing game, he had 2 goals and an assist in the prior two wins over Taft and Loomis-Chaffee. Kalinowski is now the second leading goal scorer on the Salisbury team. The Salisbury School moved up one spot to #2 on the U.S. Hockey Report's Division I Prep Hockey Poll.

Wildcat Wrapup: UNH Beats Northeastern; Ties Merrimack

The last time UNH failed to qualify for the Hockey East Playoffs, Ronald Reagan was President, smoking on domestic flights under two hours had just been banned, and Denis Potvin retired from the New York Islanders. It was March, 1988. If the regular season had ended two weekends ago, UNH would have missed the Hockey East Playoffs for the first time in 24 years. They had just lost their third game in a row; a 3-2 overtime decision to Boston College at the Whittemore Center.

Despite the historically dire situation UNH faced just two Sundays ago, they were playing some of their best hockey of the season. UNH's team defense had improved dramatically, players other than Stevie Moses were scoring goals, and freshman Casey DeSmith was emerging as a top college goalie. Since then, UNH has played 4 "must-win" games - two against Providence College last weekend, a home-game against Northeastern University Friday night, and an away-game against nationally-ranked Merrimack College last night. On the strength of 3 wins and an overtime tie, the Wildcats have clawed their way back from the edge of the cliff. Prospects for making the Hockey East playoffs are brighter and the chance of earning home-ice is now mathematically possible (though remote).

In the battle for the 8th and final playoff spot, UNH (20 points) now has a 4 point lead over Northeastern and UMass-Amherst. Both have played one less Hockey East game than UNH. UNH's 3-2 victory over Northeastern in their final matchup of the regular season created some breathing room for the Wildcats. Over the remaining three weekends of the season, Northeastern will play 2 games against Providence (at home), 2 against Maine (at home), and a home-and-home series against Boston University. Those three teams are all in a tight race for home-ice in the Hockey East playoffs.

The 3 points that UNH earned this weekend also improved their lead over UMass-Amherst. On Friday, UMass upset Boston University, the #1-ranked team in the country, by a score of 3-2 at the Agganis Arena. Last night, Massachusetts lost 4-5 to Providence at the Mullins Center. Like Northeastern, the remaining schedule for UMass is tough with 2 games at Maine, 2 games with UNH (at home), and a home-and-home series against Merrimack.

In recent interviews with the press and TV announcers, UNH players and coaches have emphasized a common theme - "play each game like it's a playoff game". Expect the same attitude and approach from UNH over the final 5 games of the regular season. Next weekend, UNH plays their final 2 home games of the season against Vermont. Saturday night at the Whittemore Center will feature the annual Senior Night Ceremony. During the last weekend in February, UNH plays two games at UMass-Amherst. Those games may give UNH an opportunity to eliminate UMass from post season play and lock up a playoff spot for themselves. UNH will play its final regular season game on Saturday, March 3rd at Maine. The game may be on NESN.

Weekend Highlights and Notes


~ Casey DeSmith, the freshman from Rochester, NH, is a top goalie in Hockey East. Such a statement would have been unimaginable to most fans when the season began and DeSmith was the 3rd or 4th-string goalie for UNH (although "The UNH Men's Hockey Blogger Guy" called it). After a 24-save performance against Northeastern on Friday night followed by 34 saves against Merrimack last night, Casey DeSmith sits near the top of the Hockey East goalie rankings. His 2.14 Goals Against Average in Hockey East competition places DeSmith in 2nd place. DeSmith is ranked #3 in save percentage with an impressive .931%.

The stats alone don't fully convey how well Casey DeSmith is playing. Watching him closely at the Whittemore Center on Friday and on NESN last night, one could see outstanding technique and confidence. DeSmith anticipates where the shots are coming from and repositions himself accordingly. He seems to glide from side-to-side in the crease and only leaves his skates to go down on the ice when necessary. On the one goal Merrimack scored last night, DeSmith was on the ice out of position but he had been inadvertantly knocked over by Brett Kostolansky.

DeSmith made numerous glove saves both nights usually while in a strong position. He's standing with his knees together in a partial butterfly and he flashes his glove like an MVP first baseman. DeSmith's glovework was critical in the first period against Northeastern on Friday Night. After playing poorly against BC in the first round of the Beanpot Tournament, NU came out flying and outshot UNH 12-8.

On multiple occasions in both games, DeSmith softly absorbed slapshots and point-blank wrist shots to his midsection without leaving a rebound. When he does go down to the ice in a full butterfly position, he can flash his pads with the best of them. Midway through the 3rd period last night, a Merrimack forward skated from behind the net and made a great wraparound shot but DeSmith denied him flashing his left pad at the last possible instant.

~ The Grayson Downing-Greg Burke-John Henrion has emerged as a top line for UNH - possibly the top line. In both the Northeastern and Merrimack games, Coach Umile sent them out on the first line to play against the opponent's top forward line. The diverse talents of Henrion, Burke and Downing have blended effectively since they were reunited back in the weekend series with Boston College. Henrion is allowing his linemates to set him up for higher percentage shots. Against Northeastern, I counted 3 times when Henrion's shots hit the post. As a center, Greg Burke is winning a bunch of faceoffs. On the only goal last night against Merrimack, Burke set the play in motion by winning the faceoff back to Trevor van Riemsdyk who sent a shot toward the net. The puck bounced to Grayson Downing in the slot between the circles and he made an amazing maneuver to get a shot away. Reaching to his left and slightly behind him, Downing dragged the puck past a defender and lifted a wrister past Merrimack goalie Joe Cannata.

~ Junior Austin Block along with freshmen Casey Thrush and Matt Willows on his wings played with high energy and generated a lot of offense in both weekend games. Block scored 2 goals against Northeastern and had 3 shots on goal in each game. During the mid-week press conference, Austin Block described Coach Umile as a "hard-nosed coach" who verbally got on his case a few weeks ago. This apparently motivated Block to pick up his game and effort. Casey Thrush scored his 8th assist of the season against Northeastern and he had a combined 3 SOG. It's hard to believe that Matt Willows has yet to score in his first NCAA season. Willows had 2 SOG against Northeastern and 3 SOG against Merrimack. He's fast, physical and his shots almost always force the goalie to make a save.

~ On several shifts in the Northeastern game, freshman defenseman Trevor van Riemsdyk was on the ice to defend against top scorers Vinny Saponari and Braden Primm. In one sequence in the UNH zone, Saponari skated past TvR but he recovered to poke check the puck away from Saponari. Early in the 3rd period, TvR forced a flying Primm to the half-boards and poked the puck away from him. TvR finished the game with a +/- rating of 0. As an offensive defenseman, TvR's defensive game has steadily improved this season.

Injury Update:

~ Jeff Silengo, who has been battling a shoulder injury, looked like he is regaining his speed and confidence on the ice. Against Merrimack, Silengo had 2 SOG and his linemates Kevin McCarey and Mike Borisenok had 3 and 2 SOG, respectively.

~ Dalton Speelman, who fell hard into the end boards and was injured in the 11th game of the season against UMass-Lowell, is recovering on schedule. He has been able to skate over the last few weeks but probably will not return to the lineup this season. The possibility of Speelman being "red-shirted" this season and being able to play two more seasons with UNH is under consideration.

Game Photos Courtesy of Walter Rossini.

UNH Hockey: Weekend Preview

Now that the UNH Hockey Team has clawed its way up into a tie for 6th place in Hockey East, it faces two key matchups this weekend. The race for the final three playoff spots couldn't be much tighter. UNH is tied with Providence College with 17 points. However, Providence has one game in hand. UNH's opponent on Friday night at the Whittemore Center - Northeastern University - is only 1 point behind with 16 points. Both UNH and NU have played 20 Hockey East games so far. And don't forget UMass-Amherst - they're just 2 points further back having accumulated 14 points in 19 games.

Way back in October, when there was actual snow on the ground, UNH split the first two games of the season against Northeastern. Midseason, Northeastern posted impressive out-of-conference wins against Michigan, Notre Dame (twice), and Minnesota. Since the beginning of 2012, Northeastern has lost four conference games to teams ahead of them in the Hockey East standings (once to BU and BC; twice to UMass-Lowell) and beaten two teams below them in the standings (twice over Vermont; once over UMass-Amherst). Northeastern is coming off a lop-sided 1-7 loss to BC at the Beanpot Tournament on Monday night.

Since January 7th when they skated on the infield of Fenway Park, UNH has won 4 games against Hockey East opponents (Merrimack once; Providence three times). UNH's loses to nationally-ranked Merrimack and BC (twice) and to Maine at Frozen Fenway were squeakers. Each loss was by 1 goal and three of them were in overtime.

Saturday night, UNH travels to North Andover, MA for the third and final matchup of the season with Merrimack College. Merrimack, who is currently ranked 8th in the nation, got off to a fast start this season winning their first 6 Hockey East games. Since the first of the year, Merrimack has had its ups and downs. They went into the unfriendly confines of the Alfond Arena and came away with a win and a tie against Maine. Merrimack also tied Boston College. However, Merrimack has lost two games to Boston University and, three weekends ago, lost at home against UNH. Merrimack redeemed itself the following night in Durham earning a hard-fought overtime victory.


Weekend Preview for UNH Recruits

~ 2013 Recruit Andrew Poturalski of the Buffalo Junior Sabres has been called up to play for the Cedar Rapids Rough Riders of the USHL. Cedar Rapids' Head Coach and General Manager Mark Carlson has confirmed that Poturalski will be in the Rough Riders' lineup for the Friday and Saturday night games against the Dubuque Fighting Saints.

Last June, Andrew Poturalski was invited to the Tryout Camp of the Sioux City Musketeers (USHL). Poturalski gave a strong performance scoring some goals in intrasquad games and making the all-star game on the final day of camp. However, Poturalski did not make the Musketeers' 25-man active roster.

In mid-July, arrangements were made for Poturalski to try out with the Cedar Rapids Rough Riders. Poturalski impressed Coach Carlson and his staff and earned a spot on the Rough Riders' protected, affiliate list. At that time, Coach Carlson provided us with this assessment:

"We feel Andrew could join us at anytime. He has great hockey sense, vision, shooting. Like all young players he will continue to work on his strength and conditioning."

As an affiliate player of the Rough Riders, Poturalski is eligible to be called up for one or more games during the USHL season.

Poturalski, who just turned 18 in mid-January, recently returned to the Buffalo Junior Sabres' (OJHL) lineup after recovering from a broken ankle. In the 33 games in which he has played, Poturalski has scored 16 goals and 22 assists including 3 game-winning goals. The Junior Sabres begin their OJHL playoff run next Monday and presumably, Poturalski will be back in their lineup. Poturalski is completing his senior year of studies at the Nichols School in Buffalo, NY.

~ Tyler Kelleher and the U.S. Under-17 NTDP team arrived safe and sound in Piestany, Slovakia for the 2012 Vlad Dzurilla Tournament. In their first game this morning against Switzerland, Team USA won 6-1. Tyler Kelleher scored 2 assists in the winning effort. Team USA will play Germany on Friday and Slovakia on Saturday.

~ Fans interested in watching UNH's two youngest recruits have a great opportunity coming up this Sunday. 2014 Recruit Shane Eiserman and Cushing Academy will face off against 2015 Recruit Jason Kalinowski and the Salisbury School at 2:30 on the practice rink next to the Mullins Center at UMass-Amherst. Salisbury is currently ranked #3 on the U.S. Hockey Report's Division I Prep Hockey Poll and Cushing is ranked #10. Jason Kalinowski is Salisbury's 3rd leading scorer with 22 points in 20 games. Shane Eiserman is Cushing's 2nd leading scorer with 38 points in 23 games. Should be a terrific game between two, top New England Prep School teams.

UNH Recruits Update: Week 18

Player of the Week - Maxim Gaudreault

On the strength of scoring two important goals last week for the Sioux City Musketeers (USHL), 2012 UNH Recruit Maxim Gaudreault has been named "Player of the Week". The 6'0", 193 lbs. forward scored an unassisted, game-winning goal against Tri-City on Friday and earned the #2 Star. The following night against the Omaha Lancers, Gaudreault scored the game-tying goal and earned the #3 Star. In each game, Gaudreault had 3 shots on goal.

Sioux City has won 5 out of their last 6 games and have risen to 5th place in the Western Conference of the USHL. In those half-dozen games, Maxim Gaudreault averaged a +1 rating per game. Gaudreault also averaged 2 SOG per game during the recent stretch of games. The Alternate Captain of the Musketeers is the 5th leading scorer on the team.

NOTE
The statistics for the recruits, presented in the table, are categorized by the projected year they will enroll in UNH. For example, the "2012 Recruits" are projected to begin playing for UNH in the Fall of 2012. I have based these projections on a number of factors including:
~ How old the player would be upon admission.
~ Number of years in junior hockey prior to admission.
~ Anticipated date of high school graduation.
~ Number of seniors leaving the team at the end of the previous season.
~ The player's performance in the current season.

Player	Team	League	GP	Goals	Asst	Pts	PIM
2012 Recruits
Dan Correale	Nanaimo Clippers	BCHL	15	6	4	10	8
Maxim Gaudreault	Sioux City	USHL	39	9	10	19	26
Jamie Hill	Waterloo	USHL	35	5	15	20	44
Collin MacDonald	Jersey Hitmen	EJHL	39	24	16	40	14
Harry Quast	Bay State	EJHL	38	8	20	28	44
Kyle Smith	Junior Bruins	EJHL	36	22	32	54	28
2012 or '13 Recruit
Brett Pesce	Jersey Hitmen	EJHL	17	1	5	6	18
2013 Recruit
Jordan Masters	Muskegon	USHL	29	4	10	14	39
Matias Cleland	Waterloo	USHL	20	0	3	3	24
Dylan Maller	Tri-City	USHL	29	1	2	3	8
Andrew Poturalski	Buffalo Jr Sabres	OJHL	31	15	19	34	28
2013 or '14 Recruit
Michael McNicholas	Muskegon	USHL	22	3	3	6	6
2014 Recruits
Shane Eiserman	Cushing Academy	NEPSAC	22	14	24	38	-
Tyler Kelleher	USA U17 Team	USHL	20	10	8	18	16
2015 Recruits
Jason Kalinowski	Salisbury Prep	NEPSAC	19	9	12	21	-

News & Notes

Eastern Junior Hockey League:
~ Just when the junior hockey career of Brett Pesce had risen to a new level, he apparently is now dealing with an upper body injury which will sideline him for an indefinite period of time. In Decemeber, Pesce accepted an offer to play for the U.S. NTDP U-18 Team during a stretch of four games against Minnesota State-Makato, Wisconsin, Northeastern and BU. Pesce logged substantial icetime during the 4 games and played solid. He was scheduled to return to the Jersey Hitmen lineup in early January but a reported case of mononucleosis interfered with that plan. Now, Brett Pesce has announced on twitter that his right arm was injured and is in a sling and he implied that he underwent surgery. It's not clear whether this current injury is related to the upper body injury Pesce suffered in early October in a game against the Junior Bruins. That injury kept him out of the Hitmen's lineup for a month and he missed 10 games.

~ 2012 Recruit Kyle Smith scored 4 goals in the last two Junior Bruins' games, including a hat trick in a 5-1 victory over the Rochester Stars. In that game, Smith's first goal was the game winner and his 2 subsequent goals came on power plays. Smith is now tied for 7th in goals scored in the EJHL.

~ 2012 Recruit Harry Quast picked up another goal for the Bay State Breakers last week. Quast is tied for 3rd in goals scored among defensemen in the EJHL and tied for 2nd in power play goals.

United States Hockey League:
~ 2013 Recruit Dylan Maller and his development since the start of his first season in the USHL was featured in an article on ushl.com.

~ Tyler Kelleher and the U.S. Under-17 NTDP team are on their way to Slovakia for the 2012 Vlad Dzurilla Tournament. They will play against the national teams of Switzerland, Germany and Slovakia. Team USA won this event last season.

Ontario Junior Hockey League:
~ 2013 Recruit Andrew Poturalski regained his scoring touch last week with 2 goals and 2 assists for the Buffalo Junior Sabres in their last 2 games. Poturalski recently recovered from a broken ankle which kept him out of the lineup from mid-November to early January.

New England Prep School Hockey Conference:
~ 2014 Recruit Shane Eiserman helped Cushing Academy return to the #10 spot on the U.S. Hockey Report's Division I Prep Hockey Poll by scoring 4 goals and 3 assists in two games last week. In the 7-3 victory over Holderness on Friday, Eiserman scored 2 short-handed goals and one of them was the game-winner.

~ 2015 Recruit Jason Kalinowski, scored a goal and 3 assists in Salisbury Prep's two victories last week. He assisted on the game-winning goal in the 6-3 win against Trinity-Pawling. The Salisbury School moved up one spot to #3 on the U.S. Hockey Report's Division I Prep Hockey Poll.

2013-2015 UNH Recruits At A Glance: Update

**UPDATE**
Since I initially posted the "2013 & 2014 UNH Recruits At A Glance" in early September, 2011, there have been a few changes and additions. This update includes the most recent information available. I have grouped the recruits according to the projected year they will enroll at UNH. For example, the "2013 Recruits" are projected to begin playing for UNH in the Fall of 2013. I have based these projections on a number of factors including:
~ How old the player would be upon admission.
~ Number of years in junior hockey prior to admission.
~ Anticipated date of high school graduation.
~ Number of seniors leaving the team at the end of the previous season.
~ The player's performance in the current season.

2013 Recruits

	Matias Cleland Waterloo Black Hawks United States Hockey League DOB: 1-28-1994 Hometown: Longmont, CO Defense, 5'11", 160 lbs. Shoots Left Commit to UNH: 3-18-2011
	Dylan Maller Tri-City Storm United States Hockey League DOB: 4-15-1994 Hometown: Parkland, FL Defense, 6'1", 180 lbs. Shoots Left Commit to UNH: 10-22-2010
	Jordan Masters Muskegon Lumberjacks United States Hockey League DOB: 4-30-1994 Hometown: Rochester, NY Forward, 5'10", 153 lbs. Shoots Right Commit to UNH: 8-29-2011
	Andrew Poturalski Buffalo Junior Sabres Ontario Junior Hockey League DOB: 1-14-1994 Hometown: Williamsville, NY Forward, 5'10", 180 lbs, Shoots Right Commit to UNH: 2-8-2011

2013 or 2014 Recruit

Michael McNicholas Muskegon Lumberjacks United States Hockey League DOB: 3-23-1994 Hometown: El Segunda, CA Forward, 5'10", 175 lbs. Shoots Left Commit to UNH: 2-13-2011

2014 Recruits

	Shane Eiserman Cushing Academy New England Prep Hockey Conference DOB: 10-10-1995 Hometown: West Newbury, MA Forward, 6'2", 196 lbs. Shoots Left Commit to UNH: 8-27-2011
	Tyler Kelleher U.S. NTDP U-17 Team United States Hockey League DOB: 1-2-1995 Hometown: Longmeadow, MA Forward, 5'6", 147 lbs. Shoots Right Commit to UNH: 12-28-2010

2015 Recruit

Jason Kalinowski Salisbury Prep New England Prep Hockey Conference DOB: 7-2-1995 Hometown: Stamford, CT Forward, 6'0", 180 lbs. Shoots Right Commit to UNH: 9-19-2011

For a link to an article announcing the player's commitment to UNH, click on the date next to "Commit to UNH:"

2012 UNH Recruits At A Glance: Update

**UPDATE**
Since I initially posted the "2012 UNH Recruits At A Glance" in early September, 2011, there have been a few changes and additions. This update includes the most recent information available. I have grouped the recruits according to the projected year they will enroll at UNH. For example, the "2012 Recruits" are projected to begin playing for UNH in the Fall of 2012. I have based these projections on a number of factors including:
~ How old the player would be upon admission.
~ Number of years in junior hockey prior to admission.
~ Anticipated date of high school graduation.
~ Number of seniors leaving the team at the end of the previous season.
~ The player's performance in the current season.

2012 Recruits

	Dan Correale Nanaimo Clippers British Columbia Hockey League DOB: 8-21-1991 Hometown: Prince George, BC Forward, 5'10", 180 lbs. Shoots Left Commit to UNH: 10-19-2010
	Maxim Gaudreault Sioux City Musketeers United States Hockey League DOB: 7-16-1992 Hometown: Annapolis, MD Forward, 6'0", 193 lbs. Shoots Left Commit to UNH: 5-13-2010
	Jamie Hill Waterloo Black Hawks United States Hockey League DOB: 2-3-1992 Hometown: Glassboro, NJ Forward, 5'9", 174 lbs. Shoots Right Commit to UNH: 3-10-2009
	Collin MacDonald Jersey Hitmen Eastern Junior Hockey League DOB: 6-21-1992 Hometown: West Milford, NJ Forward, 6'2", 196 lbs. Shoots Left Commit to UNH: 8-26-2011
	Harry Quast Bay State Breakers Eastern Junior Hockey League DOB: 3-26-1991 Hometown: Chagrin Falls, OH Defense, 6'4", 210 lbs. Shoots Left Commit to UNH: 12-14-2011
	Kyle Smith Boston Junior Bruins Eastern Junior Hockey League DOB: 2-14-1992 Hometown: Lumberton, NJ Forward, 6'1", 180 lbs. Shoots Right Commit to UNH: 1-28-2009
2012 or 2013 Recruit
	Brett Pesce Jersey Hitmen Eastern Junior Hockey League DOB: 11-15-1994 Hometown: Tarrytown, NY Defense, 6'3", 175 lbs. Shoots Right Commit to UNH: 1-5-2011

For a link to an article announcing the player's commitment to UNH, click on the date next to "Commit to UNH:"