UNH Recruits Update: Jan-28-2014

2015 UNH Commit Marcus Vela

Player of the Week - Marcus Vela

One of the very youngest players in the British Columbia Hockey League has been playing like a veteran. Last Saturday, 16-year-old Marcus Vela (DOB: 3/3/1997) scored a key goal for the Langley Rivermen in a game against the Cowichan Valley Capitals. Midway through the third period, Vela's power play goal put the Rivermen ahead 2-1. It was his 9th goal of the season. Cowichan eventually tied it up but the Rivermen left town with an important point. With only 6 games remaining in the regular season, Langley is in first place in the Mainland Division of the BCHL. They're 10 points ahead of second-place Prince George.

So far, Marcus Vela has scored 9 goals and 10 assists in his rookie season and his play has been turning heads. Sportsnet of Canada, a nationwide group of regional sports networks, produced a feature video on Vela. Here's a clip from the video which includes comments from Langley Rivermen Head Coach Bobby Henderson:



Vela's size and skill attracted the attention of scouts from the Western Hockey League. In May, 2012, he was drafted in the 7th round of the 2012 WHL Bantam Draft by the Spokane Chiefs. However, he has decided to not play major junior hockey and, instead, pursue a college degree at the University of New Hampshire. In an interview with the blog last November, Marcus said:

"It was an exciting time for my family and I when I was selected to the Spokane Chiefs of the WHL but my plan is to pursue the NCAA route and play for UNH. The coaches and I have targeted for the fall of 2015 for me to attend UNH but the UNH coaches, my family and I will decided if I am ready to go at that time"

NOTE
The statistics for the recruits, presented in the table, are categorized by the year the player and UNH coaches have targeted for enrollment in UNH. For example, the "2014 Recruits" have a target of the Fall of 2014 to begin playing for UNH.

Player	Team	League	GP	Goals	Asst	Pts	PIM
2014 Recruits
Dylan Chanter  (D)	Vernon Vipers	BCHL	8	0	0	0	4
	Dubuque Fighting Saints	USHL	14	1	1	2	21
Adam Clark  (G)	Salmon Arm SilverBacks	BCHL	30	14W	14L	2.87	.911
Shane Eiserman  (F)	Dubuque Fighting Saints	USHL	27	9	13	22	56
Warren Foegele  (F)	St. Andrews College	CISAA	9	11	2	13	13
	St. Andrews College	MPHL	13	12	17	29	14
John Furgele  (D)	Jersey Hitmen	USPHL	32	6	23	29	12
Cameron Marks  (D)	Coquitlam Express	BCHL	46	4	19	23	12
Michael McNicholas  (F)	Vernon Vipers	BCHL	46	20	37	57	14
Andrew Poturalski  (F)	Cedar Rapids RoughRiders	USHL	35	11	24	35	10
Jason Salvaggio  (F)	Indiana Ice	USHL	31	11	8	19	16
2015 Recruits
Rich Boyd  (D)	Cushing Academy	NEPSHC	22	9	22	31	-
Jason Kalinowski  (F)	Cedar Rapids RoughRiders	USHL	34	5	18	23	50
Charlie Kelleher  (F)	Junior Bruins 18U	USPHL 18U	15	3	6	9	2
Joseph Masonius  (D)	USA U17 Team	USHL	16	0	0	0	26
Chris Miller  (F)	Junior Bruins	USPHL	22	5	5	10	8
Danny Tirone  (G)	Cedar Rapids RoughRiders	USHL	23	14W	8L	2.75	.913
Marcus Vela  (F)	Langley Rivermen	BCHL	47	9	10	19	35
2015 or '16 Recruits
Liam Darcy  (D)	Berwick Academy	NEPSHC	16	5	15	20	-
Patrick Grasso  (F)	Des Moines Bucs	USHL	35	6	5	11	4
Aaron O'Neill  (F)	Green Bay Gamblers	USHL	20	0	1	1	0
Ara Nazarian  (F)	Malden Catholic	Mass HS	11	12	14	26	-
Nick Nonis  (D)	Governor's Academy	NEPSHC	17	5	0	5	-
2016 or '17 Recruits
Brendan van Riemsdyk   (F)	Jersey Hitmen 18U	USPHL 18U	8	5	8	13	2
	Christian Brothers	Jersey Prep	7	9	11	20	-

News & Notes

Prep School Hockey:

~ As I described in a post yesterday, Warren Foegele has accelerated his enrollment to UNH to the Fall of 2014. Last weekend, Foegele and the St. Andrew's College Saints wrapped up their regular season in the Midwest Prep Hockey League with victories over Ridley College, Rice Memorial, the Edge School, and Stanstead College. Over the 4 games, Foegele registered 6 goals and 2 assists. St. Andrew's won the MPHL regular season title with a record of 12-0-1 and Foegele was the league's leading scorer with 12 goals and 17 assists.

~ 2015 UNH recruit Rich Boyd continues to pile up points for Cushing Academy. In three games last week, the senior defenseman and team captain scored 2 goals and 2 assists. His 31 points is tops among all defensemen in New England Prep School Hockey.

~ Last Wednesday, defenseman Nick Nonis and Governor's Academy won their third game of the season. Nonis scored the game-winning goal on a power play in the 4-1 victory over Lawrence Academy. On Friday, Nonis scored Governor's only goal in a 2-1 loss to Buckingham Browne & Nichols. Nonis is the leading goal-scorer on the Governor's team with 5 goals.

United States Premier Hockey League:

~ Last Thursday, John Furgele was named USPHL Defensive Player of the Week. He is committed to UNH for 2014.

NHL Prospect Warren Foegele Coming to UNH Next Fall

2014 UNH Commit Warren Foegele

17-year-old Warren Foegele (DOB: 4/1/1996) will be coming to UNH a year earlier than originally planned. He is now on track to enroll at UNH next fall. Warren is in his senior year at St. Andrew's College, a university-preparatory school in Aurora, Ontario, and is the leading scorer in the Midwest Prep Hockey League (MPHL) and second leading scorer in the Conference of Independent Schools Athletic Association (CISAA).

In mid-December, the Penticton Vees of the BCHL announced that Foegele would be playing for the Vees next season. Warren had made a favorable impression on the Vees' coaching staff at their training camp last summer. Foegele has decided to pass up that opportunity in order to enroll earlier at UNH.

Over the last few of months, the 6'1", 182 lbs., left-shot forward has garnered increasing attention from NHL scouts. On the NHL Central Scouting Service's 2014 Midterm Rankings Foegele (Pronounced Foe-gull) was ranked #62 among North American Skaters. The Midterm Rankings include what the NHL CSS scouts consider to be the top 210 NHL prospects (forwards and defensemen) in North America.

Last week, noted Canadian Hockey Analyst Bob McKenzie from TSN published his Top 2014 Mid-Season Draft Prospects - a list of his top 50 NHL Draft prospects. McKenzie gave Foegele "Honourable Mention" status meaning he was ranked just outside the top 50 NHL prospects. McKenzie also wrote a feature article titled "Prospect Foegele Creating Buzz Amongst Scouts" and said:

A flash survey of NHL scouts puts Foegele in potential second or third-round territory for this year's draft. While some have projected him to go later than that, no more than a mid-round prospect, some of those who rank him as a possible second-rounder believe he has the tools to perhaps trend even higher.

Here's a limited sample of what NHL scouts have been talking about - Foegele is #3 in the white uniform:





With Foegele's accelerating admission, UNH now has two, top NHL draft prospects joining the Wildcats for the 2014-15 season. Shane Eiserman, who turned 18 last October, is another left-shot power forward projected to be drafted in the 2nd or 3rd round of the NHL Draft this June. Eiserman, who currently plays for the Dubuque Fighting Saints of the USHL, was ranked #39 on the NHL CSS 2014 Midterm Rankings.

I interviewed Warren over the weekend, via email, regarding his current plans:

Mike Lowry ("C-H-C"): Congratulations on your decision to accelerate admission to UNH to next Fall. What were the main reasons you decided to forego playing for the Penticton Vees next year and coming to UNH as a "true" freshman?
Warren Foegele: The UNH coaches have been watching my development over the past year. They believe I am ready to play there next fall to help them succeed. I would like to thank the Penticton Coaches, Fred Harbinson and Steve Cawley for their support throughout the year. They run a first class hockey club and I wish them the best.

Mike Lowry: In the most recent Central Scouting Service rankings, you were listed for the first time and quite high up on the list. Also, Bob McKenzie wrote a flattering article about your NHL draft prospects for TSN. What's it been like to realize that you will have a legitimate chance of playing in the NHL some day?
Warren Foegele: It’s every kid’s dream to play in the NHL. I’m just going to continue to work hard, have fun and see where that takes me.

UNH Loses 4-2, Splits Weekend Series with Maine

Casey DeSmith - 65-Save Weekend

On Friday night at the Whittemore Center, junior goalie Casey DeSmith backstopped a dramatic 3-2 victory over the University of Maine with 32 saves. 24 hours and 200 miles later, DeSmith stopped another 33 shots at the Alfond Arena in Orono and gave UNH an opportunity to sweep the weekend series. But on the strength of a 4-point effort by sophomore Devin Shore, Maine scored three, third-period goals to earn a split. Both teams are battling for home-ice advantage in the Hockey East Playoffs. With the win, Maine improves their conference record to 6-4-2 while UNH ends the weekend with a 6-6-0 record.

1st Period

15:44 - Brett Pesce Scores Power Play Goal - UNH 1, Maine 0
~ With Hobey Baker candidate Trevor van Riemsdyk out of the lineup for 4 to 6 weeks with a broken left ankle, sophomore defenseman and Carolina Hurricanes 3rd-Round pick Brett Pesce cranked his offensive game up a notch. Pesce joined Captain Eric Knodel at the points of UNH's first power play unit.
~ UNH went on the power play just over 3 minutes after the opening faceoff. Early in the PP, Pesce pinched in to keep the puck in the Maine zone.
~ Shortly after, Kevin Goumas gathered the puck at the half-wall and fed Pesce at the top of the umbrella just inside the blueline - TvR's usual position. Pesce rifled a slap shot beating Maine goalie Martin Ouellette. It was Pesce 2nd goal of the season.



13:32 - Devin Shore Gets Maine on the Board - UNH 1, Maine 1
~ An instant before Shore scored, DeSmith dodged a Maine player sprawling into the UNH net and side-stepped Jay Camper who fell over backward into the crease.
~ Shore collected a rebound at the top of the faceoff circle, wheeled, and beat DeSmith with a wrister.

2nd Period

14:14 - DeSmith Makes Key Saves - UNH 1, Maine 1
~ With Maine maintaining puck possession in the UNH zone, Casey DeSmith stops a point-blank shot by freshman Blaine Byron.



5:46 - Nick Sorkin Steals and Scores - UNH 2, Maine 1
~ UNH's leading goal scorer Nick Sorkin flew through center ice, nabbed a loose puck, and broke in on Ouellette.
~ Sorkin snapped a wrist shot which flew through the five-hole. It was Sorkin's 15th goal of the season.



4:32 - Maine Goal Disallowed - UNH 2, Maine 1
~ A little over a minute after Sorkin grabbed the lead for UNH, the puck went into the UNH net off Maine sophomore Conor Riley
~ After reviewing the video replay, the referees ruled that the puck had been kicked in by Riley.

3rd Period

17:31 - Maine Ties It Up - UNH 2, Maine 2
~ Early in the final period, Devin Shore carried the puck into the UNH end but the backchecking defensemen shut the rush down.
~ Shore spun around in the corner to DeSmith's left and threaded a diagonal pass to freshman defenseman Eric Schurhamer at the top of the faceoff circle to the right of DeSmith. Schurhamer one-timed a wrist shot beating DeSmith, who was partially screened.



10:52 - Shore Steals, Lomberg Scores Game-Winner - UNH 2, Maine 3
~ UNH appeared to stymie yet another offensive rush by Devin Shore. Nick Sorkin began to skate the puck out of the UNH end.
~ Shore came up from behind Sorkin, stole the puck and fed Ryan Lomberg positioned to the left of DeSmith. Pesce tried to block the shot but it was too late.



6:40- DeSmith Stops Shore Breakaway - UNH 2, Maine 3
~ In both weekend games, DeSmith's agility and anticipation were outstanding. Here, he faces Devin Shore on a breakaway, takes away the bulk of the net, and slides to his right to make the stop:



4:40- DeSmith Comes Up Big - UNH 2, Maine 3
~ With time winding down, Maine pressed to score an insurance goal. Casey DeSmith made a number of outstanding saves including these:



00:45 - Maine Scores Empty Net Goal - UNH 2, Maine 4
~ With 1:40 left in regulation, UNH pulled DeSmith for an extra skater. UNH kept the puck in the Maine zone for nearly a minute but could not get a shot through to Ouellette.
~ Shore finally got control of the puck and head-manned a pass to Brian Morgan who found the empty net.



UNH has 8 games remaining in the regular season - all against Hockey East opponents. Next weekend, UNH faces Notre Dame on Friday night and Saturday afternoon. The Fighting Irish have a record of 4-6-1 in Hockey East competition.

UNH Recruits Update: Jan-21-2014

2014 Recruit Andrew Poturalski
Earns USHL Honor

Player of the Week - Andrew Poturalski

For the second time this season, Cedar Rapids RoughRider forward Andrew Poturalski gets the nod as the "Player of the Week" among all the UNH recruits. Poturalski was red hot over the first 10 games of the 2013-14 season scoring 8 goals, including 2 game-winners, and adding 10 assists.

Over this past weekend, the 5'10", 185 lbs. forward helped Cedar Rapids win back-to-back games by posting 5 assists. For his efforts, Poturalski earned the CCM Forward of the Week honor in the USHL. Here's what the USHL press release had to say:

"Committed to the University of New Hampshire, the recently turned 20-year-old recorded five assists and a plus-three rating in a pair of weekend wins. He dished out a pair of assists and finished with a game-high plus-two rating in Friday’s 4-3 win over the Green Bay Gamblers. The next night against the Chicago Steel, he handed out three more assists, including on the game-winner, in a 4-1 victory. A native of Williamsville, New York, Poturalski leads the Riders in scoring with 34 points (11g, 23a) through 33 games, which is tied for 10th in the League. His 23 assists are tied for the sixth most in the USHL."

NOTE
The statistics for the recruits, presented in the table, are categorized by the year the player and UNH coaches have targeted for enrollment in UNH. For example, the "2014 Recruits" have a target of the Fall of 2014 to begin playing for UNH.

Player	Team	League	GP	Goals	Asst	Pts	PIM
2014 Recruits
Dylan Chanter  (D)	Vernon Vipers	BCHL	6	0	0	0	2
	Dubuque Fighting Saints	USHL	14	1	1	2	21
Adam Clark  (G)	Salmon Arm SilverBacks	BCHL	30	14W	14L	2.87	.911
Shane Eiserman  (F)	Dubuque Fighting Saints	USHL	25	9	11	20	56
John Furgele  (D)	Jersey Hitmen	USPHL	30	6	21	27	12
Cameron Marks  (D)	Coquitlam Express	BCHL	43	3	17	20	8
Michael McNicholas  (F)	Vernon Vipers	BCHL	45	20	37	57	14
Andrew Poturalski  (F)	Cedar Rapids RoughRiders	USHL	33	11	23	34	10
Jason Salvaggio  (F)	Indiana Ice	USHL	29	9	8	17	16
2015 Recruits
Rich Boyd  (D)	Cushing Academy	NEPSHC	19	7	20	27	-
Warren Foegele  (F)	St. Andrews College	CISAA	8	11	1	12	9
	St. Andrews College	MPHL	9	6	15	21	12
Jason Kalinowski  (F)	Cedar Rapids RoughRiders	USHL	33	5	18	23	50
Charlie Kelleher  (F)	Junior Bruins 18U	USPHL 18U	14	3	6	9	2
Joseph Masonius  (D)	USA U17 Team	USHL	14	0	0	0	22
Chris Miller  (F)	Junior Bruins	USPHL	22	5	5	10	8
Danny Tirone  (G)	Cedar Rapids RoughRiders	USHL	22	14W	7L	2.58	.918
2015 or '16 Recruits
Liam Darcy  (D)	Berwick Academy	NEPSHC	14	5	13	18	-
Patrick Grasso  (F)	Des Moines Bucs	USHL	33	6	4	10	4
Aaron O'Neill  (F)	Green Bay Gamblers	USHL	19	0	1	1	0
Ara Nazarian  (F)	Malden Catholic	Mass HS	9	10	11	21	-
Nick Nonis  (D)	Governor's Academy	NEPSHC	14	3	0	3	-
Marcus Vela  (F)	Langley Rivermen	BCHL	44	8	10	18	35
2016 or '17 Recruits
Brendan van Riemsdyk   (F)	Jersey Hitmen 18U	USPHL 18U	8	5	8	13	2
	Christian Brothers	Jersey Prep	6	8	9	17	-

News & Notes

United States Hockey League:

~ 2014 commit Shane Eiserman continued to show up on the score sheet over the weekend. The Dubuque Fighting Saints have won 8 out of their last 11 games and Eiserman has scored 6 goals and 7 assists over that stretch. The defending Clark Cup Champions are currently in second place in the Eastern Conference of the USHL and Eiserman is tied for 4th in scoring on the Saints' squad.

~ Indiana Ice forward Jason Salvaggio scored the game-winning goal in the 2-0 victory over the Fargo Force on Friday night. 4 out of Salvaggio's 9 goals this season have been game-winners. He is also committed to UNH for the Fall of 2014.

~ In the two Cedar Rapids' victories described above in the section on Andrew Poturalski, goalie Danny Tirone was between the pipes for the RoughRiders. On Friday night, Tirone made 22 saves in the 4-3 win over Green Bay and, on Saturday, he stopped 40 shots on goal in the 4-1 victory over Chicago. His save percentage of .918 is 3rd best in the USHL. Tirone is committed to UNH for 2015.

British Columbia Hockey League:

~ 6'5" goalie Adam Clark is on target to come to UNH next year. Over the weekend, Clark backstopped back-to-back overtime wins for the Salmon Arm SilverBacks. On Saturday, Clark made 2 saves in overtime while the SilverBacks were short-handed. On Sunday, he made 28 saves in the 3-2 win over the Vernon Vipers and earned the #2 Star of the Game.

~ On Saturday night, 2014 commit Michael McNicholas scored the game-winning goal for the Vernon Vipers in a 4-1 victory over the Alberni Valley Bulldogs. It was his 20th goal of the season. McNicholas added an assist and earned the #1 Star of the Game. He has scored a goal and 3 assists over the last 3 games and is tied for 4th in scoring in the BCHL.

United States Premier Hockey League:

~ Defenseman John Furgele represented the Jersey Hitmen in the USPHL All-Star Game on Monday. Furgele has scored 27 points in 30 games and is 3rd in scoring among all USPHL defensemen. He is committed to UNH for 2014.

~ Charlie Kelleher, younger brother of UNH freshman Tyler Kelleher, played in the USPHL U18 All-Star Game and registered an assist. Charlie is a forward with the Junior Bruins U18 squad.

Prep and High School Hockey:

~ Last week, 2015 UNH recruit Warren Foegele was the subject of an article by noted Canadian Hockey Analyst Bob McKenzie titled "Prospect Foegele Creating Buzz Amongst Scouts".

~ Yesterday, I had an opportunity to watch the very talented center Ara Nazarian as the Malden Catholic Lancers defeated Central Catholic 8-2 at the Icenter in Salem, NH. On the Lancers' second goal, Nazarian stopped a shot in the low slot and deftly maneuvered the puck around a defender and into the net:



Nazarian, a junior at Malden Catholic, is one of the leading scorers among all Massachusetts High School Players. He already has 10 goals and 11 assists in 9 games. Ara is on target to come to UNH in either 2015 or 16.

UNH All-American Trevor van Riemsdyk Injures Left Ankle

UNH's Trevor van Riemsdyk
Injures Left Ankle in Union Game

Last season, as a sophomore at the University of New Hampshire, defenseman Trevor van Riemsdyk was named a First-Team All-American. TvR played in all 39 games and scored 8 goals and 25 assists. So far this season, van Riemsdyk has played up to the standards of an All-American as he leads all Hockey East defensemen in scoring with 4 goals and 19 assists in 26 games. TvR was recently honored as the only UNH player on the ballot for the 2014 Hobey Baker Award.

It's difficult to overstate the importance of van Riemsdyk's contributions to the fortunes of the 2013-14 UNH Wildcats. He is the top defenseman, along with senior Eric Knodel, in the starting lineup and on both the power play and penalty kill units.

Heading into this past weekend's games against 6th-Ranked Union College, UNH was in serious need of wins against non-conference opponents. Their out-of-conference record of 8-5-1 was respectable and earning wins against a top-ranked team would help their chances of qualifying for the 2014 NCAA Playoffs. Over the last decade, UNH has qualified for the NCAA Tournament 9 times on the strength of their strong performances against highly-ranked opponents.

The game last night against Union College had added importance after UNH lost to them 3-1 on Friday night. From the opening faceoff, UNH played with high energy and intensity. As expected, Trevor van Riemsdyk found opportunities to inject himself into the UNH offense. It was on such a play that TvR was injured.

With a little more than 3 minutes remaining in the first period, van Riemsdyk carried the puck through center ice, eluding Union sophomore Matt Wilkins, and entered the Union zone. Wilkins checked TvR into the boards and van Riemsdyk awkwardly fell backward onto the ice. He tried to get up but went back down to the ice in obvious pain. UNH trainer Glenn Riefenstahl worked on TvR's left ankle for several minutes. As UNH fans looked on with obvious concern, Trevor managed to roll over onto his side then get up to his hands and right knee. With his arms around teammates Grayson Downing and Dan Correale, TvR was helped off the ice and down the runway into the locker room. He was not baring any weight on his left leg.



van Riemsdyk did not return to the game and in the second period, UNH lost another key player when Grayson Downing was hit in the right shoulder by a Union player at mid-ice. Without them in the game, UNH and Union played a evenly-matched game but UNH lost 3-1. Following the game, Coach Dick Umile had this to say about van Riemsdyk and Downing's injuries:

“We’ll wait until they see the doctors, X-rays…I know nothing at this point, but it doesn’t look good. … Maybe we’ll get a break.”

UNH Loses Game, TvR, and Downing; Union Wins 3-1

Freshman Tyler Kelleher Notches 3rd Goal

After playing what leading goal-scorer Nick Sorkin characterized as "flat" over the first two periods of Friday night's 3-1 loss to 6th-ranked Union, the UNH Wildcats came out with noticeably more energy and speed on Saturday night. The result was exciting, transition hockey by both UNH and Union.

The excitement was dampened late in the first period when Hobey Baker Award candidate and All-American Trevor van Riemsdyk went down with what appeared to be a serious injury to his left leg. And then, early in the second period with the score tied 1-1, 2nd-line center Grayson Downing absorbed a high hit at center ice and left the game with a shoulder injury. Despite playing without a top defenseman and center for the bulk of the game, the outcome was in the balance up until the final minute of play.

1st Period

17:27 - UNH's 4th Line Applies Early Pressure - UNH 0, Union 0
~ The higher level of UNH energy was exemplified by the Collin Bourque-Maxim Gaudreault-Jay Camper line on their first shift of the game.
~ In this sequence, Gaudreault intercepts the puck in the high slot, fires it on goal, and both Camper and Bourque get point blank shots on goal off rebounds.



7:54 - Effective Backchecking and Transition Offense by 2nd Line - UNH 0, Union 0
~ Senior Jeff Silengo, who had missed 2 recent games with a hand injury, moved up to right wing on UNH's second line with Downing at center and sophomore Dan Correale on left wing.
~ Here all three backcheck tenaciously, create turnovers, and break the puck out toward the Union end.
~ Freshman Tyler Kelleher, who came off the bench to replace Silengo, fires a shot on goal and both Downing and Correale poke at the puck in the crease.



4:55 - Junior Mark Bennett Gets Union on the Board - UNH 0, Union 1
~ Union showed its ability to score off a transition as the UNH forward line got caught deep in the Union end.
~ The individual effort by Bennett to beat the UNH forwards, get behind the defenseman, and redirect a pass to beat UNH goalie Casey DeSmith in a tight space was outstanding.



2:56 - TvR Goes Down - UNH 0, Union 1
~ The leading scorer among all Hockey East defensemen specializes in joining the rush and generating offense. That's what Trevor van Riemsdyk was doing when he was injured.
~ It happened just after TvR carried the puck through center ice, eluding sophomore Matt Wilkins, and entered the Union zone.
~ Wilkins checked TvR into the boards and van Riemsdyk awkwardly fell backward onto the ice. He tried to get up but went back down to the ice in obvious pain.
~ After being attended to by the UNH trainer, TvR was helped off the ice by two teammates, one on each side. He was not applying any weight on his left leg.
~ TvR did not return to the game and UNH fans are left hoping the All-American defenseman heals quickly.



2:34 - Tyler Kelleher Quickly Ties It Up - UNH 1, Union 1
~ On the very next shift after TvR was helped into the locker room, freshman Tyler Kelleher put UNH on the board.
~ Kelleher collected a blocked shot in the UNH end and head-manned the puck to Kyle Smith at the redline. The Thrush-Smith-Kelleher line raced into the Union zone on a 3-on-2 break.
~ Smith flipped a backhand pass to Thrush on the left wing who, in turn, sent a backhand pass to Kelleher across the slot on the right wing. Kelleher buried it high over goalie Stevens' glove.

2nd Period

12:47 - Union Goalie Goes Down - UNH 1, Union 1
~ Colin Stevens, who had stopped 40 out 41 UNH shots on Friday night, had his legs taken out from underneath him by a sliding Kyle Smith. Smith had been knocked down near the faceoff circle and slid helplessly toward Stevens.
~ Stevens spent several minutes shaking off the injury which appeared to effect his left side. To his credit, he remained in net and ended up matching his save total from the previous night.



12:32 - Grayson Downing Injured at Center Ice - UNH 1, Union 1
~ The life of a center as he maneuvers through the most open spaces on the ice can be treacherous. 15 seconds after the incident involving goalie Stevens, Grayson Downing started a rush out of the UNH zone.
~ A millisecond after flipping a backhand pass, Downing was hit, shoulder to shoulder, by a Union player approaching from his blindside. Grayson appeared to have injured his right shoulder and did not return to the game.



4:55 - Junior Max Novak Tallies Game-Winner - UNH 1, Union 2
~ Three Union players entered the UNH zone and were defended by Eric Knodel, Justin Agosta, and Collin Bourque. Novak suddenly changed direction slightly and gained the inside position on Bourque.
~ Novak redirected a centering pass between DeSmith's legs. It was his 5th goal of the year.

3rd Period

2:34 - Matt Willows Stoned by Goalie Stevens - UNH 1, Union 2
~ Both teams had quality scoring opportunities in the third period - none more so than Matt Willows' effort with time running out.
~ Kevin Goumas swiped a shot at Stevens and the rebound went right to Willows parked to his right. Willows first shot was stopped by Stevens' right pad as he dropped down into the butterfly position. The rebound went right back to Willows and he swatted it again. This time, Stevens made a left pad save.



1:03 - Union Clear Trickles into Empty Net - UNH 1, Union 3
~ With 1:21 left in regulation, UNH pulled DeSmith or an extra skater. UNH advanced the puck deep into the Union end.
~ Max Bodie made an innocent looking clear from the faceoff circle that slowly made it's way the length of the ice into the empty UNH net.



The loss to Union drops UNH's overall record to 13-12-1. Union improves to an impressive 15-4-3 record. UNH has 10 games remaining in the regular season - all against Hockey East opponents. Next weekend, UNH faces Maine in a home-and-home series. Friday night will be at the Whittemore Center and Saturday night the teams journey to the Alfond Arena in Orono.

UNH Recruits Update: Jan-13-2014

Shane Eiserman #39 on NHL CSS Midterm Rankings

Warren Foegele #62 on NHL CSS Midterm Rankings

Co-Player of the Week - Shane Eiserman

Over his last four games, 2014 UNH recruit Shane Eiserman has scored 2 goals and 3 assists for the Dubuque Fighting Saints of the USHL. In a 5-2 victory over the Green Bay Gamblers last Saturday night, Eiserman scored the game-winning goal, added 2 assists, and was named the #1 Star of the Game. So far this season, the 6'2", 200 lbs. power forward has posted 18 points in 23 games and has a +/- rating of +11.

Shane Eiserman is eligible for the 2014 NHL Draft this coming June in Philadelphia. The NHL Central Scouting Services just released its 2014 Midterm Rankings and Eiserman is ranked #39 among North American skaters. In November, Central Scouting listed Eiserman as a "B" prospect which means he is a possible 2nd or 3rd round draft pick.

Co-Player of the Week - Warren Foegele

As I wrote in the last "UNH Recruits Update", 2015 UNH recruit Warren Foegele had an outstanding month of December for St. Andrew's College, a university prep school in Aurora, Ontario. Well, he hasn't taken his foot off the accelerator. The Saints returned to action in the Conference of Independent Schools Athletic Association last week with games against their rivals the Nichols School and Ridley College. The 6'1", 182 lbs., Foegele (Pronounced Foe-gull) scored 2 goals in each game including both game-winners.

Warren Foegele can now add a relatively unique accomplishment to his resume. His name had not appeared on any of the prior prospect lists put out by the NHL Central Scouting Service. With the publication of the CSS 2014 Midterm Rankings today, that has changed. Foegele has rocketed all the way up to #62 among North American Skaters. The Midterm Rankings include what the NHL CSS scouts consider to be the top 210 NHL prospects (forwards and defensemen) in North America.

NOTE
The statistics for the recruits, presented in the table, are categorized by the year the player and UNH coaches have targeted for enrollment in UNH. For example, the "2014 Recruits" have a target of the Fall of 2014 to begin playing for UNH.

Player	Team	League	GP	Goals	Asst	Pts	PIM
2014 Recruits
Dylan Chanter  (D)	Vernon Vipers	BCHL	2	0	0	0	0
	Dubuque Fighting Saints	USHL	14	1	1	2	21
Adam Clark  (G)	Salmon Arm SilverBacks	BCHL	27	12W	13L	2.91	.912
Shane Eiserman  (F)	Dubuque Fighting Saints	USHL	23	8	10	18	52
John Furgele  (D)	Jersey Hitmen	USPHL	27	6	17	23	10
Cameron Marks  (D)	Coquitlam Express	BCHL	39	2	17	19	8
Michael McNicholas  (F)	Vernon Vipers	BCHL	41	19	34	53	14
Andrew Poturalski  (F)	Cedar Rapids RoughRiders	USHL	31	11	18	29	10
Jason Salvaggio  (F)	Indiana Ice	USHL	27	8	8	16	16
2015 Recruits
Rich Boyd  (D)	Cushing Academy	NEPSHC	17	5	20	25	-
Warren Foegele  (F)	St. Andrews College	CISAA	7	7	1	8	9
	St. Andrews College	MPHL	9	6	15	21	12
Jason Kalinowski  (F)	Cedar Rapids RoughRiders	USHL	31	5	18	23	44
Charlie Kelleher  (F)	Junior Bruins 18U	USPHL 18U	14	3	6	9	2
Joseph Masonius  (D)	USA U17 Team	USHL	14	0	0	0	22
Chris Miller  (F)	Junior Bruins	USPHL	25	5	5	10	8
Danny Tirone  (G)	Cedar Rapids RoughRiders	USHL	20	12W	7L	2.64	.916
2015 or '16 Recruits
Liam Darcy  (D)	Berwick Academy	NEPSHC	12	5	11	16	-
Patrick Grasso  (F)	Des Moines Bucs	USHL	31	6	4	10	4
Aaron O'Neill  (F)	Green Bay Gamblers	USHL	18	0	1	1	0
Ara Nazarian  (F)	Malden Catholic	Mass HS	7	9	9	18	-
Nick Nonis  (D)	Governor's Academy	NEPSHC	12	2	0	2	-
Marcus Vela  (F)	Langley Rivermen	BCHL	42	8	8	16	33
2016 or '17 Recruits
Brendan van Riemsdyk   (F)	Jersey Hitmen 18U	USPHL 18U	8	5	8	13	2
	Christian Brothers	Jersey Prep	4	7	6	13	-

News & Notes

British Columbia Hockey League:

~ As noted in the last update, 2014 UNH recruit Dylan Chanter decided to leave the Dubuque Fighting Saints of the USHL in order to play the remainder of the season closer to his home in British Columbia. The 6'3", 213 lbs. defenseman is now a member of the Vernon Vipers of the BCHL. Chanter has joined fellow 2014 UNH recruit Michael McNicholas on the Vipers' roster. McNicholas is the 4th leading scorer in the BCHL.

United States Hockey League:

~ 2014 UNH recruit Andrew Poturalski scored the game-winning goal for the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders in a 3-1 victory over the Sioux City Musketeers last Wednesday. Poturalski is currently tied for 10th in scoring in the USHL.

~ 2015 recruit Danny Tirone is having an outstanding rookie season with Cedar Rapids. He has won 3 of his last 4 starts including two shootout victories - a 3-2 win over Indiana on Jan. 4 and a 3-2 win over Chicago on Jan. 10. Tirone has the 7th best Goals Against Average (2.64) in the USHL and the 6th best Save Percentage (.916)

Team USA:

~ 2015 UNH recruit Joseph Masonius and the U.S. National Under-17 Team won the 2014 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge in Nova Scotia. The young defenseman posted 5 assists in 7 games.

New England Prep School:

~ 2015 UNH recruit Rich Boyd racked up 2 goals and 3 assists in Cushing Academy's last two games; 5-2 over Deerfield Academy and 4-1 over Tabor Academy. Boyd is currently the leading scorer among all New England Prep defensemen.

~ 2016 UNH recruit Liam Darcy has scored 2 goals and 6 assists in Berwick Academy's last three games. Darcy is tied for 4th in scoring among New England Prep defensemen.

UNH Captures RiverStone Cup, Downs Dartmouth 4-2

Kevin Goumas' 2 Goals
Leads UNH Over Dartmouth

MANCHESTER, NH - Loyal UNH and Dartmouth fans who cut through the thick fog on New Hampshire's byways to get to the Verizon Wireless Arena were treated to a spirited competition for the 13th RiverStone Cup. Don't let the Big Green's record of 3-12-2 fool you. Since early December, they've lost one-goal games to highly-ranked Union and Providence and clipped Boston University 4-2 on the road a few days ago. Dartmouth has been the victim of injuries all season and were without 5 forwards - including high-scoring Tyler Sikura and Eric Robinson - against UNH.

The final shots on goal were UNH 32, Dartmouth 34, and on this occasion, the stat reflected just how tight the game was. The outcome hung in the balance right up until the final horn. UNH played with a slim 2-1 lead from midway through the first period all the way to the 3:20 mark of the third period. Dartmouth generated several, prime scoring bids in the final stanza and tied it up 2-2 with a few minutes remaining.

Senior Dalton Speelman - who was named the MVP of the game - scored the game-winner on a redirect of a Justin Agosta shot with 2:15 left in regulation. The Big Green was eager to pull freshman goalie Charles Grant with a minute to go but the Sorkin-Goumas-Willows line prevented a breakout. Sorkin stole the puck, broke in for a point-blank shot, Willows gathered the rebound and fed Goumas for the back-breaker.

1st Period

18:53 - Dartmouth's Schierhorn Scores First Goal - UNH 0, Dartmouth 1
~ For the third game in a row, UNH gave up the first goal of the game.
~ UNH's second line of Speelman-Downing-Correale were caught in the Dartmouth zone and the Big Green entered the UNH zone on a 3-on-2 break.
~ Grant Opperman snapped a wrist shot from the top of the faceoff circle to Casey DeSmith's right. Sophomore Brad Schierhorn tipped the shot with the back of his stick beating DeSmith on his stick-side.



17:28 - Kevin Goumas Scores First of 2 Goals - UNH 1, Dartmouth 1
~ UNH's first line answered quickly. Goumas won the draw back to senior Justin Agosta who slid it across to freshman Dylan Maller at the left point.
~ Maller flipped a shot off the backboards which bounced to Goumas at the right of the Dartmouth net. With a deft backhand, Goumas buried it from a very sharp angle.
~ The goal was Goumas' 9th goal of the season and Maller's 2nd assist of his NCAA career.



8:59 - Matt Willows' Power Play Goal Puts UNH Ahead - UNH 2, Dartmouth 1
~ UNH got it's second power play opportunity midway through the period on a high-sticking penalty.
~ The 1st Power Play unit of Sorkin-Goumas-Willows up front and Knodel-van Riemsdyk on the points struck quickly. TvR sent the puck point-to-point to Knodel.
~ The senior captain moved toward the top of the faceoff circle and snapped a wrister toward the net. In a deft stick move, Willows redirected the shot past goalie Grant.
~ UNH's power play has been steadily improving in recent games. They are now ranked 3rd overall among Hockey East teams.
~ Matt Willows is now tied with Nick Sorkin for the most UNH goals with 12.

2nd Period

The middle stanza featured back-and-forth action with UNH holding a 13-7 advantage in shots on goal. Both goalie's made outstanding saves.

3rd Period

10:30 - UNH Goalie Casey DeSmith Makes Big Saves - UNH 2, Dartmouth 1
~ As the final period progressed, Dartmouth applied increasing pressure in the UNH zone, forcing junior goalie Casey DeSmith to make several key stops.
~ In this flurry, DeSmith faced a 2-on-2 break coming at him from his left. He kicks out the initial shot, glides to the far post, and rejects the followup shot with his stick.



3:20 - Junior Charley Mosey Ties It Up - UNH 2, Dartmouth 2
~ Big Green defenseman Josh Hartley blocked a UNH clearing effort at the blueline and the puck went to Jesse Beamish at the half-wall.
~ Beamish flicked a shot through traffic and DeSmith made the initial stop. The rebound went to a wide-open Mosey in the low slot and he beat DeSmith over his glove.



2:15 - Dalton Speelman Tips in Game Winner - UNH 3, Dartmouth 2
~ The game-winning play was very similar to Dartmouth's game-tying effort. After Grayson Downing kept the puck in the Dartmouth zone, the puck came out to Justin Agosta on the half-wall.
~ Agosta snapped a wrist shot toward the net. Speelman, positioned at the faceoff dot midway between Agosta and the goal, shoveled the shot up high beating Grant.
~ It was Speelman's 4th goal of the season.



00:34 - Kevin Goumas' Finisher - UNH 4, Dartmouth 2
~ With a minute left in regulation, Dartmouth desperately wanted to get goalie Grant to the bench for an extra skater.
~ Nick Sorkin read the Dartmouth breakout attempt perfectly, intercepted the pass, and accelerated between two Big Green defenders.
~ Grant made the initial save on Sorkin's shot from point-blank range but Matt Willows immediately passed the rebound over to Goumas parked on the doorstep. It was another example of UNH's top line knowing where each other is on the ice.
~ The goal was Goumas' second of the night and 10th of the season



With the victory over Dartmouth, UNH has now won 4 in a row. They improved their overall record to 13-10-1. Next up is a stern test against 4th-Ranked Union College. The two teams meet for a pair of games next Friday and Saturday at the Whittemore Center. Union has only lost 4 games so far this season.

For UNH's Dylan Maller, A Year of Tragedy and Triumph

Dylan Maller Makes NCAA Debut

They're like scenes from a Frank Capra movie. A youngster tags along with his older brother to the alien world of an ice hockey arena in South Florida. Turns out the boy has a knack for the game and, as a teenager, pursues his dream in another warm weather arena outside Washington, DC. At 16, he earns an offer to play hockey and get a college education in New Hampshire. To prepare, the 6'1" defenseman journeys to the heartland - Kearney, Nebraska - to play in the top American junior hockey league. For the Floridian, as comfortable in ice skates as sandals, the future looks very bright indeed.

Then, the most unspeakable tragedy descends. The beloved older brother develops cancer and despite a brave battle, succumbs two months shy of his 23rd birthday.

Fast-forward to the holiday season, 2013. It's a few weeks after the end of Hanukkah and a few days after Christmas and the UNH Wildcats have travelled to the Gulf Coast for the Florida College Hockey Classic. About 15 years have passed since UNH freshman Dylan Maller learned how to skate with his brother Wade near their hometown of Parkland, Florida. Now, 125 miles across Florida from where he grew up, Dylan is set to make his NCAA debut in another Florida hockey arena.

Wade Maller passed away on July 31st. He is survived by brother Dylan, younger brother Austin (a high school lacrosse player) and their parents Mark and Heidi Maller. After the UNH win over the University of Nebraska-Omaha last Saturday night, Coach Umile explained that Dylan understandably had a difficult time after his brother's death and took the first semester off.

Before the tragedy, Dylan was set to join fellow freshman defenseman Matias Cleland in the UNH lineup. In his absence, the UNH coaching staff have often used a 5-man defensive rotation with seniors Eric Knodel and Justin Agosta, junior Trevor van Riemsdyk, sophomore Brett Pesce and Cleland. Sophomore Harry Quast has been worked into the rotation at times over the first 20 games of the season. In his first game in a UNH uniform on December 29th, Maller was paired with the veteran Agosta, as the Wildcats faced Princeton in the consolation game of the Florida College Hockey Classic.

When Maller committed to UNH over three years ago, he was touted as a skilled skater and offensive defenseman. His junior coach with the DC Capitals, Jason Kersner, provided this assessment back in 2010:

"Dylan is a fantastic skater both forward and backward and when you couple that with his size – and what his size is going to be – then you’ve got a player with not only college, but pro potential, too. He’s an offensive defenseman who sees the ice very well. He doesn’t overhandle the puck. He’s more a passer than a puck carrier.”

I watched Dylan online a couple times last season when he was playing for the Tri-City Storm of the USHL. Some of the notes I jotted down were "attacking, aggressive skater in his own zone", "very fast carrying the puck out of the zone", "plays physical in the corners and in front of the net" and "as a left-shot, spent time on both right and left defense". The Storm did not qualify for the USHL Playoffs and Maller played in his last game in mid-April 2013.

Given the extended layoff from competitive hockey and all that he has dealt with, Maller acquitted himself well in UNH's 3-2 victory over Princeton. In addition to firing two shots on goal and finishing with a +/- rating of zero, Dylan showed flashes of the skills that got him to Division 1 hockey. In this sequence, Maller (#4) absorbs a forechecker's hit along the backboards, comes away with the puck, initiates a rush out of the UNH zone, and advances into the Princeton zone like a winger:



This past Friday, in the first of two games against the University of Nebraska-Omaha at the Whittemore Center, Maller stepped his game up another notch. During this play, Dylan protects the front of the UNH net, anticipates a breakout, and jumps into the rush. This time, Maller becomes the left wing on a 2-on-1 break lead by Casey Thrush and tests the UNO goalie with a wrist shot:



Late in the second period, with UNH ahead 3-2, Dylan Maller posted his first NCAA assist in what turned out to be the game-winning goal by sophomore Dan Correale. Casey Thrush starts the play with a steal behind the UNO net and pass out to Maller at the left point. Dylan makes a touch/redirect pass to Justin Agosta on the right point. Agosta sets up Correale on the doorstep:



UNH defeated UNO 6-3 and Dylan Maller finished with a +2 rating. On Saturday night, UNH completed the sweep of UNO with a 5-2 win. Maller was a steady presence on defense and was not on the ice for either UNO goal. In the following sequence, Maller joins the offensive rush, carries the puck end-to-end, and drops a soft pass off to Casey Thrush for a shot on goal. Dylan then quickly gets back to defend against a UNO breakout. Once in the UNH zone, Maller covers his area and clears a UNO player away from the goal-mouth:





The young boy who walked out of the Florida sunshine and into the icy arena could not have imagined where the journey would take him. All he knew was he wanted to learn to skate with his big brother. After enduring hardships, both common and unimaginable, Dylan Maller has finally reached one of his intended destinations. He's back to playing the game he loves, this time for the fans of the University of New Hampshire.

Matt Willows, UNH Scorch #19 Nebraska-Omaha 5-2

UNH's Matt Willows
Scores Hat Trick

After being outplayed and outscored last night, the University of Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks made key adjustments in their game plan:
~ Spread out and utilize the larger ice surface at the Whittemore Center.
~ Keep UNH players away from the front of the net.
~ Make plays from behind UNH goalie Casey DeSmith
As a result, UNO matched UNH stride-for-stride and took a 2-1 lead early in the third period.

The Mavericks successfully kept UNH from tying the game over the next 10 minutes. But then, junior Matt Willows ignited a dramatic come-from-behind victory with the first of his three goals, with a little more than 6 minutes left in the game.

In all, UNH scored 11 goals over two nights against 19th-ranked Nebraska-Omaha. Earlier in the week, Coach Umile and players talked about the need to find the back of the net. Mission accomplished.

1st Period

6:09 - UNO's Archibald Scores First Goal - UNH 0, UNO 1
~ Like deja vu, leading scorer Josh Archibald broke the ice with his 14th goal of season.
~ Archibald set up behind the UNH net and tried to flip a backhand out front. Matias Cleland blocked it but it ricocheted back to Archibald. He flipped the puck again but this time it appeared to go off defenseman Brett Pesce's glove and over DeSmith's shoulder.

2nd Period

18:08 - Casey Thrush Pots 2nd Goal in Two Nights - UNH 1, UNO 1
~ Freshman defenseman Matias Cleland set the scoring play up by intercepting a UNO clearing pass just inside the blueline. Cleland swept the puck toward UNO goalie Kirk Thompson.
~ Both Thrush and freshman Collin Bourque were in front of the net and Bourque tipped it to Thrush who buried it.
~ It was Thrush's 6th goal of the season.



00:17 - UNH Goalie Casey DeSmith Makes Save of the Game - UNH 1, UNO 1
~ Over the final 32 seconds of the 2nd Period, UNO had a 2-man advantage with Dalton Speelman and Justin Agosta in the penalty box.
~ With Goumas, Thrush, and Knodel on the penalty kill, UNO pressured UNH deep in the zone.
~ Jake Guentzel was wide open on DeSmith's left but Casey flashed his glove - robbery.

3rd Period

First 2 Minutes - UNH Kills Off 5-on-3 Power Play
~ At the end of the second period, Kevin Goumas was penalized for slashing. This prolonged UNO's 5-on-3 advantage into the beginning of the third period.
~ First off, Knodel, Willows and Thrush denied UNO for 1 minute.
~ Next up, Trevor van Riemsdyk, Downing and Correale killed off another 40 seconds.



17:39 - UNO Grabs Lead - UNH 1, UNO 2
~ After failing to score on the 5-on-3 advantage, UNO still had a 4-on-3 power play.
~ This time, Ryan Walters converted a one-timer from the faceoff circle to DeSmith's left.



6:12 - Matt Willows Pots 1st of 3 Goals - UNH 2, UNO 2
~ UNO kept UNH at bay for 10 minutes and clung to their 2-1 lead. But then, Brock Montpetit was called for interference.
~ UNH's first power play unit maintained the pressure. Sorkin, Goumas, and Willows buzzed around the UNO net.
~ On a tic-tac-toe play, Sorkin passed to Goumas who sent the puck across the crease to Willows on the doorstep. Willows buried it.



4:32 - Matt Willows Scores Game-Winner - UNH 3, UNO 2
~ Willows and Goumas stormed into the UNO zone on a 2-on-1 break.
~ Willows feigned a pass to Goumas forcing the UNO goalie to commmit. He then snapped a shot over Thompson's leg pad.



2:54 - Nick Sorkin Skewers UNO - UNH 4, UNO 2
~ With just under 4 minutes remaining in regulation, Brock Montpetit took an ill-advised, high-sticking penalty - his second penalty in three minutes. It was costly.
~ In a near instant replay of their previous power play goal, Sorkin, Goumas and Willows executed a dandy passing sequence ending in Sorkin burying a rebound.
~ Nick Sorkin is UNH's top goal-scorer with 12.



1:44 - Willows Completes Hat Trick with ENG - UNH 5, UNO 2
~ With 2 minutes left, UNO pulled their goalie for an extra skater. UNH stopped them from getting the puck deep in the UNH zone and Kevin Goumas collected it just inside the blueline.
~ Kevin Goumas broke through the neutral zone and fed a cross-ice pass to Willows wide open on the right wing.
~ Willows glided into the UNO end and flicked the puck into the open net.
~ Willows is now UNH's second leading goal-scorer with 11.



With back-to-back wins over 19th-ranked UNO, UNH improved it's overall record to 12-10-1. Nebraska-Omaha drops to 8-9-1. Look for UNH to, once again, break into the top 20 when the polls come out early next week. Next up for the Wildcats is the Riverstone Cup against in-state rival Dartmouth. Faceoff is at 5:00 PM next Saturday at the Verizon Wireless Arena in Manchester, NH.