UNH Recruits Update: March-25-2014

2014 UNH Wildcat
Michael McNicholas

Player of the Week - Michael McNicholas

In the just completed 2013-14 UNH season, the four senior forwards - Kevin Goumas, Nick Sorkin, Jeff Silengo, and Dalton Speelman - scored a total of 54 goals and 71 assists. That's a hefty amount of offensive output that will need to be replaced. Fortunately, the 2014 recruiting class includes several high-scoring forwards who could help fill the gap as freshmen next season. 20-year-old Michael McNicholas is one of them.

#11 Michael McNicholas

In his final season with the Vernon Vipers of the BCHL, McNicholas has proven to be a high quantity and high quality scorer. McNicholas was the 5th highest scorer (69 points) in the BCHL regular season and was tied for third in assists (46 assists). Three of his 23 goals were game-winners. In the Vipers' quest to win the Fred Page Cup in the BCHL Playoffs, McNicholas is stepping up again.

Vernon eliminated the West Kelowna Warriors in the opening round of the Playoffs and faced the Penticton Vees in the second round. After the Vipers fell behind the Vees two games to one in the best-of-seven series, McNicholas lead the team to a series win. In Game 4 last Tuesday night, fellow UNH Recruit Dylan Chanter set up McNicholas for the game-winning goal.

The Vipers won a tightly-contested Game 5 last Thursday. McNicholas tied the game 1-1 on a first period goal. After Vernon fell behind 2-1, McNicholas assisted on the game-tying and game-winning goals. The Vees tied the series 3-3 on Friday night setting up an exciting Game 7.

Penticton lead Vernon 3-1 entering the final period of Game 7. McNicholas helped the Vipers draw to within a goal by setting up Colton Sparrow with a precise cross-slot pass:



At the end of regulation, Vernon and Penticton were tied 3-3. Just over two minutes into overtime, Michael McNicholas one-timed an errant clearing effort past the Vees goalie. Scoring a game-winning goal in overtime of a Game 7 is a rare achievement:



For his accomplishments in the playoff series, McNicholas was named the BCHL Player of the Week. It was the second time this season he has earned the honor. With their victory, the Vipers have advanced to the BCHL Semifinals - a Round Robin series with the Coquitlam Express and Victoria Grizzlies.

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	19	0	0	0	16
	Playoffs	BCHL	13	2	2	4	10
	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	48	14	23	37	71
Warren Foegele  (F)	St. Andrews College	CISAA	14	17	6	23	15
	Playoffs	CISAA	5	5	4	9	10
	St. Andrews College	MPHL	13	12	17	29	14
	Playoffs	MPHL	3	6	5	11	2
John Furgele  (D)	Jersey Hitmen	USPHL	44	8	29	37	16
	Playoffs	USPHL	6	0	5	5	0
Cameron Marks  (D)	Coquitlam Express	BCHL	57	4	24	28	12
	Playoffs	BCHL	12	0	5	5	2
Michael McNicholas  (F)	Vernon Vipers	BCHL	56	23	46	69	20
	Playoffs	BCHL	13	4	9	13	6
Andrew Poturalski  (F)	Cedar Rapids RoughRiders	USHL	56	24	34	58	20
Jason Salvaggio  (F)	Indiana Ice	USHL	47	14	10	24	33
2015 Recruits
Rich Boyd  (D)	Cushing Academy	NEPSHC	31	10	30	40	-
	Elite 8	NEPSHC	1	0	0	0	-
Jason Kalinowski  (F)	Cedar Rapids RoughRiders	USHL	53	7	22	29	62
Charlie Kelleher  (F)	Junior Bruins 18U	USPHL 18U	22	4	11	15	2
	Playoffs	USPHL 18U	2	1	2	3	0
	Junior Bruins Premiere	USPHL Premiere	2	2	2	4	0
Joseph Masonius  (D)	USA U17 Team	USHL	19	0	1	1	26
Chris Miller  (F)	Junior Bruins	USPHL	31	5	10	15	10
	Playoffs	USPHL	6	1	0	1	2
Danny Tirone  (G)	Cedar Rapids RoughRiders	USHL	40	24W	12L	2.64	.916
Marcus Vela  (F)	Langley Rivermen	BCHL	54	11	11	22	41
	Playoffs	BCHL	12	1	4	5	6
2015 or '16 Recruits
Liam Darcy  (D)	Berwick Academy	NEPSHC	19	6	17	23	-
Patrick Grasso  (F)	Des Moines Bucs	USHL	54	8	13	21	9
Aaron O'Neill  (F)	Green Bay Gamblers	USHL	31	1	1	2	4
Ara Nazarian  (F)	Malden Catholic	Mass HS	20	20	27	47	-
	Super 8	Mass HS	4	1	8	9	-
Nick Nonis  (D)	Governor's Academy	NEPSHC	26	6	1	7	-
Brendan van Riemsdyk   (F)	Jersey Hitmen 18U	USPHL 18U	8	5	8	13	2
	Playoffs	USPHL 18U	3	0	1	1	12
	Christian Brothers	Jersey Prep	12	17	13	30	-
	Playoffs	Jersey Prep	3	2	5	7	-
2016 Recruits
Justin Fregona  (F)	St. Andrews College	CISAA	15	7	6	13	24
	Playoffs	CISAA	5	4	1	5	8
	St. Andrews College	MPHL	13	9	12	21	16
	Playoffs	MPHL	3	3	4	7	6

News & Notes

British Columbia Hockey League:

~ As I mentioned above, 2014 recruit Dylan Chanter assisted on Michael McNicholas' game-winning goal in Game 4 of the Vernon-Penticton playoff series. Tyler Lowey of the Vernon Morning Star described it as "a gorgeous Sedin-like slap-pass". Lowey also described one of defenseman Chanter's body-checks from earlier in the period:

"Dylan Chanter delivered the biggest hit of the night. Serratore got caught with his head down in the neutral zone. Chanter stepped up and obliterated him. That crushing blow energized a mellow Viper crowd."

The 6'3", 213 lbs. Chanter has scored 2 goals and 2 assists in the BCHL playoffs so far.

~ 2014 recruit Cameron Marks and the Coquitlam Express eliminated Marcus Vela and the Langley Rivermen from the BCHL Playoffs last Friday night. In the 5-3 victory in Game 6, Marks assisted on two goals including the game-winner. The 6'0", 175 lbs. defenseman has tallied 5 playoff assists.

~ 17-year-old Marcus Vela, a 2015 recruit, finished his first ever BCHL playoffs with a goal and 4 assists in 12 games.

United States Hockey League:

~ Andrew Poturalski is another one of the high-scoring forwards coming to UNH next fall. Last week, he continued his torrid scoring pace and helped the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders clinch a berth in the USHL Playoffs. Over the last 5 games, Poturalski has scored 7 goals and 3 assists.

Last Wednesday, Poturalski scored two goals, including the game-winner, and added an assist in the 7-3 win over the Chicago Steel. On Saturday night, the RoughRiders clinched a playoff berth by downing the Dubuque Fighting Saints 3-1. Poturalski scored Cedar Rapids' 3rd goal and assisted on the game-winning goal. With 4 games remaining in the regular season, Poturalski is tied for 5th in USHL scoring (58 points) and tied for 6th in goals (24).

~ Cedar Rapids goalie Danny Tirone has been a key to the RoughRiders' success. He has won 24 games overall and 4 out of his last 5 games down the stretch run. Tirone is on target to come to UNH in the Fall of 2015.

~ Another productive forward coming to UNH next season is Shane Eiserman. On Sunday night, Eiserman assisted on the Dubuque Fighting Saints' game-winning goal against the Fargo Force. The 2-1 victory clinched a playoff berth for the Saints.

~ 2015 or '16 recruit Aaron O'Neill scored his first USHL goal Saturday night as the Green Bay Gamblers topped the Tri-City Storm 5-2. O'Neill appeared to score a second goal at the end of the first period but the clock had just barely run out. Green Bay is battling the Muskegon Lumberjacks for the 4th and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference of the USHL. With 5 games remaining, the two teams are tied.

UNH Hockey Competes Until the End

Justin Agosta

Kevin Goumas

Eric Knodel

Jeff Silengo

Nick Sorkin

Dalton Speelman

Jeff Wyer

BOSTON, MA - After the seniors left the ice for the last time as UNH Wildcats, Head Coach Dick Umile conveyed what the UNH Hockey community knew to be true:

“I thought our team competed, and played hard. It just didn’t happen. The difficult part is it’s a team with great chemistry. We wanted to keep going. Not only were they winning and playing hard, but we were enjoying it and having fun doing it. It’s tough for the season to end.”

That chemistry and "never say die" compete level were instilled in the 2013-14 UNH team under the leadership of the its 7 seniors. Each raised their on-ice production in their final season to new levels:

Justin Agosta - 6 goals, 20 assists. (Previous Best: 14 points as a Junior)
Kevin Goumas - 19 goals, 33 assists. (Previous Best: 42 points as a Junior)
Eric Knodel - 7 goals, 22 assists. (21 points as a Junior)
Jeff Silengo - 8 goals, 7 assists. (10 pts as Junior)
Nick Sorkin - 20 goals, 20 assists. (35 pts as Sophomore)
Dalton Speelman - 7 goals, 11 assists. (16 pts as Sophomore)
Jeff Wyer - 7 games, 2.80 Goals Against Average, .887 Save%. (Previous Best: 4 games as a Junior)

The stories you may read about UMass-Lowell downing UNH 4-0 and winning their second consecutive Hockey East Championship will highlight the River Hawks' clamp-down defense and superb goal-tending by Connor Hellebuyck. And rightfully so. UNH generated some quality scoring opportunities but could not get one past Hellebuyck.

Here's a couple of UNH's best bids from the first period. The first shows one of Hockey East's top forward lines - Sorkin-Goumas-Willows - generating a couple chances. The second shows freshman Tyler Kelleher and senior Dalton Speelman breaking in on Hellebuyck ahead of the Lowell defenders. In each case, as in all other attempts, the River Hawks smothered the opportunity.





With UMass-Lowell ahead 4-0 after two periods, the energy level among the large pockets of UNH fans in the TD Garden was understandably subdued. To their credit, UNH competed hard in the final stanza, battling for pucks, backchecking, and entering the Lowell zone with speed. All of the seniors, including Jeff Wyer in goal in the final minutes, lead the way, logging major minutes.

In the waning minutes, the Nick Sorkin-Kevin Goumas-Matt Willows line would make one final attempt, but it was not to be.



The 7 UNH seniors, as players and people, will be missed. Replacing their production will be challenging for the 2014-15 team. But hope, at varying levels, springs eternal. Veterans will step up and a talented crop of freshmen will fill in. This season went by in a flash. So will the off-season.

UNH Outplays Providence 3-1, Advances to Hockey East Championship Game

Kevin Goumas Pots 2 Goals

Justin Agosta Nets Game-Winner

BOSTON, MA - Sometimes "Do or Die" is a good thing. UNH's only chance at qualifying for the 2014 NCAA Playoffs is to win or go home. For a couple weeks now, they've known their overall record would not earn them an invitation to the NCAA's. Either win the Hockey East Championship or the season ends.

Winning the Lamoriello Trophy, and an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, has eluded UNH since 2003 when they defeated Boston University on a Tyson Teplitsky goal in overtime. Since then, the Wildcats have played in the Hockey East Championship game twice, in 2005 and 2007, each time losing to Boston College. With their persuasive 3-1 win over Providence College on Friday night, UNH earned the opportunity to win the Championship on Saturday against UMass-Lowell.

It's not that UNH has been unsuccessful since 2003. They have earned an invitation to the NCAA Playoffs 9 out of the last 10 seasons on the strength of their regular season record. Over that stretch, they were nationally ranked anywhere from #3 to #11 when the field for the NCAA's was announced. But this year is different. UNH is currently ranked #18 in the nation and that won't be good enough to get into the 16-team tournament. So, it's been do or die.

The first hurdle was to win the Hockey East Quarterfinal Series against a persistent, pesky Northeastern squad. After winning the first game 1-0 on a goal by freshman Tyler Kelleher and being edged 5-4 in Game 2, UNH played their final game of the season at the Whittemore Center last Sunday. Senior forward Kevin Goumas played one of the most energized games of his successful UNH career scoring a hat trick as UNH won 5-4 and eliminated Northeastern from the Hockey East Tournament. On to the semifinals at TD Garden for the first time since 2011.

In the post-game press conference following UNH's 3-1 victory over Providence, Kevin Goumas said:

“I’m just going out there and trying to make sure it’s not my last game, and leave it all out on the ice. That’s been on my mind the last week or so.”

The Second-Team Hockey East All-Star figured out a way to beat Providence's Jon Gillies, one of the premiere goalies in college hockey. Goumas used his explosive speed and nose for the net to beat Gillies twice on wraparound goals. Senior Justin Agosta, a stalwart on defense all season, scored the game-winning goal on a wrist shot from the point midway through the second period. In the final stanza, only one got past junior goalie Casey DeSmith as the UNH defense clamped down.

Last season, Providence College eliminated UNH from the Hockey East Tournament in the tightly-contested Quarterfinals. A year later, facing elimination and the end of their season, the Wildcats beat the 9th-Ranked Friars. Their playing life goes on.

1st Period

UNH outshoot Providence 9-5 as each team played conservatively.

2nd Period

12:55 - Kevin Goumas Scores Short-Handed Goal - UNH 1, Providence 0
~ With Justin Agosta in the penalty box for a cross-checking penalty, Goumas gathered a loose puck in the top of the slot in the UNH end. He raced through center ice moving to the right wing, skated around a Providence defender then behind the PC net. On a nifty maneuver, Goumas drew the puck to his backhand and beat Gillies on a wraparound shot.



6:29 - Justin Agosta Game-Winning Goal - UNH 2, Providence 0
~ Matt Willows dug the puck off the half-wall to Gillies right and fed a cross-ice pass to Justin Agosta just inside the PC blue line. Agosta's wrist shot through a multi-player screen deflected off the heel of a PC defenders skate and into the net.




00:01 - Kevin Goumas Wraps It Up - UNH 3, Providence 0
~ With the final seconds of the second period winding down, Goumas again carried the puck end-to-end and fired a shot on Gillies. After the save, the puck went behind the net, Nick Sorkin fed it to Goumas, and he scored his second wraparound goal of the game.

3rd Period

16:38 - Providence Scores Lone Goal - UNH 3, PC 1
~ Providence pressed UNH in the final period outshooting them 12-5 but only got one past Casey DeSmith.

Final 2 Minutes - Casey DeSmith Closes the Door - UNH 3, PC 1
~ Needing 2 goals to tie, Providence pulled Gillies with two minutes remaining. With the capable support of UNH defensemen Eric Knodel and Brett Pesce, DeSmith made a number of key saves.

Hockey East Championship Game

In the other Hockey East Semifinal, UMass-Lowell defeated Notre Dame 4-0. UNH will face Lowell in the Hockey East Championship Game at 7:00, Saturday night at the TD Garden in Boston. No doubt, the Wildcats will have the loss to Lowell in last season's NCAA Northeast Regional final in the back of their minds. Front and center will be another do or die game.

UNH's Goumas, Knodel Named Hockey East All-Stars

Kevin Goumas

Eric Knodel

On the eve of UNH's first appearance in the Hockey East Semifinals since 2011, two of it's leaders have been named Hockey East All-Stars. At the Hockey East Annual Banquet, held at the Royal Sonesta Hotel in Cambridge, Massachusetts, seniors Kevin Goumas and Eric Knodel were honored as Hockey East Second-Team All-Stars. Each season, the Hockey East Head Coaches select the All-Stars.

Kevin Goumas

Last season, as a junior at UNH, Kevin Goumas was named to the Hockey East Honorable Mention All-Star squad. The speedy forward scored 10 goals and 32 assists and helped the Wildcats advance to the Elite Eight of the 2013 NCAA Tournament.

This season, Goumas potted 17 goals, dished out 33 assists, and lead UNH in scoring. He was the 5th leading scorer in all of Division I NCAA Hockey and the 3rd leading scorer in Hockey East. Goumas' 33 assists tied him for 4th highest in Division I and he was the 3rd highest in Hockey East. Down the stretch, with UNH battling for a home-ice berth in the Hockey East Quarterfinals, Goumas showed his prowess as a big-game player. Over the final 11 games of the regular season, he scored 4 goals and 14 assists. In a must-win game against Merrimack College on the last night of the regular season, Goumas lead the Wildcats to a 5-2 victory, scoring a goal and 3 assists.

In the just completed Hockey East Quarterfinal Series, UNH held the home-ice advantage in the best-of-three round for the first time since the 2010-2011 season. The Wildcats won the first game 1-0 and Northeastern University forced a third game with a 5-4 win on Saturday night. On Sunday, UNH faced a do or die situation. Win and they would advance to the semifinals, lose and their season was over. Once again, Kevin Goumas came up huge scoring a hat trick and adding an assist as UNH downed Northeastern 5-4.

With at least one game remaining in his UNH career, Kevin Goumas has secured his place as one of the top-scoring Wildcats of all time. He recently became the 14th player in UNH Hockey history to post 100 or more assists. Goumas was the first player to reach this goal since Darren Haydar scored his 102nd assist back in the 2001-02 season. A number of exceptional UNH players such as Sean Collins (2001-2005: 96 assists), Lanny Gare (1999-2003: 94), Jacob Micflikier (2003-2007: 92), Collin Hemingway (1999-2003: 81), and Phil DeSimone (2007-2011: 79) did not reach the 100 assist milestone.

In all, Goumas has scored 42 goals and 102 assists for a total of 144 points. He's the first UNH player to reach this lofty level since Jacob Micflikier (2003-2007) scored his 150th point. Goumas' 144 points puts him ahead of such notables as Lanny Gare (1999-2003: 142 points), Preston Callander (2001-2005: 130), Bobby Butler (2006-2010: 121), Matt Fornataro (2004-2008: 118), and Steve Saviano (2001-2005: 117).

Here's a highlight reel of some of Kevin Goumas' outstanding plays dating back to a game against the University of Michigan in early October of this season:

Eric Knodel

In his third season in the UNH lineup, senior captain Eric Knodel has emerged as one of the premiere defenseman in Hockey East. In retrospect, it's difficult to imagine but Knodel did not suit up for any games as a freshman. The 6'6", 225 lbs. draft pick of the Toronto Maple Leafs scored 7 goals and 21 assists this season.

As a key point man on UNH's first power play unit, Knodel scored 5 of his 7 goals on the power play. He is tied for 2nd in scoring among all Hockey East defensemen and is first in assists. A defensive stalwart, he is also first in blocked shots with 95. In all, Knodel scored 20 goals and 40 assists in his three seasons.

These video highlights show some of Eric Knodel's power play goals and assists as well as his defensive skills:

UNH Recruits Update: March-18-2014

Andrew Poturalski
2014 UNH Commit

Player of the Week - Andrew Poturalski

Last season, the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders missed the United States Hockey League playoffs for the first time in over a decade. In his first season with the team, Andrew Poturalski, was the team's third leading scorer with 12 goals and 21 assists. He had originally targeted the Fall of 2013 to move on from Cedar Rapids and enroll at the University of New Hampshire. But just before the final game of the 2012-13 campaign, Poturalski announced his decision to come back to Cedar Rapids for one more season to be part of an improved RoughRider team.

It's now a year later, Cedar Rapids has an excellent chance of returning to the USHL Playoffs, and Poturalski has been a key element of the RoughRiders' success. With 7 games remaining in the regular season, Cedar Rapids is in second place in the Eastern Conference of the USHL, 9 points ahead of the fourth place teams. Since the top 4 teams qualify for the playoffs, the RoughRiders are in a strong position.

Over the weekend, Andrew Poturalski lead Cedar Rapids to two consecutive wins over the Team USA Under-18 squad. In the Friday game, Poturalski scored a hat trick which included the game-winning goal of the 5-2 win. For his efforts, he was awarded the #1 Star of the Game.

On Saturday, Cedar Rapids was trailing Team USA by 2 goals with less than two minutes to play. Coach Carlson pulled his goalie for an extra attacker and Poturalski got the team to within one goal with just 75 seconds remaining in regulation. The RoughRiders went on to win in a shootout. Poturalski is the team's leading scorer with 21 goals and 31 assists. He is currently tied for 8th in USHL scoring and is 7th in assists.

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	19	0	0	0	16
	Playoffs	BCHL	9	2	1	3	8
	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	45	14	21	35	71
Warren Foegele  (F)	St. Andrews College	CISAA	14	17	6	23	15
	Playoffs	CISAA	5	5	4	9	10
	St. Andrews College	MPHL	13	12	17	29	14
	Playoffs	MPHL	3	6	5	11	2
John Furgele  (D)	Jersey Hitmen	USPHL	44	8	29	37	16
	Playoffs	USPHL	6	0	5	5	0
Cameron Marks  (D)	Coquitlam Express	BCHL	57	4	24	28	12
	Playoffs	BCHL	9	0	2	2	2
Michael McNicholas  (F)	Vernon Vipers	BCHL	56	23	46	69	20
	Playoffs	BCHL	9	1	5	6	6
Andrew Poturalski  (F)	Cedar Rapids RoughRiders	USHL	53	21	31	52	16
Jason Salvaggio  (F)	Indiana Ice	USHL	45	13	10	23	31
2015 Recruits
Rich Boyd  (D)	Cushing Academy	NEPSHC	31	10	30	40	-
	Elite 8	NEPSHC	1	0	0	0	-
Jason Kalinowski  (F)	Cedar Rapids RoughRiders	USHL	50	6	21	27	60
Charlie Kelleher  (F)	Junior Bruins 18U	USPHL 18U	22	4	11	15	2
	Playoffs	USPHL 18U	2	1	2	3	0
	Junior Bruins Premiere	USPHL Premiere	2	2	2	4	0
Joseph Masonius  (D)	USA U17 Team	USHL	19	0	1	1	26
Chris Miller  (F)	Junior Bruins	USPHL	31	5	10	15	10
	Playoffs	USPHL	6	1	0	1	2
Danny Tirone  (G)	Cedar Rapids RoughRiders	USHL	37	22W	11L	2.67	.915
Marcus Vela  (F)	Langley Rivermen	BCHL	54	11	11	22	41
	Playoffs	BCHL	9	1	4	5	6
2015 or '16 Recruits
Liam Darcy  (D)	Berwick Academy	NEPSHC	19	6	17	23	-
Patrick Grasso  (F)	Des Moines Bucs	USHL	52	8	12	20	9
Aaron O'Neill  (F)	Green Bay Gamblers	USHL	29	0	1	1	4
Ara Nazarian  (F)	Malden Catholic	Mass HS	20	20	27	47	-
	Super 8	Mass HS	4	1	8	9	-
Nick Nonis  (D)	Governor's Academy	NEPSHC	26	6	1	7	-
Brendan van Riemsdyk   (F)	Jersey Hitmen 18U	USPHL 18U	8	5	8	13	2
	Playoffs	USPHL 18U	3	0	1	1	12
	Christian Brothers	Jersey Prep	12	17	13	30	-
	Playoffs	Jersey Prep	3	2	5	7	-
2016 Recruits
Justin Fregona  (F)	St. Andrews College	CISAA	15	7	6	13	24
	Playoffs	CISAA	5	4	1	5	8
	St. Andrews College	MPHL	13	9	12	21	16
	Playoffs	MPHL	3	3	4	7	6

News & Notes

United States Hockey League:

~ One of the teams Cedar Rapids is battling with for a USHL Playoff berth is the Dubuque Fighting Saints. Last Wednesday the two teams faced off in Cedar Rapids. 2014 UNH commit Shane Eiserman had a huge game. In the 4-3 Dubuque win, Eiserman fired 8 shots on goal and scored twice. He earned the #1 Star.

British Columbia Hockey League:

The four UNH Recruits participating in the BCHL Playoffs, and their teams, have advanced to the second round:
~ Dylan Chanter, Michael McNicholas and the Vernon Vipers eliminated the West Kelowna Warriors 4 games to 2. The Vipers trail the Penticton Vees 2-1 in the 2nd Round.
~ Cameron Marks and the Coquitlam Express downed Prince George Spruce Kings 4-2. In Round 2, the Express are playing Marcus Vela and the Langley Rivermen. Langley eliminated the Surrey Eagles 4-2. Coquitlam leads Langley 2 games to 1 in the second round.

United States Premiere Hockey League:

~ In the Premiere Division Championship series, Chris Miller and the Junior Bruins defeated John Furgele and the Jersey Hitmen 2 games to none. In the final game, the Jr. Bruins trailed the Hitmen 2-0 early in the first period. Miller, who is committed to UNH for the Fall of 2015, scored the Jr. Bruins' first goal. The Jr. Bruins went on to win 4-2 and claim the first ever USPHL Premiere Division Championship.

Super 8 Massachusetts High School Championship:

~ After eliminating Catholic Memorial in the quarterfinals of the Super 8 Tournament, Ara Nazarian and the Malden Catholic Lancers faced Springfield Catholic in the semifinals. Malden Catholic got on the board first as Nazarian set up UMass-Lowell recruit Tyler Sifferlen with a perfect saucer pass:



Malden Catholic went on to defeat Springfield Cathedral 3-1. In the Championship Game, Malden Catholic defeated Austin Prep 5-3 to capture it's 4th consecutive Super 8 Championship. Ara Nazarian, a junior at Malden Catholic, assisted on the 1st and 5th goals and scored the Lancers' second goal.

Nazarian committed to UNH last April and is on target to enroll in either the Fall of 2015 or 2016. During the off season, he will decide where to play hockey next year as he completes his senior year in high school. Two years ago, Nazarian was drafted by the Des Moines Buccaneers of the USHL.

UNH Downs Northeastern 5-4; Advances to Hockey East Semifinal

Senior Kevin Goumas  Hat Trick Plus 1 Assist

Senior Nick Sorkin  1 Goal, 3 Assists

Sophomore Brett Pesce  GWG Plus 2 Assists

DURHAM, NH - It's entirely fitting that Kevin Goumas, Nick Sorkin, Matt Willows, Eric Knodel, and Brett Pesce were on the ice protecting a one-goal lead in the waning seconds of UNH's clutch victory over Northeastern University. With a trip to the Hockey East Semifinals at the TD Garden on the line, the top forward line and defensive pair had already logged ridiculous amounts of minutes of ice time. All had contributed to one or more of UNH's 5 goals. In the end, Goumas was at the dot for the final faceoff, Willows intercepted a clearing pass and flicked a shot at the empty net, the buzzer sounded, and the UNH Hockey Community celebrated.

1st Period

16:31 - Nick Sorkin Scores Game's 1st Goal - UNH 1, Northeastern 0
~ Josh Seguin of College Hockey News has tabulated a remarkable statistic. In the 18 games that the Sorkin-Goumas-Willows line has played together this season, they have scored 29 goals and 41 assists.
~ On only their third shift of the game, Sorkin-Goumas-Willows stormed into the Northeastern zone on a 3-on-2 break. Goumas fed Sorkin on the left wing just as they crossed the blue line.
~ As Sorkin carried the puck to the top of the faceoff circle to NU goalie Clay Witt's right, he could have shot or fed a cross-ice pass to Willows wide open on the right wing. Sorkin snapped a wrister beating Witt low to the ice past his left leg pad.



14:48 - Kevin Goumas Snipes Short-Handed Goal - UNH 2, NU 0
~ Just a minute after UNH's first goal, sophomore Kyle Smith was penalized for tripping.
~ After Brett Pesce blocked a shot early in the Northeastern power play, Goumas raced the puck through the neutral zone and crossed the NU blue line to Witt's right. Despite being on the off-wing, the left-handed Goumas fired a shot just inside the left goal post. It was Goumas' 15th goal of the season and the first of three for the night.

6:51 - Northeastern Gets on the Scoreboard - UNH 2, NU 1
~ After being shut out on Friday night, Northeastern adopted an offensive strategy of maneuvering the puck below the UNH goal line behind goalie Casey DeSmith in Game 2 and 3. Several of the 8 goals NU scored on Saturday and Sunday originated with one of their forwards making a play from along the end boards.
~ At the 7 minute mark of the first period, Torin Snydeman flipped an innocent looking back hand from below the goal line toward the front of the UNH net. There were no NU players anywhere near the front of the goal - freshman UNH defenseman Matias Cleland was protecting that area.
~ As the puck approached DeSmith, it went behind his stick paddle and Cleland may have inadvertently kicked the paddle slightly. The puck squirted between DeSmith's legs.

2:47 - Kevin Goumas Tips in His 2nd Goal - UNH 3, NU 1
~ After the game, Coach Umile said "Kevin Goumas was like possessed tonight, the way he played. He played great. He played hard defensively, he was all over the puck and he was a tenacious forechecker."
~ A prime example of Goumas' determination came on his second goal of the night. With his line buzzing around the NU net, Goumas dug the puck out of the corner to Witt's right, fed a pass out to Sorkin at the faceoff dot, and skated toward the low slot.
~ Sorkin tapped a back hand pass to Pesce who rifled a slap shot from just inside the blue line. Goumas beat the NU defender to the net and tipped the shot past Witt.

2nd Period

15:32 - Northeastern Draws to Within 1 - UNH 3, NU 2
~ Northeastern only had 7 shots on goal in the second period (UNH had 6 SOG) but they made two of them count. Early in the period, Braden Pimm fired a shot from near the low slot and freshman Mike Szmatula snapped the rebound over DeSmith.

5:33 - Northeastern Ties It Up - UNH 3, NU 3
~ Toward the end of the period, Northeastern entered the UNH zone on a 4-on-3 break. Mobile defenseman Colton Saucerman snapped a wrist shot through traffic from the faceoff circle to DeSmith's left.
~ Braden Pimm and Mike McMurtry were parked in the low slot with Justin Agosta defending. Saucerman's shot appeared to ricochet off Pimm's stick, then deflect off McMurtry's past DeSmith.

3rd Period

16:20 - Kevin Goumas Hat Trick Goal - UNH 4, NU 3
~ With McMurtry in the penalty box for tripping, UNH's #1 Power Play Unit - Sorkin-Goumas-Willow-Pesce-Knodel - went to work. Initially, Sorkin took a shot from the corner that was steered aside by Witt.
~ Knodel went deep into the opposite corner, stopped the puck, sent it around the dasher behind the NU net and out to Goumas at the half wall.
~ Goumas circled out to the blueline, accelerated to the top of the slot, and smashed a slap shot beating Witt low past his blocker.



6:19 - Brett Pesce Nets Game-Winning Goal - UNH 5, NU 3
~ The game-winning play began with Nick Sorkin at the red line flipping a pass to Matt Willows racing toward the NU blue line. Willows gathered the puck and had Brett Pesce coming up on his right with only one NU defender back.
~ Willows went to the top of the faceoff circle to Witt's right, drawing the defender toward him, and snapped a shot at Witt.
~ Witt made the initial save but the rebound went to the charging Pesce who knocked a back hand shot home.



3:50 - Northeastern Battles Back to Within 1 Goal - UNH 5, NU 4
~ Mike Szmatula, a strong candidate for Hockey East Rookie of the Year, potted his 15th goal of the season near the end of regulation.
~ Szmatula and Kevin Roy entered the UNH zone with Matias Cleland and Justin Agosta in a strong defensive position.
~ Cleland kept Szmatula to the outside but as Matias went to poke check the puck, Szmatula drew it past him. Szmatula then went across the slot and beat DeSmith over his outstreched stick.

3:04 - Eric Knodel's Apparent Goal Disallowed - UNH 5, NU 4
~ UNH almost got an insurance goal with time winding down. Sophomore Dan Correale fed a cross ice pass to Eric Knodel at the left point. Knodel launched a 3/4 slap shot that beat Witt.
~ After an extended review of the video replay, the referees ruled that Witt had been interfered with and the goal was disallowed. Although no one could have known at the time, UNH ended up not needing the goal.

Hockey East Semifinals

In the other Hockey East Quarterfinal Series, Notre Dame downed BC, Lowell defeated Vermont, and Providence eliminated Maine. The two semifinal games are set for next Friday night at the TD Garden in Boston. #2 Lowell hosts #8 Notre Dame in the 5:00 PM game. #3 Providence College and #4 UNH will play at 8:00 PM. This is the first time UNH has reached the Hockey East Semifinals since the 2010-11 season.

Kelleher Leads UNH to 1-0 Win Over Northeastern

Freshman Tyler Kelleher
Scores Game-Winning Goal

DURHAM, NH - As an 18-year-old, "true freshman", Tyler Kelleher began the 2013-14 season on UNH's first line with junior Grayson Downing at center and senior Kevin Goumas at left wing. He achieved some early success scoring the game-winning goal against Clarkson in the season-opener and posting a goal and 2 assists in a 9-0 rout of UMass. The on-ice chemistry between Kelleher and Downing was evident from the start.

Midseason, Kelleher was shifted to other forward lines and also battled a persistent flu. Grayson Downing missed games late in the season due to a left shoulder injury. Last night, Kelleher and Downing were reunited on the second line with Dalton Speelman on left wing. They clicked, each posting 2 shots on goal and combining for the only goal of the game.

The game-winner came just under 5 minutes into the final period. After Kelleher and Downing lead a rush into the Northeastern zone, freshman defenseman Dylan Maller intercepted a clearing attempt along the sidewall just inside the blueline. Maller, who only joined the team at the end of December, snapped a wrist shot on goal. NU defenseman Jake Schechter blocked the shot but Downing dug the puck out and tapped a cross-crease pass to Kelleher. Kelleher buried the puck for his 4th goal of the season.



One key to UNH's win in the first of the best-of-three quarterfinal series was persistent, effective forechecking. These four videos show all four UNH forward lines maintaining puck possession in the Northeastern zone while the Huskies, at times, seemed in disarray:









In the end, it was only a matter of time before UNH would get one past Northeastern goalie Clay Witt. Matt Willows hit the post in the first period:



Nick Sorkin hit the crossbar in the second period and rang the post in the third period:





Junior Casey DeSmith was outstanding in goal for the Wildcats. He made 27 saves and earned a coveted, playoff shutout. Game 2 of the Hockey East Quarterfinals is tonight at 7:00 at the Whittemore Center. The game will be broadcast by WBIN-TV.

UNH Recruits Update: March-11-2014

2015 or '16 UNH Recruit Ara Nazarian

Player of the Week - Ara Nazarian

Last season, as a sophomore at Malden Catholic, Ara Nazarian lead the Lancers to their third consecutive Super 8 Massachusetts High School Championship. Nazarian scored 9 goals and 5 assists in the playoffs and earned the Mr. Hockey Award as the best high school player in Massaschusetts.

The 2014 Super 8 Tournament is underway and Malden Catholic is the #2 Seed. In the opening round, a best-of-three series, the Lancers faced perennial contender Catholic Memorial (West Roxbury). In the first game, held at TD Bank Garden, Malden Catholic held on to win 4-3. 17-year-old Nazarian, now a junior at Malden Catholic and the team's Alternate Captain, assisted on the Lancers' 1st and 3rd goals. In the closing minute, Catholic Memorial gained a 2-man advantage as a result of a power play and pulling their goalie. Nazarian came up with the defensive play of the game as described by ESPNBoston.com:

"While it was a “quiet” two-assist game for MC captain Aza Nazarian, it was a play in his defensive zone with time winding down that won’t show on the score sheet. With the goalie pulled and C-M making their final push on a power play in the final minute, Anthony Pannagio had the puck on his stick, cocked and ready to fire into an open side, when Nazarian got his stick in the shooting lane and deflected the attempt wide of the net. For a player known so much for his offensive ability, his subtle play on the defensive end saved his team from facing overtime."

The scene for Game 2 shifted to the Tsongas Center at UMass Lowell. Catholic Memorial built a 4-2 lead early in the second period but Malden Catholic responded with 4 unanswered goals. The Lancers came out on top 6-4 and Nazarian assisted on 3 of the goals including the game-winner by Tyler Sifferlin, a UMass-Lowell recruit. Jeff Cox of SB Nation had this to say about Nazarian's performance:

"The Boxford, Mass. native showed everyone in attendance, including his future college coaching staff, why he's so highly sought after and why he'll likely hear his name called in the 2014 NHL Draft. He was strong on pucks, drove hard to the net and showed his offensive creativity on more than one occasion. He's only five-foot-10, but when he turns on the jets, he plays a bigger game. As he's been so often over the past couple seasons, he was absolutely dynamic and dominant Wednesday."

With the victory, Malden Catholic advanced to the Super 8 semifinals. They will play Springfield Cathedral this Thursday, 6:00 at the Tsongas Center. The game was originally scheduled for Wednesday but has been moved because of an impending winter storm. Austin Prep faces BC High in the other semifinal game at 8:00.

After the first two games of the Super 8 Tournament, Nazarian is tied for second in scoring with 5 assists. He will turn 18 on June 1st and is eligible for the 2014 NHL Draft to be held on June 27-28 in Philadelphia. To date, he has not been identified by the NHL Central Scouting Service on any of their lists of likely draft picks. For now, he is focused on helping Malden Catholic win their 4th straight Super 8 Championship. Nazarian committed to UNH last April and is on target to enroll in either the Fall of 2015 or 2016.

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	19	0	0	0	16
	Playoffs	BCHL	5	0	1	1	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	42	12	20	32	69
Warren Foegele  (F)	St. Andrews College	CISAA	14	17	6	23	15
	Playoffs	CISAA	5	5	4	9	10
	St. Andrews College	MPHL	13	12	17	29	14
	Playoffs	MPHL	3	6	5	11	2
John Furgele  (D)	Jersey Hitmen	USPHL	44	8	29	37	16
	Playoffs	USPHL	4	0	3	3	0
Cameron Marks  (D)	Coquitlam Express	BCHL	57	4	24	28	12
	Playoffs	BCHL	5	0	0	0	2
Michael McNicholas  (F)	Vernon Vipers	BCHL	56	23	46	69	20
	Playoffs	BCHL	5	0	1	1	4
Andrew Poturalski  (F)	Cedar Rapids RoughRiders	USHL	50	17	30	47	16
Jason Salvaggio  (F)	Indiana Ice	USHL	43	13	10	23	29
2015 Recruits
Rich Boyd  (D)	Cushing Academy	NEPSHC	31	10	30	40	-
	Elite 8	NEPSHC	1	0	0	0	-
Jason Kalinowski  (F)	Cedar Rapids RoughRiders	USHL	47	6	21	27	58
Charlie Kelleher  (F)	Junior Bruins 18U	USPHL 18U	22	4	11	15	2
	Playoffs	USPHL 18U	2	1	2	3	0
	Junior Bruins Premiere	USPHL Premiere	2	2	2	4	0
Joseph Masonius  (D)	USA U17 Team	USHL	19	0	1	1	26
Chris Miller  (F)	Junior Bruins	USPHL	31	5	10	15	10
	Playoffs	USPHL	4	0	0	0	2
Danny Tirone  (G)	Cedar Rapids RoughRiders	USHL	34	20W	10L	2.65	.914
Marcus Vela  (F)	Langley Rivermen	BCHL	54	11	11	22	41
	Playoffs	BCHL	5	1	3	4	4
2015 or '16 Recruits
Liam Darcy  (D)	Berwick Academy	NEPSHC	19	6	17	23	-
Patrick Grasso  (F)	Des Moines Bucs	USHL	49	8	9	17	9
Aaron O'Neill  (F)	Green Bay Gamblers	USHL	29	0	1	1	4
Ara Nazarian  (F)	Malden Catholic	Mass HS	20	20	27	47	-
	Super 8	Mass HS	2	0	5	5	-
Nick Nonis  (D)	Governor's Academy	NEPSHC	26	6	1	7	-
Brendan van Riemsdyk   (F)	Jersey Hitmen 18U	USPHL 18U	8	5	8	13	2
	Playoffs	USPHL 18U	3	0	1	1	12
	Christian Brothers	Jersey Prep	12	17	13	30	-
	Playoffs	Jersey Prep	3	2	5	7	-
2016 Recruits
Justin Fregona  (F)	St. Andrews College	CISAA	15	7	6	13	24
	Playoffs	CISAA	5	4	1	5	8
	St. Andrews College	MPHL	13	9	12	21	16
	Playoffs	MPHL	3	3	4	7	6

News & Notes

British Columbia Hockey League:

Four UNH Recruits are playing in the 1st Round of the BCHL Playoffs:
~ Dylan Chanter and Michael McNicholas with Vernon Vipers.
~ Cameron Marks with Coquitlam Express.
~ Marcus Vela with Langley Rivermen.

Here's where the best-of-seven series stand:
Vernon Vipers, 3 Wins vs West Kelowna Warriors, 2 Wins.
Coquitlam Express, 3 Wins vs Prince George Spruce Kings, 2 Wins.
Langley Rivermen, 3 Wins vs Surrey Eagles, 2 Wins.

United States Premiere Hockey League:

~ John Furgele and the Jersey Hitmen will face Chris Miller and the Junior Bruins in the Premiere Division Championship. The best-of-three series is scheduled for March 12-14 at the New England Sports Center in Marlborough, MA.

United States Hockey League:

~ Andrew Poturalski, Jason Kalinowski, Danny Tirone, and the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders are battling for a playoff berth in the Eastern Conference of the USHL. They are currently in third place, one point behind the Dubuque Fighting Saints. The top four teams in each Conference, at the end of the regular season, advance to the USHL Playoffs. Poturalski is in the midst of a 6-game scoring streak. He has scored 4 goals, including a game-winning goal, and 3 assists during the stretch. Poturalski is 9th in scoring in the USHL and tied for 7th in assists.

New Jersey Non-Public High School Championship:

~ 2015 or '16 UNH Recruit Brendan van Riemsdyk and Christian Brothers Academy faced Morristown-Beard in the NJ State Championship game last Sunday. Following three periods plus an overtime period, the game ended in a 4-4 tie and both teams were named the Co-Champions. After falling behind 4-1 in the first period, Christian Brothers stormed back with 3 unanswered goals. BvR assisted on CBA's second goal. Overall, van Riemsdyk scored 2 goals and 5 assists in CBA's three playoff games and was named to the New Jersey Devils All-Tournament Team.