THE UNH MEN'S HOCKEY BLOG

UNH Recruits Update: Week 16

2012-01-23T15:10:00.001-05:00

Player of the Week - Dan Correale

Last season, 2012 UNH Recruit Dan Correale was the 4th leading scorer in the Alberta Junior Hockey League. As a member of the Grande Prairie Storm, he ended the 2010-11 season with 24 goals and 46 assists in 60 games. Correale dished out the second most assists in the AJHL. He was on track to play for UNH this season but his plan was side-tracked by shoulder surgery over the summer. In early December, before he had fully recuperated, Correale was traded to the Nanaimo Clippers of the British Columbia Hockey League. Correale welcomed the opportunity to play for his former coach Mike Vandekamp.

Since his return to action on December 14th, Dan Correale has scored 5 goals and 3 assists in 10 games with the Nanaimo Clippers. Last week, Correale scored 3 goals in two important games with teams ahead of the Clippers in the BCHL standings. On Jan. 20th, Correale scored a go-ahead goal as the Clippers beat the Surrey Eagles in overtime 3-2. He was awarded the #2 Star of the game. On Sunday, Correale scored 2 goals, including a game-winning, power play goal against the Merritt Centennials. For his efforts, Correale earned the #1 Star of the game. The 5'10", 180 lbs. forward has regained his high-scoring touch as he prepares himself for arrival at UNH next fall.

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	10	5	3	8	6
Maxim Gaudreault	Sioux City	USHL	34	7	8	15	24
Jamie Hill	Waterloo	USHL	31	5	13	18	36
Collin MacDonald	Jersey Hitmen	EJHL	35	24	15	39	12
Harry Quast	Bay State	EJHL	34	7	18	25	40
Kyle Smith	Junior Bruins	EJHL	32	17	32	49	24
2012 or '13 Recruit
Brett Pesce	Jersey Hitmen	EJHL	17	1	5	6	18
2013 Recruit
Jordan Masters	Muskegon	USHL	24	4	8	12	37
Matias Cleland	Waterloo	USHL	20	0	3	3	24
Dylan Maller	Tri-City	USHL	25	1	2	3	8
Andrew Poturalski	Buffalo Jr Sabres	OJHL	27	13	17	30	12
2013 or '14 Recruit
Michael McNicholas	Muskegon	USHL	17	2	3	5	6
2014 Recruits
Shane Eiserman	Cushing Academy	NEPSAC	17	7	18	25	-
Tyler Kelleher	USA U17 Team	USHL	18	8	8	16	16
2015 Recruits
Jason Kalinowski	Salisbury Prep	NEPSAC	15	6	6	12	-

News & Notes

United States Hockey League:
~ In the four games the U.S. Under-17 NTDP team has played since it resumed action in the USHL, Tyler Kelleher has scored 3 goals and an assist. Kelleher maintained his position as the second leading scorer on Team USA.

~ Jordan Masters is scheduled to compete in the first ever USHL/NHL Top Prospects Game this Tuesday, January 24th. The game will be played at the Muskegon Lumberjacks' home arena - where Masters plays - and will showcase many of the top USHL players eligible for the 2012 NHL Entry Draft.

~ After missing two Lumberjack games, Michael McNicholas returned to the lineup for both games last week.

Eastern Junior Hockey League:
~ 2012 Recruit Collin MacDonald has scored 4 goals in the last 4 games and is the 4th leading goal scorer in the EJHL.

Ontaria Junior Hockey League:
~ 2013 Recruit Andrew Poturalski recovered from a broken ankle sustained in mid-November and has returned to the Buffalo Junior Sabres' lineup. In his 4th game back, Poturalski scored a goal to up his total for the season to 13 goals in 27 games.

UNH Splits With 6th-Ranked Merrimack

2012-01-22T01:45:00.003-05:00

DURHAM, NH - As sophomore forward Nick Sorkin said in the post-game news conference, UNH has figured out how to play effective team defense. Merrimack College entered the weekend series with UNH ranked 6th in the nation. In a 2-1 win on Friday and 2-3 overtime loss tonight, UNH held the Warriors to 25 and 26 shots on goal respectively. That's 5-6 fewer shots on goal than Merrimack has averaged this season.

In the last four games, beginning with Providence College on Jan. 11th, UNH has only allowed a total of 5 goals. How are they doing it? A big reason is stick work in their defensive zone. Tonight, in particular, it was remarkable how many shots were blocked with sticks and how often a UNH defenseman or forward quickly corraled a loose puck and cleared it away from the scoring zone.

Another noticable improvement is the number of odd-man rushes UNH is allowing into their zone. There are no stats for this but Merrimack managed very few tonight. Even when Merrimack attempted their familiar stategy of positioning a forward up near the UNH blueline to wait for a homerun pass out of their own zone, UNH defenders were all over it. On one play in the third period, a Merrimack forward hanging out between the red line and the UNH blueline received a long pass but freshman Trevor van Riemsdyk was right there to poke check the puck away.

UNH is also playing smart, strategic defense. With less than a minute left in Friday's game, Merrimack called timeout just before a faceoff in the UNH end. Merrimack pulled Cannata for the extra attacker and drew up a play. At the same time, the UNH unit had gathered around Associate Coach Jim Tortorella and he diagrammed how he wanted UNH to defend against what Merrimack was likely to do off the faceoff. When the puck was dropped, UNH effectively neutralized Merrimack's play.

Both Nick Sorkin and junior defenseman Connor Hardowa (pictured above) deserve The UNH Men's Hockey Blog's #1 Star for their combined play in the two Merrimack games. Sorkin had an assist on the game-winning goal Friday and 2 assists and 4 SOG tonight. Hardowa scored an assist last night and scored the game-tying goal with about 11 minutes left in regulation tonight. On that powerplay goal, Sorkin and Hardowa combined on one of the prettiest goals of the season. Sorkin was positioned in the faceoff circle to the left of Merrimack goalie Joe Cannata and he saw Hardowa skating toward the net on the opposite side of the ice. Sorkin threaded the needle through the congestion in front of Cannata and Hardowa blasted a one-timer. The shot was particularly impressive because Hardowa is a right-handed shot and had to reach back to shoot the puck past the right side of Cannata.

Of course, freshman goalie Casey DeSmith deserves more than honorable mention for his back-to-back starts against Merrimack. Most of the time, DeSmith is directing rebounds into the corners and his glove work has been impressive. On two different occasions in the game tonight, he stopped a flurry of Merrimack activity by reaching up over his head to snag a floating, elevated puck.

DeSmith has started 6 games so far this season which are not enough to include him on the official Hockey East goalie rankings. However, DeSmith's 2.00 goals against average would put him in 2nd place behind UMass-Lowell goalie Doug Carr. DeSmith's save percentage of .927 would place him in 3rd just behind Merrimack standout goalie Joe Cannata.

With the two points UNH earned on Friday night, they now have 13 points in Hockey East games and are in 8th place. UMass-Amherst is one point ahead of UNH and Providence College is two points ahead. UNH has two more games with both of these teams. As UNH demonstrated this weekend, they can compete with a top team in Hockey East and the nation. Next weekend will provide another such opportunity as UNH plays a home-and-home series against Boston College.

UNH Recruits At The 2012 EJHL All-Star Classic

2012-01-18T16:55:00.000-05:00

The youngsters who have committed to play hockey at the University of New Hampshire are developing their skills all over North America in four junior leagues and in prep school hockey. When I've watched UNH Recruits play in a game, either in person or online, there's usually one and occasionally two recruits in the lineup. So, when the 2012 Eastern Junior Hockey League All-Star Classic came to the Tri-Town Arena in Hooksett, NH on Monday and three UNH Recruits were on the rosters, it was an opportunity not to be missed.

The three All-Stars planning to enroll at UNH in the fall of 2012 - Collin MacDonald, Kyle Smith, and Harry Quast - are among the leading scorers in the EJHL. MacDonald is the 4th leading goal scorer and Smith is 5th in assists and 7th in total points. Among EJHL defensemen, Quast is tied for 1st in total goals and power play goals, and tied for 3rd in points.

The Northern Division and Southern Division teams featured 20 players who have accepted offers to play college hockey. Nine are committed to Hockey East teams and four others will play in the Ivy League. With so much talent playing in an exhibition game, I expected the type of run-and-gun, high-scoring play usually seen in all-star games. Not so. The fans - which included numerous college coaches - were treated to fast-paced, tight-checking hockey with solid goaltending.

The first period ended in a 1-1 tie with goals from Nick Bligh (South Shore Kings/Dartmouth) for the Southern Division and Brett Mason (Valley Junior Warriors/Uncommitted) for the Northern Division. Early in the second period, Cody Learned (Junior Bruins/Yale) put the North ahead but T.J. O'Brien (Bay State Breakers/Uncommitted) tied the score a short time later.

With about 8 minutes left in the second period and the score tied 2-2, Kyle Smith (Junior Bruins/UNH) fired a shot on goal and K.J. Tiefenwerth (Junior Bruins/former Boston College commit/Now Uncommitted) gathered the rebound, made a nifty spin move in front of the crease, and scored.

With less than a half-minute left in the second period and the Southern Division trailing 3-2, Collin MacDonald (Jersey Hitmen/UNH) won a faceoff in the Northern zone and fellow Jersey Hitman Steven Swavely (uncommitted) beat Rochester Stars' goalie Gordon Ceasar.

In the final period, the Southern Division went on top 4-3 on a goal from Tyler Bouchard (Springfield Pics/UConn). In the waning seconds of regulation, Zach Luczyk (Junior Bruins/Quinnipiac) tied the game 4-4.

Collin MacDonald was chosen to shoot first for the South in the shootout. As he approached the net, MacDonald made a quick backhand to forehand to backhand move and beat the goalie on the high side. The Southern Division won the shootout on a subsequent goal by Jimmy Vesey (South Shore Kings/Harvard).

Notes on UNH Recruits

~ Kyle Smith - This is the first time I've seen Smith play this season (I saw him once last season). In skating style and stature, he is tall and lanky and reminiscent of sophomore forward Jeff Silengo. Smith's forte is passing and setting up goals. He is the Assistant Captain of the Junior Bruins.

~ Collin MacDonald - This is the third time I've seen MacDonald play this season and he continues to impress. He has moved up to the first line for the Jersey Hitmen and plays on their first power play unit. MacDonald is a big, strong left-winger who shows speed in open ice and tenacious one-on-one play in the offensive zone. He's often called on to take the faceoff in the offensive zone as he did on the third goal of the EJHL All-Star game.

~ Harry Quast - The All-Star game was my first opportunity to see Harry Quast play and I was pleasantly surprised. Quast is the most recent player to commit to UNH and there have been no reports of him being offered an athletic scholarship. However, Quast's skills may translate very well on the big ice sheet at the Whittemore Center. To begin with, for a big defenseman (6'4", 210 lbs.) Quast is a graceful, fast skater. In the defensive zone, Quast was physical - routinely checking the puck carrier into the boards - and he used his long arms/reach to effectively poke-check the puck away from forwards trying to skate past him. On rushes through center ice, Quast always had his head up looking to make his next move. On at least three occasions, Quast made pinpoint, long passes from just over his blueline, across the centerline, to a forward just about to enter the offensive zone. Quast will definitely be in the mix in the battle for playing time at UNH next season.

UNH Recruits Update: Week 15

2012-01-16T17:45:00.001-05:00

Player of the Week - Tyler Kelleher

Following a strong finish at the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge, 17-year-old forward Tyler Kelleher continued his scoring ways as the U.S. Under-17 NTDP team resumed play in the USHL. In back-to-back, away games against Youngstown last weekend, Kelleher scored a goal each night. Team USA won both games against the Phantoms who had the best home-game record in the USHL. In the final period of the 2-1 victory on Friday night, Kelleher gathered a loose puck in the corner, skated behind the Youngstown net, and buried a wrap-around goal. It was Kelleher's second game-winning-goal in his first season in the USHL. On a team loaded with top American players born in 1995, Kelleher is now the second leading scorer.

Last season, Tyler Kelleher was a freshman at Deerfield Academy and scheduled to graduate in the Spring of 2014. Unless he accelerates his schooling, he's on track to enter UNH in the Fall of 2014. If he graduates from high school a year early, he will have played two seasons with the U.S. National Team Development Program. At that point, he would be ready - both academically and in terms of his hockey development - 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	8	2	3	5	4
Maxim Gaudreault	Sioux City	USHL	32	7	7	14	22
Jamie Hill	Waterloo	USHL	29	5	12	17	34
Collin MacDonald	Jersey Hitmen	EJHL	32	22	13	35	12
Harry Quast	Bay State	EJHL	31	7	18	25	36
Kyle Smith	Junior Bruins	EJHL	30	14	31	45	22
2012 or '13 Recruit
Brett Pesce	Jersey Hitmen	EJHL	17	1	5	6	18
2013 Recruit
Jordan Masters	Muskegon	USHL	24	4	8	12	37
Matias Cleland	Waterloo	USHL	19	0	3	3	22
Dylan Maller	Tri-City	USHL	22	1	2	3	6
Andrew Poturalski	Buffalo Jr Sabres	OJHL	23	12	17	29	12
2013 or '14 Recruit
Michael McNicholas	Muskegon	USHL	15	2	3	5	6
2014 Recruits
Shane Eiserman	Cushing Academy	NEPSAC	16	7	18	25	-
Tyler Kelleher	USA U17 Team	USHL	16	7	7	14	16
2015 Recruits
Jason Kalinowski	Salisbury Prep	NEPSAC	12	6	4	10	-

News & Notes

Eastern Junior Hockey League:
~ This afternoon (Monday) I had an oppportunity to attend the 2012 EJHL All-Star Game at the Tri-Town Arena in Hooksett, NH. 2012 Recruits Collin MacDonald, and Harry Quast played for the Southern Division Team and Kyle Smith played for the Northern Division. The Southern team won in a shootout. Look for an upcoming post on the details.

~ At the All-Star break, Collin MacDonald is the 4th leading goal scorer in the EJHL. Kyle Smith is 5th in assists and 7th in total points. Among EJHL defensemen, Harry Quast is tied for 1st in total goals and power play goals, and tied for 3rd in points

United States Hockey League:
~ Jordan Masters and Michael McNicholas missed the last two Lumberjack games but are expected to return to the lineup soon.

UNH Smothers Dartmouth 4-1

2012-01-15T02:45:00.001-05:00

MANCHESTER, NH - It's time to recognize the valuable contributions of new Associate Coach Jim Tortorella. The 2012 UNH Wildcats have started to play an effective, aggressive-style of team defense. Over the first two periods of the 11th Annual Riverstone Cup, UNH only allowed Dartmouth 8 shots on goal. Everyone from freshman goalie Casey DeSmith, to the defensemen, to the back-checking forwards contributed to a stifling defensive effort which resulted in a 4-1 victory over Dartmouth. Coach Tortorella, whose primary responsibilities include the goalies, defensemen and penalty kill units, deserves a measure of credit for UNH's improved defensive play.

The difference between UNH's play in its own end over the last two games and what often happened during the first half of the season is striking. During the long stretch from mid-November until the end of 2011, when UNH lost 7 out of 8 games, the players were often ineffective at intercepting passes, blocking shots, and covering opposing players around the net. Following the 1-0 shutout of Providence College on Wednesday night, Coach Umile praised the team for not allowing grade A scoring opportunities. Tonight, the UNH fans who braved the cold on their way to the Verizon Wireless Arena got to see for themselves how much the team defense has improved. The defensemen and forwards used their speed and agility to attack the puck carrier, clog up the passing lanes, and push opposing players away from the net. On those few occasions when a shot got through to DeSmith, he was up to the task - either directing rebounds safely into the corners, making a glove save, or pouncing on the puck to stop play. Overall, DeSmith made 21 saves against Dartmouth to go along with 26 saves at Providence.

The same attacking defense was also evident when UNH killed off three power plays. Rather than remaining static in a tight box in front of DeSmith, the penalty killers were pursuing the puck carrier out on the perimeter. For example, during one penalty-kill sequence in the third period, defenseman Connor Hardowa skated from below the goal line out to the top of the circle to poke-check the puck away from a Dartmouth attacker.

Dartmouth's only goal came midway through the first period seconds after a UNH power play ended. A nice outlet pass sent forwards Doug Jones and Matt Lindblad off on a 2-on-1 break. After some nifty passing between the two, Lindblad beat DeSmith who had little chance of making the save.

Plenty of Offense

UNH defensive dominance was matched by its offensive effort. Over the first two periods, UNH outshot Dartmouth 23 to 8 and lead 3-1. Tomorrow's headlines will highlight Senior Stevie Moses extraordinary display of 8 shots on goal and 4 goals. There were also plenty of assists to go around. Moses first goal was a one-timer, slap shot set up by a perfect pass from Freshman Trevor van Riemsdyk. His second goal - a shorthanded goal early in the second period - came on a 2-on-1 break with Kevin Goumas. Moses third goal with less than 5 minutes remaining in the period came when he banged in a rebound off a slap shot from Connor Hardowa. The fourth goal by Stevie Moses, which came about 7 minutes into the final period, was one for the highlight reel. Nick Sorkin dug the puck out from behind the net and Moses zipped a backhand shot with his back facing Dartmouth goalie James Mello.

Adjustments That Have Paid Off

~ Ever since Freshman Casey DeSmith replaced Matt Di Girolamo in the third period against Brown University, he seems to be gaining confidence.

~ At the Frozen Fenway game against Maine, Kevin Goumas and Nick Sorkin switched positions on the first line. Goumas is now centering Sorkin on the left wing and Moses on the right wing. While Sorkin was productive as a center, Kevin Goumas adds quickness and dogged tenacity to the line's forechecking. Goumas is particularly effective when he controls the puck behind the opponents' net.

~ First-year defenseman Justin Agosta was paired with veteran Brett Kostolansky. On those occasions when Agosta gets caught up in the offensive play, Kostolansky's speed allows him to cover any breakouts into the neutral zone.

UNH Stars of the Game

#3 Star: Kevin Goumas - 3 assists and 3 shots on goal; Goumas was in the thick of the action every shift.

#2 Star: Casey Desmith - The game against Dartmouth marked DeSmith's fourth full game in his NCAA career. The freshman goalie from Rochester, NH now has a save percentage of .929 and a goals-against average of 2.00.

#1 Star: Stevie Moses - Moses was named the "Player of the Game" for the 11th Annual Riverstone Cup.

UNH Recruits Update: Week 14

2012-01-10T13:30:00.003-05:00

Player of the Week - Jason Kalinowski*

Early in his second season of prep school hockey, 16-year-old forward Jason Kalinowski (DOB 7/2/95) has nearly equalled his scoring totals from last season. A junior at The Salisbury School, Kalinowski has scored 6 goals and 4 assists in the first 11 games. In Salisbury's two victories last week against Deerfield and Taft, Kalinowski tallied 2 goals and 2 assists. The right-handed winger is currently the 3rd leading scorer on the very talented Salisbury squad and is 2nd in goals scored. Combine Kalinowski with fellow 1995-born, UNH recruits Tyler Kelleher at center and Shane Eiserman at left wing and you've got a potent offensive threat.
* Photo credit: Dave Arnold Photography

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	6	2	2	4	2
Maxim Gaudreault	Sioux City	USHL	30	7	7	14	20
Jamie Hill	Waterloo	USHL	27	5	11	16	34
Collin MacDonald	Jersey Hitmen	EJHL	31	20	13	33	12
Harry Quast	Bay State	EJHL	30	7	18	25	36
Kyle Smith	Junior Bruins	EJHL	27	13	27	40	8
2012 or '13 Recruit
Brett Pesce	Jersey Hitmen	EJHL	17	1	5	6	18
2013 Recruit
Jordan Masters	Muskegon	USHL	24	4	8	12	37
Matias Cleland	Waterloo	USHL	17	0	3	3	17
Dylan Maller	Tri-City	USHL	20	1	2	3	4
Andrew Poturalski	Buffalo Jr Sabres	OJHL	21	12	17	29	12
2013 or '14 Recruit
Michael McNicholas	Muskegon	USHL	15	2	3	5	6
2014 Recruits
Shane Eiserman	Cushing Academy	NEPSAC	14	7	14	21	-
Tyler Kelleher	USA U17 Team	USHL	14	5	7	12	14
2015 Recruits
Jason Kalinowski	Salisbury Prep	NEPSAC	11	6	4	10	-

News & Notes

United States Hockey League:
~ Tyler Kelleher and the U.S. Under-17 National Team advanced to the gold medal game of the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge but lost to the Russian team 4-7. Kelleher had two assists in the final game including one on a pretty rush into the offensive zone and manuever around a Russian defender on the first goal of the game. The NTDP U-17 team returns to USHL action on January 13th.
~ Jordan Masters has been selected to compete in the first ever USHL/NHL Top Prospects Game on January 24th. The game will showcase many of the top USHL players eligible for the 2012 NHL Entry Draft.

Eastern Junior Hockey League:
~ Over the last couple of weeks, 2012 or 2013 Recruit Brett Pesce played in four college hockey games as a member of the U.S. NTDP U-18 Team. Some of his highlights included:
- A +2 rating in the Minnesota State University-Mankato game.
- Playing in the starting lineup against the University of Wisconsin.
- A +1 rating against Northeastern University.
- Three blocked shots in the Boston University game.
- No penalties in any of the four games.
Pesce will rejoin the Jersey Hitmen of the EJHL.
~ 2012 Recruits Kyle Smith, Collin MacDonald, and Harry Quast have been selected to play in the 2012 EJHL All-Star Game. The game will be played on Monday, Jan 16th at noon at the Tri-Town Arena in Hooksett, NH.

British Columbia Hockey League:
~ 2012 Recruit Dan Correale, who was out of action from August to mid-December following shoulder surgery, regained his scoring touch last week. In the Nanaimo Clippers' game against Surrey, Correale scored a short-handed goal and assisted on the game-tying goal. Against the Langley Rivermen, he scored another game-tying assist and earned the #2 Star.

Ontaria Junior Hockey League:
~ 2013 Recruit Andrew Poturalski will return to the Buffalo Junior Sabres' lineup tonight in a home game against the Georgetown Raiders. Poturalski broke his ankle during practice in mid-November.

UNH Forces Overtime at Frozen Fenway

2012-01-08T23:04:00.001-05:00

BOSTON, MA - 100 years ago, the old ball yard was constructed on the former marshlands in the Back Bay of Boston. Ever since then, the handsome brick walls have framed a long list of memorable athletic events. For the families of UNH hockey players and the UNH families who love UNH hockey, an ice hockey game played atop the infield grass on a balmy January evening has been added to the list.

Thanks to extensive media coverage leading up to Frozen Fenway 2012, fans got to watch UNH players describe how excited they were to play at Fenway in front of tens of thousands. As the UNH flag lead the team onto the ice, the noise and enthusiasm rivaled similar moments at the Whittemore Center.

Veteran fans can be forgiven for not recognizing UNH's all-time leading scorer Ralph Cox (Class of 1979) as he dropped the ceremonial puck. Back in the days when he sported a fu manchu, Cox posted an amazing 70+ points per season his last three years at UNH and was named an All-American twice. Those who don't remember seeing Ralph Cox play may recognize him as the last player cut by legendary coach Herb Brooks from the USA team that first beat Russia, then beat Finland for gold in 1980. In the fanfare of the pregame festivities, it was easy to momentarilly forget how important the contest against Maine was for the Hockey East standings.

UNH seemed to ride the tide by scoring just a minute into the game. Freshman Grayson Downing made a Crosby-like, low backhanded shot on Maine goalie Dan Sullivan forcing a right pad save. John Henrion buried the rebound. A few minutes later, Maine would tie the game on the first of their three power play goals.

Late in the first period, Senior Captain Damon Kipp was called for the first of his two penalties on the evening. Kipp, who is big and plays an aggressive, pro-style game, received a hitting from behind penalty for contact that would likely be overlooked at the professional level. UNH successfully killed off that penalty and entered the dugout tied at 1-1.

Over the first half of the second period, Maine controlled more of the territorial play than UNH. At the 10-minute mark, Kipp was penalized again for a body check that could have gone either way. His objections to the "boarding" call lasted all the way to the penalty box. UNH successfully killed off the first minute of the penalty but then John Henrion was whistled for interference.

UNH, which has the third lowest penalty minutes in Hockey East, had dug itself a considerable hole. They faced a 5-on-3 against the top Maine power play unit which features three, high-scoring seniors - Spencer Abbott, Brian Flynn and Will O'Neill. In an outstanding individual effort, sophomore Kevin Goumas shocked the veteran Maine unit by stealing the puck at the red line, sprinting into the Maine zone on a breakaway, and beating Sullivan between his blocker and body.

Maine answered with another powerplay goal with just a few seconds left on the two-man advantage. The initial shot was redirected past freshman goalie Casey DeSmith who had no chance of stopping the deflection. UNH managed to kill off part of the subsequent 5-on-4 powerplay but Maine scored it's third powerplay goal on a shot that DeSmith did not appear to handle cleanly. Maine outshot UNH 13-3 in the second period and lead 3-2. Their momentum carried into the third period when Maine scored their 4th goal shortly after the puck dropped.

Trailing 4-2 with about 18 minutes left in regulation, UNH picked up the pace and intensity. The strength of their game - transitioning through center ice and making crisp passes into the opponents' zone - came to the fore. Kevin Goumas scored his second goal of the night on a quick pass from Stevie Moses. A few minutes later, persistent forechecking by the Grayson Downing-Jeff Silengo-John Henrion line resulted in Downing's 6th goal of his freshman season. Score tied 4-4.

For the remaining 15 minutes of the third period, both teams worked their tails off in a close-checking battle. There were no further penalties to either team. UNH outshot Maine 13-8 in the final period.

The Fenway Faithful were treated to the second overtime game of the day (UMass beat UVM in the opener). When the day began, UNH and Maine were separated by only 4 points in the Hockey East standings. UNH needed to finish up its come-from-behind effort with at least a point but it was not to be. Senior forward Brain Flynn finished off a cycling play by Maine's first line a minute and a half into overtime.

UNH Stars for the Night

#3 Star: Casey Desmith - Playing in only his fourth NCAA game and starting for the second time, the freshman goalie from Rochester, NH played well given the circumstances.

#2 Star: Grayson Downing - In his first 17 games as a college player, Downing has scored nearly a point a game. His goal against Maine placed him in a tie for third leading scorer on the team.

#1 Star: Kevin Goumas - The sophomore forward has become a mainstay on UNH's first line. His speed, quickness and tenacity resulted in two goals against Maine.

The Road Ahead

With 14 games remaining against Hockey East opponents, UNH finds itself in uncharted territory. If the season ended today, it would miss the Hockey East Tournament for the first time since most UNH fans can remember. However, they are only 1 point behind Northeastern and UMass-Amherst and 4 points behind Providence. They have 6 head-to-head games left with these teams and 2 more games against last-place Vermont.

RePost of "UNH to Play in Frozen Fenway 2012"

2012-01-03T16:44:00.000-05:00

The following is a repost of an article which appeared on The UNH Men's Hockey Blog last August. It covers the news conference held at Fenway Park when the grass was green, the weather was hot, and the Red Sox were still in the Pennant Race.

FENWAY PARK, Boston - When it's 86 degrees and the sun is reflecting off the Green Monster, it's difficult to imagine anyone playing hockey on the lush infield grass. But that's exactly what will happen on January 7, 2012. At a press conference this afternoon, Boston Mayor Tom Menino announced that the celebration of the 100th Anniversary of Fenway Park will begin with the Frozen Fenway 2012. The University of New Hampshire men's hockey team will play against rival the University of Maine in a 7:30 p.m. game. UMass Amherst will face off against UVM in the 4:00 p.m. game.

Speaking in front of representatives of the Boston Red Sox, Hockey East Association, Fenway Sports Management, New England Sports Network, and a couple dozen reporters, UNH Coach Dick Umile said "Over the years, Timmy (Whitehead) and I and Coach Walsh talked about us possibly playing a game like this in a big venue and I can't think of a better place to play than at Fenway Park. We're really looking forward to it. We have a lot of alums in the New England area and Boston area and hopefully they along with our fans will be down here. Hopefully we'll sell this out quickly because it's going to be an exciting day."

Following the formal remarks, I had an opportunity to interview Co-Captains Mike Borisenok and Damon Kipp. When asked about their experience playing hockey outdoors, Borisenok said "I grew up playing outside (in Watervilet, NY) whether it was on a pond or home-built rink. I never got to play an outdoor game so it's going to be really exciting." Kipp described his early experiences growing up in Salmon Arm, British Columbia. "I played a lot on a lake after shoveling the snow and setting up banks for the rink. I played with a lot of my friends - not a lot of them played hockey - but it's such a tradition to throw on the skates, get a stick and puck and shoot around. Good memories growing up, that's for sure."

I asked both Co-Captains and Coach Umile whether they would make any adjustments in their game plan going from indoor to outdoor hockey. Borisenok said "We'll play our systems. It's going to be the same size ice surface. The only difference will be the weather which could play a big impact." Kipp added "we're going to have to just play and deal with whatever's going on. The weather could be a big thing but we'll try to approach it like a normal game." Coach Umile indicated that the team will have an opportunity to practice on the specially-constructed ice surface at Fenway. Otherwise, he plans to prepare like it was any other game against Maine.

Tickets for the Frozen Fenway 2012 go on sale Tuesday, September 13th. Hockey East Commissioner Joe Bertagna reminded the audience that tickets for the 2010 games at Fenway Park sold out in two days. It was also announced today that the Bruins will play the Vancouver Canucks at the TD Garden earlier in the day on January 7th. Tom Carron said that all three games will be broadcast on NESN.

Notes:

Both captains told me that all of the incoming freshmen are either on campus or will be arriving soon in Durham. That means that Jay Camper, Eric Chevrier, Casey DeSmith, Grayson Downing, Ryan Randall, Trevor van Riemsdyk, Casey Thrush, and Matt Willows should be suiting up for UNH in a few weeks.

A representative of the Athletic Department indicated that the replacement for Coach Lassonde should be announced early next week. As with most state positions, the posting needed to be up for a specific period of time.

And finally, in what could be a harbinger of things to come, the little bear mascot for the University of Maine passed out on the Fenway turf. He reportedly was recuperating and resting comfortably.

UNH Recruits Update: Week 13

2012-01-02T14:45:00.002-05:00

Player of the Week - Shane Eiserman

When 16-year-old forward Shane Eiserman (DOB 10/10/95) verbally accepted an offer to play for UNH last August, he had just completed a successful summer season with the U.S. National Team. As a 15-year-old, Eiserman was invited to the USA Hockey Select 16 Player Development Camp in June. His outstanding play earned him a spot on the US Under-17 Select Team that went on to win the Five Nations Tournament in early August. Now, as a sophomore at Cushing Academy in Ashburnham, MA, Eiserman has quickly become a top player in the New England Prep School Hockey Conference.

Last week, Shane Eiserman and the Cushing Academy Penguins won the annual Watkins Boys' Invitational Hockey Tournament by beating Canterbury, Lawrence, Northfield-Mt. Hermon, and Culver Academy. Eiserman scored the game-winning-goal in three of the games, one of which was an overtime goal against Canterbury. In the four games, Eiserman scored 5 goals and 4 assists. He is currently the second leading scorer for Cushing behind Garrett Hehir, a junior from Auburn, MA who has not yet committed to a Division I program. Eiserman will be eligible for the 2014 NHL Entry Draft. UNH fans from Western Massachusetts interested in seeing Shane Eiserman play can catch Cushing vs. the Berkshire School this Wednesday, 3:30 at Amherst College.

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	4	1	0	1	2
Maxim Gaudreault	Sioux City	USHL	28	7	6	13	18
Jamie Hill	Waterloo	USHL	25	5	11	16	34
Collin MacDonald	Jersey Hitmen	EJHL	30	20	13	33	12
Harry Quast	Bay State	EJHL	29	7	18	25	34
Kyle Smith	Junior Bruins	EJHL	26	12	27	39	6
2012 or '13 Recruit
Brett Pesce	Jersey Hitmen	EJHL	17	1	5	6	18
2013 Recruit
Jordan Masters	Muskegon	USHL	21	3	7	10	35
Matias Cleland	Waterloo	USHL	15	0	3	3	17
Dylan Maller	Tri-City	USHL	18	1	2	3	2
Andrew Poturalski	Buffalo Jr Sabres	OJHL	21	12	17	29	12
2013 or '14 Recruit
Michael McNicholas	Muskegon	USHL	12	2	3	5	0
2014 Recruits
Shane Eiserman	Cushing Academy	NEPSAC	12	7	12	19	-
Tyler Kelleher	USA U17 Team	USHL	14	5	7	12	14
2015 Recruits
Jason Kalinowski	Salisbury Prep	NEPSAC	9	4	2	6	-

News & Notes

United States Hockey League:
~ 2012 Recruit Maxim Gaudreault scored the game-winning-goal and added an assist in Sioux City's win over Lincoln on New Year's Eve. At this point in his second season with the Musketeers, Gaudreault (6'0", 193 lbs.) plays left wing on the 1st line and logs substantial minutes on Sioux City's penalty kill and power play units.
~ 2012 Recruit Jamie Hill has scored a goal and 3 assists in his last two games with the Waterloo BlackHawks. Hill is currently the right winger on Waterloo's 2nd line and plays on their 1st penalty kill unit.
~ 2013 Recruit Dylan Maller, a defenseman in his first season in the USHL scored his first goal for the Tri-City Storm in a 4-3 win over Sioux City.
~ Tyler Kelleher is a member of the U.S. Under-17 National Team currently playing in the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge in Ontario. The NTDP U-17 team returns to USHL action on January 13th.
Eastern Junior Hockey League:
~ 2012 or 2013 Recruit Brett Pesce played in two college hockey games last week as a member of the U.S. NTDP U-18 Team. On New Year's Eve, Pesce started against the University of Wisconsin.
~ Teams in the EJHL have resumed their schedule after a 10-day holiday break.

Brown Out The Whitt

2011-12-31T01:15:00.004-05:00

DURHAM, NH - Brown University goalie Marco De Filippo faced 41 shots on goal. He made 39 saves - several were spectacular.

For two periods, UNH goalie Matt Di Girolamo seemed to be fighting the routine saves. On Brown's second and third goals, he didn't succeed. Midway through the second period, UNH was already in a 3-0 hole. With some high-energy offensive play in the third period, UNH managed to make it a 3-2 contest. But in the end, Brown defeated UNH 5-2, including an empty net goal.

A cornerstone of the UNH teams that have advanced to the NCAA Tournament for 10 consecutive years has been outstanding goaltending. Michael Ayers, Jeff Pietrasiak, Kevin Regan, Brian Foster, and last season, Matt Di Girolamo. Without them making the routine and spectacular saves, UNH would not have been so successful.

I recently stumbled across a 2002 interview with legendary goalie coach Mike Geragosian. He has been the "volunteer" goalie coach for Boston University since 1999. In the article, Geragosian pointed out that a key part of his job is to study video of the opposing goalies to search for any vulnerabilities.

Assuming the Brown University coaching staff did this kind of homework, they may have noticed that Di Girolamo seems to be having difficulty with shots to his right, blocker side. On the second goal tonight, the shot went over Di Girolamo's right shoulder. He didn't lift his blocker up quick enough and because of his stature, there was plenty of space above his shoulder and under the crossbar. Another example is the flukey, first goal that BU scored against UNH in their second meeting of the season. On that occasion, Di Girolamo attempted to stand tall with his blocker but the puck snuck past him from a nearly impossible angle.

Throughout last season, Coach Umile made a point of giving credit to Di Girolamo's solid, consistent play in the net. It must have been a tough decision to pull him after the second period tonight. Freshman goaltender Casey DeSmith, who played so well against BU in the game before the holiday break, turned in another poised performance in the final period. On a rare penalty shot, DeSmith stood tall, moved laterally to his right, and made a kick save against Brown's Captain Jack Maclellan.

Next Saturday's game at Frozen Fenway will attract one of the largest viewerships for a UNH hockey game in recent years. On the strength of Di Girolamo's accomplishments last season and his stature as the senior goalie, he probably will get the start against the University of Maine. However, unless Di Girolamo returns to the form that made him a premier goalie in Hockey East, UNH fans may see a lot more of Casey DeSmith in the second half of the season.

This and That
~ Associate Coach Jim Tortorella - brother of the f-bomb throwing Head Coach of the New York Rangers featured on HBO's "24/7" - juggled his defensive pairings throughout the game. Of note, Damon Kipp was paired with Eric Knodel on the first power play unit. Trevor van Riemsdyk had been in that role prior to tonight.
~ With Dalton Speelman and Greg Burke out of the lineup, veteran Austin Block centered the line with freshmen Casey Thrush on the left wing and Matt Willows on the right wing. That line was effective in maintaining the puck in Brown's zone and generating 5 shots on goal.
~ Over the first two periods, leading scorer Stevie Moses seemed to be looking to pass more than usual, without much success. In the final period, Moses returned to the dynamic style which generates so many unassisted shots on goal. He finished the game with 9 shots on goal. If Di Filippo hadn't robbed him a few times, the outcome of the game would have been different.

UNH Recruit Brett Pesce Joins U.S. National U-18 Team

2011-12-29T14:30:00.004-05:00

One of UNH's top defensive recruits, Brett Pesce has been added to the roster of Team USA for two upcoming college games. The U.S. Under-18 National Team Development Program team will be playing Minnesota State University-Mankato on Dec. 30th and the University of Wisconsin on New Year's Eve. Pesce is substituting for Jacob Trouba who is playing for the U.S. National Junior Team at the 2012 World Junior Championships in Edmonton, Alberta.

Last summer, Brett Pesce participated in USA Hockey's Select 17 Player Development Camp and finished second in scoring among defensemen with a goal and 4 assists in 5 games. He was chosen for the U.S. Under-18 Select Team that competed in the 2011 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. The highlight for Pesce was assisting on the overtime, game-winning goal against the Russian team. Fellow UNH Recruit Jordan Masters was one of the leading scorers for the U.S. Team with 4 goals and 3 assists.

This season, Brett Pesce has primarily played for the Jersey Hitmen of the EJHL while he completes his senior year at Irvington High School in Westchester County, NY. Pesce missed the first 13 games of the Hitmen's season with an upper body injury. Since his return to the Hitmen lineup, Pesce has scored a goal and 5 assists in 17 games. Pesce has also played a few games for his high school team, the Sleepy Hollow/Irvington Legends.

When Brett Pesce committed to UNH last January, the plan was to graduate from high school in the spring of 2012 then play the 2012-13 season for the Omaha Lancers in the United States Hockey League. However, given his strong performance with Team USA last summer and the Jersey Hitmen this season, Pesce may be under consideration for admission to UNH in the Fall of 2012. UNH will lose senior defenseman Damon Kipp to graduation this spring and former freshman Eric Chevrier recently left UNH to play in the BCHL. UNH's newest recruit, defenseman Harry Quast of the Bay State Breakers, will be given an oppportunity to make the 2012-13 UNH squad. Don't be surprised to see Brett Pesce playing for the UNH Wildcats in the 2012-13 season.

All I Want for Christmas is a Jumbotron

2011-12-23T11:20:00.003-05:00

Ever since instant replays became commonplace on TV coverage of the NFL in the 1960's (it's true, you can look it up), the brains of sports fans have been trained to look for them. Exciting plays, scores, near misses, controversial calls - we want to see them again, the sooner the better. With the proliferation of Jumbotrons and other video scoreboards in hockey arenas all over the country, fans and players alike gaze upwards to see what just happened. But not at the Whittemore Center, home of the UNH Wildcats.

Travelling to away games this season, I've noticed how integral the video scoreboard has become to the college hockey experience at many schools. The type of scoreboard and the way the video display is used often reflects the character of the school. The Agganis Arena at Boston University, opened in 2005, has all the bells, whistles, and glitz you'd expect at a venue in the entertainment hub of New England. The robust, 4-sided Jumbotron suspended over center ice is shaped like the one at the old Boston Garden. When the game is in progress, the video displays on each side are used like an IMAX theater. The fans can either follow the actual players on the ice or watch the live video of the play around the puck. To maximize its entertainment value, the video scoreboard at Agganis is also used for other purposes such as player interviews and the between-periods dance contest.

In contrast, Harvard University utilizes its video scoreboard in a much more understated way. The Bright Hockey Center, originally built in 1956 and renovated/expanded in 1978, also has a four-sided video scoreboard suspended over center ice but it is smaller and tucked up into the rafters. In between periods, fans are shown a minidocumentary on the history of Harvard Hockey.

When the Whittemore Center in Durham, NH was opened in 1995, it was a state-of-the-art hockey facility. For the fans it offers great site lines, a spacious promenade where you can still see the ice, clean and ample restrooms, many seats with arms and backs, and good quality concession stands. Upgrades have included seamless glass on the boards. Players are attracted by the spacious locker rooms and amenities, the olympic-sized rink, and the fan enthusiasm.

The only element missing from the hockey experience at the Whittemore Center is a video scoreboard. Much of the infrastructure is in place. The wiring was reportedly installed years ago and TV cameras are provided through UNHWildcats.TV. Their coverage now includes instant replays.

Of course, budgets at New Hampshire's flagship university are tight and getting tighter every year. New Hampshire taxpayers are known for their thriftiness (some would say stinginess). However, a new video scoreboard does not need to be an extravagant Jumbotron. It would be more fitting to purchase a single-sided scoreboard to replace the one at the north end of the arena. Would you rather watch the two, beloved stick-figure fans in stilted "animation" or full-color, instant replays of the hockey action?

Perhaps the best solution would be a video scoreboard similar to the one some fans saw at St. Cloud State University earlier this season. Take advantage of New Hampshire's entrepreneurial spirit, round up several prominent businesses based in New Hampshire, and surround the video screen with their logos. Doesn't matter much whether the logo square footage far exceeds the size of the video display as long as fans can see the replays. Or maybe some former UNH players who have lucrative careers in the sport could guarantee contributions to a fund drive specifically for a video scoreboard for The Whitt.

It's best not to underestimate the value a video scoreboard has in recruiting talented players to UNH. Watch any NHL or NCAA hockey game and notice what the players on the bench automatically do following an important play in a game. Whether they want to see themselves in action, review a controversial call, or see a pretty goal-scoring play, the players are looking up at the video screen. It's as much a part of the modern hockey game as composite hockey sticks.

UNH Recruits Update: Week 12

2011-12-20T23:00:00.006-05:00

Player of the Week - Mike McNicholas

17-year-old forward Mike McNicholas has played in just 11 games in the United States Hockey League, but he has recently started to be a key contributor to the Muskegon Lumberjacks. When the USHL season began, McNicholas was on the roster but rarely dressed for games. Over the first 16 games, he only played in 5 games. McNicholas has now played in 5 games in a row and in these games, has scored 2 goals and 3 assists with a +/- rating of +4.

In the last game, the Lumberjacks pulled their goalie and McNicholas jumped on the ice as the extra attacker. With just 21 seconds left in regulation, McNicholas scored the tying goal against the Indiana Ice. Muskegon won in overtime.

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.

Last season, Tyler Kelleher was a freshman at Deerfield Academy and scheduled to graduate in the Spring of 2014. Unless he accelerates his schooling, he's on track to enter UNH in the Fall of 2014. If he graduates from high school a year early, he will have played two seasons with the U.S. National Team Development Program. At that point, he would be ready - both academically and in terms of his hockey development - to enroll at UNH in the Fall of 2013.

Player	Team	League	GP	Goals	Asst	Pts	PIM
2012 Recruits
Dan Correale	Nanaimo Clippers	BCHL	2	1	0	1	2
Maxim Gaudreault	Sioux City	USHL	25	6	5	11	16
Jamie Hill	Waterloo	USHL	23	4	8	12	34
Collin MacDonald	Jersey Hitmen	EJHL	29	19	13	32	12
Harry Quast	Bay State	EJHL	29	7	18	25	34
Kyle Smith	Junior Bruins	EJHL	26	12	27	39	6
2013 Recruit
Jordan Masters	Muskegon	USHL	20	3	7	10	33
Matias Cleland	Waterloo	USHL	13	0	2	0	17
Dylan Maller	Tri-City	USHL	15	0	2	2	2
Brett Pesce	Jersey Hitmen	EJHL	16	1	5	6	18
Andrew Poturalski	Buffalo Jr Sabres	OJHL	21	12	17	29	12
2013 or '14 Recruit
Michael McNicholas	Muskegon	USHL	11	2	3	5	0
2014 Recruits
Shane Eiserman	Cushing Academy	NEPSAC	8	2	8	10	-
Tyler Kelleher	USA U17 Team	USHL	14	5	7	12	14
2015 Recruits
Jason Kalinowski	Salisbury Prep	NEPSAC	9	4	2	6	-

News & Notes

British Columbia Hockey League:
~ After undergoing shoulder surgery and 5 months of rehabilitation, 2012 Recruit Dan Correale has returned to action. Now playing for the Nanaimo Clippers of the BCHL, Correale scored a short-handed goal in his second game back. It turned out to be the game winning goal as the Clippers defeated the Trail Smoke Eaters 5-0.
Ontario Junior Hockey League:
~ 2013 Recruit Andrew Poturalski broke his ankle during a practice session in the middle of November. He has been cleared to skate this week.
New England Prep School Hockey Conference:
~ 2014 Recruit Shane Eiserman is off to a fast start in his first season of prep school hockey. In 8 games with Cushing Academy, Eiserman has scored 2 goals and 8 assists.
~ 2015 Recruit Jason Kalinowski is also off to a solid start. In 9 games with the Salisbury School, Kalinowski has scored 4 goals and 2 assists.

Mike Vecchione's Decommitment from UNH: Part II

2011-12-18T17:03:00.012-05:00

Part I of the story began to explore how Mike Vecchione, a top high school hockey player in Massachusetts, initially committed to play at UNH, then recently decided to withdraw his commitment. As noted, Vecchione is the fifth young player since March 2009 who verbally accepted an offer to play UNH hockey but never ended up enrolling in the University. UNH Hockey is not the only top-tier Division I program to have committed recruits end up playing for other teams.

To illustrate, consider what has happened with recruits at Boston College, one of UNH's rivals in Hockey East. In just the the last year and a half, four committed recruits - Vinny Saponari, Brandon Shea, KJ Tiefenwerth and Cody Ferriero - ended up not playing for BC. Saponari, a 4th Round draft pick of the Atlanta Thrashers (now Winnipeg Jets) who had been dismissed from BU in May, 2010, committed to BC in October, 2010. However, two months later, Saponari had his application for transfer denied by the Admissions Office at BC. He now plays for Northeastern University. Saponari's case is similar to those of Cam Reid and Matt White (see Part I of this series) in that a failure to successfully navigate the academic admission process resulted in the player not playing for the school's hockey team.

Brandon Shea, who is considered a solid NHL prospect, verbally committed to BC when he was 15 years old. In July, 2011, Shea gave up a promised scholarship from BC and a slot with the U.S. National Team Development Program to join the Moncton Wildcats of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. Shea's chosen path is similar to the case of Ryan Bourque who gave up a hockey scholarship at UNH to play major junior hockey in Canada.

Thanks to the reporting of U.S. Hockey Report, the decommitments from BC of KJ Tiefenwerth and Cody Ferriero provide a rare glimpse into how the verbal commitment process typically works in Division I hockey. Tiefenwerth, who was identified as a potential late-round NHL draft pick by the Central Scouting Service in October, 2010, also committed to BC at a very early age. An October, 2011 article in U.S. Hockey Report described how Tiefenwerth was offered a full BC scholarship in August, 2007 when he was 15 years old but the BC coaching staff later changed their mind. BC reportedly told Tiefenwerth that if he followed through on his commitment to BC, his scholarship would be honored but he would never play hockey for the Eagles. In the face of this rejection, Tiefenwerth maintained his verbal commitment to BC right up until October,2011 when he decommitted. As a member of the Junior Bruins, Tiefenwerth is currently the 4th leading scorer in the Eastern Junior Hockey League and he is expected to sign on with a Division I hockey program.

In September, 2008 at the age of 16, Cody Ferriero verbally committed to accept a BC scholarship. Ferriero was subsequently drafted in the 5th Round of the June, 2010 NHL Entry Draft by the San Jose Sharks (where his older brother Benn plays). However, in July 2010, just two months before Ferriero was scheduled to enroll at Boston College, he decided to decommit and ended up playing for Northeastern University.

In an in depth interview with U.S. Hockey Report shortly after he decommitted, Ferriero described how he had been recruited by BC and his perspective on what lead to his decommitment:

"When I first went in, they offered me a two-year (scholarship) but they said if things changed I'd be considered for more money. As things moved along, guys left school, guys came in early, guys decommitted. Of the original forwards who originally committed for this fall - Chris Kreider came in early - I was the only one left. I was under the impression that more money would be considered for me. But I never got any calls from the coaches or had any indication that was going to happen and over the past year, year and a half, I kept feeling like I was getting brushed off and it wasn't going to happen. But it wasn't just about the money. It was more a feeling that I wasn't wanted. I was told I would be considered for more money but I never had a chance to get it. I was always told if I come in and play well I would get more money, but once I'm there they don't have to do anything. They don't have to give me more money. They already have me."

According to Ferriero, he requested a meeting with Coach Jerry York and his coaching staff before deciding to decommit.

"I asked questions that were pretty direct about where they saw me and I didn't get straightforward answers. I asked them where I would be on the depth chart and I was told there were 12-13 guys including me who would be competing. I was looking for a more straightforward answer than that... some indication of where they saw me. Most of the time when players get minutes they are usually four-year guys. I only got two years coming in. Where does that stack me up with the other guys? I didn't get a straightforward answer. They brushed me off and didn't worry about what I had to say. I felt pretty upset after that meeting, not so much with the coaches in particular, but... I just didn't want to be stuck in a situation where I wouldn't reach my full potential and be able to compete."

Of course, because of NCAA rules, the Boston College coaching staff have never publicly commented on what happened with Cody Ferriero from their perspective.

Do the Tiefenwerth & Ferreiro Stories Shed Light on Mike Vecchione's Situation?
There are obvious differences between Tiefenweith and Ferreiro's decommitment from Boston College and Mike Vecchione's decommitment from UNH. They involve different hockey programs, coaching staffs, and players. In addition, each player provided varying amounts of information on what happened from their unique points of view. However, these stories do offer insights into how the commitment process typically works.

Offer of Athletic Scholarship:
First of all, when published reports say that a recruit "accepted an offer" and/or "verbally committed", it generally means that the coaching staff of the university has made a verbal offer of financial aid for a specific number of years. The one exception would be a late recruit who will join the team as a "walk on" meaning no financial aid has been offered. From the numerous "commitment" articles I've read in recent months, it is often unclear whether the player has accepted a full scholarship or a lesser amount. I rarely see an article which explicitly says the player accepted an offer for 1, 2, or 3 years of financial aid (known as a "partial" scholarship). The one hard and fast rule is that if an article reports the player accepted a full scholarship offer, it means that tuition, room, board, and related expenses will be paid in full for all four years. Sometimes, the original announcement of the player's verbal commitment will specify a full scholarship (e.g., Shane Eiserman). In other cases, if you look closely, the local newspaper covering the recruit during the course of the season will mention that he has a full scholarship (e.g., this article on Jordan Masters and Michael McNicholas).

None of the articles on Mike Vecchione referenced in Part I reported that he accepted a full scholarship offer from UNH when he verbally committed in March 2010. However, given that the offer was made over a year ago and Vecchione stuck by his commitment until last week, it's safe to assume that a specific amount of athletic scholarship was offered and accepted. In other words, Vecchione has known the level of financial commitment UNH was making from the beginning.

Periodic Discussions of Player's Plans:
When Mike Vecchione first committed to UNH, he reported that Coach Umile was "straightforward" with him and asked him to play junior hockey in order "to get bigger, stronger, and faster." Later, in the spring of his senior year at Malden Catholic, Vecchione reported that the UNH coaches and his coach/advisor would come up with a plan for which junior team he would play for. Vecchione has not claimed that the UNH coaches were inaccessible or provided vague answers to his questions. In fact, the coaches appeared to be straightforward in asking Vecchione to spend another year in the USHL next season.

What About Vecchione's Claim That UNH is Overcommitted for Next Season?
Roster Size:
The only aspect of roster size for next season that is an absolutely certainty is that 3 forwards (Moses, Borisenok, & McCarey), 1 defenseman (Kipp), and 2 goalies (Di Girolamo & Scott) will not be on the roster due to graduation. In addition, Freshman Defenseman Eric Chevrier recently left UNH to play in the British Columbia Hockey League. This year's roster began with 27 players.

Looking at rosters back to the 2003-04 season, UNH has had between 24 and 30 players on the team. The average roster size has been 26. With the 6 seniors leaving, the 2012-13 roster could theoretically carry as many as 9 or 10 freshmen (to make a roster of 29 or 30). In fact, the NCAA does not restrict the number of players that can be on a roster.

Focusing on just the number of forwards on the roster, UNH has 15 this season. With 3 Senior forwards leaving, that leaves 12 forwards returning in 2012-13. Over the last 8 seasons, the highest number of fowards was 16 in 2008-09. In any given game, NCAA rules allow 18 players to dress plus 2-3 goalies. Assuming the typical complement of 6 defensemen in each game, that means that four lines of 3 forwards may dress.

Players who don't dress for games still participate in the rigorous practice and conditioning sessions throughout the season. By all indications, this strategy helped prepare Defensemen Eric Knodel and Justin Agosta for Division I competition. Plus, invariably one or more forwards get injured during the course of the season. Right now, 3 forwards who are upperclassmen have been out of the lineup with injuries providing 3 freshmen forwards with ample playing time.

Adding 4-6 freshman forwards to the 2012-13 roster would mean having 16-18 total fowards. Again, theoretically this does not seem impossible. It was an anomaly but in the 2003-04 season, UNH had 12 defensemen on its roster.

Sufficient Scholarship Money:
Without knowing how much scholarship money has been given to this year's seniors, it is impossible to know how much scholarship money will be available for incoming freshman next season. However, if Mike Vecchione was not offered a full scholarship when he verbally committed, he theoretically could play next season without receiving athletic financial aid. He still would likely be eligible for conventional academic scholarships and subsidized student loans.

Conclusions

As I explained in Part I, without corroboration from an involved party other than Mike Vecchione and the UNH coaching staff, there is no way to know for sure whether UNH did or did not guarantee Vecchione he could join UNH for the 2012-13 season. In describing why he decommitted, Vecchione said the UNH coaches "wanted" him to play another year for the Tri-City Storm in the USHL. This implies that Coach Umile and his staff were not demanding or insisting that he defer for a year.

What Vecchione, or any other recruit has a right to expect is an honest appraisal by the coaching staff of his readiness to make the jump to Division I hockey. Such an appraisal should include a relative comparison between his readiness and the other recruits under consideration. There is nothing in the public record to indicate that the UNH coaches failed to provide this assessment to Vecchione. Given how forthright UNH was in requesting Vecchione postpone enrollment for another year, it seems likely to this writer that they also discussed that topic.

I'd like to close with an anecdote described in the Muskegon Chronicle which covers the Lumberjacks of the USHL. This past summer, forward Casey Thrush had finished up his first season in the USHL and was making plans for the 2012-13 season. The Chronicle reported that:

"Thrush was actually planning to return to Muskegon for a second season this year. While he was ready to play college hockey, New Hampshire didn’t have an opening on the roster. But then a player was injured, opening a spot on the team for Thrush."

Mike Vecchione's Decommitment from UNH: Part I

2011-12-16T17:15:00.001-05:00

The U.S. Hockey Report was the first to report that 18-year-old Mike Vecchione of the Tri-City Storm had withdrawn his commitment to play for the University of New Hampshire. In a subsequent article in The Daily Item of Lynn, MA, Vecchione explained why he decommitted from UNH:

"We agreed to do a year in junior hockey. Then they told me they want me to do another year out here (in Nebraska). That's not what I agreed to. One of the problems is they overcommitted. They wanted to push me back. I'm ready to play college hockey right now. UNH is a great school with a great program; they just overcommitted."

Mike Vecchione was arguably the best high school hockey player in Massachusetts over the last two seasons. This season, he has taken his game to the next level, playing for the Tri-City Storm in the United States Hockey League, the top junior hockey league in the US. Although Vecchione was not drafted by an NHL team in the Entry Draft last summer, he still has the potential to become an elite college hockey player.

Avid UNH Hockey fans are understandably concerned over the loss of a top prospect who had selected UNH over other top college programs. The concern is amplified by the backdrop of other talented young players first committing to play at UNH, then not enrolling for various reasons. In recent years, two other gifted players have decommitted from UNH. In March, 2009, Ryan Bourque - son of NHL Hall of Famer Ray Bourque - decided to renege on his commitment to UNH in order to play Major Junior hockey in Quebec. A few months later, Bourque was drafted by the New York Rangers in the 3rd round of the NHL Entry Draft. In September, 2010, Joey Laleggia, a top Canadian junior player, decommitted from UNH and ended up playing for the University of Denver this season.

In two other cases, a top prospect who had committed to UNH was not allowed to enroll because they did not meet academic standards. In the summer of 2009, Matt White, a top prospect from California, did not meet the requirements of the NCAA Clearinghouse which establishes minimum standards for student/athletes. White had planned on playing for UNH in the 2009-10 season but withdrew his commitment. Instead, he played another season in the USHL, won the Player of the Year award, and is now playing for the University of Nebraska-Omaha. In August, 2009, Cam Reid was about to make the cross-country journey to sign up for UNH classes when he was informed more than one of his high school classes did not meet UNH's standards. Earlier that summer, Reid had been drafted by the Nashville Predators. He ended up playing one more season of junior hockey and now plays for St. Cloud State University.

Now, Mike Vecchione has become the fifth talented young player in 2 and 1/2 years to not reach the goal of playing hockey for the UNH Wildcats. Although Vecchione has chosen to go another route, there are many indications that his commitment to UNH was sincere.

Chronology of Mike Vecchione's Commitment to UNH
In late March, 2010, Vecchione first gave his verbal commitment to play hockey at UNH. At the time, Vecchione had just turned 17 and was a junior at Malden Catholic (MC) High School. He had helped lead Malden Catholic to the semi-finals of the Massachusetts Super 8 Hockey Tournament and had been named the Hockeybarn.com Player of the Year for Massachusetts.

Former UNH Associate Head Coach David Lassonde reportedly scouted Vecchione at many games and Head Coach Dick Umile made Vecchione the offer after also seeing him play. When Vecchione made his verbal commitment to UNH, he said:

“This was the best fit for me. The campus is unbelievable, and coach [Dick Umile] welcomed me, and he was very nice. I also like their big ice surface, which is perfect for my speed.”

According to MC Head Coach Chris Serino - a former assistant coach at UNH and head coach at Merrimack College - Vecchione was also recruited by Harvard, Boston College, Providence and UMass-Amherst. At the time Vecchione made his verbal commitment to UNH, he was described as an honors student.

In November, 2010, Vecchione made another public gesture reflecting his level of commitment to UNH. According to a brief article in a local newspaper which covers towns north of Boston, Malden Catholic held an event on "National Signing Day" for four of its student athletes. On this day each year, seniors in high schools all over the country sign a National Letter of Intent ("NLI"; also called "LOI" for "Letter of Intent") to play an NCAA sport. The NLI is a binding agreement in which the student agrees to attend the college for one academic year in exchange for athletic financial aid from the college for that academic year.

Typically, the student who signs the NLI is making a commitment to enroll in the college at the beginning of the next academic year. Once an NLI is signed by the student, his/her parent or guardian, and the college, no other NCAA institution may recruit the student for as long as the NLI is in effect. Although Mike Vechionne was one of the four MC students at the event, his presence was apparently symbolic. A spokesperson for UNH has confirmed that Mike Vecchione did not sign a National Letter of Intent to attend the university.

Soon after the student-athlete event at Malden Catholic, Vecchione announced a plan to play junior hockey in the 2011-12 season. In a December, 2010 article in the New England Hockey Journal, Vecchione said:

“I felt UNH would be the best fit for me, but I don’t see myself going up there next year. Coach Umile was straightforward with me. He told me he’d like to see me get bigger, stronger and faster, and asked me if I’d be willing to do an extra year in the USHL.”

Vecchione finished out the 2010-2011 season with Malden Catholic, leading them to the school's first Super 8 Massachusetts High School Championship. In an interview following Malden Catholic's dramatic overtime victory, Vecchione said:

"After we won the state title, I got a call from Dick Umile (the UNH head coach) and his assistant David Lassonde congratulating me. They will have a say in where I’ll be playing next year, but Chris (Serino) is my backbone, my communicator and architect, who will help set everything up for me. I’ll be going away to play juniors for a year, before coming home to UNH.”

At the time, two junior teams were under consideration: Tri-City Storm (USHL), who had drafted Vecchione, and the Westside Warriors (British Columbia Hockey League).

This past August and September, 2011, Mike Vecchione tried out for and made the 23-player Active Roster of the Tri-City Storm. Over the first 17 games of his first season in the USHL, he had scored 4 goals and 5 assists. In a game on November 26th against the Lincoln Stars, Vecchione sustained an upper body injury and has missed 7 games. There is no official word on when he will return to the Tri-City Storms' lineup.

What Were the Terms of Vecchione's Verbal Commitment to UNH?
By design and customary practice, details about the recruiting and commitment process are difficult to come by. Up until a student-athlete signs a National Letter of Intent, the college is forbidden by NCAA rules to comment on the recruit other than to confirm that the prospect is being recruited. Since Mike Vecchione did not sign an NLI to play hockey at UNH, we will never hear the perspective of Coach Dick Umile and his staff about the recruiting of Vecchione. To date, all we have to go by are the public statements of Vecchione. It seems clear that Vecchione believed he had an agreement with UNH to play the 2011-12 season in the USHL and enroll at UNH in the fall of 2012.

The UNH coaching staff were not required to develop or sign any written agreement during the 20-month period they were recruiting Mike Vecchione. Obviously, there were ongoing discussions between Vecchione and one or more UNH coaches. For example, the decision to leave his hometown of Saugus, MA and travel to Kearney, Nebraska to play in the USHL was made in consultation with UNH. But did any of the UNH coaches ever tell Vecchione that a slot on the 2012-13 roster was guaranteed in exchange for his playing one season in the USHL? We will never know the unequivocal answer to that question because Coach Umile, former Associate Coach Lassonde, and Associate Coach Scott Borek are not allowed to comment. It's possible that either the coach of the Tri-City Storm and/or Coach Serino of Malden Catholic are familiar with the negotiations but neither has commented on the situation.

Events Preceding Vecchione's Decommitment
According to a report on ESPNBoston, Mike Vecchione's informed UNH of his decision to decommit on or around December 1st. Since the USHL season began in October, the Tri-City Storm and Vecchione have faced a number of challenges. The Storm has the second worst record in the USHL and won only 3 games in November. The Storm's owner fired the Head Coach/General Manager on December 7th. On November 26th, Vecchione suffered an upper body injury serious enough to keep him out of the lineup. In the ESPN article, Vecchione described his situation in Tri-City as "things are good".

One unconfirmed possibility is that the early signing period for National Letters of Intent had an impact on the process. For hockey, prospects and universities have an opportunity to sign NLI's from the second to third Wednesdays in November. Perhaps Vecchione was looking for UNH to offer him an NLI in early November and that's when UNH informed him of their request to have him play another year in juniors.

Conclusion for Part I
Most UNH hockey fans are familiar with the successful record of Coach Umile and his coaches. Since the 1991-92 season, UNH has earned a selection to the NCAA Championship Tournament in 17 out of the 20 seasons. Similarly, the UNH coaching staff have recruited and developed numerous players who excelled at the college level. Under Coach Umile's leadership, there have been 8 players to win the Hockey East Player of the Year Award and 23 players who have been named as All-Americans.

It almost goes without saying that Coach Umile and his staff have practiced a successful approach to recruiting and teaching young hockey prospects. Mike Vecchione is a high-profile recruit from a Northern suburb of Boston, near the town where Coach Umile grew up and was a star high school athlete. Vecchione's advisor is a former UNH assistant coach and friend of Coach Umile It's hard to imagine that UNH's decision to ask Vecchione to play an extra year of junior hockey and risk losing his commitment was made lightly.

Part II will explore the process involved when a young hockey player makes a verbal commitment to a college and the phenomenon of "decommitment".

EJHL Defenseman Harry Quast Commits to UNH

2011-12-14T14:15:00.017-05:00

According to Chris Heisenberg's 2012 List, 6'4", 210 lbs defenseman Harry Quast has committed to play for the University of New Hampshire. Quast's hometown is Chagrin Falls, Ohio and he will be 21-years-old on March 26, 2012. This season with the Bay State Breakers of the Eastern Junior Hockey League, Quast has scored 7 goal and 16 assists, including 5 power play goals and 5 power play assists in 26 games. Quast is currently the leading scorer among EJHL defensemen and is tied for 1st in power play goals. His 5 power play goals also ties him for 4th among all EJHL players. So far this season, Quast has accumulated 26 penalty minutes.

This is Quast's second season playing for the Bay State Breakers. During the 2010-2011 season, he scored 1 goal and 5 assists in 42 games and had 24 minutes in penalties.

During the 2009-2010 season, Quast played with three different teams in the North American Hockey League: the Albert Lea Thunder, Topeka Roadrunners, and Janesville Jets. In 35 games, Quast scored 2 goals and 3 assists and had 42 penalty minutes.

In July, 2008, Harry Quast was invited to the USA Hockey Select 17 Player Development Camp. Quast scored 2 assists in 5 games. Other top defensemen at the camp included Brian Dumoulin and Patrick Wey who, like Quast, scored 2 points. Also attending the camp were current UNH freshmen Jay Camper and Casey DeSmith.

UNH Recruits Update: Week 11

2011-12-12T14:44:00.000-05:00

Player of the Week - Kyle Smith

2012 UNH Recruit Kyle Smith helped lead the Junior Bruins to three victories in the 11th Annual New England Huskies Invitational Tournament in Fitchburg, MA. In this December Showcase, all of the EJHL teams played three games. Each game consisted of two, 25-minute periods. Kyle Smith posted 2 goals and 4 assists across six periods of hockey. This is the second time this season Smith has been selected as the "Player of the Week" among all UNH Recruits. Both Smith and the Jr. Bruins are having outstanding seasons. In 24 games, Smith has scored 11 goals and 24 assists. He is tied for 5th place in the EJHL in assists and is 7th in scoring. The Junior Bruins lead the Northern Division of the EJHL and are tied with the South Shore Kings of the Southern Division with 44 points.

Player	Team	League	GP	Goals	Asst	Pts	PIM
2012 Recruits
Dan Correale	Nanaimo Clippers	BCHL	Injured	0	0	0	0
Maxim Gaudreault	Sioux City	USHL	22	5	4	9	16
Jamie Hill	Waterloo	USHL	21	4	7	11	32
Collin MacDonald	Jersey Hitmen	EJHL	26	18	10	28	12
Kyle Smith	Junior Bruins	EJHL	24	11	24	35	4
Mike Vecchione	Tri-City	USHL	17	4	5	9	6
2012 or '13 Recruit
Jordan Masters	Muskegon	USHL	18	2	7	9	33
2013 Recruits
Matias Cleland	Waterloo	USHL	13	0	2	0	17
Dylan Maller	Tri-City	USHL	13	0	2	2	2
Brett Pesce	Jersey Hitmen	EJHL	13	1	4	5	4
Andrew Poturalski	Buffalo Jr Sabres	OJHL	21	12	17	29	12
2013 or '14 Recruit
Michael McNicholas	Muskegon	USHL	9	1	3	4	0
2014 Recruits
Shane Eiserman	Cushing Academy	NEPSAC	4	0	3	3	-
Tyler Kelleher	USA U17 Team	USHL	12	5	5	10	14
2015 Recruits
Jason Kalinowski	Salisbury Prep	NEPSAC	4	1	1	2	-

News & Notes

USHL:
~ Up until November 26th, 2012 Recruit Mike Vecchione was off to a solid start in his first USHL season. He had scored 4 goals and 5 assists in 17 games. However, that night in a game against the Lincoln Stars, Vecchione sustained an upper body injury and has missed 6 games. There is no official word on when he will return to the Tri-City Storms' lineup.
~ 2013 or 2014 Recruit Michael McNicholas scored his first USHL goal on Saturday, Dec. 10th in a game against the Omaha Lancers. The Lumberjacks lost the game 3-7. Over the last three games, McNicholas has posted a goal and 3 assists. In the nine games McNicholas has played this season with Muskegon, he has an overall +/- rating of +1.
~ 2014 Recruit Tyler Kelleher scored another goal for Team USA this week. Kelleher is averaging nearly a point a game so far this season.

UNH Recruits At An Arena Near You in December

2011-12-07T21:45:00.001-05:00

When the UNH Wildcats wrap up their season series against Boston University on Thursday, the three-week holiday break begins. UNH returns to action on Friday, Dec. 30th at home against Brown University. This is the fourth consecutive season UNH has taken three weeks off from competition before and after Christmas Day. In the early and mid-2000's, UNH usually participated in Holiday Tournaments in arenas from Florida to Minneapolis to Denver.

For UNH fans with an appetite for hockey over this extended break, there are several opportunities to watch future UNH Wildcats in action. Several young players who have committed to play at UNH will be playing games at venues within a reasonable driving distance from the Whittemore Center.

EJHL December Showcase

This Thursday through Sunday, Dec. 8th-11th, the Eastern Junior Hockey League will conduct its December Showcase at the 11th Annual New England Huskies Invitational Tournament. The games will be played on the two rinks at the Wallace Civic Center in Fitchburg, MA. All 14 EJHL teams will be in action.

2012 UNH Recruit Collin MacDonald, 2013 Recruit Brett Pesce, and the Jersey Hitmen will play three games:
Fri. Dec. 9, 5:20 vs. Boston Bandits
Sat. Dec. 10, 7:00 vs. South Shore Kings
Sun. Dec. 11, 10:50 vs. Capital District Selects
The Hitmen feature several other players who have committed to play NCAA Division I hockey including Jack Barre (Dartmouth), Corbin McGuire (Wisconsin) and Jason Stephanik (Quinnipiac).

2012 UNH Recruit Kyle Smith and the Junior Bruins will also play three games:
Thur. Dec. 8, 8:40 vs. Springfield Pics
Fri. Dec. 9, 7:10 vs. Rochester Stars
Sat. Dec. 10, 5:10 vs. New York Apple Core
The Junior Bruins also have several Division I commits including Cody Learned (Yale), Vinny Scotti (Merrimack) and Zach Luczyk (Quinnipiac).

The December Showcase in Fitchburg will feature 14 players who made the NHL Central Scouting Service's "Players to Watch" list for the 2012 Entry Draft. Four EJHLers - Collin MacDonald (Hitmen/UNH), Brian Morgan (Jr. Monarchs/Maine), Jason Stephanik (Hitmen/Quinnipiac), and Jimmy Vesey (South Shore/Harvard) - were given a "B" rating by the CSS. This indicates that they have the potential to be drafted in Rounds #3 through #5 in the NHL Entry Draft next summer.

New England Prep Lawrence-Groton Tournament

From Thursday through Saturday, Dec. 15th-17th, the 38th Annual Lawrence-Groton Holiday Tournament will be held at the O'Brien and Pratt Rinks on the campus of the Groton School and the Grant Arena on the campus of the Lawrence Academy in Groton, MA. The tournament includes 8 prep school teams: Cushing, Culver, Dexter, Groton, Holderness, Lawrence, Pomfret and Proctor. Each team plays one game on Thurday and two on Friday. The Championship Game on Saturday is played between the teams with the best, 3-game records.

2014 UNH Recruit Shane Eiserman and Cushing Academy will play three games over the first two days:
Thurs. Dec. 15, 3:30 vs. Dexter
Fri. Dec. 16, 12:30 vs. Groton
Fri. Dec. 16, 8:00 vs. Lawrence
They will also play a game on Saturday with the opponent to be determined by the records over the first two days. The Cushing Academy team includes Corey Scammon who has committed to play at UMass-Lowell.

New England Prep Flood-Marr Tournament

From Friday through Sunday, Dec. 16th-18th, the 47th Annual Flood-Marr Tournament will be held at the Roberts Ice Rink on the campus of Milton Academy and the Bliss Omni Flood Rink on the campus of the Noble & Greenough School in Dedham, MA. The tournament includes 8 prep school teams divided into two brackets. Salisbury, Deerfield, Kimball Union Academy, and Milton are in one bracket while Hotchkiss, Westminster, Andover, and Noble/Greenough are in the other. Each team plays three games on Friday and Saturday against the teams in their bracket. On Sunday, the Championship Game is played between the team from each bracket with the best, 3-game record.

2015 UNH Recruit Jason Kalinowski and the Salisbury School will play three games over the first two days:
Fri. Dec. 16, 11:00 vs. KUA @ Milton Rink
Fri. Dec. 16, 5:00 vs. Milton @ Milton Rink
Sat. Dec. 17, 1:00 vs. Deerfield @ Nobles Rink
They will also play a game on Sunday at Nobles Academy with the opponent to be determined by the records over the first two days.

This year, the Flood-Marr Tournament will feature 10 players on the NHL Central Scouting Service "Players to Watch" list. Five of the participants - Marc Biega (Salisbury/Harvard), Chris Calnan (Nobles), Alex Gonye (Deerfield), Tyler Wood (Nobles), and Doyle Somerby (KUA) - were given a "B" rating by the CSS.

UNH Recruits Update: Week 10

2011-12-05T12:34:00.003-05:00

Player of the Week - Collin MacDonald

For the second time this season, Collin MacDonald has been selected as the "Player of the Week" among all UNH Recruits. When the Jersey Hitmen forward was selected back in Week 3, he had scored 7 goals over a 3-game stretch. This past week, the Eastern Junior Hockey League returned to action after the Thanksgiving break and MacDonald lead his team to 2 wins and an overtime loss. The 6'2", 196 lbs left-winger scored 4 goals in those three games, including 2 goals against the Philadelphia Revolution. MacDonald scored his 4th game-winning goal of the season in the Philly matchup. MacDonald is now the 3rd leading goal scorer in the EJHL and is tied for 10th in total points.

Yesterday, I had the opportunity to watch MacDonald and the Hitmen play against the Springfield Pics at the Olympia Ice Center in West Springfield, MA. MacDonald scored the first goal for the Hitmen with less than 30 seconds remaining in the 1st period. On the play, MacDonald was positioned near the crease to the right of the Springfield goalie and he batted the puck in off a rebound. When I first saw MacDonald play back on the opening game of the season in September, he was playing on the third line. Since then, he has become the top-scoring player on the Hitmen and gets significant icetime. MacDonald is now the starting left-winger and plays on the Hitmen's first power play unit.

What impressed me most yesterday was MacDonald's play in the offensive zone. He used his strength and size to control the puck in traffic and along the boards. Early in the third period with the Hitmen trailing 3-4, MacDonald carried the puck from the middle of the blueline, around a couple of Springfield players in the left faceoff circle, and managed to get a shot on goal as he was being held and dragged down to the ice. In the subsequent power play, MacDonald effectively moved the puck along the halfwall and corner boards.

With about a minute remaining in regulation, still trailing by a goal, Hitmen Head Coach Toby Harris pulled the goalie and MacDonald was on the ice to take the faceoff. Seconds later, MacDonald made a nifty spin move and got a shot on goal. Finally, at the 25.7 mark, Quinnipiac recruit Jason Stephanik tied the game. Early in the 4-on-4 overtime, MacDonald showed good speed and puck handling as he moved the puck across the red and bluelines into the Springfield zone. But a minute later, Springfield scored the overtime goal on a sharp-angle shot.

Throughout the game, I was very impressed with the play of 2013 Recruit Brett Pesce, a 6'3", 182 lbs, defenseman. I will feature Pesce in an upcoming post.

Player	Team	League	GP	Goals	Asst	Pts	PIM
2012 Recruits
Dan Correale	Nanaimo Clippers	BCHL	Injured	0	0	0	0
Maxim Gaudreault	Sioux City	USHL	20	5	4	9	14
Jamie Hill	Waterloo	USHL	19	4	7	11	32
Collin MacDonald	Jersey Hitmen	EJHL	23	18	9	27	12
Kyle Smith	Junior Bruins	EJHL	21	9	20	29	4
Mike Vecchione	Tri-City	USHL	17	4	5	9	6
2012 or '13 Recruit
Jordan Masters	Muskegon	USHL	17	2	7	9	31
2013 Recruits
Matias Cleland	Waterloo	USHL	12	0	2	0	17
Dylan Maller	Tri-City	USHL	10	0	1	1	2
Brett Pesce	Jersey Hitmen	EJHL	11	1	4	5	4
Andrew Poturalski	Buffalo Jr Sabres	OJHL	21	12	17	29	12
2013 or '14 Recruit
Michael McNicholas	Muskegon	USHL	8	0	2	2	0
2014 Recruits
Shane Eiserman	Cushing Academy	NEPSAC	2	0	2	2	-
Tyler Kelleher	USA U17 Team	USHL	11	4	5	9	4
2015 Recruits
Jason Kalinowski	Salisbury Prep	NEPSAC	1	1	0	1	-

News & Notes

British Columbia Hockey League
~ 2012 Recruit Dan Correale, who has been recovering from shoulder surgery since mid-summer, was traded from the Grande Prairie Storm of the Alberta Junior Hockey League to the Nanaimo Clippers of the BCHL. At the end of last season, Coach Mike Vandekamp left the AJHL franchise in Grande Prairie to become the Head Coach and General Manager of the Nanaimo Clippers. In the 2007-'08 and 2008-'09 seasons, Dan Correale played for the Prince George Spruce Kings in the BCHL. In 2009, Coach Vandecamp recruited Correale to come play for him in Grande Prairie. Now, Dan Correale has followed Coach Vandecamp back to the BCHL. He is expected to be in the lineup in the next few weeks.
USHL:
~ 2013 or 2014 Recruit Michael McNicholas has been playing more regularly as of late for the Muskegon Lumberjacks. In a Dec. 2nd victory over Youngstown, McNicholas scored the first two assists of his USHL career.
~ 2014 Recruit Tyler Kelleher picked up 2 assists for the USA Under-17 team this week. One came on a game-tying goal in the 3rd period of a game against Waterloo. Team USA went on to win the game in overtime. Upon seeing Kelleher play for the first time last night, Chris Peters - Writer and Editor of The United States of Hockey blog and former Public Relations representative for USA Hockey - tweeted "Tyler Kelleher is a joy to watch. Little guy can fly out there."
New England Prep School Hockey Conference:
~ In his first two games as a member of the Cushing Academy Penguins, 2014 Recruit Shane Eiserman picked up two assists.
~ A minute and a half into the first game of the season, 2015 Recruit Jason Kalinowski scored a power play goal for The Salisbury School. They went on to beat Williston-Northampton 5-1.

UNH Still Winless on the Road

2011-12-03T02:30:00.002-05:00

LOWELL, MA - Earlier in the week, Coach Umile described UMass-Lowell (UML) as a tough team to play on their home ice at the Tsongas Center. They still are. In front of a near sellout crowd, the Riverhawks outplayed UNH over the first two periods and held on to win 3-2.

Thousands of hockey fans came to Lowell tonight on a mission - to see and touch the Stanley Cup. Arriving two hours before the puck was dropped, legions of Bruins fans, proudly wearing the black, gold and white, stood in a long line to have their picture taken next to Lord Stanley's trophy. Even the blond NHL official, made famous by TV commercials of him carting the Cup through an airport, was on hand. The festive atmosphere was capped off by the singing of the National Anthem by none other than the legendary Bruins icon, Rene Rancourt.

UMass-Lowell entered the game trying to redeem themselves from the 5-0 drubbing at the hands of the Wildcats two Fridays ago. UNH was trying to prove to themselves and the rest of Hockey East that they could finally win a game on the road. UML succeeded. UNH did not.

The first period was marked by the UML forwards using their speed to carry the puck into the UNH zone. Less than 3 minutes into the game, Josh Holmstrom raced deep into the circle to the left of Matt Di Girolamo and snapped off a wrist shot. DiGi made the initial save with his stick but the rebound was quickly batted into the net by an open Stephen Buco. In a play reminiscent of some of the goals given up by UNH in the 7-6 loss to Harvard, the UNH defenders and backchecking forwards appeared to be more focused on the UML shooter and the puck, leaving an open forward loose near the crease.

UNH responded with effective forechecking by both the Pavelski-Borisenok-McCarey and Thrush-Camper-Block lines. Each kept the puck in the UML zone for nearly their entire shift and by the 9:04 mark of the 1st period, UNH was outshooting UML 4-3. Then, midway through the period, Freshman Grayson Downing stole the puck behind the UML net and made a move worthy of a highlight film. Downing spun around low in the circle to the right of UML goalie Doug Carr and made a centering pass to Greg Burke who was wide open to the left of Carr. The assist served as a punctuation mark to the Hockey East Rookie of the Month honor Downing earned for November. He now has 5 goals and 8 assists in his first 14 games in the NCAA.

With about 8 minutes remaining in Period 1, UNH would give up the second goal of the night on a play very similar to the first goal. Chad Ruhwedel took a wrist shot from the point and DiGi made the initial save with his right pad but an unguarded Terrence Wallin poked in the rebound. Once again, the UNH defense appeared to be focused on the shooter leaving a player loose to the right of the net. The period ended with UML outshooting UNH 12-10 and leading 2-1.

During the first half of Period 2, UMass-Lowell continued to carry the puck into the UNH zone with speed and they also moved more freely once in the zone. At the 10:44 mark, a UML player hit the post and UML had extended its lead in shots on goal to 20-13. In an apparent attempt to slow down UML's pace, defensiveman Connor Hardowa crushed a UML player into the halfboards, then John Henrion threw two bodychecks in open ice, and finally Eric Knodel laid a big hit on a UML forward.

Just as UNH was gaining the momentum, they gave up what turned out to be the game-winning goal. The scoring play evolved just like the first two goals only this time the initial shot came from the top of the circle to the right of Di Girolamo. This time it was defenseman Malcolm Lyles who took the initial wrist shot and David Vallorani who was left uncovered to the side of DiGi. Vallorani knocked in the rebound; UML 3, UNH 1. SOG: UML 27, UNH 16.

From the beginning of the 3rd period until the end, UNH played like a top-tier Hockey East team. The forechecking of all four lines was relentless at times. The defensemen were pinching in from the blueline at opportune moments to keep the puck in the UML zone. With about 11 minutes left in the period, Trevor van Riemsdyk again demonstrated what a gifted passer he is. One stride before leaving the UNH zone, TvR threaded the needle through center ice to John Henrion who was parked just outside the UML zone. Henrion broke in alone and got off a backhand shot, forcing Carr to make the save of the night.

At the 10:20 mark, Freshman Jay Camper - who was in the lineup in place of Jeff Silengo - fired a nice backhand shot. Shortly thereafter, first-year UML Coach, Norm Bazin, called timeout. When play resumed, UNH defenseman Justin Agosta pinched in from the blueline almost to the corner to keep the puck in play. He then made a tape-to-tape pass to Mike Borisenok in the top of the slot. Borisenok's one-timer made it 3-2 in favor of UML.

With 7:54 left in the game, UML was outshooting UNH 34-24. For the remainder of the period, UNH outshot UML 11-0 and nearly tied it up a few times. UNH went on the power play at 12:06, effectively moved the puck, and Kevin Goumas managed a couple of close-in shots on goal. During a subsequent power play minutes later, Eric Knodel hit the post with a slap shot from the point. With one minute left in regulation, Coach Umile called timeout and pulled Di Girolamo. UNH then kept the puck in the UML zone and managed another shot on goal but the buzzer sounded.

The rubber game of the UNH-UML series is Saturday night at the Whittemore Center. In order to put themselves in position to return to the NCAA Tournament next spring, UNH will need to correct the nagging, defensive mistakes that have kept their overall record below .500.

UNH Recruits Update: Week 9

2011-11-28T12:50:00.002-05:00

Player of the Week - Jamie Hill

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

Player	Team	League	GP	Goals	Asst	Pts	PIM
2012 Recruits
Dan Correale	Grande Prairie	AJHL	Injured	0	0	0	0
Maxim Gaudreault	Sioux City	USHL	18	4	4	8	14
Jamie Hill	Waterloo	USHL	17	4	7	11	28
Collin MacDonald	Jersey Hitmen	EJHL	20	14	9	23	10
Kyle Smith	Junior Bruins	EJHL	20	9	20	29	2
Mike Vecchione	Tri-City	USHL	17	4	5	9	6
2012 or '13 Recruit
Jordan Masters	Muskegon	USHL	15	2	6	8	29
2013 Recruits
Matias Cleland	Waterloo	USHL	10	0	2	0	15
Dylan Maller	Tri-City	USHL	8	0	1	1	2
Brett Pesce	Jersey Hitmen	EJHL	8	1	3	4	4
Andrew Poturalski	Buffalo Jr Sabres	OJHL	21	12	17	29	12
2013 or '14 Recruit
Michael McNicholas	Muskegon	USHL	6	0	0	0	0
2014 Recruits
Shane Eiserman	Cushing Academy	NEPSAC	0	0	0	0	0
Tyler Kelleher	USA U17 Team	USHL	8	4	3	7	4
2015 Recruits
Jason Kalinowski	Salisbury Prep	NEPSAC	0	0	0	0	0

News & Notes

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

Alabama-Huntsville's Farewell Tour Comes to UNH

2011-11-25T22:35:00.001-05:00

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

UNH Scores Plenty; Gives Up More (to Harvard)

2011-11-23T02:00:00.003-05:00

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

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

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

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

UNH HIGHLIGHTS

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

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

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

UNH Recruits Update: Week 8

2011-11-21T15:12:00.007-05:00

Player of the Week - Brett Pesce

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

Player	Team	League	GP	Goals	Asst	Pts	PIM
2012 Recruits
Dan Correale	Grande Prairie	AJHL	Injured	0	0	0	0
Maxim Gaudreault	Sioux City	USHL	15	4	3	7	10
Jamie Hill	Waterloo	USHL	14	3	3	6	24
Collin MacDonald	Jersey Hitmen	EJHL	20	14	9	23	10
Kyle Smith	Junior Bruins	EJHL	20	9	20	29	2
Mike Vecchione	Tri-City	USHL	15	4	4	8	6
2012 or '13 Recruit
Jordan Masters	Muskegon	USHL	14	2	5	7	27
2013 Recruits
Matias Cleland	Waterloo	USHL	7	0	0	0	11
Dylan Maller	Tri-City	USHL	6	0	1	1	0
Brett Pesce	Jersey Hitmen	EJHL	8	1	3	4	4
Andrew Poturalski	Buffalo Jr Sabres	OJHL	21	12	17	29	12
2013 or '14 Recruit
Michael McNicholas	Muskegon	USHL	5	0	0	0	0
2014 Recruits
Shane Eiserman	Cushing Academy	NEPSAC	0	0	0	0	0
Tyler Kelleher	USA U17 Team	USHL	7	4	2	6	4
2015 Recruits
Jason Kalinowski	Salisbury Prep	NEPSAC	0	0	0	0	0

News & Notes

INJURY REPORT:
Jordan Masters - In a home game against the Green Bay Gamblers on Saturday night, Jordan Masters of the Muskegon Lumberjacks was involved in a fight which resulted in him hitting his head on the ice. According to an article in the Muskegon Chronicle:

"In the latter stages of the game, Muskegon's Jordan Masters took a hard punch from Green Bay's Grigory Dikushin. Masters then hit his head on the ice and was disoriented as he was helped off the ice. Lumberjack owner Josh Mervis said Masters was coherent following the game."

As of post time, there have been no further updates from the Lumberjacks on Masters' condition. When more information becomes available, it will by posted on @UNHRecruitsCHC.

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

UNH Drops Tight Matchup with BU

2011-11-20T01:15:00.003-05:00

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

UNH HIGHLIGHTS

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

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

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

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

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

UNH Recruits Update: Week 7

2011-11-14T15:49:00.007-05:00

Player of the Week - Tyler Kelleher

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

Player	Team	League	GP	Goals	Asst	Pts	PIM
2012 Recruits
Dan Correale	Grande Prairie	AJHL	Injured	0	0	0	0
Maxim Gaudreault	Sioux City	USHL	14	3	3	6	8
Jamie Hill	Waterloo	USHL	12	2	2	4	14
Collin MacDonald	Jersey Hitmen	EJHL	16	12	6	18	8
Kyle Smith	Junior Bruins	EJHL	18	9	18	27	0
Mike Vecchione	Tri-City	USHL	13	4	4	8	4
2012 or '13 Recruit
Jordan Masters	Muskegon	USHL	12	2	4	6	18
2013 Recruits
Matias Cleland	Waterloo	USHL	7	0	0	0	11
Dylan Maller	Tri-City	USHL	4	0	1	1	0
Brett Pesce	Jersey Hitmen	EJHL	4	0	0	0	2
Andrew Poturalski	Buffalo Jr Sabres	OJHL	21	12	17	29	12
2013 or '14 Recruit
Michael McNicholas	Muskegon	USHL	4	0	0	0	0
2014 Recruits
Shane Eiserman	Cushing Academy	NEPSAC	0	0	0	0	0
Tyler Kelleher	USA U17 Team	USHL	7	4	2	6	4
2015 Recruits
Jason Kalinowski	Salisbury Prep	NEPSAC	0	0	0	0	0

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

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

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

UNH Cobbles Together 4-4 Tie at UVM

2011-11-13T02:00:00.000-05:00

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

UPDATE Shane Eiserman: UNH's Youngest Recruit

2011-11-09T10:10:00.003-05:00

**UPDATE**

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

Here is the schedule for the U18 Championship:

Friday, Nov. 11:

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

Saturday, Nov. 12:

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

Sunday, Nov. 13:

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

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

**UPDATE**

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

In mid-August, when West Newbury, Massachusetts native Shane Eiserman made a verbal commitment to play for the University of New Hampshire, he was 15 years, 10 months old and was on summer break between his freshman and sophomore years of high school. In an interview published in the Newburyport (MA) News, the youngest of three, hockey-standout brothers described his rationale for choosing UNH:

"I've wanted to go to UNH since I was a little kid. I went for a visit last week, and they offered a full scholarship. I couldn't turn that down. UNH saw me for the first time when I was with Team USA. They called me in for a visit. I met all the coaches — Coach Umile, Coach (Scott Borek). It felt like a college atmosphere, and I really wanted to play there. The rink is unreal. Coach Gagnon (Cushing Academy) went to and played at UNH, so he was a big influence."

The article also reported that "Eiserman said he committed to UNH because he feels the school gives him the best chance to win a national championship."

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

I had an oppportunity to correspond with Head Coach George Sullivan about the Mass West teams' season and Eiserman's play. The team is currently in 8th place with a record of 4 wins, 8 losses, and 2 ties. Coach Sullivan explained that individual player statistics for League play are not readily available. However, he provided the following assessment of Shane Eiserman:

"What I can tell you is that he is big, strong, fast and is a very dynamic player. He is one of the best players in our league (which is high quality) and he is three years younger than the oldest players in the league. I liken him to Chris Kreider at Boston College. He is very athletic, speedy and has excellent size. He is a real high end prospect for UNH."

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

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

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

UNH Recruits Update: Week 6

2011-11-07T13:30:00.005-05:00

Player of the Week - Jordan Masters

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

Player	Team	League	GP	Goals	Asst	Pts	PIM
2012 Recruits
Dan Correale	Grande Prairie	AJHL	Injured	0	0	0	0
Maxim Gaudreault	Sioux City	USHL	10	2	2	4	6
Jamie Hill	Waterloo	USHL	11	2	2	4	12
Collin MacDonald	Jersey Hitmen	EJHL	15	12	6	18	6
Kyle Smith	Junior Bruins	EJHL	16	9	16	25	0
Mike Vecchione	Tri-City	USHL	10	3	3	6	4
2012 or '13 Recruit
Jordan Masters	Muskegon	USHL	10	2	3	5	16
2013 Recruits
Matias Cleland	Waterloo	USHL	6	0	0	0	11
Dylan Maller	Tri-City	USHL	2	0	1	1	0
Brett Pesce	Jersey Hitmen	EJHL	4	0	0	0	2
Andrew Poturalski	Buffalo Jr Sabres	OJHL	19	11	17	28	12
2013 or '14 Recruit
Michael McNicholas	Muskegon	USHL	3	0	0	0	0
2014 Recruits
Shane Eiserman	Cushing Academy	NEPSAC	0	0	0	0	0
Tyler Kelleher	USA U17 Team	USHL	7	4	2	6	4
2015 Recruits
Jason Kalinowski	Salisbury Prep	NEPSAC	0	0	0	0	0

News & Notes

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

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

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

UNH Recruits Update: Week 5

2011-11-01T17:30:00.004-04:00

Player of the Week - Kyle Smith

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

Player	Team	League	GP	Goals	Asst	Pts	PIM
2012 Recruits
Dan Correale	Grande Prairie	AJHL	Injured	0	0	0	0
Maxim Gaudreault	Sioux City	USHL	9	2	1	3	6
Jamie Hill	Waterloo	USHL	10	2	2	4	10
Collin MacDonald	Jersey Hitmen	EJHL	13	12	6	18	4
Kyle Smith	Junior Bruins	EJHL	14	8	15	23	0
Mike Vecchione	Tri-City	USHL	8	2	3	5	4
2012 or '13 Recruit
Jordan Masters	Muskegon	USHL	8	1	2	3	14
2013 Recruits
Matias Cleland	Waterloo	USHL	5	0	0	0	9
Dylan Maller	Tri-City	USHL	injured	0	0	0	0
Brett Pesce	Jersey Hitmen	EJHL	4	0	0	0	2
Andrew Poturalski	Buffalo Jr Sabres	OJHL	17	11	17	28	10
2013 or '14 Recruit
Michael McNicholas	Muskegon	USHL	2	0	0	0	0
2014 Recruits
Shane Eiserman	Cushing Academy	NEPSAC	0	0	0	0	0
Tyler Kelleher	USA U17 Team	USHL	7	4	2	6	4
2015 Recruits
Jason Kalinowski	Salisbury Prep	NEPSAC	0	0	0	0	0

News & Notes

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

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

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

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

Newest UNH Recruit Jason Kalinowski Prepares for Prep Hockey Season

2011-10-30T01:10:00.003-04:00

Jason Kalinowski, a junior at The Salisbury School in northwest Connecticut, will begin his second season of play in the New England Preparatory School Hockey Association in early December. For young recruits, hockey is a 12-month, never-ending season. Kalinowski has spent his summer and fall preparing for the prep school season and doing what it takes to become a Division 1 college hockey player.

Summer Camp & Conditioning
The summer of 2011 was marked by significant advancements in Jason Kalinowski's hockey career. The 6 feet, 185 pound forward earned an invitation to the USA Hockey Select 16 Development Camp. During the last week of June, Kalinowski travelled from his home in Stamford, CT to Rochester, NY to participate in the camp which attracted the top 182 American players born in 1995. This marked the third summer in a row that Kalinowski was invited to the USA Hockey Select Camps. He also participated in the Select 15 Camp in 2010 and Select 14 Camp in 2009. This year, he played in 6 intersquad games and his team made it to the finals of the team competition. Among his competitors were top 1995 prospects such as Gabe Guertler (Fargo Force; Minnesota commit), Hudson Fasching (USNTDP; uncommitted), and Steven Santini (USNTDP; BC commit). Overall, Kalinowski scored 2 goals and 2 assists in 6 games and was tied for 7th place in scoring. One week later, in early July, Jason Kalinowski turned 16.

Throughout the summer, Kalinowski participated in a rigorous training program at the Blue Streak Sports Training Facility in Stamford. The Apex Hockey Training Program was conducted in 2-hour daily sessions, Monday through Friday, for 12 weeks. The program is designed for professional, college and prep/high school players. In an interview in the Stamford Advocate, Kalinowski said:

"We were lifting weights. We were working on the (hockey) treadmill. There were skating drills which gave me very quick strides on ice. It developed my quickness. The bench presses gave me strength. And the drills gave me quick feet."

Fall Hockey Season
Ever since he was an 11-year-old Pee Wee player, Jason Kalinowski has played on travel teams for the Mid Fairfield Youth Hockey Association based in southern Connecticut. Mid Fairfield is a Tier 1 AAA USA Hockey association and its teams participate in the USA Hockey New England District and National Championships. Last season, as a 15-year-old, Kalinowski lead his Midget Minor 1 team to the National Championship Tournament played in early April in Simsbury, CT. Although the Mid Fairfield Blues lost three games in the opening round of the 2011 Tier 1 16 and Under (16U) Tournament, Kalinowski lead the team in scoring with 3 goals and an assist.

The Mid Fairfield midget teams (16U-Minor 1 & 18U-Major), like most other midget teams in New England, play their fall season from late August until the first weekend in November. The players then play the winter season for prep and high school teams. The culmination of the fall season for the Mid Fairfield Blues is the Tier 1 AAA New England Regional Tournament. They play teams from New Hampshire, Vermont and Rhode Island to determine which team will play in the National Championship Tournament in the spring. After his successful season with the Midget Minor 1 team in 2010-11, Jason Kalinowski faced a decision about whether to move up to the Midget Major team this fall.

This week, I had an opportunity to talk with Matt Stack, Head Coach of the Mid Fairfield Blues Midget Minor 1 team about Jason Kalinowski's progress. He also works with Jason in his capacity as Vice President of Hockey at Blue Streak Sports Training. Coach Stack was enthusiastic in describing Jason's strengths which include:
~ "A compete factor second to none."
~ He plays a "physically brutal style, always finishing his hits."
~ As a center and winger, he has a solid two-way game and has a "strong defensive game."
~ He's "very consistent every game" and "wakes up everyday focused and determined."
~ He plays on the 1st powerplay and penalty kill units.

According to Coach Stack, Kalinowski was offered a position on the Blues Midget Major squad this season. Coach Stack advised Jason to consider the toll his physical style of play might take competing with 17 and 18-year-olds for 20+ games in the fall and another 25+ games during the prep hockey season. Kalinowski decided to return to the Midget Minor 1 team in part because he reportedly wanted to help the team make the National Tournament again this spring and advance further in the competition.

Kalinowski and the Mid Fairfield Blues began the fall competition in late August. The highpoint of the early season was the Labor Day Face-Offs held in Marlborough, MA. The tournament attracts top U16 teams from the northeast as well as numerous college coaches/recruiters. Coach Stack reports that Kalinowski was having an outstanding tournament until he was slashed in the forearm in the semifinal game and left with an injury. The Blues ended up winning the U16 Division defeating the Greater Boston Junior Bruins 6-3 in the finals.

The UNH coaching staff reportedly were initially impressed with Jason Kalinowski at the New England Prep School Playoffs last spring. According to Coach Stack, UNH Associate Coach Scott Borek attended the Labor Day Tournament and offered Jason the opportunity to play for the Wildcats. In verbally accepting the offer in mid-September, Kalinowski said:

"When my mom and I went to visit the campus, we attended a New Hampshire hockey home game. The arena was packed. The atmosphere was electric. And the academics there fit into what I want to study."

Following his injury at the Labor Day Tournament, Kalinowski missed 10 games. He returned to the Mid Fairfield lineup on October 16th. In the 11 games he has played this fall, he has 9 goals, 11 assists, and 10 two-minute penalties. Next Friday and Saturday, November 4th and 5th, Kalinowski and the Blues Midget Minor 1 team will compete at the Tier 1 AAA New England Regional Tournament. All games are played at the Jackman L. Stewart Athletic Center on the campus of the Berkshire School in Sheffield, MA. The impressive facility has an Olympic-sized and a NHL Regulation-sized rink.

Following the Midget Minor Regionals, Jason Kalinowski will put away the blue and gold colors of his Mid Fairfield team and don the Crimson of the Salisbury School. The prep school schedule for 2011-12 is not yet available but Salisbury typically begins their Founders League season in early December. Follow Kalinowski's progress throughout the winter in the UNH Recruit Updates.

UNH Recruits Update: Week 4

2011-10-24T19:30:00.002-04:00

Player of the Week - Mike Vecchione

This time last year, Mike Vecchione was a senior at Malden Catholic preparing for his final season of high school hockey. As the team's captain, Vecchione went on to lead Malden Catholic to the Massachusetts Super 8 Championship. A year later, Vecchione moved half way across the country to Kearney, Nebraska to play for the Tri-City Storm of the United States Hockey League. On Saturday night in his fifth game in the USHL, Vecchione helped lead the Storm over the Sioux City Musketeers for their first away-game victory of the season. He generated 4 shots on goal, scored a power play goal and added an assist. The night before, Vecchione had an assist in a loss to the Indiana Ice. Mike Vecchione is now the second leading scorer on the Storm and his 5 points has him tied for 7th in total points in the USHL.
**UPDATE**
Vecchione's goal against the Musketeers can be viewed on this video (courtesy of KTIV TV).

Player	Team	League	GP	Goals	Asst	Pts	PIM
2012 Recruits
Dan Correale	Grande Prairie	AJHL	Injured	0	0	0	0
Maxim Gaudreault	Sioux City	USHL	7	2	2	4	2
Jamie Hill	Waterloo	USHL	7	2	2	4	0
Collin MacDonald	Jersey Hitmen	EJHL	12	12	6	18	4
Kyle Smith	Junior Bruins	EJHL	13	8	14	22	0
Mike Vecchione	Tri-City	USHL	6	2	3	5	2
2012 or '13 Recruit
Jordan Masters	Muskegon	USHL	6	0	2	2	8
2013 Recruits
Matias Cleland	Waterloo	USHL	3	0	0	0	9
Dylan Maller	Tri-City	USHL	injured	0	0	0	0
Brett Pesce	Jersey Hitmen	EJHL	4	0	0	0	2
Andrew Poturalski	Buffalo Jr Sabres	OJHL	14	10	15	25	10
2013 or '14 Recruit
Michael McNicholas	Muskegon	USHL	2	0	0	0	0
2014 Recruits
Shane Eiserman	Cushing Academy	NEPSAC	0	0	0	0	0
Tyler Kelleher	USA U17 Team	USHL	6	4	2	6	4
2015 Recruits
Jason Kalinowski	Salisbury Prep	NEPSAC	0	0	0	0	0

New & Notes

Midweek, the NHL Central Scouting Service released the "2012 NHL Entry Draft Players to Watch" list for North American players in junior leagues in the United States, junior "A" leagues in Canada, and high school/prep school leagues. Two players committed to play at UNH were on the list. 2012 Recruit Collin MacDonald, who is currently the 2nd leading goal scorer in the Eastern Junior Hockey League, was given a "B" rating - indicating that he has the potential to be drafted in Rounds #3 through #5 in the NHL Entry Draft next summer. 2013 Recruit Andrew Poturalski, who is tied for 4th in scoring in the Ontario Junior Hockey League, was given a "C" rating - having the potential to be drafted in Rounds #6 or #7.

UNH Earns First Point of Season

2011-10-22T23:50:00.001-04:00

After UNH generated 33 shots on goal Friday night against St. Cloud State University and lost 7-5, the question was - what do the Wildcats have to do to earn its first point of the season? The answer - outshoot SCSU 47 to 24, go into overtime, and come away with a 3-3 tie.

Picking up on its play in the final period Friday night, UNH dominated large portions of tonight's game, especially in the final two periods of regulation. The only hurdle standing between UNH and its first victory of the season was SCSU goalie Mike Lee. UNH outshot SCSU 33 to 15 over the final two periods and 4 to 1 in overtime.

All three UNH goals were pretty to watch. Trailing 2-0 with 3:45 remaining in the first period, UNH went on the power play. Freshman Grayson Downing, who controlled the puck to the right of goalie Mike Lee, made a nice pass to Stevie Moses streaking into the crease. Lee made the initial stop on Moses' pointblank shot but Nick Sorkin pounced on the rebound and banged it home between Lee and the post.

The second UNH goal came about 5 minutes into the second period when SCSU was called for a penalty. UNH got an extra attacker on the ice before SCSU could stop the play. Senior Co-Captain Damon Kipp took the puck from the left point, skated it to the top of the right faceoff circle drawing the SCSU defenders with him. He quickly made a perfect pass in the opposite direction to rookie defenseman Eric Knodel positioned in the left faceoff circle. Knodel ripped a wrister to beat Lee who had little chance of making the save. Following the goal, which tied the score at 2 apiece, the SCSU TV announcers - who persisted in calling Nick Sorkin "Sorkum" and Grayson Downing "Dowling" and incorrectly identifying Associate Coach Scott Borek as Coach Umile - got one call absolutely correct. "UNH is driving to the net tonight."

UNH's third goal came at the beginning of the third period at a time when they appeared to have dug themselves a deep hole. Less than 30 seconds into the period, John Henrion had a shot blocked in close to the net and needlessly spun around and slashed a SCSU player. Henrion received a 5-minute major penalty for his transgression. During the first sequence of the SCSU powerplay, Dalton Speelman sprawled to the ice to block a shot, not once, but twice in a matter of seconds. Speelman then got up and cleared the puck the length of the ice. Moments later, freshman Trevor van Riemsdyk stole the puck in his own end and made a rink-long rush, killing valuable time. With the 5-minute powerplay half over, Stevie Moses executed a dipsy-doo stick handling maneuver while skating from the SCSU blueline to the right of their net. He then made a perfect pass to Nick Sorkin's backhand who then poked it home. Short-handed goal; 3-2 lead for UNH.

On the two St. Cloud scoring plays in the first period, UNH defensemen did not successfully contain the SCSU forwards. On the first goal, Cam Reid - who originally committed to play for UNH but was not admitted due to an unspecified "academic" issue - got loose from a UNH defenseman behind the net and tucked the puck behind sophomore goalie Jeff Wyer. Wyer started in his first game as a Wildcat. On the second SCSU goal, a UNH defender, positioned in front of Wyer, failed to block a shot with his stick. The SCSU scoring play which tied the game at 3 with 12:07 remaining in the 3rd period, began with Wyer making a terrific save on a point blank shot. The SCSU forwards gathered the puck and made a nice play which was difficult to defend. Jeff Wyer made a total of 21 saves and some were outstanding.

Game Notes:
~ The Grayson Downing-Nick Sorkin-Stevie Moses line played well again generating 3-4-3 shots on goal, respectively.
~ Sophomore Nick Sorkin is emerging as a potent offensive threat. In the back-to-back games in St. Cloud, Sorkin scored three goals and an assist, and generated 8 shots on goal.
~ Kevin Goumas, who was not in the lineup Friday night, played most of the game on the 4th line with Mike Borisenok and Kevin McCarthy. Their line had a strong shift with approximately 5 minutes remaining in regulation. Goumas controlled the puck behind the SCSU net on a couple of occasions and made some nice passes. With three minutes left in regulation, Goumas was reunited with Sorkin and Moses. In one flurry, Goumas almost poked a flying puck behind the SCSU goalie and Sorkin whacked at the loose puck forcing another save.

Did UNH Find Their Game in St. Cloud?

2011-10-21T23:50:00.002-04:00

If UNH manages to salvage their season in the months ahead and makes it to their 14th NCAA Tournament in the last 15 years, they may look back on the third period of tonight's game at St. Cloud State University in Minnesota as the turning point. Heading into the third period, UNH was losing decisively 5-2. After an even first period, which ended 2-2, the UNH defense and Matt DiGirolamo were overmatched in the second period. St. Cloud outshot UNH 14 to 7 and controlled the game. Other than Damon Kipp, the UNH defensemen did not play well in their own zone. Mistakes including bad clearing passes off the boards, not blocking shots in front of DiGirolamo, and not covering SCSU players in the slot cost the team. So far this season, DiGirolamo has not resembled the outstanding goalie he was last season. The second period tonight may have been his worse so far this season. He made 14 saves but allowed three goals. One wonders whether the absence of former UNH goalie coach David Lassonde has effected DiGirolamo's consistency.

The UNH turnaround began to glimmer at the beginning of the third period. Rookie UNH goalie Jeff Wyer - a sophomore who saw no game action last season - replaced DiGirolamo. The teams were 4-on-4 for a few seconds then UNH went on the powerplay. With only 2 seconds left on the man advantage, John Henrion ripped a shot that beat SCSU goalie Mike Lee. UNH 3, SCSU 5. The momentum didn't turn in UNH's favor right away. At 5:32, Brett Kostolansky was called for cross-checking; the 5th UNH penalty of the game. SCSU converted on the powerplay when a UNH defenseman failed to block a shot and effectively screened Jeff Wyer. That's when UNH started to show the style of hockey that carried them to the final 8 of the NCAA tournament last spring.

Jeff Wyer made a number of outstanding saves over the middle portion of the third period to keep the score 6-3. With a little more than 7 minutes remaining, the newly constituted first line of Nick Sorkin at center, freshman Grayson Downing at left wing, and Stevie Moses at right wing tenaciously forechecked, keeping the puck in the SCSU zone for their whole shift. Sorkin forced a turnover and fed Moses for the 4th UNH goal. That was when the SCSU TV announcer exclaimed "UNH is fighting back!"

The Casey Thrush-Scott Pavelski-Austin Block line had an effective forechecking shift and Pavelski fed Thrush for a nice shot on goal at the 6:21 mark. Thrush persisted at trying to poke the puck free from the SCSU goaltender and was roughed up after the whistle. Matching penalties were called. During the ensuing play, Stevie Moses got off a terrific backhand on goal. Then Trevor van Riemsdyk got behind the SCSU net and fed Moses for a point blank shot on goal. Though the score remained 6-4, UNH was controlling the play with forechecking and the defensemen pinching in on the blue line to keep the puck in the SCSU zone.

With about 4 minutes to play, rookie defenseman Eric Knodel (another sophomore who did not play last season) made a nice play keeping the puck in the zone then senior co-captain Damon Kipp brought the puck into the high slot and scored on a pinpoint wrist shot. UNH had scored 2 goals in less than four minutes and was only behind by one. On the ensuing faceoff, SCSU carried the puck into the UNH zone and Jeff Wyer kept the Wildcats' hope alive by making an outstanding blocker save. UNH maintained the pressure then pulled Jeff Wyer with less than a minute to play and SCSU iced the game with an empty net goal.

There are positives to build on after this game. The juggling of all four forward lines helped. Having Greg Burke play center between Henrion and Dalton Speelman was effective. Burke appeared to win the majority of his faceoffs and the line generated 5 shots on goal. Freshman Grayson Downing played with poise on the first line and had two assists. Downing-Sorkin-Moses passed the puck well and produced 13 shots on goal. Freshman Casey Thrush along with linemates Pavelski and Block were each +2 in the +/- column. And finally, goalie Jeff Wyer showed that he can play well enough to perhaps take some of the pressure off Matt DiGirolamo.

Four winless games to start the 2011-12 season. A stark reality. Did UNH begin to turn it around tonight in St. Cloud? Stay tuned.

UNH Recruits Update: Week 3

2011-10-17T17:12:00.001-04:00

Player of the Week - Collin MacDonald

19-year-old forward and 2012 UNH Recruit, Collin MacDonald had a remarkable goal-scoring week for the Jersey Hitmen of the Eastern Junior Hockey League. In three games, MacDonald scored 7 goals. On Saturday, he scored 2 goals including the game-winning goal with 32 seconds left in the game. In the game against the Bay State Breakers on Sunday, MacDonald tallied 4 goals including the game-winning goal in overtime. By virtue of the early season scheduling, MacDonald has played in 2-3 fewer games than most of the leading scorers in the EJHL. However, his 9 goals and 6 assists in 10 games has him tied for 4th in most goals and tied for 8th in total points in the EJHL. MacDonald is a key contributor on the Hitmen's power play having scored 2 goals and 2 assists.

This week, MacDonald's fellow 2012 recruit, Kyle Smith, deserves honorable mention for his play with the Junior Bruins of the EJHL. Across the 4 games he played, Smith scored 6 goals and 5 assists with 1 game-winning goal. So far this season, Smith is among the league leaders in assists (12; tied 4th) and total points (19; 4th place).

Player	Team	League	GP	Goals	Asst	Pts	PIM
2012 Recruits
Dan Correale	Grande Prairie	AJHL	Injured	0	0	0	0
Maxim Gaudreault	Sioux City	USHL	5	1	1	2	0
Jamie Hill	Waterloo	USHL	5	1	1	2	0
Collin MacDonald	Jersey Hitmen	EJHL	10	9	6	15	4
Kyle Smith	Junior Bruins	EJHL	11	7	12	19	0
Mike Vecchione	Tri-City	USHL	4	1	1	2	2
2012 or '13 Recruit
Jordan Masters	Muskegon	USHL	4	0	1	1	6
2013 Recruits
Matias Cleland	Waterloo	USHL	1	0	0	0	9
Dylan Maller	Tri-City	USHL	injured	0	0	0	0
Brett Pesce	Jersey Hitmen	EJHL	4	0	0	0	2
Andrew Poturalski	Buffalo Jr Sabres	OJHL	12	10	14	24	10
2013 or '14 Recruit
Michael McNicholas	Muskegon	USHL	1	0	0	0	0
2014 Recruits
Shane Eiserman	Cushing Academy	NEPSAC	0	0	0	0	0
Tyler Kelleher	USA U17 Team	USHL	5	4	1	5	2
2015 Recruits
Jason Kalinowski	Salisbury Prep	NEPSAC	0	0	0	0	0

New & Notes

2013 Recruit, Andrew Poturalski, continued his torrid scoring pace this week. He scored 2 goals and 3 assists in two games. Poturalski is in 3rd place in scoring, tied for 3rd in goals, and tied for 2nd in assists in the Ontario Junior Hockey League. 2013 or 14 Recruit Michael McNicholas, played in his first game of the USHL season for the Muskegon Lumberjacks. He did not score points but did register 2 shots on goal.

UNH Recruits Update: Week 2

2011-10-10T11:48:00.007-04:00

Player of the Week - Tyler Kelleher

16-year-old forward and 2014 UNH Recruit, Tyler Kelleher, has taken the United States Hockey League by storm in his first season. After playing his first four games with Team USA, Kelleher has 4 goals and 1 assist for 5 total points. That ranks him tied for 1st in goals and tied for 2nd in points in the USHL. Kelleher and his fellow 16-year-olds in the U17 National Team Development Program have gotten off to a respectable start in a league filled with older players. Team USA is in the middle of the pack in the standings with 1 win, 2 losses, and 1 overtime loss.

Player	Team	League	GP	Goals	Asst	Pts	PIM
2012 Recruits
Dan Correale	Grande Prairie	AJHL	Injured	0	0	0	0
Maxim Gaudreault	Sioux City	USHL	3	1	1	2	0
Jamie Hill	Waterloo	USHL	2	0	1	1	0
Collin MacDonald	Jersey Hitmen	EJHL	7	2	6	8	0
Kyle Smith	Junior Bruins	EJHL	7	1	6	7	0
Mike Vecchione	Tri-City	USHL	3	1	1	2	2
2012 or '13 Recruit
Jordan Masters	Muskegon	USHL	2	0	0	0	2
2013 Recruits
Matias Cleland	Waterloo	USHL	1	0	0	0	9
Dylan Maller	Tri-City	USHL	injured	0	0	0	0
Brett Pesce	Jersey Hitmen	EJHL	4	0	0	0	2
Andrew Poturalski	Buffalo Jr Sabres	OJHL	10	8	12	20	6
2013 or '14 Recruit
Michael McNicholas	Muskegon	USHL	0	0	0	0	0
2014 Recruits
Shane Eiserman	Cushing Academy	NEPSAC	0	0	0	0	0
Tyler Kelleher	USA U17 Team	USHL	4	4	1	5	2
2015 Recruits
Jason Kalinowski	Salisbury Prep	NEPSAC	0	0	0	0	0

New & Notes

This week, 2012 Recruits Maxim Gaudreault and Mike Vecchione, scored their first goals of the USHL season. In this, his first season in the USHL, Vecchione is tied for the lead in scoring on the Tri-City Storm. Collin MacDonald maintained his point-a-game pace this week and is the leading scorer on the Jersey Hitmen. Although MacDonald and Jr. Bruin Kyle Smith have played three fewer games than the leading scorers in the Eastern Junior Hockey League, they both are tied for 6th in most assists (6). 2013 Recruit, Andrew Poturalski, maintained a 2-point-a-game pace this week in the Ontario Junior Hockey League. The Jr Sabre is tied for 2nd in scoring and assists in the OJHL and is his team's leading scorer.

The Muskegon Lumberjacks opened their USHL season on the road against the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders on Friday night. Jordan Masters played on the third line and was on the Lumberjacks' first penalty kill unit and second power play unit. In my first opportunity to watch Masters play (online), he impressed me as a fast, scrappy forward who bangs into opposing players without hesitation. He frequently was around the puck and was very good on the penalty kill. 17-year-old forward, Michael McNicholas, was not in the lineup for the Lumberjacks' first two games of the season.

Defenseman Dylan Maller, a 2013 recruit, was recently cleared to skate with the Tri-City Storm. He has been recovering from a hip injury. Maller reportedly will return to the Storms' lineup on Nov 4th in a game against the Omaha Lancers. It will be his first game in the USHL. 2012 Recruit, Dan Correale, is still recovering from a shoulder injury and is not scheduled to begin his season with the Grande Prairie Storm of the Alberta Junior Hockey League until December.

UNH Drops Season Opener to Millan & BU

2011-10-09T11:40:00.006-04:00

BOSTON, Ma. - The Agganis Arena on the campus of Boston University was filled with all the ingredients necessary for a successful home opener. The huge, four-sided video scoreboard, suspended over center ice like the one in the old Boston Garden, played highlight footage of BU heros past and present. The students in their favorite red and whites filled both ends of the arena. The BU Terrier team who took to the ice of the Jack Parker Rink was brimming with veterans and NHL draft picks. Preseason polls had them ranked as high as 6th in the nation. BU succeeded in their opening game of the 2011-12 season by beating the University of New Hampshire 5-0. Although the game was not the type of blowout suggested by the final score, either in the flow of the game or shots on goal, it was a convincing victory by BU.

Over the first two periods, UNH outshot BU 29-23. Senior goaltender Kieran Millan, who earned the game's #1 star, was the difference maker, particularly in the first period. Video highlights of several glittering saves by Millan are available on goterriers.com. A comprehensive description of the BU goals can be found in the article written by Gavin Faretra in the Concord Monitor. The article includes Coach Umile's assessment of the game in the post-game press conference:

"It was a pretty hockey game for a while, at least for a couple periods. I thought we had our chances early ... but we got beat in our own end - not covering people. It just wasn't very good coverage on our part in our own end...Even when it was 2-0, I thought we had quite a few chances to bounce back, come back. We had some real good scoring opportunities; we let the game get away from us in our own end."

UNH HIGHLIGHTS
~ Moses-Borisenok-Goumas - As they had in the exhibition victory over New Brunswick last weekend, UNH's top line generated plenty of offense with 11 shots on goal. Stevie Moses shows every sign of having a memorable senior season like Paul Thompson and Bobby Butler before him. In a preseason interview produced by UNH Athletics, Moses talked about how he generated plenty of shots last season but worked over the summer on improving his accuracy. Last night, Moses had 6 SOG. So far this season, many of Moses shots are self-generated - that is, he carries the puck into and around the offensive zone, creates space with speed and quick changes in direction, and rips off a shot that the goalie must save. A couple examples of these "unassisted shots on goal" came in the 1st period. In one sequence, Moses skated to the top of the left faceoff circle and shot to Millan's glove side. In another instance, he streaked to the top of the slot and forced Millan to make a blocker save on a quick wrister. Moses and his linemates Borisenok and Goumas are showing great chemistry in their ability to advance the puck with quick passes. They seem to have a good sense of where each other is headed and connect on their passes most of the time.
~ Sorkin-Block-Burke - I was a bit surprised that the gamesheet showed the 3rd line only generated 3 SOG - one by each player. I saw them do an outstanding job forcing the play in BU's end during most of their shifts. The primary strategy for this line is to have the big wingers - Nick Sorkin and Greg Burke - forecheck down low on the boards and in the corners to force turnovers and for center Austin Block to hang back between the faceoff circles. As an effective two-way player, Block was positioned to intercept any BU breakout should Sorkin or Burke not gain possession of the puck. Burke is relentless using his body in close-quarters to create space and maneuver the puck and Sorkin is showing a similar style in the corners.
~ Trevor van Riemsdyk - To say that TvR did not seem out of place in the first regular season game of his college career would be an understatement. Paired with junior Connor Hardowa, TvR played a steady 1st period. He seemed to get more comfortable in the last two periods and asserted himself in all three zones. During one sequence, TvR went after a BU forward in the corner of UNH's defensive zone, and used his size and reach to come away with the puck. He then carried the puck out of the zone and made a tape-to-tape pass to Greg Burke resulting in a shot on goal. Although TvR was not on the first unit of the powerplay, he got some solid minutes on the second unit and showed poise handling the puck on the blueline. With UNH going 0 for 6 on power play opportunities, TvR may be destined to see his powerplay minutes increase as the season progresses.

ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT
~ Power Play - The exact number of shots on goal UNH generated on the power play is not readily available but there was not an abundance of them. BU, who was ranked 4th in the nation last season in penalty killing, was effective in keeping the puck out on the perimeter and UNH's passing was not effective. One bright spot was a booming slap shot by sophomore defenseman Eric Knodel on a power play in the second period. It was labelled for the top corner and Millan made a nice save. Overall, Knodel had 4 SOG's on the night.
~ Defensive Coverage in Their Zone - BU was effective in controlling the puck down low behind the goal line and Matt DiGirolamo. On a couple of the goals, a UNH defenseman either failed to cover the BU forward trying to make a play behind the net or did not successfully cover a forward open in front of DiGi. As Coach Umile said in the Concord Monitor article:

"I think the inexperienced defensemen were fine; it's called team defense and we just didn't do a very good job in our own end."

New Associate Coach Jim Tortorella and the defensemen will have plenty to work on in practice this week. UNH plays Northeastern University, who lost several key players and recruits over the summer, next Friday at the refurbished Matthews Arena. The home opener at the Whittemore Center is on Saturday against Boston College.

UNH Recruit Michael McNicholas: Where Will He Play?

2011-10-05T21:50:00.011-04:00

**UPDATE**
Since this post was first written, "The UNH Men's Hockey Blog" has received confirmation that Michael McNicholas will play for the Muskegon Lumberjacks in the USHL.

**UPDATE**

In my previous post "UNH Recruits Prepare for USHL: Part I", I described the path that Michael McNicholas travelled leading up to the Muskegon Lumberjacks' training camp last month:

"Michael McNicholas - In the 2010 USHL Futures Draft, the Lumberjacks chose McNicholas in the 5th Round (62nd pick overall). He participated in the 2010 tryout and training camps and was named to the affiliate list. He got to play in one Lumberjack game in February. McNicholas was a full-time player for the Victory Honda team (Michigan) in the Tier 1 Elite Hockey League (midget major). He was the 8th leading scorer in the league with 12 goals and 34 assists in 40 games. In June, he tried out for the Lumberjacks again and made the 25-man roster. In July, McNicholas and Jordan Masters tied for leading scorer in the 2011 Youth Select 17 Player Development Camp. Although they are both 17 and born a month apart, Masters was chosen for the U.S. Under-18 Select Team and McNicholas wasn't. He is looking to surpass Masters' scoring totals in this, his rookie season in the USHL. McNicholas is expected to join UNH in the fall of either 2013 or 2014."

Michael McNicholas, a 17-year-old forward (DOB: 3/24/1994) was a member of the Lumberjacks' 25-man roster that participated in training camp throughout September. McNicholas played in all five of the Lumberjacks' preseason games, including the three games at the USHL Fall Classic. He scored 1 assist and had an overall +/- rating of +2. As of today, McNicholas is listed on the Muskegon Lumberjacks' website as a member of the 23-man active roster - with his picture and biography. However, a couple of announcements over the last week raise questions about McNicholas' status with the Lumberjacks.

All USHL teams were required to provide their 23-man active rosters before the League's season began last weekend. USA Hockey posted the active rosters for all teams including the Lumberjacks. Michael McNicholas is not on the list. Yesterday, the Lumberjacks' announced, through the Muskegon Chronicle, that they added a forward named John Padulo, a three-year veteran from the Ontario Hockey League, to their active roster. Padulo is also one of the 23 players on the Lumberjacks' roster listed by USA Hockey. These announcements raise the possibility that Michael McNicholas will not be on the Lumberjacks' active roster when they begin their regular season this Friday, October 7th against the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders.

All USHL teams have a 14-player "affiliate list" in addition to their 23-man active rosters. These lists for the 2011-12 season was posted by US Hockey Report (available through google search). Michael McNicholas is on this version of the Lumberjacks' affiliate list. As I mentioned above, McNicholas was on their affiliate list last season and was called up from the Victory Honda Under-18 team to play one game with the Lumberjacks. According information provided on the facebook page of the Chicago Steel:

"Players on the affiliated list can be moved to a team's active roster at any time and for any reason. If an affiliated player is moved to a team's active roster before the February 10 roster deadline, they will be eligible to play for the remainder of the regular season as well as the post-season. Affiliated players added to the active roster after February 10 will not be eligible to play in the post-season."

This suggests that Michael McNicholas could be called up to the Lumberjacks' and be moved to their active roster at some point this season. However, the question is, called up from what team? Could McNicholas start the season playing for his former team, Victory Honda? His name currently is not on their roster. There are a couple of Victory Honda players who are as old as McNicholas. Look for an announcement from the Muskegon Lumberjacks on Michael McNicholas' status in the coming days.

UNH Recruit Jordan Masters is on the Lumberjacks' active roster in all of the lists described above. In 4 preseason games, Masters scored a goal and 2 assists and was second in scoring among the Lumberjacks.

TUMHBG's Take

2011-10-04T15:05:00.001-04:00

There's nothing like getting your Wildcat Hockey fix after a long summer and the exhibition game always comes just in time. We get to see our newly minted team as well as the newcomers who may have to wait awhile before they get their shot to don the sweater and lace 'em up in their first real game.

And it was quite a show put on by our men!

Just 16 seconds in and Stevie Moses, our Alternate Captain, shows that he means business this season, scoring shorthanded on a nice feed from senior Captain, Mike Borisenok.

The team played a solid 60 minutes - upperclassmen to freshmen, goalie, defense and forward - and while that one goal would have been enough behind a complete effort by senior goaltender, Matty DiGirolamo, sophomore Justin Agosta stood tall with two heavy shots from the point that found the twine. No dangles here, just straight-up blasts for a goal and an assist on fellow sophomore, Jeff Silengo's tip-in.

And I have to mention that John Henrion is a beast. That is all.

But, my player of the game nod has got to go to freshman, Trevor van Riemsdyk. I liked his play at both ends of the ice. I saw good passing, shooting, defensive coverage and a tough edge to his game that saw him finishing his checks on every play. Nicely done.

I know I had a spectacular day. With our traditional stops at the Fox Country Smokehouse, a pre-game Turbo @ Pauly's, met up with C-H-C at the game and then a nice meal after with the whole family. The only way it could have been better would have been for it to have been a nice fall day for apple picking - it doesn't get any better than fall in New Hampshire.

Now on to the regular season. With the exhibition game out of the way it's time to get the 2011-2012 Division I NCAA college hockey season underway!

This Saturday our 'Cats will make the short jaunt to Boston University's Agganis Arena to officially drop the puck on the regular season.

The Terriers didn't get out to the best of starts in their exhibition game, falling behind 5-0 to the Saint Francis Xavier X-Men. But BU can't be taken lightly as they mounted a four goal third period to make a game of it though ultimately falling 6-4.

I can't wait!

To get you through, enjoy the UNH Warm Ups Soundtrack courtesy of senior netminder, Tyler Scott.

And as a side note, if you haven't heard, welcome to the league Notre Dame.

Go 'Cats!

UNH Recruits Update: Week 1

2011-10-03T10:00:00.006-04:00

Most of the UNH Recruits have begun their regular seasons. From now until the end of league playoffs, I'll be posting a weekly update of the recruits' statistics along with a report on outstanding individual accomplishments for the week. For Week 1, there are 6 recruits who have not begun the season either due to injury or league play has not begun for their team. As you'll see, the season is in full swing for the rest of the UNH Recruits.

Player of the Week - Andrew Poturalski

Three recruits have gotten off to fast starts - Andrew Poturalski, Collin MacDonald and Tyler Kelleher. After a strong preseason with the Jersey Hitmen (EJHL), MacDonald, a 2012 Recruit, has a goal and 5 assists in the first 5 games of the regular season. This is MacDonald's first season in the EJHL. 2014 Recruit, Tyler Kelleher, has made the jump from prep school hockey at Deerfield Academy to the USA U-17 NTDP team, which plays in the United States Hockey League. In his very first game in the USHL, Kelleher scored 2 goals. Ordinarily, I'd name either MacDonald or Kelleher as "Player of the Week". However, this week, that title goes to 2013 Recruit Andrew Poturalski. In his first season of junior hockey, playing for the Buffalo Jr. Sabres of the Ontario Junior Hockey League, Poturalski has scored 8 goals and 8 assists in the first 8 games. In the OJHL, he is tied for 3rd in goals scored and tied for 5th in total points. A goal-a-game and 2 point-a-game pace will be difficult to maintain but it is an impressive accomplishment.

Player	Team	League	GP	Goals	Asst	Pts	PIM
2012 Recruits
Dan Correale	Grande Prairie	AJHL	Injured	0	0	0	0
Maxim Gaudreault	Sioux City	USHL	1	0	0	0	0
Jamie Hill	Waterloo	USHL	1	0	1	1	0
Collin MacDonald	Jersey Hitmen	EJHL	5	1	5	6	0
Kyle Smith	Junior Bruins	EJHL	4	0	4	4	0
Mike Vecchione	Tri-City	USHL	1	0	0	0	2
2012 or '13 Recruit
Jordan Masters	Muskegon	USHL	0	0	0	0	0
2013 Recruits
Matias Cleland	Waterloo	USHL	1	0	0	0	9
Dylan Maller	Tri-City	USHL	injured	0	0	0	0
Brett Pesce	Jersey Hitmen	EJHL	3	0	0	0	2
Andrew Poturalski	Buffalo Jr Sabres	OJHL	8	8	8	16	4
2013 or '14 Recruit
Michael McNicholas	Muskegon	USHL	0	0	0	0	0
2014 Recruits
Shane Eiserman	Cushing Academy	NEPSAC	0	0	0	0	0
Tyler Kelleher	USA U17 Team	USHL	2	2	0	2	0
2015 Recruits
Jason Kalinowski	Salisbury Prep	NEPSAC	0	0	0	0	0

UNH Handily Defeats New Brunswick 3-0

2011-10-01T23:30:00.009-04:00

The 2011-12 version of the UNH Wildcats took to the fog shrouded ice at the Whittemore Center for the first time this season and came away with a 3-0 victory over the University of New Brunswick. Check out UNHWildcats.com for a game summary including videos of the UNH goals.

For an exhibition game, the New Brunswick "Varsity Reds" were a worthy opponent. The team is full of veterans of Canadian Major Junior hockey along with three former professionals - two from the American Hockey League and one from the ECHL. The youngest player is 21-years-old and the oldest is 26. Last season, New Brunswick won the championship of Canadian college hockey - the University Cup. The Varsity Reds are poised for another strong season with seventeen upperclassmen.

UNH enters the new season with (at least) three major questions:

(1) Can a top line emerge to replace the high-scoring line of Paul Thompson, Phil DeSimone and Mike Sislo?

The answer might be Stevie Moses-Mike Borisenok-Kevin Goumas. Tonight, the "Go-Mo-Bo" line picked up where they left off in the NCAA Tournament last March. Less than a half-minute into the game, Borisenok streaked through center ice, fed a flying Moses on the right wing, who broke in for a clean breakaway goal. For the night, the line generated 11 shots on goal. Moses had 6 SOG's of his own and was, once again, the fastest player on the ice. On several occasions, Moses carried the puck strong to the net resulting in scoring opportunities. Borisenok had a characteristically strong two-way game. Goumas may be one of the best at anticipating the movement of the puck and being in the right place at the right time.

(2) Will Matt DiGirolamo equal or surpass last season's performance in which he was runnerup to John Muse as the Hockey East Goaltending Champion?

A 22-save, shutout is a good start. DiGirolamo is so quick at moving side-to-side across the crease and tonight, he was largely successful at controlling rebounds. An injury-free DiGirolamo will be essential to UNH's success this season. The three backup goalies - Scott, Wyer, and freshman Casey DeSmith are untested. During one sequence tonight, Captain Damon Kipp fell on top of DiGi and he got up very slowly as many in the crowd (and behind the UNH bench) held their breath. He played fine after that.

(3) Will an offensive defenseman emerge to replace the scoring output provided by Blake Kessel (who turned professional after his junior year at UNH)?

Two new defensemen - sophomore Justin Agosta (who didn't play in any games last season) and freshman Trevor van Riemsdyk - are solid candidates. As anticipated, TvR showed remarkable poise in his first college game. He skated a regular shift, paired with either Brett Kostolansky or Eric Knodel, and got significant powerplay time. Like Kessel, TvR will jump into the play through center ice and into the offensive zone. During one UNH powerplay in the third period, TvR was the only player back on a 2-on-1 rush by New Brunswick. He steered the puck-carrier off to the side of DiGi, gathered in the puck, rushed through center ice and made a pretty pass to Nick Sorkin from the top of the faceoff circle. He may end up with more assists than Kessel because he is an outstanding passer.
Justin Agosta was a pleasant surprise on offense tonight with 3 shots on goal, 1 goal and 1 assist. His assist on UNH's third goal was particularly effective. From just inside the blueline, he took a half-slapshot which he appeared to deliberately aim just to the right of the New Brunswick goalie - right where Silengo and Block were positioned.

First Look at the Freshmen
Of all the freshman forwards, Grayson Downing looks to be the most ready to make the jump from junior hockey to the college game. Downing skated a regular shift on the left wing of the 4th line. He appeared to keep up with the fast pace and was rarely out of position. He also made a couple of nice plays entering the offensive zone. The all freshman line of Casey Thrush, Matt Willows, and Jay Camper were fun to watch. Thrush had a couple shots on goal with Willows and Camper getting one apiece. Willows is a small but fast center who plays with a physical edge. He made a couple of below-average passes but that's to be expected. Thrush and Camper are strong skaters. Defensemen Ryan Randall and Eric Chevrier and goalie Casey DeSmith participated in the warmups but were not on the bench.

UNH opens the Hockey East schedule next Saturday night at Boston University. The home opener is on October 15th against Boston College. Two teams ranked in the top 10 nationally on consecutive weekends.

UNH Recruits Make USHL Rosters

2011-09-29T16:06:00.008-04:00

Now that the United States Hockey League preseason has ended and the regular season is set to begin on Friday, Sept. 30th, the teams are announcing their 23-man Active Rosters. The 7 UNH Recruits who survived the tryout camps in June and have been battling for one of the roster spots during training camp will find out if they will start the season in the USHL. This table shows the player statistics for the preseason games which culminated in last weekend's USHL Fall Classic.

USHL PRESEASON STATS

Player	Team	League	GP	Goals	Asst	Pts	PIM
Jordan Masters	Muskegon	USHL	4	1	2	3	21
Michael McNicholas	Muskegon	USHL	5	0	1	1	0
Maxim Gaudreault	Sioux City	USHL	2	1	0	1	0
Dylan Maller	Tri-City	USHL	0	0	0	0	0
Mike Vecchione	Tri-City	USHL	5	1	1	2	2
Matias Cleland	Waterloo	USHL	6	0	1	1	0
Jamie Hill	Waterloo	USHL	6	2	2	4	2

As of post-time, the only team, with UNH recruits, to announce the active roster was the Sioux City Musketeers. As expected, 2012 recruit Maxim Gaudreault will be playing his second season for the Musketeers. As the other active rosters are announced, I will update this post.
Notes: ~ Defenseman Dylan Maller, a 2013 Recruit, did not play in any of the Tri-City Storms' preseason games due to a hip injury. If he makes the squad, he will be a rookie in the USHL.
~ 2014 Recruit Tyler Kelleher and the US U-17 NTDP will play their first USHL game on Friday against the Youngstown Phantoms.
Updates:
The Tri-City Storm have announced that 2012 Recruit Mike Vecchione and 2013 Recruit Dylan Maller have made the roster. Maller was added as the 24th member and is on the injured reserve list.
The Waterloo Black Hawks 23-man active roster includes 2012 Recruit Jamie Hill and 2013 Recruit Matias Cleland.

Happy Hockey Monday!

2011-09-26T14:30:00.001-04:00

"Then came October, full of merry glee."

Tis the season, Wildcat Nation. Welcome back!

Your University of New Hampshire Men's Hockey Team will face the CIS champion, University of New Brunswick Varsity Reds, in an exhibition game... THIS SATURDAY!

Bring on October!

The last time our Wildcats faced UNB was 2007. The team got off to a rough start. Falling behind 3-0 before then young freshmen, now blossoming NHL power forward, James van Riemsdyk got our 'Cats going with his first goal in the Blue and White with just under five minutes to play in the second. Then it was Thomas Fortney, of Wildcat Legend for his last fraction of a second goal in the Northeast Regional versus North Dakota, figuring a shorthanded goal with the third period well underway. van Riemsdyk would tally once more but it was too little, too late as the Varsity Reds had scored once more themselves just after Fortney's goal. A 4-3 loss in the exhibition game.

Those Wildcats have all moved on now.

New faces will take to the ice, though one of those new faces will be sporting a familiar name to Wildcat fans. And we'll see a new, but familiar, face behind the bench in Associate Head Coach, Jim Tortorella.

Always such an exciting time of year!

Looking forward to seeing you all at the game!

Go 'Cats!

UNH Recruit Profile: Collin MacDonald

2011-09-24T10:00:00.009-04:00

"Collin MacDonald has a lot of the same skills as James van Riemsdyk, however not as polished at this time."
Toby Harris,
Head Coach & General Manager, Jersey Hitmen

On August 25th, Collin MacDonald, a 19-year-old, 6'2", 200 lb, forward from the Jersey Hitmen organization, committed to play for the University of New Hampshire in the fall of 2012. Soon after, I had an opportunity to ask Coach Harris to describe MacDonald's skills and compare him to a current or former UNH player.

"I recruited James van Riemsdyk when he was a sophomore at Christian Brothers Academy in (Middletown) NJ. I saw a lot of GOD given talent and skill. Although James was a sophomore and Collin a postgraduate, there is an uncanny resemblance. He skates extremely well, has incredible hands, an excellent scoring touch/release, and great size. With the UNH system, rink and off ice training program he will excel."

A favorable comparison with JvR - 2nd overall pick in the 2007 NHL Draft; Hockey East All-Rookie Team; 21-goal scorer with the Philadelphia Flyers - is impressive. So who is this talented young player? In recent weeks, Collin MacDonald has burst onto the scene of the Eastern Junior Hockey League (EJHL) with the Jersey Hitmen. In the EJHL preseason games, MacDonald has scored at a blistering pace - which should not come as a surprise. Last season, as the captain for the Hitmen of the Empire Hockey League (Junior B Division), MacDonald was the league's leading scorer. In 39 regular season games, he scored 29 goals and 53 assists, including 6 powerplay and 4 shorthanded goals. For his efforts, he received the Empire League's "Best Forward Award." The Hitmen advanced to the USA Hockey Junior B National Championships and MacDonald lead the team in goals scored with 4 in four games. The Hitmen lost in the quarterfinals of the tournament to the eventual champions, the Boston Jr Bruins.

MacDonald's first opportunity to don an EJHL uniform came at the preseason, Summer Classic in July. The round-robin tournament between EJHL teams was won by the Hitmen. MacDonald scored 6 goals in six games which tied him for leading goal scorer. In early September, the Jersey Hitmen won all three of their games in the Woodchuck Classic, a round-robin tournament with teams from the EJHL, Ontario Junior Hockey League, and Canadian AAA Provincial Hockey League. MacDonald scored three goals over the weekend including the game-winning, shootout goal on Friday.

Yesterday, I caught MacDonald's first regular season game in the EJHL at the New England Sports Center in Marlborough, MA. The Hitmen defeated the Boston Bandits 6-1 and MacDonald had three assists. When you first see MacDonald skate, the resemblance to JvR is apparent. He's a big left-winger with a wide gait and stride. His acceleration may be a bit quicker than JvR's was at UNH. On one back-checking play, MacDonald quickly caught up with a streaking Bandit forward in three strides. His playmaking and passing abilities were evident in his three assists. Another skill which stood out was his ability to instantly change the direction of the puck while in full stride. For example, on one rush into the offensive zone, he quickly shifted the puck from his backhand to forehand as he cut from the rightside of the blueline to the top of the left circle, leading to a low wristshot on goal. In this season opener, MacDonald was on the third line and also got some powerplay time. It will be interesting to see if he moves up to the top line as the season progresses.

Off the ice, Collin MacDonald has excelled in two other areas essential to a developing student athlete. Coach Harris told me that "Collin is a tremendous student with a 3.9 GPA, which put him in the top 20 in his graduating class (at West Milford High School). This year he will continue his studies at Passaic (County Community College) to stay ahead of the tough UNH course load." In addition to his academic pursuits, MacDonald reportedly had a successful summer of conditioning at the Rockland Peak Performance Fitness Center.

UNH fans interested in seeing Collin MacDonald play this season have a few opportunities as the Jersey Hitmen come to the Tri-Town Arena in Hooksett, NH and the Rinks at Exeter in late October.

Jason Kalinowski: Third 16-year-old Commits to UNH

2011-09-19T06:56:00.015-04:00

The Beantown Bullies have announced that forward Jason Kalinowski from Stamford CT has committed to play for UNH. Chris Heisenberg has reported that Kalinowski is committed for the fall of 2015. Kalinowski (DOB: 7-2-1995) joins Tyler Kelleher (US NTDP U-17) and Shane Eiserman (Cushing Academy) as the third player born in 1995 to commit to UNH. Kalinowski is currently playing his fall season with the Mid Fairfield Blues, a midget minor team based in Darien, CT., which plays other AAA Tier 1 teams from throughout the northeast. Mid Fairfield recently won the Tier 1 Labor Day Face-Off by beating the Boston Junior Bruins. Kalinowski was reportedly injured early in the tournament.

Jason Kalinowski, a 5'11", 170 lb., right-shot forward, plays prep hockey with Salisbury Prep School near Canaan, CT. Last season, Salisbury lost in the semifinals of the New England Prep School Championship after defeating a strong Cushing Academy team in the quarterfinals. As a sophomore, Kalinowski scored 4 goals and 10 assists in 25 games. Before enrolling in Salisbury, Kalinowski played two seasons of bantam hockey with the Mid Fairfield Youth Hockey Program in the Atlantic Metropolitan Hockey League. As a 14-year-old bantam major player, he scored 42 goals and 35 assists in 28 games. In the 2008-09 bantam minor season, the 13-year-old Kalinowski had 41 goals and 37 assists in 78 games.

For the last two summers, Kalinowski has been invited by USA Hockey to participate in their Select Player Development Camps. In July, 2010, he was the 4th leading scorer in the Select 15 camp with 2 goals and 8 assists in 5 games. The leading scorer for that camp was 2014 Recruit Tyler Kelleher. Last July, Kalinowski participated in the USA Hockey Select 16 Camp and scored 2 goals and 2 assists in 6 games. He tied for 7th place in scoring with fellow UNH commit Shane Eiserman.

UNH Recruits Prepare for USHL: Part II

2011-09-16T13:36:00.006-04:00

Part I of this series chronicled the efforts of 5 UNH Recruits to make the roster of two USHL teams. All five - Casey Thrush, Jordan Masters, Michael McNicholas (Muskegon Lumberjacks), Mike Vecchione, and Dylan Maller (Tri-City Storm) - made the teams' 25-player active roster coming out of the tryout camps in June. This summer, an additional 6 UNH Recruits also pursued their dream to play in the USHL. These are their stories.

Waterloo Black Hawks

Jamie Hill - Both Jamie Hill and current UNH sophomore, Nick Sorkin, were drafted by the Waterloo Black Hawks in the 4th Round of the 2009 USHL Entry Draft. The 17-year-old Hill and 18-year-old Sorkin made the Black Hawks roster for the 2009-10 season. Over his first two seasons in Waterloo, Hill posted 23 and 26 points, respectively. His total penalty minutes increased from 69 to 119 (an average of 2 penalty minutes per game). As expected, Jamie Hill made the 25-man active roster coming out of the Black Hawk's tryout camp and will be a third-year veteran this season. Hill is committed to UNH for the fall of 2012.

Matias Cleland - Every spring, the USHL conducts its "Futures Draft" for prospects who will be 16 years old during that calendar year. The teams attempt to identify young players who have the most potential to make the active roster within a 3-year window. Players selected in the Futures Draft are often placed on the team's "Affiliate List" - a group of 14 players (in addition to the active roster) that the team protects. An affiliated player can not play for any other USHL team unless he is traded. In the 2010 Futures Draft, the Black Hawks selected defenseman Matias Cleland in the third round and he was placed on their affiliate list. Last season, Cleland played for the Colorado Thunderbirds, an Under-18 Tier 1 team. In 38 regular season games, he scored 5 goals and 26 assists and was the 3rd leading scorer among defensemen in the Tier 1 Elite League. The Thunderbirds advanced to the 2011 USA National Championship series in April and lost in the semifinals. Overall, Cleland had a goal and no assists in the 5 playoff games. In June, he had a successful tryout with the Black Hawks and made the 25-man active roster. On Sept. 14, 2011, Matias Cleland played his first game in a Black Hawk uniform in a preseason game against Cedar Rapids. He has committed to UNH for the fall of 2013.

Sioux City Musketeers

Maxim Gaudreault - In May 2010, the Musketeers selected Maxim Gaudreault in the 2nd round of the 2010 USHL Entry Draft (19th overall selection). A month later, Gaudreault earned a slot on the Musketeers' roster just prior to his 18th birthday. In his rookie season in the USHL, he scored 6 goals and 18 assists in 45 games, including 2 short-handed goals. Not surprisingly, Gaudreault has made the Musketeers' roster for the upcoming season. He is scheduled to join UNH in the fall of 2012. He will join his former teammates from Team Maryland - Nick Sorkin and Casey Thrush.

Kyle Smith - Over the last two seasons, forward Kyle Smith has put up solid numbers with the Boston Junior Bruins of the Eastern Junior Hockey League. He was the 8th leading scorer in the EJHL last year with 15 goals and 38 assists in 45 games. In May 2011, Smith was drafted by the Dubuque Fighting Saints (USHL) in the 15th round of the Entry Draft. Arrangements were made for Smith to try out for the Sioux City Musketeers instead of the Saints. In a few intrasquad games at the Musketeers' tryout camp in June, Kyle Smith scored a goal and an assist. However, he did not make either the 25-man Active Roster or 14-player Affiliate List. Smith rejoined the EJHL as a member of the All-Star team that played in the Junior World Cup Tournament in Omsk, Russia over the last week of August. Kyle Smith will be a third-year veteran on the Junior Bruins this season. He is committed to UNH for the fall of 2012.

Andrew Poturalski - During the 2010 USHL Futures Draft, center Andrew Poturalski was selected 87th overall by the Sioux City Musketeers. At the time, Poturalski was 16 years old and had just completed his sophomore season at the Nichols Prep School in Buffalo, NY. Nichols plays in the Conference of Independent Schools Athletic Association (CISAA) with 5 Canadian prep schools in the Toronto/Lake Ontario region. In his junior year last season, Poturalski led the CISAA in scoring with 13 goals and 10 assists in 14 regular season games and scored a remarkable 5 goals (including the overtime, game-winning goal) in the CISAA Championship game. In June, Poturalski had a strong performance at the Musketeers' Tryout Camp. He scored some goals in intrasquad games and made one of the all-star teams for the final day of camp. However, Poturalski did not make the Musketeers' 25-man active roster. In mid-July, arrangements were made for him to try out with the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders (see below).

Cedar Rapids RoughRiders

Andrew Poturalski - The middle of June is the time for all USHL teams to run their tryout camps. The Cedar Rapids RoughRiders held an additional tryout camp in mid-July and Andrew Poturalski was there. Poturalski impressed Head Coach and General Manager Mark Carlson and his staff and he earned a spot on the RoughRiders' protected, affiliate list. In a correspondence, Coach Carlson provided me with this assessment of Andrew Poturalski:

"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 RoughRiders, Andrew Poturalski is eligible to be called up for one or more games during the upcoming USHL season.

I have just learned from Coach Jamie Printz of the Nichols School that Andrew is playing for the Buffalo Junior Sabres of the Ontario Junior Hockey League this season and he will complete his senior year of studies at the Nichols School. He is committed to UNH for the Fall of 2013.

US Under-17 National Team Development Program

Tyler Kelleher - USA Hockey operates two prestigious, intense development programs in Ann Arbor, MI - one for players under 17 years of age and another for the under-18 group. The U-17 team plays 36 games against USHL teams throughout the season as well as three international tournaments. Last season, as a freshman for the Deerfield Academy hockey team, Tyler Kelleher was one of 40 players invited to try out for the U-17 team. Although the tryout camp was held at the end of March, 2011, the final roster was not announced until the middle of August. Tyler Kelleher earned a spot on the Under-17 NTDP roster and has already begun training with the team. Chris Peters, former Communications Director with USA Hockey and current editor of "The United States of Hockey" offered this assessment of Kelleher:

"While most of his counterparts are huge forwards, Tyler Kelleher is one of two diminutive scorers the U.S. has picked. At just 5-6, 147, Kelleher needs to be dynamic to be a factor, and by most accounts he is. US Hockey Reports had glowing reviews for the small forward. Additionally, size wasn’t an issue for the University of New Hampshire, which earned a commitment from Kelleher. The NTDP has had luck in the past with small scorers before with Rocco Grimaldi and Nathan Gerbe being the most notable."

Tyler Kelleher is committed to UNH for the 2014-15 season.

UNH 2013 & 2014 Recruits At A Glance

2011-09-09T14:30:00.029-04:00

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: 4-15-94 Hometown: Parkland, FL Defense, 6'1", 163 lbs. Shoots Left Commit to UNH: 10-22-2010
	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
	Andrew Poturalski Buffalo Junior Sabres Ontario Junior Hockey League DOB: 1-14-1994 Hometown: Williamsville, NY Forward, 5'11", 160 lbs, Shoots Right Commit to UNH: 2-8-2011

2013 or 2014 Recruit

Michael McNicholas
Muskegon Lumberjacks
United States Hockey League
DOB: 3-23-94 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, 6'1", 180 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

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

UNH 2012 Recruits At A Glance

2011-09-06T11:27:00.035-04:00

2012 Recruits

	Dan Correale Grande Prairie Storm Alberta Junior Hockey League DOB: 8-21-1991 Hometown: Prince George, BC Forward, 5'11", 195 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", 200 lbs. Shoots Left Commit to UNH: 8-26-2011
	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
	Mike Vecchione Tri-City Storm United States Hockey League DOB: 2-25-93 Hometown: Saugus, MA Forward, 5'10", 210 lbs. Shoots Right Commit to UNH: 4-1-2010
2012 or 2013 Recruit
	Jordan Masters Muskegon Lumberjacks United States Hockey League DOB: 4-30-1994 Hometown: Rochester, NY Forward, 5'11", 160 lbs. Shoots Right Commit to UNH: 8-29-2011

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

UNH Recruits Prepare for USHL: Part I

2011-08-31T22:34:00.004-04:00

"Just bought a fresh grey suit...packing for Nebraska"
"Great going away party"
"This car ride needs to end"
"Just got a tour of the rink and locker room pretty super sweet"
"Good first skate with the boys"

A sampling of tweets from UNH Recruits as they prepared for training camps in the United States Hockey League (USHL). Earlier this summer, 10 young players, who have committed to play for UNH in the coming years, participated in the tryout camps of USHL teams. On July 1st, the teams announced which players made the 25-man Active Roster and 14-player Affiliate List. Nine UNH Recruits were on these lists and were invited to training camp.

Preseason training in the USHL runs through the month of September, includes practices and exhibition games, and culminates in the USHL Fall Classic - a series of 3 games with USHL opponents to be held in Sioux City, Iowa. By opening day, October 1st, all USHL teams are required to trim their roster to 23 players. What follows is Part I of a status review of all the UNH recruits who are battling for these roster spots.

Muskegon Lumberjacks

When the 2010-11 season ended, Casey Thrush planned on returning to the Muskegon Lumberjacks for his second season in the USHL. As expected, he was named to the Lumberjacks' 25-man active roster following the tryout camp and planned on attending the training camp. However, when Dan Correale's arrival at UNH was postponed for a year due to surgery, Thrush joined the 2011-12 Wildcats' squad.

Jordan Masters - In the summer of 2010, Masters was invited to try out for the Lumberjacks; he had not been drafted by any USHL team. He earned a spot on the 2010-11 roster and finished the regular season with 4 goals and 7 assists in 49 games. This summer, he was named to the Lumberjacks' 25-man Active Roster and joined their training camp this week. Given Masters' outstanding performance with the U.S. Under-18 Select Team at the recent Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament, his production with the Lumberjacks is likely to take a big jump this season. Masters is a 2012 UNH Recruit.

Michael McNicholas - In the 2010 USHL Futures Draft, the Lumberjacks chose McNicholas in the 5th Round (62nd pick overall). He participated in the 2010 tryout and training camps and was named to the affiliate list. He got to play in one Lumberjack game in February. McNicholas was a full-time player for the Victory Honda team (Michigan) in the Tier 1 Elite Hockey League (midget major). He was the 8th leading scorer in the league with 12 goals and 34 assists in 40 games. In June, he tried out for the Lumberjacks again and made the 25-man roster. In July, McNicholas and Jordan Masters tied for leading scorer in the 2011 Youth Select 17 Player Development Camp. Although they are both 17 and born a month apart, Masters was chosen for the U.S. Under-18 Select Team and McNicholas wasn't. He is looking to surpass Masters' scoring totals in this, his rookie season in the USHL. McNicholas is expected to join UNH in the fall of either 2013 or 2014.

Tri-City Storm

Mike Vecchione - In the 2010 USHL Entry Draft, the Tri-City Storm chose Mike Vecchione in the 16th round. He did not participate in the 2010 tryout camp, opting to prepare for his senior season at Malden Catholic High School in Malden, MA. As the team captain, Vecchione scored 26 goals and 44 assists in 20 regular season games. In the playoffs, he lead Malden Catholic to the Super 8 Massachusetts High School Championship. He was named a First Team All-Star by the Boston Globe. Vecchione entered the Storms tryout camp in June with a full head of steam and he was named to the 25-man active roster. After the second day of training camp, Storm Head Coach Drew Schoneck has identified Vecchione as part of a "youth movement" which will "add speed, skill, and, he hopes, scoring to Tri-City’s front line." The current plan is for Vecchione to enroll at UNH in the fall of 2012.

Dylan Maller - The Storm drafted defenseman Dylan Maller in the 3rd Round (32nd pick overall) of the 2011 USHL Entry Draft. Last season, Maller played for the DC Capitals in the North American Prospects Hockey League and had a goal and 5 assists in 24 regular season games. He impressed in his first tryout with a USHL team and made the 25-man active roster of the Storm. The NHL Central Scouting Service has identified Maller as a "B Prospect" which means that he has the potential to be drafted in Rounds #3-#5 in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft. Maller is a 2013 UNH Recruit.

Part II will focus on the other 5 UNH Recruits who tried out for the USHL this summer.

Jordan Masters - Another Lumberjack for UNH

2011-08-28T19:57:00.030-04:00

17-year-old forward Jordan Masters of the Muskegon Lumberjacks (USHL) has committed to play for UNH in either 2012 or 2013. He plans to join Casey Thrush and Michael McNicholas on the road from Muskegon to Durham. Along with McNicholas and 2013 UNH Recruit, Brett Pesce, Masters had a strong showing at the USA Hockey Select 17 Player Development Camp in early July. He and defenseman Pesce were named to the U.S. Under-18 Select Team that competed at the 2011 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament in August. The USA team joined teams from Russia, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Switzerland, Finland, Sweden and Canada for the tournament in the Czech Republic. The U.S. finished fifth with a record of 3 wins and 1 loss. Jordan Masters was the leading scorer for Team USA with 4 goals and 3 assists in 4 games. He was the 4th leading scorer among all players in the tournament.

Last season, his first in the United States Hockey League, Jordan Masters (DOB 4/30/1994) played as a 5'10", 153 lbs forward for the Muskegon Lumberjacks. He scored 4 goals and 7 assists in 49 games. Masters, who is from Rochester, NY, obviously stepped up his game over the summer. Dan Stewart, Director of Scouting for Future Considerations, provided this assessment:

"Jordan Masters, a left winger, was the most consistent offensive threat in Slovakia for the USA squad. Masters was another ‘right-place-right-time’ guy who was able to score some big goals an overmatches US squad. Despite his lack of ideal size he went to prime scoring areas without hesitation and was rewarded with boatloads of scoring chances. His quick shot helped him become a difference maker while his grit and determination made him a popular teammate. Masters, who plays for the Muskegon Lumberjacks of the USHL, could have pushed his name into the draft picture with a few NHL teams after this performance."

With the addition of Jordan Masters, the University of New Hampshire will have 10 and possibly 11 recruits playing in the United States Hockey League this fall. Look for more details in an upcoming post.

Top 15-Year-Old Shane Eiserman Commits to UNH

2011-08-27T09:11:00.018-04:00

Shane Eiserman, a 6'1", 180 lbs forward from West Newbury, MA, has committed to play at UNH. Eiserman (DOB 10/10/1995) joins fellow 1995 birthdate player, Tyler Kelleher as a 2014 recruit.

By any measure, Shane Eiserman had an extraordinary freshman season. As a left-winger, he played on St. John's Prep School's (Danvers, MA) top line, centered by senior Colin Blackwell, who will play for Harvard this year. During the regular season, Eiserman scored 32 points and helped St. John's earn the #2 seed in the Massachusetts Super 8 Tournament. In the dramatic championship game against Mike Vecchione (2012 UNH Recruit) and Malden Catholic, Eiserman and the St. John's team lost in overtime 4-3. He scored 2 assists in what turned out to be his final game with St. John's. Overall (regular season plus playoffs), Eiserman scored 24 goals and 28 assists for a total of 52 points and was named by ESPN Boston to the Massachusetts All-Rookie Team.

When the high school season came to a close, Shane Eiserman launched his equally successful summer season. In late June, Eiserman participated in the USA Hockey 2011 Youth Select 16 Player Development Camp in Rochester, NY. He scored 2 goals and 2 assists in 5 games and tied for 7th in scoring. More importantly, he was selected to the US Under-17 Select Team which earned him a ticket to the Five Nations Tournament in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

From August 9-13, Eiserman played for Team USA in the Five Nations Tournament. The US faced teams from Germany, Switzerland, the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Team USA won the tournament in dominating fashion winning all four games. Chris Peters, writer for "The United States of Hockey" had this to say about Eiserman's performance during the tournament:

"There’s a lot to like about Eiserman’s game. He only posted two points, but made his presence felt in a variety of other ways. He was one of Team USA’s biggest forwards and best skaters. He played a very good two-way game, despite the fact that he seems to have some really good offensive ability. As he continues to round out his game and grow, he’ll be one to watch for sure. Draft eligible in 2014."

Eiserman will reportedly play for Cushing Academy in Ashburnham, MA this season.

And I thought August would be a quiet month.

UNH to Play in Frozen Fenway 2012

2011-08-26T16:32:00.017-04:00

FENWAY PARK, Boston - When it's 86 degrees and the sun is reflecting off the Green Monster, it's difficult to imagine anyone playing hockey on the lush infield grass. But that's exactly what will happen on January 7, 2012. At a press conference this afternoon, Boston Mayor Tom Menino announced that the celebration of the 100th Anniversary of Fenway Park will begin with the Frozen Fenway 2012. The University of New Hampshire men's hockey team will play against rival the University of Maine in a 7:30 p.m. game. UMass Amherst will face off against UVM in the 4:00 p.m. game.

Speaking in front of representatives of the Boston Red Sox, Hockey East Association, Fenway Sports Management, New England Sports Network, and a couple dozen reporters, UNH Coach Dick Umile said "Over the years, Timmy (Whitehead) and I and Coach Walsh talked about us possibly playing a game like this in a big venue and I can't think of a better place to play than at Fenway Park. We're really looking forward to it. We have a lot of alums in the New England area and Boston area and hopefully they along with our fans will be down here. Hopefully we'll sell this out quickly because it's going to be an exciting day."

Following the formal remarks, I had an opportunity to interview Co-Captains Mike Borisenok and Damon Kipp. When asked about their experience playing hockey outdoors, Borisenok said "I grew up playing outside (in Watervilet, NY) whether it was on a pond or home-built rink. I never got to play an outdoor game so it's going to be really exciting." Kipp described his early experiences growing up in Salmon Arm, British Columbia. "I played a lot on a lake after shoveling the snow and setting up banks for the rink. I played with a lot of my friends - not a lot of them played hockey - but it's such a tradition to throw on the skates, get a stick and puck and shoot around. Good memories growing up, that's for sure."

I asked both Co-Captains and Coach Umile whether they would make any adjustments in their game plan going from indoor to outdoor hockey. Borisenok said "We'll play our systems. It's going to be the same size ice surface. The only difference will be the weather which could play a big impact." Kipp added "we're going to have to just play and deal with whatever's going on. The weather could be a big thing but we'll try to approach it like a normal game." Coach Umile indicated that the team will have an opportunity to practice on the specially-constructed ice surface at Fenway. Otherwise, he plans to prepare like it was any other game against Maine.

Tickets for the Frozen Fenway 2012 go on sale Tuesday, September 13th. Hockey East Commissioner Joe Bertagna reminded the audience that tickets for the 2010 games at Fenway Park sold out in two days. It was also announced today that the Bruins will play the Vancouver Canucks at the TD Garden earlier in the day on January 7th. Tom Carron said that all three games will be broadcast on NESN.

Notes:

Both captains told me that all of the incoming freshmen are either on campus or will be arriving soon in Durham. That means that Jay Camper, Eric Chevrier, Casey DeSmith, Grayson Downing, Ryan Randall, Trevor van Riemsdyk, Casey Thrush, and Matt Willows should be suiting up for UNH in a few weeks.

A representative of the Athletic Department indicated that the replacement for Coach Lassonde should be announced early next week. As with most state positions, the posting needed to be up for a specific period of time.

And finally, in what could be a harbinger of things to come, the little bear mascot for the University of Maine passed out on the Fenway turf. He reportedly was recuperating and resting comfortably.

Newsflash

2011-08-26T10:43:00.012-04:00

The rumors are true. The UNH Men's Hockey Blog is BACK!

How about a big hand for TUMHB's Associate Editor, C-H-C!

The resurrection of The UNH Men's Hockey Blog would not have happened without his extraordinary efforts and initiative to provide Wildcat Nation with a place to come read the latest and the greatest in happenings around our UNH Men's Hockey team - in an environment where people can feel comfortable commenting and discussing the team's trials, tribulations and triumphs.

On today's docket, check out the Boston Redsox's website at 2:00pm to catch the live-streaming news conference confirming the State School Showdown, the College Hockey Battle at Yawkey, the Fourway at Fenway, the Throwdown in Beantown, the... alright, I'm out... but C-H-C is in - that's right, live at the presser - so you can be sure that if there is anything newsworthy to come out of it we'll be sure to bring it to you here on The UNH Men's Hockey Blog!

Oh, and of course...

Go 'Cats!

Collin MacDonald - A New 2012 Recruit for UNH

2011-08-25T16:39:00.013-04:00

The U.S. Hockey Report (USHR) has announced that Collin MacDonald from the Jersey Hitmen organization has committed to play for UNH beginning in the fall of 2012. As is often the case, USHR is the first to report on this college commitment and the article includes background information on MacDonald.

According to information available online, Collin MacDonald played last season as a 6'1" and 192 lbs forward for the Jersey Hitmen of the Empire Junior (B) Hockey League. As the Captain of the team, he finished the season with multiple honors including Leading Scorer in the League with 29 goals and 53 assists in 39 regular season games. MacDonald was awarded the Offensive Player of the Year honor in the Empire League and was a first-team All-Star.

MacDonald (DOB 6/21/92) played four years for West Milford High School in Northern New Jersey. In his junior year, he scored 54 goals and 34 assists and added another 52 goals and 21 assists in his senior year. Overall, MacDonald scored 249 career points for West Milford and was named a first-team all star in Passaic County three years in a row. Following his graduation from high school last spring, MacDonald plans to enroll this fall in an honors program at Passaic County Community College and play for the Jersey Hitmen of the Eastern Junior Hockey League.

Jim Tortorella: The UNH-Colby College Connection

2011-08-24T21:30:00.001-04:00

When longtime Associate Coach David Lassonde announced early last week that he was leaving UNH for the University of Denver, names of possible replacements quickly sprouted on various college hockey websites. Apparently, Jim Tortorella did not show up on anyone's radar - other than Coach Umile's. No, there is still no official announcement from UNH. If Tortorella is introduced as the new Assistant Coach at UNH in the coming days, as US Hockey Report and others have reported, his path to Durham will be one that is well worn.

The connections between the hockey programs at UNH and Colby College run deep. Tortorella himself was Umile's Assistant Coach at UNH before heading to Waterville, Maine to become Colby's Head Coach in 1995. When Tortorella arrived at the Alfond Rink, he crossed paths with Scott Borek, who was leaving the Colby job after three seasons, to become the Head Coach at Lake Superior State University. Many years before these comings and goings in the early 1990's, there was one move down the Maine Turnpike that changed UNH Hockey forever.

At the end of the 1968 season, a 46-year-old coach named Charlie Holt decided to leave Colby and try his fortunes in Durham, NH. What Holt accomplished at UNH is worthy of the label "legendary". In his second season in Snively Arena, he won the Spencer T. Penrose Award as the NCAA Coach of the Year. He went on to win that distinct honor two more times in 1974 and 1979. In 2010, ten years after his passing, Coach Holt was recognized with the Hobey Baker Legend of Hockey Award.

If 51-year-old Coach Tortorella takes the position on Coach Umile's staff, he will arrive with an impressive resume of his own. As Colby's Head Coach, Tortorella's overall record is 230-138-33. Several of his former assistant coaches have advanced to careers in Division One including Brendan Whittet, head coach at Brown University.

Of course, unlike Coach Holt, Coach Tortorella will not come to UNH as the new head coach. He'll be on a staff of colleagues who know each other well and his role will be more limited. Presumably, Tortorella would focus on coaching the defense and goalies. Time will tell.

UNH Reportedly Will Hire Jim Tortorella

2011-08-22T19:09:00.008-04:00

Two sources - U.S. Hockey Report and Judd Brackett (Scout for the Vancouver Canucks) - have reported that UNH plans to announce the hiring of Jim Tortorella as the new member of Coach Umile's coaching staff. USHR has a very informative article on Coach Tortorella's background and connections to UNH Hockey. In brief, Tortorella has been the successful Head Coach at Colby College (NCAA Division III) for the past 16 years. Following a playing career as a standout goalie at Concord-Carlisle High School and the University of Maine, Tortorella began his coaching career as a high school coach in Brunswick then Augusta, Maine. In 1993 and 1994, he was an Assistant to Coach Umile at UNH. At Colby College, he was named the New England Small College Athletic Conference's Coach of the Year in 2006 and 2008. His older brother is John Tortorella, Head Coach of the New York Rangers.

Will UNH Select Coach Sean Tremblay?

2011-08-22T10:10:00.000-04:00

As the end of the summer grew near, Sean Tremblay, General Manager and Head Coach of the New Hampshire Junior Monarchs of the Eastern Junior Hockey League (EJHL),was probably thinking about Siberia, not Durham, NH. Tremblay will be bringing a team of EJHL All-Stars to play in the Junior World Cup in Omsk, Russia which begins on August 28th. The team is expected to leave for Russia on the 26th. In the midst of this hectic schedule, has Coach Tremblay been considering an opportunity to be the new Associate Coach at UNH? Since former UNH coach, David Lassonde, accepted a coaching position with the University of Denver less than a week ago, speculation about his possible replacement has swirled. Coach Tremblay certainly would qualify.

Sean Tremblay began his coaching career with the Great Northern Snow Devils, a charter member of the EJHL and predecessor of the Jr Monarchs. He was awarded his first EJHL Coach of the Year honor in 1997. The team moved to it's current headquarters, the Tri-Town Ice Arena in Hooksett, NH in 2001 and became the NH Jr Monarchs. Tremblay and his team have been a dominant force in the EJHL ever since. They won the Regular Season Title six times (2002, 2006-2010) and the Playoff Championship six times (2002, '04, '06, '07, '10, '11). Tremblay was the EJHL Coach of the Year three more times in 2002, '06, and '07.

Tremblay has also coached in the USA Hockey Selects Player Development Program and international competition. He was the assistant coach for the Under-17 team that won gold at the 2006 Three Nations Tournament and head coach for the 2010 team that won the Five Nations Tournament

Several dozen of Tremblay's players have earned scholarships at NCAA Division One Hockey Programs. Three of his former players - Brian Foster (UNH), Paul Thompson (UNH), and Brian Dumoulin (BC) were NCAA All-Americans. Three members of the 2011-12 UNH roster - Greg Burke, Trevor van Riemsdyk, and Ryan Randall - played for Coach Tremblay with the Jr Monarchs.

Who Would be the Goalie Coach?
If Coach Tremblay joins the UNH coaching staff, who would coach the group of four goalies lead by senior Matt DiGirolamo? With Coach Lassonde's extensive experience recruiting and teaching goalies, both at UNH and USA Hockey Development Camps, UNH had the advantage of a full-time, salaried goalie coach. Sean Tremblay was a two-time All-State goalie when he played at Biddeford (Maine) High School and he played from 1988-1991 at the University of Southern Maine. However, it is not clear how involved Tremblay would be in working with UNH's goalies. With the Jr Monarchs, he utilized goalie coach Rob Day. Day's students have included Brian Foster, Jim Mello (Dartmouth), Brian Billett (BC) and Casey DeSmith (UNH). Perhaps UNH would add Day to the coaching staff as an assistant, "volunteer" coach in charge of goaltending - the model used by most other Hockey East teams.

With the veteran players and incoming freshmen arriving in Durham this week, chances are the new Associate Coach will be named very soon.

Coach Lassonde Leaves for DU; Who Will Replace Him?

2011-08-16T21:37:00.035-04:00

It's official - Coach David Lassonde has accepted an offer to become the Assistant Coach at the University of Denver. In an article published by the Denver Pioneers Official Athletics website Lassonde said:

"I am excited to begin this new chapter of my coaching career at the University of Denver...I was very impressed with the facilities, culture and sense of family witnessed during my recent visit to Denver. I got a feel early on that it would be a good fit, and I am anxious to begin working with the student-athletes at Denver."

At UNH, Lassonde was responsible for coaching the goalies and defensemen. He taught a number of UNH's best goalies including All-Americans Ty Conklin, Mike Ayers, Kevin Regan and Brian Foster. For many summers, Lassonde has coached at a number of USA Hockey camps including the Warren Strelow National Team Goaltending Camp.
Coach Lassonde had this to say about his many years at UNH:

"I want to express my gratitude to Marty Scarano, Dick Umile and all the people I have had the pleasure to work with during my second tour of duty in Durham. I will be forever appreciative of the opportunity UNH has given me to pursue my dream of coaching at the collegiate level. I also want to thank all the current and past UNH players I have had the pleasure of coaching. One of the big reasons why we enter this profession is to have the opportunity to work with young men and watch them grow as people and develop as players. I am grateful to them for making my time at UNH such a rewarding one."

In Coach Lassonde, UNH had a full-time coach who was also a goalie coach. Among NCAA hockey programs, this reportedly is the exception rather than the rule. According to an article on ESPN Boston most Hockey East teams have part-time "volunteer" goalie coaches in part because the NCAA does not permit teams to employ four paid coaches. These volunteer coaches are also not allowed to recruit prospective goalies. In an era when elite goalies are seeking specialized training, it can be an advantage to have a full-time goalie coach on the payroll.

Potential Candidates?
With classes starting in a few weeks and the preseason game against New Brunswick scheduled for Oct. 1st, UNH does not have a lot of time to fill Coach Lassonde's position. I have no idea who may be under consideration for the job but I thought I'd toss out a few names:
Patrick Foley
After leaving UNH in 2004, former three-time captain Patrick Foley went on to coach two years at the U.S. National Team Development Program. For the past 4 years, he has served as Assistant Coach at Harvard where he was responsible for coaching the defensemen and special teams. Earlier this month, the United States Hockey Report reportedly identified Foley as the new Assistant Coach at Northeastern. However, to date, there has been no official announcement from Northeastern and Foley still appears as an Assistant Coach on the Harvard hockey website. Even if Patrick Foley was available, he would not bring an expertise in goaltending.
Mike Ayers
Another 2004 graduate of UNH, former goalie Mike Ayers, has spent the last two seasons as the goalie coach at St. Cloud State University. A few days ago, he was named the goaltending coach at the U.S. National Team Development Program and coordinator of the Warren Strelow Camp. He apparently is not available.
Chris Economou
Economou is the goalie coach for the Waterloo Black Hawks of the USHL and trains goalies such as Ty Conklin and Matt DiGirolamo during the summer. Beyond that, I don't know much about him.
It will be interesting to see what develops. Your thoughts and comments are welcome.
**UPDATE**
Northeastern has announced that Patrick Foley is their new Assistant Coach.

THE UNH MEN'S HOCKEY BLOG

UNH Recruits Update: Week 16

Player of the Week - Dan Correale

News & Notes

UNH Splits With 6th-Ranked Merrimack

UNH Recruits At The 2012 EJHL All-Star Classic

UNH Recruits Update: Week 15

Player of the Week - Tyler Kelleher

News & Notes

UNH Smothers Dartmouth 4-1

UNH Recruits Update: Week 14

Player of the Week - Jason Kalinowski*

News & Notes

UNH Forces Overtime at Frozen Fenway

RePost of "UNH to Play in Frozen Fenway 2012"

UNH Recruits Update: Week 13

Player of the Week - Shane Eiserman

News & Notes

Brown Out The Whitt

UNH Recruit Brett Pesce Joins U.S. National U-18 Team

All I Want for Christmas is a Jumbotron

UNH Recruits Update: Week 12

Player of the Week - Mike McNicholas

News & Notes

Mike Vecchione's Decommitment from UNH: Part II

Mike Vecchione's Decommitment from UNH: Part I

EJHL Defenseman Harry Quast Commits to UNH

UNH Recruits Update: Week 11

Player of the Week - Kyle Smith

News & Notes

UNH Recruits At An Arena Near You in December

EJHL December Showcase

New England Prep Lawrence-Groton Tournament

New England Prep Flood-Marr Tournament

UNH Recruits Update: Week 10

Player of the Week - Collin MacDonald

News & Notes

UNH Still Winless on the Road

UNH Recruits Update: Week 9

Player of the Week - Jamie Hill

News & Notes

Alabama-Huntsville's Farewell Tour Comes to UNH

UNH Scores Plenty; Gives Up More (to Harvard)

UNH Recruits Update: Week 8

Player of the Week - Brett Pesce

News & Notes

UNH Drops Tight Matchup with BU

UNH Recruits Update: Week 7

Player of the Week - Tyler Kelleher

UNH Cobbles Together 4-4 Tie at UVM

*UPDATE* Shane Eiserman: UNH's Youngest Recruit

UNH Recruits Update: Week 6

Player of the Week - Jordan Masters

News & Notes

UNH Recruits Update: Week 5

Player of the Week - Kyle Smith

News & Notes

Newest UNH Recruit Jason Kalinowski Prepares for Prep Hockey Season

UNH Recruits Update: Week 4

Player of the Week - Mike Vecchione

New & Notes

UNH Earns First Point of Season

Did UNH Find Their Game in St. Cloud?

UNH Recruits Update: Week 3

Player of the Week - Collin MacDonald

New & Notes

UNH Recruits Update: Week 2

Player of the Week - Tyler Kelleher

New & Notes

UNH Drops Season Opener to Millan & BU

UNH Recruit Michael McNicholas: Where Will He Play?

TUMHBG's Take

UNH Recruits Update: Week 1

Player of the Week - Andrew Poturalski

UNH Handily Defeats New Brunswick 3-0

UNH Recruits Make USHL Rosters

USHL PRESEASON STATS

Happy Hockey Monday!

UNH Recruit Profile: Collin MacDonald

Jason Kalinowski: Third 16-year-old Commits to UNH

UPDATE Shane Eiserman: UNH's Youngest Recruit