#7 Men's Hockey Plays Host to Providence (Fri. - 7 p.m.) and Boston University (Sat. - 7 p.m. - NESN)
GAME NOTES
DURHAM, N.H. -- The seventh-ranked University of New Hampshire men's ice hockey team plays host to a pair of pivotal Hockey East contests this weekend. The Wildcats will entertain Providence College on Friday night (7 p.m.) and will welcome in 15th-ranked Boston University Saturday night (7 p.m.) for the rubber game of that three-game series. Saturday night's game will air live on NESN.
SCOUTING THE FRIARS: The Friars enter Friday night's game with UNH with a 7-9-5 overall record and a 3-7-4 mark in Hockey East, good for eighth place in league. PC is trying to snap a three-game losing streak, which includes a 4-3 overtime loss at Maine and back-to-back losses to Boston College. The Friars are led offensively by seniors Kyle MacKinnon (11g, 6a) and Ian O'Connor (6g, 11a) with 17 points apiece. In net, Alex Beaudry has seen the majority of action. He is 6-8-5 with a 3.12 GAA and a .905 save precentage in 19 games.
SERIES HISTORY vs. PROVIDENCE: The Wildcats and Friars have met 140 times in the all-time series history dating back to Feb. 12, 1927, with UNH leading the series at 76-50-14. Coach Umile owns a 45-21-7 all-time mark vs. Providence. New Hampshire is unbeaten in its last 11 games (9-0-2) against the Friars dating back to Feb. 24, 2007. UNH has won four-straight including a sweep of last year's season series. Top liners Phil DeSimone (2g, 8a) and Paul Thompson (6g, 3a) are the active leading scorers against Providence with 10 and nine points, respectively. Junior Matt DiGirolamo started and won on Dec. 11, 2009 for New Hampshire. He is 1-0-0 with a 3.00 GAA and a .914 save percentage.
SCORING LEADERS VS. THE FRIARS:
Player GP G-A-P
Phil DeSimone 9 2-8-10
Paul Thompson 8 6-3-9
Stevie Moses 6 2-6-8
Mike Sislo 9 2-3-5
Blake Kessel 6 1-2-3
Damon Kipp 4 0-2-2
Mike Borisenok 4 2-0-2
Dalton Speelman 2 0-1-1
Matt Campanale 7 0-1-1
Brett Kostolansky 3 0-1-1
Greg Manz 4 0-0-0
Mike Beck 5 0-0-0
Greg Burke 2 0-0-0
Austin Block 3 0-0-0
John Henrion 3 0-0-0
Connor Hardowa 1 0-0-0
Scott Pavelski 1 0-0-0
Kevin McCarey 1 0-0-0
Goaltending Stats
Player GP/Min GA GAA W-L-T SV SV%
DiGirolamo 1/60:00 3 3.00 1-0-0 32 .914
DiGirolamo Game-by-Game vs. the Friars
Date Min Res. Svs. GA Shots
12-11-09 60:00 W 32 3 35
Totals 60:00 1-0-0 32 3 35
LAST TIME THESE TEAMS MET (FEB. 12, 2010): Bobby Butler scored a career-high four goals to lead UNH to a 5-2 victory against Providence College in Hockey East action at the Whittemore Center. Butler, whose previous career high was two goals, struck early in the game to give the 'Cats a 1-0 lead and scored the only three goals of the third period to break a 2-2 tie and further extend UNH's advantage. The four points matched his career high.Phil DeSimone, who extended his point-scoring streak to 10 games, tallied a personal best of three assists – all on goals by Butler – and Mike Sislo matched his career high of two assists. UNH goaltender Brian Foster recorded 28 saves, including 12 in the first period. PC counterpart Alex Beaudry stopped 29 shots.
SCOUTING THE TERRIERS: No. 15 Boston University enters the weekend with a 10-6-6 overall record and a 7-4-4 mark in Hockey East, good for third place in the league standings. After storming out of the gate to an unbeaten 6-0-4 mark prior to their first meeting with UNH, the Terriers have struggled through a 4-6-2 stretch. BU had been unbeaten it is last three prior to a 3-2 setback at Merrimack most recently on Tuesday night. BU will play host to Boston College on Friday night before traveling north to Durham on Saturday. The Terriers are led offensively by sophomore Alex Chiasson, who has eight goals and 21 points on the season. Junior Kieran Millan is 7-4-6 with a 2.94 GAA and a .910 save percentage in 19 games for the Terriers.
SERIES HISTORY VS. BOSTON U.: Boston University leads the all-time series with UNH, 96-45-19 in 160 all-time meetings between the two schools dating back to Feb. 5, 1925. Saturday's game is the rubber match in the three-game series with both teams successfully defending their home ice in a home-and-home series Nov. 19-20. Coach Umile owns a 26-32-9 all-time record against Boston University. The Wildcats have enjoyed success at Agganis Arena with a 5-2-3 mark all time at Jack Parker Rink. Senior forward Paul Thompson is the active leading career Wildcat scorer against BU with 10 points (6g,4a) , while junior goaltender Matt DiGirolamo is 1-1-0 against the Terriers, with a 2.84 GAA and a .882 save percentage in three games.
SCORING LEADERS VS. THE TERRIERS:
Player GP G-A-P
Paul Thompson 10 6-4-10
Phil DeSimone 12 3-6-9
Mike Sislo 12 2-4-6
Damon Kipp 8 2-2-4
Matt Campanale 8 0-3-3
John Henrion 5 2-0-2
Blake Kessel 9 0-2-2
Mike Borisenok 6 1-1-2
Stevie Moses 8 0-2-2
Brett Kostolansky 5 1-1-2
Greg Manz 4 0-1-1
Connor Hardowa 4 0-1-1
Dalton Speelman 5 0-1-1
Mike Beck 6 0-0-0
Kevin McCarey 5 0-0-0
Austin Block 5 0-0-0
Jeff Silengo 2 0-0-0
Nick Sorkin 2 0-0-0
Kevin Goumas 2 0-0-0
Goaltending Stats
Player GP/Min GA GAA W-L-T SV SV%
DiGirolamo 3/126:58 6 2.84 1-1-0 45 .882
DiGirolamo's Game-by-Game vs. the Terriers
Date Min Res. Svs. GA Shots
1-23-09 8:57 ND 1 0 1
11-19-10 59:58 W 20 2 22
11-20-10 58:03 L 24 4 28
Total 126:58 1-1-0 45 6 51
LAST TIME THESE TEAMS MET (NOV. 20, 2010): Paul Thompson tallied a goal and an assist, but UNH dropped this Hockey East contest, 4-2, to No. 2 Boston University at Agganis Arena. The Wildcats held a commanding 43-28 shot edge, but the Terriers used a four-goal second period to earn the victory. Terrier netminder Grant Rollheiser stopped a career-high 41 shots to improve to 3-0-0. UNH's Matt DiGirolamo turned away 24 shots including 10 in the final frame and moves to 6-2-3.
LAST TIME OUT (JAN. 15 VS. DARTMOUTH): Doug Jones broke a tie with 1:11 remaining in regulation to lift the Dartmouth College men's ice hockey team to Saturday night's 5-4 non-conference victory against fourth-ranked University of New Hampshire. Jones, who also tallied an assist, was named MVP of the Battle for the RiverStone Cup X intrastate matchup. John Henrion's career-high two goals led four UNH players with multi-point efforts. Matt DiGirolamo stopped 25 shots, while James Mello turned aside 34 shots in a win for the Big Green.
THOMPSON FIRST IN NATION IN SCORING: Paul Thompson is first in the nation in points per game at 1.65 ppg. Thompson's 33 points are third-best behind Miami's Carter Camper and Andy Miele with 39 points.
'CATS OWN LEAGUE'S BEST POWER PLAY: UNH owns the league's top power play overall with a 20.7 percent conversion rate. The 'Cats are 19-of-92 on the extra-man advantage this season.
HOME AGAINST HOCKEY EAST FOES THIS SEASON: The Wildcats are 5-0-1 against Hockey East foes at home this season. UNH has outscored its opponents 23-9 in those contests.
HOME AGAINST HOCKEY EAST THIS SEASON:
Games G-A-P PPG
Paul Thompson 6 9-9-18 3.0 ppg
UNH Top line 6 14-25-39 6.5 ppg
Games W-L-T GAA Save%
Matt DiGirolamo 6 5-0-1 1.49 .947
UNH HOPES TO CONTINUE RECENTS SUCCESS AGAINST PROVIDENCE: UNH is 9-0-2 in its last 11 games against PC with its last loss coming in a 7-1 defeat on Feb. 24, 2007. In addition, New Hampshire is 13-0-1 in its last 14 games at home against the Friars with the last loss at home coming on March 12, 2004 in the Hockey East quarterfinals.
FRIARS FOR THREE OF THE NEXT FOUR: While it took 20 games before the first meeting between UNH and PC, the teams will become very familiar very quickly as three of the next four games for UNH will be against the Friars.
RUBBER MATCH AGAINST THE TERRIERS ON SATURDAY: Saturday's tilt between UNH and BU will serve as the rubber match in the three game series. The teams split a home-and-home series back on Nov. 19-20 with both teams successfully defending their home ice.
UNH/BU LIVE ON NESN: Saturday's game will be the second of five UNH games televised on NESN. Eric Frede will be handling the play-by-play duties, while Mike Murphy will be adding color commentary for the broadcast.
HOME-SWEET-HOMESTAND: New Hampshire will play six of its next seven games at the friendly confines of the Whittemore Center. UNH is 5-1-3 overall at home and 5-0-1 against Hockey East foes at the Whitt.
'CATS HOPE TO RIDE GREEN LINE TO THE GARDEN: Dubbed the "Green Line" for the color they skate in during practice, UNH is hoping to continue to ride the unbelievable success of the "Green Line" to big things in 2010-11.
Green Line by the Numbers
Player G-A-P PPG Note
Thompson 16-17-33 1.65 1st in nation, HE ppg
Sislo 9-19-28 1.40 1st in HE in assists
DeSimone 5-18-23 1.15 3rd in HE in assists
'CATS EXTENDS WHITTEMORE CENTER UNBEATEN STREAK TO 26 AGAINST HOCKEY EAST FOE: With a 5-2 win over Mass.-Lowell, UNH is 19-0-7 in the last 26 Hockey East contests at Whittemore Center. New Hampshire's last home league loss came on Jan. 24, 2009 against BU.
THOMPSON FIRST IN HOCKEY EAST IN SCORING; SISLO RIGHT BEHIND: Paul Thompson ranks first in Hockey East in scoring with 33 points, while his linemates Mike Sislo (28 pts) is second in the leauge in scoring.
SISLO FIRST IN HOCKEY EAST IN ASSISTS; DeSIMONE THIRD: Mike Sislo is first in Hockey East with 19 assists this season, while Phil DeSimone is third in the league with 18 assists.
'CATS OFF TO BEST START SINCE 2006-07: UNH is off to its best start at 12-4-4 (.722) since the 2006-07 season when it was 14-3-1 (.805).
Year Record (Pct.) Final Record
2010-11 12-4-4 (.700) ---
2009-10 9-7-4 (.550) 18-14-7
2008-09 10-6-4 (.600) 20-13-5
2007-08 13-6-1 (.675) 25-10-3
2006-07 16-3-1 (.825) 26-11-2
'CATS MAKE IT FIVE IN A ROW IN HOCKEY EAST: UNH has won five-straight games in Hockey East. The last Wildcat loss in Hockey East play came Nov. 20 at Boston University.
UNH WINS FIRST TWO SEASON SERIES: New Hampshire captured the first two season series in Hockey East with a complete sweep of Mass.-Lowell and a 2-0-1 mark against Massachusetts.
DIGI LIGHTS OUT IN HOCKEY EAST PLAY: Matt DiGirolamo continues to be lights out in Hockey East play, allowing just three goals (one even-strength) in a pair of wins over the weekend. Overall, DiGirolamo has allowed three goals or fewer in 12-of-13 conference games and two or fewer 10 times in league play. He is first in Hockey East in GAA (1.61), save percentage (.945), win percentage (.846) and wins (10).
9-0-1 WHEN LEADING AFTER TWO: UNH is 9-0-1 when leading after two periods.
THOMPSON VS. BUTLER: Bobby Butler had one of the best seasons by a UNH player in some time including being a Hobey Baker Hat Trick finalist a year ago. However, through 20 games Paul Thompson numbers are better than Butler's in several categories.
Through 20 games Goals Assists Points PPG
Butler in 2009-10 15 14 29 1.45
Thompson in 2010-11 16 17 33 1.65
HENRION SETS CAREER HIGH WITH TWO GOALS AGAINST DARTMOUTH: John Henrion scored a career high two goals on Saturday night against Dartmouth. Henrion has four goals in the last four games with tallies in three of the last four.
'CATS FINISH NON-CONFERENCE PLAY: UNH completed non-conference play with a 2-3-1 mark, but just a 1-2-1 marking against ECAC foes.
THOMPSON NETS LATE GOAL; FIVE IN LAST THREE GAMES:Paul Thompson tallied a late goal to tie it a 4-4 in the third period. He has five goals in the last three games for UNH.
COLLEGEHOCKEYNEWS.COM'S PAIRWISE RANKINGS (1/19)
Rk Team PCWs W-L-T Win % Rk RPI Rk
1 Yale 33 15-2-0 .8824 1 .6133* 1
2t North Dakota 31 17-6-2 .7200 2 .5919 2
2t Minn-Duluth 31 15-5-3 .7174 3 .5849* 3
4 Denver 30 14-5-5 .6875 7t .5747 4
5 Michigan 29 15-6-4 .6800 9 .5539 6
6 New Hampshire 27 12-4-4 .7000 6 .5510 9
7t Boston College 26 15-6-0 .7143 4t .5681* 5
7t Notre Dame 26 15-8-3 .6346 15t .5531 7
9 Wisconsin 24 15-8-3 .6346 15t .5516* 8
10t Merrimack 23 13-4-4 .7143 4t .5468* 11
10t Western Mich 23 12-6-6 .6250 17 .5355 16
12 Dartmouth 22 10-5-2 .6471 12 .5413 13
13 Union 21 15-6-3 .6875 7t .5496* 10
14 Neb-Omaha 20 12-8-2 .5909 20t .5360 14
15 Rensselaer 19 13-6-3 .6591 10 .5357 15
16 Miami 18 13-8-3 .6042 19 .5336 18
17 Maine 17 11-6-4 .6190 18 .5437 12
18t Boston Univ. 15 10-6-6 .5909 20t .5339 17
18t Alaska 15 10-8-4 .5455 25 .5301 19
20 Princeton 14 11-6-1 .6389 13 .5272 20
21 Colorado College 13 12-11-1 .5208 28t .5221 22
22 Bemidji State 12 9-11-2 .4545 36t .5170 24
23 Minnesota 11 10-9-3 .5227 27 .5230 21
24t Ohio State 10 12-9-2 .5652 24 .5125 25
24t Ferris State 10 11-10-4 .5200 30 .5099 28
26 Minnesota State 8 10-9-5 .5208 28t .5191 23
27t Alaska 7 7-10-3 .4250 41 .5100 27
27t Brown 7 6-7-4 .4706 33 .5116 26
29 Clarkson 5 11-8-2 .5714 23 .5095 29
30t Robert Morris 4 14-7-2 .6522 11 .5095 30
30t Northern Mich 4 9-11-4 .4583 34t .5042 32
32 Quinnipiac 3 12-10-3 .5400 26 .5000 34
33 Michigan State 2 9-11-4 .4583 34t .5020 33
34 St. Cloud State 1 9-11-2 .4545 36t .5050 31
TOP LINERS APPROACHING CENTURY MARK: All three members of UNH's top line have a chance to capture 100 points during their senior season. Mike Sislo is now just six points away.
Player G-A-P Points to 100
Mike Sislo 45-51-96 4
Paul Thompson 45-48-93 7
Phil DeSimone 25-66-91 9
SCORING BY CLASS: 2010-11 breakdown of scoring by class.
Class G-A-P G-A-P %.
Seniors: 30-59-89 43-50-47
Juniors: 17-26-43 24-22-23
Sophomores: 20-26-46 29-22-24
Freshmen: 3-7-10 4-6-5
TO THIS POINT LAST YEAR: A comparison through 20 games between this season and last season.
09-10 10-11
Record 9-7-4 12-4-4
HE Record 9-2-3 10-1-2
Goals scored 68 70
Goals scored/PG 3.40 3.50
Goals Allowed 68 49
Goals Allowed/PG 3.40 2.45
Shots 569 710
Shots Allowed 655 616
Power Play 16.9% 20.7%
(15-89) (19-92)
Penalty Kill 78.6% 82.4%
(66-84) (56-68)
Top 3 Scorers Butler Thompson
15-14-29 16-17-33
Kessel Sislo
6-16-22 9-19-28
Thomp. DeSimone
10-11-21 5-18-23
WHERE IS UNH RANKED?: Here is a week-by-week look at the 'Cats in the national polls and the HE standings:
Date USA TODAY USCHO HE
9/27 8th N/P 3rd (pre)
10/4 N/P 10th 3rd (pre)
10/11 9th 9th 4th
10/18 7th 7th 6th
10/25 10th 10th 7th
11/1 10th 10th 9th
11/8 8th 9th 4th
11/15 8th 7th 3rd
11/22 6th 6th 3rd
11/29 5th 5th 3rd
12/6 3rd 3rd 2nd
12/13 2nd 2nd 1st
12/20 2nd NP 1st
12/27 NP NP 1st
1/3 4th 4th 1st
1/10 4th 4th 1st
1/17 7th 7th 1st
THE NATIONAL POLLS:
USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Men's Hockey Poll (Jan. 17)
Rk. Team, Points (FPV) Last Week Record Weeks
1 Yale University, 500 (26) 1 15-2-0 15
2 North Dakota, 479 (8) 2 17-6-2 15
3 Boston College, 404 3 15-6-0 15
4 University of Denver, 380 6 14-5-5 15
5 Minnesota Duluth, 370 5 15-5-3 15
6 University of Michigan, 353 7 15-6-4 15
7 New Hampshire, 325 4 12-4-4 15
8 University of Notre Dame, 236 8 15-8-3 12
9 University of Wisconsin, 190 11 15-8-3 10
10 Union College, 172 13 15-6-3 12
11 University of Maine, 164 14 11-6-4 15
12 Miami University, 151 12 13-8-3 15
13 Rensselaer, 121 9 13-6-3 7
14 Merrimack College, 120 15 12-4-4 2
15 Nebraska Omaha, 48 10 12-8-2 13
Others receiving votes: Boston University, 37; Dartmouth College, 21; Western Michigan University, 4; University of Alaska, 3; Robert Morris University, 2.
USCHO.com Division I Men's Hockey Poll (Jan. 17)
Rk. School (FPV) Record Points Weeks
1 Yale (38) 15-2-0 978 1
2 North Dakota (9) 17-6-2 929 2
3 Boston College (1) 15-6-0 844 3
4 Denver (1) 14-5-5 814 6
5 Minnesota-Duluth 15-5-3 802 5
6 Michigan (1) 15-6-4 761 7
7 New Hampshire 12-4-4 750 4
8 Notre Dame 15-8-3 596 8
9 Wisconsin 15-8-3 552 9
10 Maine 11-6-4 508 13
11 Miami 13-8-3 485 12
12 Union 15-6-3 451 14
13 Merrimack 12-4-4 412 15
14 Rensselaer 13-6-3 364 10
15 Boston University 10-5-6 317 16
16 Nebraska-Omaha 12-8-2 290 11
17 Western Michigan 12-6-6 211 18
18 Dartmouth 10-5-2 147 NR
19 Alaska 10-8-4 129 20
20 Princeton 11-6-1 45 NR
Others Receiving Votes: Minnesota 31, Colorado College 28, Ohio State 15, Robert Morris 15, Ferris State 9, Minnesota State 7, Clarkson 4, RIT 2, St. Cloud State 2, Niagara 1, Northeastern 1
Wildcats Among National leaders (THRU 1/17): Below is a list of where UNH players and team rank nationally.
Individual Rank Stats
Points Per Game:
Paul Thompson 1st 1.65 ppg
Mike Sislo 11th 1.40 ppg
Phil DeSimone 36th 1.15 ppg
Goals Per Game:
Paul Thompson 4th 0.80 gpg
Mike Sislo 66th 0.45 gpg
John Henrion 66th 0.45 gpg
Assists Per Game:
Mike Sislo 7th 0.95 apg
Phil DeSimone 9th 0.90 apg
Paul Thompson 15th 0.85 apg
Power Play Goals:
Paul Thompson 3rd 8 ppg
Short-Handed Goals:
Dalton Speelman 30th 1 shg
Stevie Moses 30th 1 shg
Game-Winning Goal:
Paul Thompson 10th 3 gwg
Mike Sislo 37th 2 gwg
Defensemen Scoring:
Blake Kessel 8th 0.85 ppg
Goals Against Average:
Matt DiGirolamo 24th 2.37 gaa
Save Percentage:
Matt DiGirolamo 19th .922
Winning Percentage:
Matt DiGirolamo 11th .700
Team
Scoring Offense 11th 3.50
Scoring Defense 16th 2.45
Scoring Margin 10th 1.05
Penalty Minutes 55th 9.2
Power Play 16th 20.7
Penalty Kill 30th 82.4
Combined Special Teams 47th 46.9
Winnning Percentage 5th .700
Among the League Leaders (THRU 1/17): Where some of the Wildcats rank in Hockey East.
Player All Games HE Games
Points Paul Thompson 1st (33 pts) 1st (26 pts)
Mike Sislo 2nd (28 pts) 5th (17 pts)
Phil DeSimone 8th (23 pts) 10th(14 pts)
Goals Paul Thompson 2nd (16 g) 2nd (13 g)
Mike Sislo 11th (9 g) 40th (3 g)
John Henrion 11th (9 g) 23rd (4 g)
Assists Mike Sislo 2nd (19 a) 1st (14 a)
Phil DeSimone 3rd (18 a) 7th (11 a)
Paul Thompson 4th (17 a) 3rd (13 a)
PP Points Paul Thompson 1st (15 pts) 1st (12 pts)
Mike Sislo 4th (11 pts) 4th (7 pts)
Blake Kessel 9th (9 pts) 12th (5 pts)
Phil DeSimone 14th (8 pts) 9th (6 pts)
Brett Kostolansky 14th (8 pts) 4th (7 pts)
PP Goals Paul Thompson 1st (8 ppg) 2nd (5 ppg)
Mike Sislo 12th (3 ppg) 28th (1 ppg)
SH Points Four Tied 11th (1 shp) n/a
SH Goals Dalton Speelman 6th (1 shg) n/a
Stevie Moses 6th (1 shg) n/a
GW Goals Paul Thompson 2nd (3 gwg) 2nd(3 gwg)
Mike Sislo 7th (2 gwg) 10th(1gwg)
Def. Scoring Blake Kessel 1st (17 pts) 3rd (9 pts)
Brett Kostolansky 5th (12 pts) 3rd (9 pts)
GAA Matt DiGirolamo 4th (2.37) 1st (1.61)
Save % Matt DiGirolamo 4th (.922) 1st (.945)
Win % Matt DiGirolamo 2nd (.700) 1st (.846)
Saves Matt DiGirolamo 1st (567) 5th (363)
Minutes Matt DiGirolamo 1st (1213:48) 2nd (784:44)
Wins Matt DiGirolamo 2nd (12) 1st (10)
WHERE UNH IS RANKED IN HOCKEY EAST (THRU 1/17):
Overall HE games
Goals/per game 3.50/2nd 3.15/3rd
GAA 2.45/4th 1.62/1st
Power Play 20.7/1st 22.4/1st
Penalty Kill 82.4/6th 88.4/1st
Special Teams Net +6/3rd +6/2nd
1st Period Scoring 17/6th 13/3rd
2nd Period Scoring 28/2nd 16/4th
3rd Period Scoring 24/1st 11/8th
Overtime Scoring 1/2nd 1/2nd
'CATS IN THE PROS: Here is a listing of former Wildcats playing professional hockey:
Justin Aikins: Bossier Shreveport Mudbugs (CHL)
Bobby Butler: Ottawa Senators (NHL)
Joe Charlebois: Kalamazoo Wings (ECHL)
Greg Collins: Las Vegas Wranglers (ECHL)
Ty Conklin: St. Louis Blues (NHL)
Matt Dzieduszycki: Hannover Scorpions (DEL)
Matt Fornataro: Norfolk Admirals (ECHL)
Thomas Fortney: ESV Buchloe (GER)
Brian Foster: Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs
Jamie Fritsch: Las Vegas Wranglers (ECHL)
Darren Haydar: Chicago Wolves (AHL)
Brett Hemingway: Belfast Giants (EIHL)
Colin Hemingway: Belfast Giants (EIHL)
Kevin Kapstad: Landshut Cannibals (2.GBun)
Jason Krog: Chicago Wolves (AHL)
Peter LeBlanc: Rockford IceHogs (AHL)
Nathan Martz: Szekeshfehervar Alba Volan HC (Aust)
Jacob Micflikier: Charlotte Checkers (AHL)
Mark Mowers: Fribourg-Gotteron (Swiss-A)
Jerry Pollastrone: Las Vegas Wranglers (ECHL)
Josh Prudden: Belfast Giants ( EIHL)
Mike Radja: Augsburg Panthers (DEL)
Kevin Regan: Valpellice (Italy)
Steve Saviano: Vaxjo HC (SWE)
Trevor Smith: Springfield Falcons (AHL)
Garrett Stafford: San Antonio Rampage (AHL)
Craig Switzer: Las Vegas Wranglers (ECHL)
James van Riemsdyk: Philadelphia Flyers (NHL)
Daniel Winnik: Colorado Avalanche (NHL)
BUTLER RECALLED TO OTTAWA: The Ottawa Senators recalled former University of New Hampshire standout Bobby Butler from the club's American Hockey League affiliate, the Binghamton Senators, on Tuesday. He is being recalled on an emergency basis in place of injured forward Alex Kovalev. Butler's recall marks his second of the season by the Senators. He was recalled for the first time on Dec. 5 and made his regular-season debut later that day in the team's 3-1 victory over the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden. In four games with the Senators this season, Butler has been held scoreless with no penalty minutes. Currently, Butler ranks sixth in the AHL with 19 goals while also recording 11 assists and 33 penalty minutes in 41 games with Binghamton this season.
PAIR OF WILDCATS NAMED TO AHL ALL STAR GAME: Former UNH standouts Bobby Butler and Garrett Stafford have been named to the 2011 AHL All Star game.
UNH HOCKEY ON TELEVISION: UNH will have nine games broadcast live on TV in 2010-11. NESN will air five games, three will air on CBS College Sports, while one will air locally on ONN (Ohio).
DATE GAME Channel RES.
Oct. 8 at Miami CBS-College Sports L, 3-6
Oct. 9 at Miami ONN (OHIO) W, 6-3
Nov. 19 Boston U. NESN W, 5-2
Dec. 10 at Maine CBS-College Sports W, 4-3 OT
Jan. 22 Boston U. NESN
Feb. 4 Maine NESN
Feb. 5 Maine NESN
Feb. 18 at Vermont CBS-College Sports
March 4 at Boston College NESN
ALL IN THE FAMILY: UNH junior defenseman Blake Kessel is the younger brother of Toronto Maple Leafs forward Phil Kessel, while sophomore forward Scott Pavelski is the younger brother of Joe Pavelski of the San Jose Sharks.
WILDCATS PICKED THIRD IN HOCKEY EAST PRESEASON POLL:
Rk. Team (FPV) Pts.
1. Boston College (9) 90
2. Maine (1) 80
3. New Hampshire 76
4. Boston University 59
5. Northeastern 54
6. Vermont 53
7. Merrimack 48
8. UMass-Lowell 33
9. Massachusetts 26
10. Providence 21
THE DICK UMILE ERA: Dick Umile, a six-time Hockey East Coach of the Year, enters his 21st season as the head coach of the UNH Wildcats. He passed both Jerry York and Jack Parker in becoming the first coach in league history to six coach of the year honors. After signing a long-term contract in 2008, Umile will conclude his coaching career at his alma mater.
During his time spent at UNH, Umile has molded UNH hockey into one of the top programs in all of Division I hockey, guiding the Wildcats to four Frozen Four appearances, 16 NCAA tournament appearances and 20 Hockey East championship tournament showings in his 20-year career in Durham.
In addition, Umile has posted 17 20-victory campaigns over the span of 20 seasons. Umile is now the winningest coach in the history of UNH hockey with 462 career victories. He surpassed legendary coach Charlie Holt on Feb. 16, 2005 in a 6-1 victory at Merrimack at Thom Lawler Arena in North Andover, Mass. Umile ranks fifth among active NCAA coaches with a .645 winning percentage and on the active victories list his 462 victories ranks seventh among NCAA coaches. He has been named Coach of the Year a total of 11 times in his career, including New England honors four times and Hockey East Coach of the Year six times Last year, Umile guided the Wildcats, who were picked fourth in the Hockey East Preseason Poll, to their eighth regular season championship including the third in the last four years. The Wildcats led the Hockey East standings for an eye-popping 16-straight weeks, taking over the league lead Nov. 23, 2009 and never relinquishing that position. UNH went unbeaten at home in Hockey East play for the first time since the 1999-00 season and won the regular season series with six of nine league foes. Umile helped guide a team that lost 10 players, including Hockey East All Star and leading scorer James van Riemsdyk, from the 2008-09 squad to its 22nd straight trip to the Hockey East playoffs and home-ice advantage in the quarterfinals for a league-best 14th-straight season. After going just 2-6-2 over its first 10 games, Umile's Wildcats responded with a 10-1-2 mark over the next 13 games, including a 12-game unbeaten streak in Hockey East play. Umile's run in the regular season was capped by a dramatic 3-3 come-from-behind deadlock with Boston College that clinched the league's crown in front of the home fans on Senior Day at the Whittemore Center. The 'Cats earned an at-large bid in the NCAA tournament for the ninth-straight season and captured a convincing 6-2 win over favored Cornell in the opening round, advancing to the regional final for the second-straight season.
'CATS SELECTED IN THE NHL DRAFT: Four current UNH players have been selected in the National Hockey League draft...Greg Burke (Washington), Phil DeSimone (Washington), Blake Kessel (N.Y. Islanders) and Eric Knodel (Toronto) have all been taken.
UNH HOCKEY ON THE RADIO: In the summer of 1999, the University of New Hampshire Athletic Department formed the "UNH Sports Network" — the largest network ever to broadcast UNH sporting events. Wildcats Sports Properties has added WGIN-AM 930 (Rochester) and WQSO-FM 96.7 (Portsmouth) as affiliate stations on the Wildcat Sports Network, joining flagship WGIR-AM 610 (Manchester), which was added in 2008. All three stations are part of the Clear Channel family. These three aforementioned stations -- along with WUVR-AM 1490 (Lebanon), WNTK-FM 99.7 (New London), WASR-AM 1420 (Wolfeboro) and WCNL-AM 1010 (Newport) -- will carry the following: all UNH football & men's hockey broadcasts and weekly coaches' shows, a select number of men's basketball, women's basketball and women's hockey broadcasts. Dan Parkhurst will be handling the play-by-play for the fourth-straight season, while Pete Webster will once again be doing the color commentating. Webster has been announcing Wildcat hockey since the 1993-94 season.ouncing Wildcat hockey for 16 years since the 1993-94 season.
LISTEN LIVE ON THE INTERNET: UNHWildcats.com via Stretch Internet Broadcast will carry all of the UNH men's ice hockey action again this season. If you can not attend Wildcat hockey, you can still tune into the game from anywhere you can gain access to the internet. Fans can get to the UNH men's ice hockey broadcast site by going to the men's hockey schedule page at www.unhwildcats.com.
THE DICK UMILE SHOW ON RADIO: The Coach's Show featuring UNH men's hockey head coach Dick Umile and hosted by Mike Murphy begins its 11th season in 2010-11. The Coach's Show is broadcast Mondays beginning in January (7 p.m. to 8 p.m.) on the Wildcat Sports Network from various locations around the seacoast and features Coach Umile, as well as a student-athlete from the men's ice hockey team. In front of a live audience, Murphy and his guests talk about the latest news and notes regarding UNH hockey.
GRANITE STATE CONNECTION: The Wildcat hockey team features a pair of players from New Hampshire with Greg Burke (Lee) and Paul Thompson (Derry) all hailing from the Granite State.
WILDCAT AWARDS: Here is a list of awards that Wildcat players have won to date this season:
Player Award Date
Blake Kessel INCH Preseason All-America First Team 10/7
Blake Kessel InsideHockey.com's Hobey Watch 10/7
Matt DiGirolamo HE Defensive Player of the Week 10/18
UNH Wildcats HE Team of the Week 11/8
Matt DiGirolamo HE Player of the Week 11/8
Matt DiGirolamo INCH National Player of the Week 11/8
Paul Thompson HE co-Player of the Week 11/22
Paul Thompson HE Player of the Month (November) 12/1
Mike Sislo HE co-Player of the Week 12/6
Matt DiGirolamo HE Defensive Player of the Week 12/6
Jeff Silengo HE Rookie of the Week 12/13
UNH Wildcats HE Team of the Week 12/13
Matt DiGirolamo HE Goalie of the Month (December) 1/4
Paul Thompson HE Player of the Week 1/10
WATCH ALL THE ACTION WITH THE UNHWILDCATS.TV: UNH and Pack Network have once again partnered to provide online video streaming of UNH's seven ticketed sports for the upcoming 2010-11 season with UNHwildcats.TV.
Wildcat fans are encouraged to buy the "Wildcat All-Access Pass" which is an annual subscription for $89.95 that provides all the live coverage of UNH home athletic events. Fans can also purchase home events on a per game basis of $7.95.
