#6 Men's Hockey Enters Home-and-Home Series with #11 Merrimack College
GAME NOTES
DURHAM, N.H. -- The sixth ranked University of New Hampshire men's hockey team enters into a critical home-and-home series with 11th-ranked Merrimack College. The 'Cats play host to the Warriors on Friday night (7 p.m.) at the Whitt and will travel to Lawler Arean in North Andover, Mass. on Saturday (7 p.m.).
SCOUTING THE WARRIORS: No. 11 Merrimack enters the weekend with a 17-5-4 overall mark and an 11-5-3 mark in Hockey East play good for 25 points and a third-place tie. The Warriors have won 10-of-11 with its lone loss a 6-4 setback at home to UMass.-Lowell. Most recently, MC defeated Northeastern 4-3 in overtime Friday night and cruised back Massachusetts 11-2 on Saturday. Stephane Da Costa once again leads Merrimack offensively with 36 points on 13 goals and 23 assists. In net, junior Joe Cannata is 17-5-4 with a 2.12 GAA and a .921 save percentage in 26 games.
SCORING LEADERS VS. THE WARRIORS:
Player GP G-A-P
Paul Thompson 9 5-4-9
Phil DeSimone 9 2-5-7
Mike Sislo 10 3-3-6
Blake Kessel 7 0-4-4
Stevie Moses 6 1-2-3
Damon Kipp 5 1-2-3
Mike Beck 5 0-2-2
Brett Kostolansky 4 0-1-1
Matt Campanale 8 0-1-1
Greg Manz 4 0-0-0
Mike Borisenok 5 0-0-0
Kevin McCarey 3 0-0-0
John Henrion 3 0-0-0
Austin Block 3 0-0-0
Dalton Speelman 3 0-0-0
Greg Burke 2 0-0-0
Scott Pavelski 2 0-0-0
Connor Hardowa 2 0-0-0
Nick Sorkin 1 0-0-0
Kevin Goumas 1 0-0-0
Jeff Silengo 1 0-0-0
Goaltending Stats
Player GP/Min GA GAA W-L-T SV SV%
Di Girolamo 1/59:49 1 1.00 1-0-0 41 .976
Di Girolamo Game-by-Game vs. the Warriors
Date Min Res. Svs. GA Shots
11-27-10 59:49 W 41 1 42
Totals 59:49 1-0-0 41 1 42
SERIES HISTORY VS. MERRIMACK: The Wildcats hold the advantage in the all-time series vs. Merrimack College at 64-13-8 in 85 all-time meetings dating back to Jan. 16, 1960. Since 1996, UNH is 40-4-6 in the last 50 games. UNH owns a 25-3-2 all-time record vs. Merrimack at the Whittemore Center and Coach Umile has compiled a 52-10-7 all-time mark against the Warriors. The 'Cats are 15-2-0 in the last 17 meetings against Merrimack at Towse Rink. UNH won this year's only meeting 2-1 on Nov. 27 at Whittemore Center.. Senior forward Paul Thompson is the active scoring leaders against Merrimack with nine points in nine games. Matt Di Girolamo is 1-0-0 lifetime against the Warriors with a .976 save percentage and a 1.00 GAA.
LAST TIME THESE TEAMS MET (1/30/10): Matt Di Girolamo recorded a career-high 41 saves and Paul Thompson tallied a goal and an assist in UNH's 2-1 Hockey East victory against 18th-ranked Merrimack College at the Whittemore Center. Following two scoreless periods of play, the Warriors capitalized on a power play to take a 1-0 lead at 4:12 of the third period. Joe Cucci won possession in the left corner and moved the puck to Stephane Da Costa in the lower-left circle. Da Costa quickly threw the puck to the top of the crease and Chris Barton redirected a shot into the net. That lead was short-lived, however, as UNH rallied to tie the score at 7:15 on a goal by Damon Kipp, whose shot from the right circle found the upper-right corner of the cage. Thompson, with the pass from the slot to Kipp, and Mike Beck set up the goal. New Hampshire took a 2-1 lead at 11:53 when Thompson scored his seventh goal of the season. Mike Sislo led a rush down the left side of the slot and dropped a pass diagonally back to Thompson, whose shot from the inner-right circle beat Merrimack goalie Joe Cannata (25 saves). Matt Campanale was also credited with an assist. The Warriors called time out with 2:23 remaining and pulled Cannata in favor of an extra skater. They kept pressure in the offensive zone but had two shots blocked and two others stopped by Di Girolamo before the 'Cats called a timeout with 1:25 to play. MC fired two shots on goal, including one by Joe Cucci from the slot with one second on the clock.
LAST TIME OUT (2/5/11 vs. MAINE): Paul Thompson scored with 16 seconds remaining in regulation to lift the UNH to Saturday night's 5-4 Hockey East victory against 15th-ranked University of Maine at the Whittemore Center. John Henrion was one of four Wildcats with a multiple-point game as he matched his career highs in both goals (two) and points (two). Kevin Goumas had a goal and an assist to tie his best of two points. Stevie Moses and Mike Beck both finished with two assists. It was Beck's first multiple-point game while Moses equaled his personal bests in both assists and points. UNH goalie Matt Di Girolamo made 13 of his 28 saves in the first period. Maine counterpart Shawn Sirman was credited with 22 saves. The UM offense was led by Kyle Beattie (two goals), Spencer Abbott (two assists) and Tanner House (two assists). With the score tied 4-4 in the closing seconds, Thompson entered the offensive zone in the high slot, continued towards the left circle and then charged towards the left post, where he tucked a shot inside the near post. Matt Campanale (Chester Springs, Pa.), who gained possession at center ice and sent a pass ahead to Thompson, set up the game-winning goal.
GOUMAS TABBED HOCKEY EAST ROOKIE OF THE WEEK: Freshman forward Kevin Goumas was named Hockey East Pro Ambitions Rookie of the Week. Goumas is the second Wildcat to earn Rookie of the Week honors this season as Jeff Silengo earned this award on Dec. 13, 2010. Goumas tallied two goals and an assist over the weekend. The freshman forward netted the game-winning goal Friday night and followed that up with a goal and an assist on Saturday night. He had five shots and was a +3 on the weekend.
WILDCATS NAMED HOCKEY EAST'S TEAM OF THE WEEK: In addition, UNH was named Hockey East Team of the Week. The announcements were made Monday morning by the league office. UNH captured a pair of wins to complete the season sweep of rival Maine. The 'Cats captured a 6-3 win Friday night and followed that up with a dramatic 5-4 win Saturday night. New Hampshire claimed sole possession of first place with the win and has now won four in a row and 11 of 12 in Hockey East play.
THOMPSON JOINS THE CENTURY CLUB: Paul Thompson scored the game's first goal in Friday's 6-3 win over Maine to capture his 50th career goal and 100th career point. Thompson became the 69th member of the century club. Thompson's cousin Mike Souza is in the century club with 156 points (22nd on all-time scoring list). He became just the third Granite Stater to earn the century club at UNH. Frank Roy (Berlin, N.H.; 174 pts; 1979) and Dana Barbin (Exeter, N.H.; 127 pts; 1981) are the other two.
THOMPSON FIRST IN THE NATION IN GOALS PER GAME: Paul Thompson ranks first in the nation in goals per game with 0.88 gpg. Thompson's 22 goals is second in the country behind Niagara's Paul Zanette with 23.
THOMPSON SECOND IN NATION IN SCORING: Paul Thompson is third in the nation in points per game at 1.64 ppg behind Miami's Andy Miele (1.76 ppg).
FIVE FOR FOUR: UNH has scored five goals or more in four-straight games, all Hockey East victories.
THOM TERRIFIC: Paul Thompson continues to be the red hot for the Wildcats. He has six goals and eight points in the last four games. In addition, Thompson's 36 points in league play is nine more than his closest competition. Thompson ranks first nationally in goals (23) and goals per game (0.88) and is second in the nation in points per game (1.62).
BALANCED SCORING: While the top line of Thompson, Phil DeSimone and Mike Sislo have garnered much of the attention; UNH got scoring from three lines in both wins over the weekend.
SOPHOMORIC BEHAVIOR: The newly assembled third line, an all-sophomore line of Dalton Speelman, Austin Block and John Henrion, has scored seven goals in the three games since their formation.
DeSIMONE SITTING ON 99: DeSimone had four assists on the weekend and has 99 career points. He is just one point away from joining his linemates and becoming the 70th Wildcat to join the century club. Overall, DeSimone has eight assists in the last four games. Mark Mowers is the only other player from N.Y., Phil DeSimone's home state, in UNH's century club.DeSimone is the first Wildcat with 70 assists since Matt Fornataro dished out 74 assists in his career.
'CATS OFFENSE RANKS FOURTH NATIONALLY: UNH ranks fourth nationally in scoring averaging 3.69 points per game.
KESSEL FIRST IN HOCKEY EAST IN DEFENSIVE SCORING: Blake Kessel ranks first in Hockey East and eighth nationally in defensive scoring. Kessel is averaging 0.81 points per game with 21 points.
BECK NETS FIRST OF THE SEASON: Senior defenseman Mike Beck scored his first goal of the season and second goal of his career with an insurance goal late in the third period.
10 POWER PLAY GOALS: Paul Thompson netted this 10th power play goal of the season, second-most national. His 10 power play goals is the most by a Wildcat since Brett Hemingway tallied 11 in 2005-06.
THOMPSON/SISLO 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 25 games Paul Thompson numbers are better than Butler's in several categories. In addition, Mike Sislo's 36 points are tied with Butler's #'s through 25 games.
Through 25 games Goals Assists Points PPG
Thompson in 2010-11 22 19 41 1.64
Butler in 2009-10 18 18 36 1.44
Sislo in 2010-11 10 26 36 1.44
THOMPSON FIRST IN HOCKEY EAST IN SCORING; SISLO RIGHT BEHIND: Paul Thompson ranks first in Hockey East in scoring with 42 points, while his linemates Mike Sislo (36 pts) is second in the leauge in scoring. In addition, Thompson's 35 Hockey East points is nine more than his closest competition in league play.
SISLO, DESIMONE FIRST IN HOCKEY EAST IN ASSISTS: Mike Sislo and Phil DeSimone are tied for first in Hockey East with 26 assists this season.
DIGI LIGHTS OUT IN HOCKEY EAST PLAY: Matt Di Girolamo continues to be lights out in Hockey East play. Overall, Di Girolamo has allowed three goals or fewer in 17-of-19 conference games and two or fewer 13 times in league play. He is first in Hockey East in save percentage (.938), win percentage (.842), minutes (1,147:50) and wins (15).
'CATS CLINCH POSTSEASON BID: UNH clinched a playoff spot for the 23rd-straight season with last night's 6-3 win over Maine. The Wildcats have advanced to the postseason in Hockey East every year since 1989. UNH and BC are the only teams to punch their tickets to the postseason.
30 POINTS IN LEAGUE PLAY: For the seventh-straight season UNH has 30-plus points in Hockey East play. New Hamnpshire is the only team in Hockey East to accomplish this feat in seven-straight seasons.
THOMPSON GETS TO 40; LINEMATES APPROACHING: Paul Thompson recently earned his 40th point of the season. There have been 25 players to record 40 points since 2000 with Darren Haydar topping the list with 76 points in 2001-02. It marks the 22nd consecutive year a UNH player has tallied four points. In addition, Mike Sislo (36 pts.) and Phil DeSimone (31 pts) could also get to 40 this season.
Player G-A-P Year
Paul Thompson 23-19-41 2010-11
Bobby Butler 29-24-53 2009-10
James van Riemsdyk 17-23-40 2008-09
Matt Fornataro 18-28-46 2007-08
Mike Radja 19-24-43 2007-08
Trevor Smith 21-22-43 2006-07
Matt Fornataro 13-27-40 2006-07
Jacob Micflikier 16-26-42 2005-06
Brett Hemingway 19-22-41 2005-06
Daniel Winnik 15-26-41 2005-06
Sean Collins 19-37-56 2004-05
Preston Callander 25-29-54 2004-05
Jacob Micfliker 20-24-44 2004-05
Daniel Winnik 18-22-40 2004-05
Steve Saviano 27-22-49 2003-04
Sean Collins 16-26-42 2003-04
Justin Aikins 10-31-41 2003-04
Lanny Gare 22-29-51 2002-03
Colin Hemingway 22-25-47 2002-03
Darren Haydar 31-45-76 2001-02
Colin Hemingway 33-33-66 2001-02
Sean Collins 20-25-45 2001-02
Lanny Gare 9-31-40 2001-02
Darren Haydar 18-23-41 2000-01
TOP LINE NOMINATED FOR HOBEY BAKER AWARD: UNH's top line of Paul Thompson, Phil DeSimone and Mike Sislo are all on the ballot for the 2011 Hobey Baker Award. Fans can vote for the trio at www.VoteforHobey.com.
13-0-1 WHEN LEADING AFTER TWO: UNH is 13-0-1 when leading after two periods.
TOP LINERS APPROACHING CENTURY MARK:
Player G-A-P Points to 100
Mike Sislo 46-58-104 Reached 1/28 at PC
Paul Thompson 52-50-102 Reached 2/4 vs. Maine
Phil DeSimone 25-74-99 1
HOME-SWEET-HOMESTAND: New Hampshire concludes a strtetch of playing six of seven games at the friendly confines of the Whittemore Center on Friday night. UNH is 9-2-3 overall at home and 9-1-1 against Hockey East foes at the Whitt. The 'Cats are 4-1-0 through the first five games of this homestand.
'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. The line has registered a point in 22 of 26 games and accounts for almost 42 percent of the UNH offense.
Green Line by the Numbers
Player Goals Assists Points PPG
Thompson 23 19 42 1.62
Sislo 10 26 36 1.38
DeSimone 5 26 31 1.19
Totals 38 (1.46) 71 (2.73) 109 4.19
'CATS OFF TO BEST START SINCE 2006-07: UNH is off to its best start at 17-5-4 (.731) since the 2006-07 season when it was 20-4-1 (.720).
Year Record (Pct.) Final Record
2010-11 17-5-4 (.731) ---
2009-10 13-9-4 (.577) 18-14-7
2008-09 13-9-4 (.577) 20-13-5
2007-08 17-7-1 (.673) 25-10-3
2006-07 20-5-1 (.788) 26-11-2
SCORING BY CLASS: 2010-11 breakdown of scoring by class.
Class G-A-P G-A-P %.
Seniors: 39-81-120 41-49-46
Juniors: 19-40-59 20-24-23
Sophomores: 30-35-65 31-21-25
Freshmen: 8-9-17 8-5-7
TO THIS POINT LAST YEAR: A comparison through 26 games between this season and last season.
09-10 10-11
Record 13-9-4 17-5-4
HE Record 12-4-3 15-2-2
Goals scored 88 96
Goals scored/PG 3.38 3.69
Goals Allowed 82 64
Goals Allowed/PG 3.38 2.46
Shots 788 894
Shots Allowed 851 812
Power Play 17.9% 20.9%
(20-112) (24-115)
Penalty Kill 79.3% 80.0%
(88-111) (72-90)
Top 3 Scorers Butler Thompson
18-18-36 23-19-42
Kessel Sislo
6-24-30 10-26-36
Thomp. DeSimone
15-13-28 5-26-31
COLLEGEHOCKEYNEWS.COM'S PAIRWISE RANKINGS (2/8)
Rk Team PCWs W-L-T Win % Rk RPI Rk
1 Yale 29 19-4-0 .8261 1 .5943* 1
2 Boston College 28 20-6-0 .7692 2 .5812* 2
3t New Hampshire 26 17-5-4 .7308 4t .5645 6
3t Minn-Duluth 26 18-5-4 .7407 3 .5795* 3
5t North Dakota 25 19-8-2 .6897 9 .5759 4
5t Denver 25 17-6-5 .6964 8 .5728 5
7t Rensselaer 21 18-6-4 .7143 7 .5567 8
7t Wisconsin 21 19-8-3 .6833 10 .5549 9
9t Union 20 20-7-3 .7167 6 .5587* 7
9t Merrimack 20 17-5-4 .7308 4t .5512 10
11t Notre Dame 18 16-9-5 .6167 16t .5476 11
11t Michigan 18 17-9-4 .6333 12 .5452 12
13 Western Mich 17 15-6-9 .6500 11 .5385 16
14 Neb-Omaha 16 16-10-2 .6071 18 .5371 17
15t Dartmouth 15 13-7-3 .6304 13t .5418 13
15t Miami 15 16-9-5 .6167 16t .5411 14
15t Boston Univ 15 13-8-7 .5893 20t .5401 15
18t Ferris State 11 14-12-4 .5333 26 .5136 23
18t Colorado College 11 16-13-1 .5500 22 .5329 18
20 Princeton 10 14-8-1 .6304 13t .5243 20
21 Minnesota 9 11-11-4 .5000 30t .5178 21
22t Maine 8 11-9-6 .5385 24 .5253 19
22t Alaska 8 12-12-4 .5000 30t .5161 22
24 Minnesota State 6 12-12-6 .5000 30t .5114 24
25t Alaska-Anch. 5 10-13-3 .4423 39 .5095 25
25t Ohio State 5 14-13-2 .5172 29 .5063 26
27t Cornell 3 11-9-3 .5435 23 .5045 27
27t Michigan State 3 12-14-4 .4667 34 .5039 28
29 RIT 1 14-8-7 .6034 19 .5012 29
30 Robert Morris 0 16-9-4 .6207 15 .5003 30
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
1/24 8th 7th 2nd
1/31 6th 6th 1st
2/7 6th 6th 1st
THE NATIONAL POLLS:
USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Men's Hockey Poll (Feb. 7)
Rk. Team, Points (FPV) Last Week Record Weeks
1 Boston College, 508 (32) 1 19-6-0 18
2 Yale University, 468 (1) 2 19-4-0 18
3 Minnesota Duluth, 424 (1) 4 18-5-4 18
4 University of Denver, 399 3 17-6-5 18
5 North Dakota, 389 5 19-8-2 18
6 New Hampshire, 356 6 17-5-4 18
7 University of Wisconsin, 263 7 19-8-3 13
8 Rensselaer, 255 8 18-6-4 10
9 Union College, 247 11 20-7-3 15
10 University of Notre Dame, 186 10 16-9-5 15
11 Merrimack College, 185 12 17-5-4 5
12 Miami University, 152 13 16-9-5 18
13 University of Michigan, 118 9 17-9-4 18
14 Boston University, 60 14 13-7-7 15
15 Western Michigan, 40 NR 15-6-9 1
Others receiving votes: University of Nebraska Omaha, 18; Dartmouth College, 9; Rochester Institute of Technology, 3.
USCHO.com Division I Men's Hockey Poll (Feb. 7)
Rk. School (FPV) Record Points Lst Wk.
1 Boston College (47) 19-6-0 996 1
2 Yale (1) 19-4-0 932 3
3 Minnesota-Duluth (1) 18-5-4 871 4
4 Denver 17-6-5 850 2
5 North Dakota 19-8-2 804 5
6 New Hampshire (1) 17-5-4 780 6
7 Wisconsin 19-8-3 671 7
8 Rensselaer 18-6-4 599 9
9 Union 20-7-3 558 11
10 Notre Dame 16-9-5 536 10
11 Merrimack 17-5-4 521 12
12 Miami 16-9-5 479 13
13 Michigan 17-9-4 464 8
14 Boston University 13-7-7 341 14
15 Western Michigan 15-6-9 300 16
16 Nebraska-Omaha 16-10-2 227 18
17 Dartmouth 13-7-3 191 17
18 Maine 11-9-6 140 15
19 Colorado College 16-13-1 127 20
20 Princeton 14-8-1 58 19
Others Receiving Votes: Ferris State 24, RIT 17, Alaska 5, Cornell 3, Minnesota 2, Robert Morris 2, Ohio State 1, Quinnipiac 1
Wildcats Among National leaders (THRU 2/7): Below is a list of where UNH players and team rank nationally.
Individual Rank Stats
Points Per Game:
Paul Thompson 2nd 1.62 ppg
Mike Sislo 9th 1.38 ppg
Phil DeSimone 27th 1.19 ppg
Goals Per Game:
Paul Thompson 1st 0.88 gpg
Mike Sislo 96th 0.38gpg
Assists Per Game:
Mike Sislo 4th 1.00 apg
Phil DeSimone 4th 1.00 apg
Paul Thompson 29th 0.73 apg
Power Play Goals:
Paul Thompson 2nd 10 ppg
Short-Handed Goals:
Dalton Speelman 41st 1 shg
Stevie Moses 41 st 1 shg
Game-Winning Goal:
Paul Thompson 2nd 6 gwg
Defensemen Scoring:
Blake Kessel 9th 0.81 ppg
Goals Against Average:
Matt Di Girolamo 28th 2.40 gaa
Save Percentage:
Matt Di Girolamo 17th .922
Winning Percentage:
Matt Di Girolamo 13th .708
Team
Scoring Offense 4th 3.69
Scoring Defense 14th 2.46
Scoring Margin 7th 1.23
Power Play 13th 20.9
Penalty Kill 42nd 80.0
Combined Special Teams 46th 46.8
Winning Percentage 4th .731
Among the League Leaders (THRU 2/7): Where some of the Wildcats rank in Hockey East.
Player All Games HE Games
Points Paul Thompson 1st(42 pts) 1st (35 pts)
Mike Sislo 2nd (36 pts) 4th (25pts)
Phil DeSimone 7th (31 pts) 9th (22pts)
Goals Paul Thompson 1st (23g) 1st (20g)
John Henrion 29th (19g) 15th (7g)
Mike Sislo 16th (10g) 43rd(4g)
Assists Mike Sislo 1st (26 a) 1st (21a)
Phil DeSimone 1st(26 a) 2nd (19 a)
Paul Thompson 6th (19 a) 5th (15 a)
PP Points Paul Thompson 1st (18pts) 1st (15 pts)
Mike Sislo 6th (13pts) 6th (9 pts)
Phil DeSimone 14th (10 pts) 11 th (8 pts)
Blake Kessel 10th (11 pts) 14th (7 pts)
Brett Kostolansky 29th (8 pts) 14th (7 pts)
PP Goals Paul Thompson 1st (10 ppg) 1st(7 ppg)
Mike Sislo 21st (3 ppg) n/a
Phil DeSimone 36th (2ppg) 17 th (2ppg)
SH Points Four Tied 11th (1 shp) n/a
SH Goals Dalton Speelman 7th (1 shg) n/a
Stevie Moses 7th (1 shg) n/a
GW Goals Paul Thompson 1st (6 gwg) 1st(6 gwg)
Mike Sislo 10th (2 gwg) 16th(1 gwg)
Def. Scoring Blake Kessel 1st (21 pts) 2nd (13 pts)
Brett Kostolansky 7th (14 pts) 6th (11 pts)
GAA Matt Di Girolamo 4th (2.40) 2nd (1.88)
Save % Matt Di Girolamo 3rd (.922) 2nd(.938)
Win % Matt Di Girolamo 2nd (.731) 1st (.842)
Saves Matt Di Girolamo 1st (748) 1st (544)
Minutes Matt Di Girolamo 1st (1576:54) 1st (1147:50)
Wins Matt Di Girolamo 1st (17) 1st (15)
WHERE UNH IS RANKED IN HOCKEY EAST (THRU 2/7):
Overall HE games
Goals/per game 3.54/2nd 3.29/2nd
GAA 2.45/4th 1.71/1st
Power Play 20.0/2nd 22.2/2nd
Penalty Kill 82.1/7th 83.1/6th
Special Teams Net +5/3rd +5/3rd
1st Period Scoring 24/4th 10/9th
2nd Period Scoring 39/1st 20/5th
3rd Period Scoring 31/2nd 6/10th
Overtime Scoring 2/2nd 2/1st
'CATS IN THE PROS: Here is a listing of former Wildcats playing professional hockey:
Justin Aikins: Bossier Shreveport Mudbugs (CHL)
Bobby Butler: Binghamton Senators (AHL)/Ottawa Senators***
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)
***=spent time in Ottawa in 2010-11
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 L, 1-2
Feb. 4 Maine NESN W, 6-3
Feb. 5 Maine NESN W, 5-4
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.
UNH Coach's Show
2/14 Kelley's Row - Dover, NH
2/21 Ballard's - Durham, NH
2/28 Kelley's Row - Dover, NH
3/7 Ballard's - Durham, NH
3/14 Kelley's Row - Dover, NH
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 Di Girolamo HE Defensive Player of the Week 10/18
UNH Wildcats HE Team of the Week 11/8
Matt Di Girolamo HE Player of the Week 11/8
Matt Di Girolamo 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 Di Girolamo 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 Di Girolamo HE Goalie of the Month (December) 1/4
Paul Thompson HE Player of the Week 1/10
Paul Thompson HE Player of the Week 1/31
Paul Thompson HE co-Player of the Month 2/1
Kevin Goumas HE Rookie of Week 2/7
UNH Wildcats HE Team of the Week 2/7
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.
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.
