University of New Hampshire Athletics
#3 Men's Hockey Travels to Rival #6 Maine on Friday (7:30 p.m. - CBS College Sports)
12/8/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Ice Hockey
GAME NOTES
DURHAM, N.H. -- The third-ranked University of New Hampshire men's hockey team (9-2-4, 7-1-2 HE) travels north to play Hockey East rival Maine (7-3-4, 5-2-2 HE) on Friday night (7:30 p.m.) at Alfond Arena. The game will be broadcast live nationally on CBS College Sports. The Wildcats are trying to end the first half of the season on a five-game unbeaten streak.
SCOUTING THE BLACK BEARS: No. 6/8 Maine Black Bears enter Friday night's game with New Hampshire with a 7-3-4 mark overall and a 5-2-2 record in Hockey East. Most recently, the Black Bears took three points in a two-game road series at Providence by virtue of a 3-3 tie on Friday night and a 5-0 win on Saturday. The high-power Maine offense ranks second in Hockey East and 10th nationally with 3.57 gpg. The Black Bears are led by junior Spencer Abbott with 21 points on 11 goals and 10 assists, while 2009-10 Hobey Baker Hat Trick finalist Gustav Nyquist is off to another fine start with 17 points on five goals and 12 assists. Maine has used three netminders on the season including a pair of freshman and sophomore Shawn Sirman. Freshman Dan Sullivan has seen the most time between the pipes with a 4-3-1 mark in nine games including a 2.62 GAA and a .885 save percentage. Sirman has played in five games with a 2-0-2 record, 2.61 GAA and a .911 save percentage. Martin Ouellette has played in just two games, but is the reigning Hockey East Rookie of the Week as he stopped 32 shots in a 5-0 shutout of Providence on Saturday.
SERIES HISTORY VS. MAINE: The Black Bears own the advantage in the all-time series history at 56-45-5 in 106 meetings. Maine captured last year's season series 2-1-0 winning twice on their home ice in early February, while UNH successfully defended its home ice in October. Coach Umile is 31-39-5 all-time in his coaching career vs. the Black Bears. Senior forward Paul Thompson is the active leader in Wildcat scoring against Maine with five points in eight games, while five different Wildcats each have four career points against Maine. No active goalies have seen time against Maine.
SCORING LEADERS VS. THE BLACK BEARS:
Player GP G-A-P
Paul Thompson 8 0-5-5
Mike Borisenok 6 1-3-4
Blake Kessel 5 1-3-4
Mike Sislo 9 3-1-4
Steve Moses 6 3-1-4
Phil DeSimone 9 3-1-4
Mike Beck 6 0-2-2
Damon Kipp 5 0-1-1
Greg Manz 3 1-0-1
Greg Burke 1 0-1-1
Kevin McCarey 5 0-1-1
John Henrion 2 1-0-1
Brett Kostolansky 3 0-1-1
Matt Campanale 5 0-0-0
Connor Hardowa 2 0-0-0
Austin Block 2 0-0-0
Dalton Speelman 1 0-0-0
Scott Pavelski 2 0-0-0
Goaltending Stats
Player GP/Min GA GAA W-L-T SV SV%
no active goalies with experience against Maine
LAST TIME THESE TEAMS MET (FEB. 6, 2010): Maine scored three goals in the second and third periods to erase a 2-0 deficit and capture a 6-3 win over the UNH in Hockey East action at Alfond Arena. John Henrion and Peter LeBlanc scored for the 'Cats.UNH netminder Brian Foster stopped 34 shots including 15 in the middle frame, but falls to 12-10-4. Maine's Scott Darling turned away 27 shots and improves to 14-3-3.
LAST TIME OUT (12/5/10 VS. VERMONT): Mike Sislo recorded a career-high five assists and Paul Thompson finished with four points, including his second career hat trick, to propel UNH to Sunday afternoon's 5-1 Hockey East victory against the University of Vermont at the Whittemore Center. Brett Kostolansky tallied a career-high three points with a goal and two assists; the two assists matched his personal best. Phil DeSimone also had a multiple-point game with two assists and Blake Kessel netted UNH's other goal. New Hampshire starting goalie Matt DiGirolamo finished with 24 saves. Tyler Scott played the final 2:17 of the game to make his collegiate debut; he was not credited with a save. UVM netminder Rob Madore stopped 27 shots, including 14 in the third period.
COLLEGEHOCKEYNEWS.COM'S PAIRWISE RANKINGS (12/7)
Rk Team PCWs W-L-T Win % Rk RPI Rk
1 Yale 24 10-1-0 .9091 1 .6312* 1
2 Minn-Duluth 23 12-2-2 .8125 2 .6019 2
3 Denver 21 11-5-2 .6667 7t .5743 4
4t New Hampshire 20 9-2-4 .7333 3 .5699 6
4t North Dakota 20 11-5-2 .6667 7t .5853 3
4t Boston College 20 11-5-0 .6875 4 .5703* 5
7 Notre Dame 18 10-5-2 .6471 10 .5696 7
8 Neb-Omaha 17 9-4-1 .6786 5t .5624 8
9 Union 16 8-3-3 .6786 5t .5592 9
10 Rensselaer 15 8-4-3 .6333 14t .5519 10
11 Miami 14 10-5-3 .6389 13 .5508 11
12t Dartmouth 13 6-3-1 .6500 9 .5495 12
12t Maine 13 7-3-4 .6429 11t .5487 13
14 Boston Univ. 11 7-3-5 .6333 14t .5481 14
15 Alaska 10 8-5-3 .5938 19 .5431 15
16 Michigan 9 9-5-4 .6111 17 .5423 16
17 Merrimack 8 7-4-4 .6000 18 .5318 17
18 Colorado College 7 8-7-1 .5312 24t .5238 18
19 Wisconsin 6 8-7-3 .5278 26 .5227* 19
20 Clarkson 5 9-5-2 .6250 16 .5175 20
21 Princeton 4 6-5-0 .5455 23 .5134 21
22 No. Michigan 3 7-7-3 .5000 27t .5116 22
23 Western Mich. 2 7-5-4 .5625 21 .5112 23
24 Minnesota 1 8-7-1 .5312 24t .5112 24
25 Bemidji State 0 5-8-1 .3929 41t .5108 25
SISLO GARNERS HOCKEY EAST co-PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Mike Sislo was named Hockey East co-Player of the Week. He shares the honor with BC's Steven Whitney. Sislo scored a goal on Thursday night and handed out a career-high five assists on Sunday against Vermont. Sislo factored in all five New Hampshire goals on Sunday. He registered six shots on goal and was a +2 overall on the week.
DIGIROLAMO TABBED HOCKEY EAST DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Matt DiGirolamo was named Hockey East Defensive Player of the Week. DiGirolamo, who earned Hockey East Player of the Week on Nov.8 and Defensive Player of the Week on Oct. 18, stopped 49-of-50 shots (.980 save%) lifting UNH to a pair of wins over UMass-Lowell and Vermont. DiGirolamo turned aside 25 shots on Thursday to record his second career shutout and allowed a single goal on 25 shots on Sunday against Vermont. He has allowed two goals or fewer in seven Hockey East games this season, including just two goals in the last three games. He is 7-1-2 with a .948 save percentage and a 1.49 GAA in 10 Hockey East contests.
THOMPSON CAPTURES SECOND CAREER HAT TRICK: Paul Thompson registered his second career hat trick on Sunday against Vermont. He becomes the first UNH player to record a hat trick since Bobby Butler did so on Feb. 12, 2010. Thompson's previous hat trick came as a freshman in a 5-4 overtime win at PC on Nov. 17, 2007.
SISLO SETS WHITTEMORE CENTER RECORD WITH FIVE ASSISTS; FIRST WILDCAT SINCE 1993 TO DO SO: Mike Sislo dished out assists in all five UNH goals on Sunday becoming the first player to have five points or more in a game since Dec. 11, 2008 vs. Holy Cross when three players had five-plus points including Sislo, who had a career-high six points (4g, 2a) that night. Sislo becomes first UNH player since Nick Poole (Jan. 9, 1993 at Snively Arena vs. Merrimack) to register five assists in a game.
LIVE ON CBS COLLEGE SPORTS: On Friday, UNH and Maine will square off live on CBS College Sports (HD). Dave Starman and Eric Frede will be calling all the action from the Alfond Arena. UNH's NCAA football quarterfinal game also air live on ESPN2 on Friday at 8 p.m. placing UNH athletics in over 200 million homes on Friday evening.
POINTS AT WHOLESALE; 3 for 20: UNH is the only team in Hockey East with three players with 20 points or more.
POWER PLAY TRIO: UNH scored three power play goals on Sunday against Vermont marking the second time the 'Cats have three power play goals in a single game. The 'Cats potted three goals on Nov. 12 against UMass. UNH has 15 power play goals in 15 games this season.
DECEMBERS TO REMEMBER; 'CATS MAKE IT NINE IN A ROW: UNH has won nine-straight games in December including a perfect 6-0 over the last two seasons. New Hampshire's last loss in December came on Dec. 28, 2007 at North Dakota.
Year Record GF/GA
2010-11 2-0-0 8-1
2009-10 3-0-0 11-6
2008-09 3-0-0 14-10
DIGI POSTS SECOND CAREER SHUTOUT: Matt DiGirolamo stopped 25 shots to register his second career shutout on Thursday night. He stopped 19 shots in a 3-0 win over Massachusetts on Nov.11 for his first collegiate shutout.
FIRST COLLEGIATE POINTS: Freshman Jeff Silengo and junior netminder Matt DiGirolamo handed out their first collegiate points with assists on Thursday at Mass.-Lowell.
'CATS UNBEATEN IN LAST FOUR: UNH owned the nation's longest unbeaten streak at nine games earlier this season. Its four-game unbeaten streak is quickly climbing the national charts. UNH's four-game unbeaten streak is tied for the second-longest nationally.
Current Unbeaten Streak: W-L-T Games
Yale 5-0-0 5
UNH 3-0-1 4
Minnesota State 4-0-0 4
Massachusetts 3-0-1 4
North Dakota 3-0-1 4
six other teams varied 3
KOSTOLANSKY ON FIRE: After recording no goals over his first 38 games, Brett Kostolansky has four goals in his last five games.
STARTERS ACCOUNT FOR ALL 15 POINTS ON SUNDAY: UNH's starting lineup recorded all 15 points. Thompson, DeSimone and Sislo combined for 11 points and the starting defensive pair of Kostolansky and Kessel accounted for the team's other four points.
'CATS CRACK TOP 3 NATIONALLY: UNH earned its highest national ranking of the year being ranked third in both national polls behind only Yale and Minnesota-Duluth. It marks the first time the 'Cats are third in both national polls since March 3, 2008.
TYLER SCOTT MAKES COLLEGIATE DEBUT: Junior netminder Tyler Scott saw his first collegiate action between the pipes for New Hampshire. He played the final 2:17 in UNH's 5-1 win over Vermont.
TOP LINE PRODUCING: UNH's top line of Phil DeSimone, Paul Thompson and Mike Sislo have combined for 14 goals, 35 assists and 49 points over the last eight games. The group is averaging 1.75 gpg and 6.125 ppg.
Date Thompson Sislo DeSimone
11/12 UMass 0-2-2 1-1-2 1-1-2
11/13 UMass 0-3-3 1-0-1 0-2-2
11/19 BU 2-1-3 0-1-1 1-2-3
11/20 @BU 1-1-2 0-2-2 0-1-1
11/23 Brown 0-1-1 2-2-4 0-3-3
11/27 Merr. 1-1-2 0-1-1 0-0-0
12/2 at UML 0-1-1 1-0-1 0-1-1
12/5 vs. UVM 3-1-4 0-5-5 0-2-2
Totals 7-11-18 5-12-17 2-12-14
'CATS EXTENDS WHITTEMORE CENTER UNBEATEN STREAK TO 25 AGAINST HOCKEY EAST FOE: With a 5-1 win over Vermont, UNH is 18-0-7 in the last 25 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; LINEMATES RIGHT BEHIND: Paul Thompson ranks first in Hockey East in scoring with 23 points, while his linemates Mike Sislo (22 pts) and Phil DeSimone (20 pts) rank second and fifth, respectively.
THOMPSON; SISLO STREAKING: Paul Thompson and Mike Sislo are riding season-long eight game scoring streaks.
TOP LINERS APPROACHING CENTURY MARK: All three members of UNH's top line have a chance to capture 100 points during their season season. Mike Sislo is now just 10 points away.
Player G-A-P Points to 100
Mike Sislo 44-46-90 10
Phil DeSimone 24-64-88 12
Paul Thompson 39-44-83 17
DeSIMONE; SISLO FIRST & SECOND IN HOCKEY EAST IN ASSISTS: Phil DeSimone has a league-best 16 assists, while his linemate Mike Sislo is second with 14 helpers this season.
1ST IN 2ND: UNH ranks first in Hockey East in second period scoring. The 'Cats have a league-best 25 goals in the second.
DiGIROLAMO LOGGING THE MINUTES: Matt DiGirolamo has a notched a league-best 913:28 of time between the pipes for New Hampshire.
'CATS OFF TO BEST START SINCE 2006-07: UNH is off to its best start since the 2006-07 season when the 'Cats were 12-2-1 over the first 15 games.
Year Record (Pct.) Final Record
2010-11 9-2-4 (.733) ---
2009-10 6-6-3 (.500) 18-14-7
2008-09 6-6-3 (.464) 20-13-5
2007-08 9-5-1 (.633) 25-10-3
2006-07 12-2-1 (.833) 26-11-2
SCORING BY CLASS: 2010-11 breakdown of scoring by class.
Class G-A-P G-A-P %.
Seniors: 22-46-68 42-53-49
Juniors: 15-19-34 28-22-24
Sophomores: 15-21-36 28-24-26
Freshmen: 1-1-2 2-1-1
TO THIS POINT LAST YEAR: A comparison through 15 games between this season and last season.
09-10 10-11
Record 6-6-3 9-2-4
HE Record 6-2-2 7-1-2
Goals scored 48 53
Goals scored/PG 3.20 3.53
Goals Allowed 54 36
Goals Allowed/PG 3.60 2.40
Shots 437 555
Shots Allowed 490 461
Power Play 18.5% 21.1%
(12-65) (15-71)
Penalty Kill 76.9% 83.3%
(50-65) (45-54)
Top 3 Scorers Butler Thompson
12-9-21 10-13-23
Kessel Sislo
4-12-16 8-14-22
Thomp. Sislo
7-7-14 4-16-20
FORMER WILDCAT BUTLER GETS CALLED UP TO OTTAWA AFTER BEING NAMED AHL ROOKIE OF THE MONTH IN NOVEMBER: Former UNH standout Bobby Butler has been recalled by Ottawa and played Sunday at Madison Square Garden. Butler skated as a left wing on the Senators' top line alongside Jason Spezza and Daniel Alfredsson. Butler, the reigning American Hockey League Rookie of the Month, leads AHL rookies in scoring with 23 points and is tied for the league lead in goals with 15.
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
THE NATIONAL POLLS:
USCHO.com/CBS College Sports Division I Men's Poll (Dec. 6)
Rk. Team (FPV) Rec. Pts LW
1 Yale (34) 10-1-0 973 2
2 Minnesota-Duluth (13) 12-2-2 950 1
3 New Hampshire 9-2-4 882 5
4 Boston College (3) 11-5-0 819 8
5 North Dakota 11-5-2 814 7
6 Miami 10-5-3 683 6
7 Boston University 7-3-5 678 2
8 Maine 7-3-4 676 9
9 Denver 11-5-2 601 10
10 Nebraska-Omaha 9-4-1 585 4
11 Notre Dame 10-5-2 499 12
12 Michigan 9-5-4 454 11
13 Union 8-3-3 412 13
14 Alaska 8-5-3 348 14
15 Rensselaer 8-4-3 260 16
16 Wisconsin 8-7-3 243 15
17 Merrimack 7-4-4 210 18
18 Ferris State 8-6-3 113 20
19 Dartmouth 6-3-1 98 NR
20 Western Michigan 7-5-4 60 19
Others Receiving Votes: Clarkson 42, Minnesota 30, Robert Morris 23, Colorado College 17, Minnesota State 9, Northern Michigan 8, Michigan State 4, Bemidji State 3, Princeton 3, Providence 2, Niagara 1
USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine (Dec. 6)
Rk. School, Pts. (FPV) Last Record Weeks
1 Yale University, 498 (24) 2 10-1-0 10
2 Minnesota Duluth, 475 (9) 1 12-2-2 10
3 New Hampshire, 436 5 9-2-4 10
4 Boston College, 394 (1) 8 11-5-0 10
5 University of North Dakota, 382 7 11-5-2 10
6 University of Maine, 308 9 7-3-4 10
7 Boston University, 298 3 7-3-5 10
8 Miami University, 289 6 10-5-3 10
9 Nebraska Omaha, 246 4 9-4-1 8
10 University of Denver, 203 10 11-5-2 10
11 University of Notre Dame, 156 12 10-5-2 7
12 University of Michigan, 152 11 9-5-4 10
13 Union College, 114 13 8-3-3 7
14 University of Alaska, 69 14 8-5-3 9
15 Rensselaer, 22 15 8-4-3 2
Others receiving votes: University of Wisconsin, 17; Merrimack College, 13; Dartmouth College, 3; University of Minnesota, 2; Robert Morris University, 2; Bemidji State University, 1.
Wildcats Among National leaders (THRU 12/7): Below is a list of where UNH players and team rank nationally.
Individual Rank Stats
Points Per Game:
Paul Thompson 9th 1.53 ppg
Mike Sislo 11th 1.47 ppg
Phil DeSimone 17th 1.33 ppg
Goals Per Game:
Paul Thompson 12th 0.67 gpg
Mike Sislo 38th 0.53 gpg
Assists Per Game:
Phil DeSimone 6th 1.07 apg
Mike Sislo 11th 0.93 apg
Paul Thompson 18th 0.87 apg
Power Play Goals:
Paul Thompson 6th 5 ppg
Mike Sislo 32nd 3 ppg
Short-Handed Goals:
Dalton Speelman 16th 1 shg
Stevie Moses 16th 1 shg
Game-Winning Goal:
Paul Thompson 2nd 3 gwg
Mike Sislo 10th 2 gwg
Defensemen Scoring:
Blake Kessel 17th 0.73 ppg
Goals Against Average:
Matt DiGirolamo 23rd 2.30 gaa
Save Percentage:
Matt DiGirolamo 18th .924
Winning Percentage:
Matt DiGirolamo 10th .733
Team
Scoring Offense 12th 3.53
Scoring Defense 13th 2.40
Scoring Margin 8th 1.13
Penalty Minutes 53rd 9.7
Power Play 17th 21.1
Penalty Kill 25th 83.3
Combined Special Teams 41st 48.0
Winnning Percentage 3rd .733
Among the League Leaders (THRU 12/7): Where some of the Wildcats rank in Hockey East.
Player All Games HE Games
Points Paul Thompson 1st (23 pts) 1st (18 pts)
Mike Sislo 2nd (22 pts) 5th (13 pts)
Phil DeSimone 5th (20 pts) 8th (11 pts)
Goals Paul Thompson 3rd (10 g) 2nd (8 g)
Mike Sislo 5th (8 g) 22nd (3 g)
Stevie Moses 13th (6 g) 22nd (3 g)
Assists Phil DeSimone 1st (16 a) 6th (9 a)
Mike Sislo 2nd (14 a) 2nd (10 a)
Paul Thompson 3rd (13 a) 2nd (10 a)
Blake Kessel 17th (8 a) 46th (3 a)
PP Points Paul Thompson 1st (11 pts) 1st (9 pts)
Mike Sislo 2nd (9 pts) 5th (6 pts)
Phil DeSimone 7th (7 pts) 7th (5 pts)
Blake Kessel 10th (6 pts) 18th (3 pts)
PP Goals Paul Thompson 2nd (5 ppg) 2nd (3 ppg)
Mike Sislo 4th (3 ppg) 19th (1 ppg)
Phil DeSimone 14th (2 ppg) 5th (2 ppg)
Brett Kostolansky 5th (2 ppg)
SH Points Four Tied 7th (1 shp) n/a
SH Goals Dalton Speelman 5th (1 shg) n/a
Stevie Moses 5th (1 shg) n/a
GW Goals Paul Thompson 1st (3 gwg) 1st (3 gwg)
Mike Sislo 3rd (2 gwg) 7th (1 gwg)
Def. Scoring Blake Kessel 2nd (11 pts) 7th (5 pts)
Brett Kostolansky 3rd (10 pts) 3rd (7 pts)
Connor Hardowa 15th (5 pts) 29th (2 pts)
GAA Matt DiGirolamo 4th (2.30) 1st (1.49)
Save % Matt DiGirolamo 4th (.924) 1st (.948)
Win % Matt DiGirolamo 2nd (.733) 2nd (.800)
Saves Matt DiGirolamo 2nd (425) 7th (274)
Minutes Matt DiGirolamo 1st (913:28) 5th (604:26)
Wins Matt DiGirolamo 2nd (9) 2nd (7)
WHERE UNH IS RANKED IN HOCKEY EAST (THRU 12/6):
Overall HE games
Goals/per game 3.53/3rd 2.90/3rd
GAA 2.40/3rd 1.50/1st
Power Play 21.1/2nd 21.7/2nd
Penalty Kill 83.3/5th 90.6/2nd
Special Teams Net +5/2nd +5/2nd
1st Period Scoring 12/6th 9/4th
2nd Period Scoring 25/1st 14/3rd
3rd Period Scoring 16/3rd 6/9th
Overtime Scoring 0/3rd 0/3rd
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
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
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.
