University of New Hampshire Athletics
University of New Hampshire
Arizona State University
Wildcats Host Arizona State on Saturday (7 PM), Merrimack on Sunday (4 PM)
11/10/2016 11:01:00 AM | Men's Ice Hockey
Saturday, Nov. 12 vs. Arizona State University (1-8-0) - 7 PM
Tickets | Live Stats | Live Video | Live Audio
Sunday, Nov. 13 vs. Merrimack College (4-4-2, 0-1-2 HEA) - 4 PM
Tickets | Live Stats | Live Video | Live Audio
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What to Know...
- UNH's four-game unbeaten streak (3-0-1) came to an end Tuesday night after a 5-3 loss at No. 3 Boston College.
- The Wildcats rallied from a 3-0 deficit to tie the game in the third period on goals by freshman Liam Blackburn, junior Jason Salvaggio and senior Matias Cleland. BC went ahead 4-3 on a goal with under three minutes left in regulation and scored the fifth goal with one second left in the third on an empty net.
- Saturday's tilt against Arizona State will be the first-ever meeting between the two schools. It is the first trip for the Sun Devils to the Granite State as a NCAA Division I Hockey Team.
- Sunday's game against Merrimack will be the 105th all-time and the second of the 2016-17 season.
- UNH holds a 1-0-0 record this season after defeating the Warriors 6-2 at home on Oct. 29. Freshman forward Patrick Grasso scored four goals in the game, three of which were on power plays.
- Overall, the Wildcats are 72-22-10 against MC. At the Whittemore Center, New Hampshire holds a 28-6-2 lead.
- Senior Tyler Kelleher is the leading scorer against Merrimack as he has 14 points (4g, 10a) in nine games.
Rookie of the Month: Freshman forward Patrick Grasso was named the HCA National Rookie of the Month as well as the HE Pro Ambitions Rookie of the Month on Wednesday, Nov. 2. He is the first 'Cat to earn the accolade since Grayson Downing in November of 2011. Grasso was also named the HE Rookie of the Week on Monday, Oct. 31.
Four-on-Four: Patrick Grasso scored four times on four shots against Merrimack in the 6-2 win on Saturday, Oct. 29. He was the first Wildcat to score four goals in a game since Steve Moses in 2012. He netted three goals in the first period in the span of 3:56.
Number 90: The 2016-17 season is the 90th year of men's hockey at UNH. The program has a record of 1,211-906-144 over the nine decades.
Weekend Warrior: Senior forward Tyler Kelleher was named the Warrior Hockey Player of the Week by the Hockey East Association on Monday, Oct. 17 for his weekend performance against St. Lawrence and Clarkson. He had a goal against SLU (Oct. 14) and two goals with two assists against Clarkson (Oct. 15).
Maller's Milestone: Senior defenseman Dylan Maller scored his first collegiate goal against Clarkson on Saturday, Oct. 15.
Heading to the Big Apple: The Wildcats will travel to Madison Square Garden to play in New York City for the first time in program history. They will play Cornell on Nov. 26 at 8:00 PM.
Frozen Fenway: For the first time since Jan. 7, 2012, UNH will play an outdoor game when they take on Northeastern at Fenway Park on Saturday, Jan. 14 at 7:30 PM.
350 and Counting: Head coach Dick Umile recorded his 350th Hockey East win in the 6-2 triumph over Merrimack (Oct. 29). His league record is 350-189-88. He has the most wins among active HE coaches and is second all-time to Jack Parker (BU; 421).
Longevity: Umile is the third longest tenured coach at their current institution as he is entering his 27th season with the 'Cats. Red Berenson (Michigan) is going into his 33rd season while Rick Gotkin (Mercyhurst) is going into his 29th season.
'C' is for Captain, and Cleland: Senior blueliner Matias Cleland was elected captain by his teammates and is the first Wildcat to be a lone captain with no assistants since James Richmond in 1986-87.
Wildcat Blue Genes: The incoming freshman class has many NHL ties. Brendan van Riemsdyk is the youngest brother of James van Riemsdyk ('09) and Trevor van Riemsdyk ('14), both of whom play in the NHL. Joe Sacco is the son of Boston Bruins assistant coach Joe Sacco, who played 738 games in the NHL. Patrick Grasso is the nephew of Joe Mullen, who won three Stanley Cups. He is currently an assistant coach with the Philadelphia Flyers.
Welcome to Wildcat Country: UNH added eight freshmen in the off-season: Liam Blackburn (F), Justin Fregona (F), Patrick Grasso (F), Joe Lazzaro (G), Nick Nonis (D), Joe Sacco (F), Brendan van Riemsdyk (F), and Anthony Wyse (D).
Wildcats Through and Through: Head coach Dick Umile ('72) and associate head coaches Glenn Stewart ('94) and Mike Souza ('00) are all graduates and former players of UNH. Assistant AD for Hockey Operations Colin Shank ('05) is also a graduate of UNH.
Three Coaches, 402 Points: Umile, Stewart and Souza are each members of the Century Club for the men's hockey program. Souza tallied 156 points (66g, 90a), Umile 144 points (60g, 84a) and Stewart notched 102 points (51g, 51a).
Where Kelleher Ranks in his Career Nationally (Updated 11/9):
Points:
1. Mike Vecchione - Union College - 137
2. Tyler Kelleher - UNH - 117
3. Max French - Bentley University - 114
4. Justin Kloos - Minnesota - 113
5. Ryan Fitzgerald - Boston College - 112
Assists:
1. Mike Vecchione - Union College - 81
2. Tyler Kelleher - UNH - 79
3. Justin Kloos - Minnesota - 66
4. David Goodwin - Penn State - 65
5. Gavin Bayreuther - St. Lawrence - 64
Points Per Game (Min. 100 games)
1. Mike Vecchione - Union College - 1.12 (122 games played)
2. Max French - Bentley University - 1.06 (108 games played)
3. Tyler Kelleher - UNH - 0.96 (122 games played)
4. Justin Kloos - Minnesota - 0.90 (125 games played)
5. Nick Schilkey - Ohio State - 0.86 (115 games played)
Points for Patrick: Freshman Patrick Grasso scored four goals in Saturday's (Oct. 29) 6-2 win over Merrimack College. He was the first player to score four times in a game since Steve Moses did so on Jan. 14, 2012 against Dartmouth. It was also the last time a player scored four-consecutive goals.
Grasso's National Ranking (Updated 11/9):
Among freshmen/all players:
Goals - 1st/T-2nd (9)
Points - 2nd/T-8th (13)
Power Play Goals - 1st/1st (6)
Power Play Points - 1st/1st (9)
Hat Tricks - T-1st/T-2nd (1)
Wildcats Drafted by NHL Teams: Junior Shane Eiserman and sophomore Marcus Vela have both been drafted by NHL organizations. Eiserman was taken by the Ottawa Senators in the fourth round of the 2014 draft as the 100th overall pick. Vela was picked in the seventh round of the 2015 draft as the 190th pick.
Granite State Connection: Three Wildcats hail from the Granite State; Chris Miller of Windham, Nick Nonis of Hampton Falls and Joe Lazzaro of Hampstead.
