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University of New Hampshire Athletics
University of New Hampshire
Cornell University
Wildcats Travel to NYC to Face Cornell at Madison Square Garden (Sat., 8 PM)
11/23/2016 12:07:00 PM | Men's Ice Hockey
Saturday, November 26, 2016 at 8 PM
Madison Square Garden (NYC)
New Hampshire (6-5-2, 3-1-1 HEA) vs. Cornell (3-3-1, 3-2-1 ECAC)
What to Know...
- The Wildcats come into Saturday's game riding a three-game unbeaten streak (2-0-1) after a 5-0 win over ECAC foe Rensselaer on Tuesday, Nov. 22 at the Whittemore Center.
- Junior netminder Danny Tirone recorded his second shutout of the season after making 25 saves against the Engineers.
- Five different Wildcats found the back of the net in the game with goals by Chris Miller, Tyler Kelleher, Liam Blackburn, Dylan Maller, and Michael McNicholas.
- Senior forward Tyler Kelleher recorded a goal and an assist in the game, extending his point streak to nine games (5g, 14a).
- Kelleher's 24 points (8g, 16a) has him second in the nation in points and first in the nation in assists.
- The Wildcats and Big Red meet for the first time since Dec. 28, 2013 when Cornell defeated UNH, 4-2, at the College Classic in Estero, Fla. The all-time series is locked at 13-13-0, dating back to Dec. 29, 1941.
- New Hampshire head coach Dick Umile is in his 27th season as head coach while Cornell head coach Mike Schafer is in his 22nd season as head coach. The two have a combined win total of 971 with Umile having 571 and Schafer having 394.
- Saturday's tilt is the 13th neutral site game between UNH and Cornell. The Big Red hold a 7-5-0 advantage in those games.
- Saturday's game is the first for the Wildcats in New York City in program history.
- The Big Red are 3-3-1 on the year and are coming off a 1-1-0 weekend. On Friday, Nov. 18, Quinnipiac defeated Cornell 3-1 while CU won over Princeton on Saturday, Nov. 19 by a score of 4-2.
- UNH returns to the Whittemore Center to start a home-and-home series with the University of Maine on Friday, Dec. 2 at 7 p.m. The Wildcats are at Maine the following night at 7:30 p.m.
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.
Two Shutouts for Tirone: Junior netminder Danny Tirone made 25 saves in Tuesday's 5-0 win over RPI for his second shutout of the season. His first came when he made 14 saves against Mercyhurst (Nov. 5). He now has five shutouts in his career.
Five is Fine: Senior forward Tyler Kelleher recorded a career-high five points against the University of Massachusetts on Friday, Nov. 22 with one goal and four assists. He was the first 'Cat to record five points in a game since Kevin Goumas on Nov. 24, 2012.
Power Play Efficiency: The Wildcats have recorded a power play goal in all but three games this season (Bentley - 10/8, CC - 10/22, RPI - 11/22). The 'Cats have scored 18 power play goals while limiting opponents to just nine. UNH is converting at a rate of 22.0 percent, ranking them 11th in the nation.
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.
Grasso's National Ranking (Updated 11/23):
Among Freshmen All Players Totals
Goals 1st T-4th 10 goals
Points T-2nd ––T-9th 18 points
Power Play Goals 1st T-1st 6 goals
Power Play Points 1st T-1st 12 points
Hat Tricks T-1st T-3rd 1 hat trick
Number 90: The 2016-17 season is the 90th year of men's hockey at UNH. The program has a record of 1,213-907-145 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, Nov. 21 for a stellar five-point (1g, 4a) performance against Massachusetts on Friday, Nov. 18.
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 351-189-89. 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 11/23):
Points:
1. Mike Vecchione - Union College - 139
2. Tyler Kelleher - UNH - 128
3. Ryan Fitzgerald - Boston College - 117
4. Max French - Bentley University - 114
Justin Kloos - Minnesota - 114
Assists:
1. Tyler Kelleher - UNH - 87
2. Mike Vecchione - Union - 83
3. David Goodwin - Penn State - 69
4. Justin Kloos - Minnesota - 66
Gavin Bayreuther - St. Lawrence - 66
Points Per Game (Min. 100 games)
1. Mike Vecchione - Union College - 1.12 (124 games played)
2. Max French - Bentley University - 1.03 (111 games played)
3. Tyler Kelleher - UNH - 1.02 (126 games played)
4. Justin Kloos - Minnesota - 0.90 (125 games played)
5. Austin Ortega - Omaha - 0.89 (121 games played)
Nick Schilkey - Ohio State - 0.89 (119 games played)
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.
