University of New Hampshire Athletics
University of New Hampshire
University of Maine
Whiteout the Whitt against Maine on Friday (7 PM), Game at Maine Saturday (7:30 PM | FCS)
11/30/2016 3:40:00 PM | Men's Ice Hockey
Friday, December 2, 2016 at 7 PM
University of Maine (5-7-3, 1-4-1 HEA) at New Hampshire (6-6-2, 3-1-1 HEA)
Whittemore Center Arena
Purchase Tickets | Live Stats | Live Audio | Live Video
Saturday, December 3, 2016 at 7:30 PM
New Hampshire (6-6-2, 3-1-1 HEA) at Maine (5-7-3, 1-4-1 HEA)
Alfond Arena (FOX College Sports Atlantic) | Listings
What to Know...
- The University of New Hampshire is coming off a 3-1 loss to Cornell University on Saturday, Nov. 26 at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
- Freshman forward Patrick Grasso scored UNH's goal in the game for his team-leading 11th of the season.
- In the month of November, senior Tyler Kelleher was the nation's leading scorer with 15 points on four goals and a nation leading 11 assists. Senior captain Matias Cleland was tied for first as the nation's leading scoring defenseman with nine points on one goal and eight assists.
- Since Dec. 30, 2014, the Wildcats have not lost a game in the month of December. They are 5-0-1 over the six games, including 3-0-1 against Maine in 2015.
- The last time the two teams played, UNH blanked the Black Bears by a score of 7-0 in Manchester, N.H. Junior netminder Danny Tirone made saves on all 21 shots in the game
- The Wildcats and Black Bears meet for the 126th time in the storied rivalry between the two schools. UNH's record against Maine in the series is 55-63-7.
- At the Whittemore Center, UNH is 20-7-2 against Maine but at Alfond Arena, the Black Bears are 36-16-4.
- After Saturday's game in Orono, the Wildcats travel to Dartmouth College on Saturday, Dec. 10 (7 PM) for the last game before semester break.
December Success: The Wildcats have not lost a game in the month of December since Dec. 30, 2014 at Omaha. Since Dec. 31, 2014 when UNH beat Omaha 6-2, the Wildcats are 5-0-1 in the month of December.
Kelleher's November: Senior forward Tyler Kelleher was the nation's highest scoring player in the month of November with 15 points. He had four goals and a nation leading 11 assists.
Cleland's Offense: Senior captain Matias Cleland was tied for first nationally among scoring by defensemen in November with nine points. He had one goal and was tied for the national lead in assists with eight for nine points.
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.
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 11/30):
Among Freshmen All Players Totals
Goals 1st T-4th 11 goals
Points 2nd T-11th 19 points
Power Play Goals 1st T-1st 6 goals
Power Play Points 1st T-2nd 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 1,213-908-145 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 11/30):
Points:
1. Mike Vecchione - Union College - 139
2. Tyler Kelleher - UNH - 128
3. Justin Kloos - Minnesota - 118
4. Ryan Fitzgerald - Boston College - 117
5. Max French - Bentley - 115
Assists:
1. Tyler Kelleher - UNH - 87
2. Mike Vecchione - Union - 83
3. David Goodwin - Penn State - 69
Justin Danforth - Sacred Heart - 69
5. Justin Kloos - Minnesota - 67
Gavin Bayreuther - St. Lawrence - 67
Points Per Game (Min. 100 games)
1. Mike Vecchione - Union College - 1.12 (124 games played)
2. Max French - Bentley University - 1.03 (112 games played)
3. Tyler Kelleher - UNH - 1.01 (127 games played)
4. Justin Kloos - Minnesota - 0.91 (129 games played)
5. Austin Ortega - Omaha - 0.89 (123 games played)
Nick Schilkey - Ohio State - 0.89 (119 games played)
Zach Aston-Reese - Northeastern - 0.89 (122 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.
