#13 UNH Set for Showdown with #9 PC at the Whitt Saturday

2017-2018 New Hampshire Men's Hockey
December 1-2, 2017
#13/14 New Hampshire (7-4-1, 3-3-1 HEA) vs.
#9 Providence (8-5-1, 5-3-1 HEA)
Dec. 1-Schneider Arena (3,030);
Providence, R.I.; 7:15 p.m.
Dec. 2-Whittemore Center (6,501);
Durham, N.H.; 7:00 p.m.

Series Records:
With Providence: UNH leads 89-60-15
At Schneider Arena: PC leads 31-29-9
At Whittemore Center: UNH leads 30-7-2
Last Meeting: PC 3, UNH 2 (1/28/2017; Durham, N.H.)
Last UNH Win: UNH 3, Yale 1 (1/30/2016; Providence, R.I.)
First Meeting: UNH 5, PC 1 (2/12/1927; Providence, R.I.)
Current Series Win Streak: PC, two games

What You Need To Know:

The No. 13 University of New Hampshire men's hockey team (7-4-1, 3-3-1 HEA) will take on No. 9 Providence (8-5-1, 5-3-1 HEA). The game on Friday is at Schneider Arena at 7:15 p.m., while the contest on Saturday is at the Whittemore Center at 7:00 p.m. and will be "Hockey For The Holidays Night." There will be a toy drive at the game. Fans who donate a toy will be entered to win a UNH Hockey jersey! Tickets can be purchased at the Whittemore Center Box Office, online at UNHWildcats.com or by calling 603-862-4000.
UNH is currently in seventh place in the Hockey East standings with seven points, while Providence is second with 11 points.
Last week, the Wildcats won at Yale, 4-0. The Friars competed at the Friendship Four Championship in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Providence defeated Maine (3-0) and lost to Clarkson (4-2).
UNH has outscored its opposition, 38-25, so far this season and have posted three shutouts, while the Friars have outscored their opponents, 42-37, and have two shutouts.
The Wildcats are second in Hockey East in scoring offense with 3.17 goals scored per game, while Providence is third with 3.00 goals per game. UNH is ranked first in the league and fourth nationally in scoring defense with 2.08 goals allowed per game, while Providence is fourth in Hockey East with 2.64 goals allowed per contest.
The Wildcats are off to their best start to a season in five years when they were 9-1-2 in 2012-2013.
The Wildcats are ranked No. 13 in the latest USCHO.com Division I Poll, and are No. 14 in the USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine College Hockey Poll. Providence is ranked No. 9 in both polls.
UNH leads the all-time series, 89-60-15. The series is tied 5-5-0 over the last 10 games.

All Home Games On ESPN3: Every home UNH men's hockey game will be streamed live on ESPN3 allowing fans to follow the Wildcats on any device through Watch ESPN.

Next Home Game: The Wildcats will return to the Whittemore Center on Saturday, Dec. 9, to take on Army West Point at 7:00 p.m. The game will be "Salute to Service" night. Tickets can be purchased at the Whittemore Center Box Office, online at UNHWildcats.com or by calling 603-862-4000.

Up Next: UNH returns to action when it plays at Rensselaer on Wednesday, Dec. 6 at 7:00 p.m.

Movember: Every member of the UNH men's hockey team is participating in Movember. So far the team has raised $2,271.00 for men's health. To donate go to: https://us.movember.com/team/2246870.

The Matchup: UNH is second in Hockey East in scoring offense with 3.17 goals scored per game, while Providence is third with 3.00 goals per game. UNH is ranked first in the league and fourth nationally in scoring defense with 2.08 goals allowed per game, while Providence is fourth in Hockey East with 2.64 goals allowed per contest. UNH is fourth in Hockey East with a .216 power play percentage and Providence is third with a .225 percentage. The Wildcats are first in the league with a .893 penalty kill percentage and Providence is third with a .857 percentage.

Nationally Ranked: The Wildcats are ranked No. 13 in the latest USCHO.com Division I Poll as UNH was also No. 13 in this poll last week. UNH is No. 14 in the USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine College Hockey Poll after also being ranked No. 14 last week.

#1 Ranked Defense In Hockey East: The Wildcats have been outstanding defensively as they are ranked first in Hockey East and are fourth in the nation with 2.08 goals allowed per game. The Wildcats are also first in the league and third nationally with a .893 penalty kill percentage.

Strong Offense: The Wildcats have outscored its opponents by a 38-25 margin so far this season for the best scoring margin in the conference. UNH is second in Hockey East and 17th nationally with 3.17 goals scored per game. The Wildcats are also fourth in the conference and tied for 18th nationally with a .216 power play percentage. UNH has already had 15 different goal scorers with 18 players with at least one point.

Tirone Named Defensive Player Of The Week: Senior assistant captain Danny Tirone (Trumbull, Conn.) has been named the Hockey East Defensive Player of the Week for his 34-save shutout at Yale. This is the fifth time in his career that Tirone has earned Defensive Player of the Week accolades and the second time this season (10/9/2017, 3/7/2016, 2/1/2016 & 1/19/2015). It is his sixth overall Hockey East weekly award as he received Player of the Week honors on March 6, 2017. He was also named the Goaltender of the Month this season for October. He is now 7-4-1. His .932 save percentage and 2.10 goals against average are both ranked second in Hockey East. His three shutouts lead Hockey East and are tied for second in the nation. Tirone is second all-time at UNH with 3,050 career saves as he is only the second UNH goalie to ever post 3,000 saves. Kevin Regan (2005-2008) is first with 3,235 saves. Tirone has played in 104 career games which are second all-time in program history for a goalie. Regan holds the record with 112 games. Tirone's 45 career wins are tied for seventh, his 2.79 goals against average is seventh and his .913 save percentage is sixth.

Number 91: The 2017-2018 season is the 91st year of men's hockey at UNH. The program has a record of 1,229-926-149.

Umile in 28th & Final Season At UNH: UNH head coach Dick Umile is the second longest tenured coach at their current institution as he is now in his 28th season with the 'Cats. Rick Gotkin (Mercyhurst) is going into his 30th season. Umile has a 593-357-109 all-time record at UNH. The 593 wins are third among active Division I coaches.

McNicholas Leads Team With 12 Points: Senior forward Michael McNicholas (Manhattan Beach, Calif.) leads the team with 12 points. He has three goals and nine assists. He has the most career assists (48) and points (68) of any current Wildcat. He also has 20 career goals.

Maass & Gildon With 11 Points: Freshman defensemen Benton Maass (Elk River, Minn.) and Max Gildon (Plano, Texas) are each tied for second on the team with 11 points. They are tied for third in Hockey East in points by freshmen. Maass has a team-best 10 assists which are tied for third in Hockey East. Gildon leads the team with six goals, while he also has five assists. He has been named the Hockey East Rookie of the Week once and won Rookie of the Month for October.

Wildcats Are 6-0-0 With Eiserman On The Ice: UNH is 6-0-0 with senior forward Shane Eiserman (Newburyport, Mass.) in the lineup. He has three goals and two assists for five points. He has missed six games this season due to an injury.

Chanter Named Captain: Senior defenseman Dylan Chanter (Armstrong, British Columbia) is the team captain for the 2017-2018 season. Chanter played in 37 games a year ago as a key member of the defense.

Wildcats Drafted by NHL Teams: Five current Wildcats are NHL draft picks. Senior Shane Eiserman (Ottawa-2014, Round #4, Pick #100), junior Marcus Vela (San Jose-2015, Round #7, Pick #190), and freshmen Benton Maass (Washington, 2017, Round #6, #182), Max Gildon (Florida-2017, Round #3, #66) and Mike Robinson (San Jose-2015, Round #3, #86) have all been drafted by NHL organizations.

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. Goaltenders coach Brian Foster ('10) was an All-American at UNH. Assistant AD for Hockey Operations Colin Shank ('05) is also a graduate of UNH.

Granite State Connection: Four Wildcats are from the Granite State; junior Chris Miller of Windham, sophomore Nick Nonis of Hampton Falls, sophomore Joe Lazzaro of Hampstead and freshman Mike Robinson of Bedford.

Tickets for the 2017-2018 Season: All fans can purchase tickets at the Whittemore Center Box Office, online at UNHWildcats.com or by calling 603-862-4000. UNH students can get their free tickets by signing up online here.

Stay Connected: There are numerous ways to stay connected with the UNH men's hockey team. Follow the Wildcats on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

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Dylan Chanter

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Chris Miller

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