Wildcats to Take on UConn at the Whitt

Friday, January 26

Durham, N.H.

7 PM

University of New Hampshire

Connecticut

Buy Tickets

Liam Blackburn (Photo by China Wong)

Photo by: China Wong

1/24/2018 4:54:00 PM | Men's Ice Hockey

Tickets Jan. 26-Watch On ESPN3 Live Audio Jan. 26-Live Stats Jan. 27-Live Stats UNH Game Notes

2017-2018 New Hampshire Men's Hockey

January 26, 2018
New Hampshire (9-11-4, 4-7-3 HEA) vs.
UConn (9-16-2, 6-11-1 HEA)
Whittemore Center; Durham, N.H.; 7:00 p.m.
TICKETS | ESPN3 | LIVE AUDIO | LIVE STATS | GAME NOTES

January 27, 2018
New Hampshire (9-11-4, 4-7-3 HEA) vs.
UConn (9-16-2, 6-11-1 HEA)
XL Center; Hartford, Conn.; 3:35 p.m.
LIVE VIDEO | LIVE AUDIO | LIVE STATS | GAME NOTES

FIRST RESPONDERS NIGHT: The University of New Hampshire men's hockey team will return to the Whittemore Center on Friday, Jan. 26, to take on UConn at 7:00 p.m. The game will be First Responders Night.

DOLLAR DOG NIGHT: Hot dogs will only be $1 on Friday night at the Whittemore Center versus the Huskies. "Dollar Dog Night" will also be on Feb. 24 versus the Northeastern Huskies.

GIVEAWAY: There will be a Coach Umile Milestones Poster giveaway on Friday night. The first 1,000 fans will receive a poster.

TICKETS: Tickets can be purchased 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.

NEXT HOME GAME: After playing at Northeastern on Friday, Feb. 2, the Wildcats will return to the Whittemore Center on Saturday, Feb. 3, to take on UMass at 7:00 p.m. The game will be Mascot Night. The contest will also feature the third Coach Umile commemorative pin giveaway. Tickets can be purchased at the Whittemore Center Box Office, online at UNHWildcats.com or by calling 603-862-4000.

UPCOMING PROMOTIONS:

Saturday, February 3, 7 PM: UMass-Mascot Night; Coach Umile Commemorative Pin #3 Giveaway
Friday, February 9, 7 PM (Coach Umile Weekend): Vermont-Coach Umile Replica Jersey T-Shirt
Saturday, February 10, 7 PM (Coach Umile Weekend): Vermont-Coach Umile Bobblehead Giveaway
Wednesday, February 14, 7 PM: Maine-White Out The Whitt
Saturday, February 24, 7 PM: Northeastern-Senior Night; Coach Umile Commemorative Pin #4 Giveaway; $1 hot dogs

ESPN3 BROADCASTS: The following remaining UNH men's hockey regular season games will be streamed live on ESPN3 allowing fans to follow the Wildcats on any device through Watch ESPN:

Friday, January 26, 7 PM vs. UConn
Friday, February 2, 7 PM at Northeastern
Saturday, February 3, 7 PM vs. UMass
Friday, February 9, 7 PM vs. Vermont
Saturday, February 10, 7 PM vs. Vermont
Wednesday, February 14, 7 PM vs. Maine
Friday, February 23, 7 PM at Northeastern
Saturday, February 24, 7 PM vs. Northeastern

QUICK FACTS:

Wildcat Sports Radio Network
Jan. 26-Rob Dally (Play-by-Play), Justin McIsaac (Color)
Jan. 27-Mike Murphy (Play-by-Play), Nate Bridges (Color)
Flagship Radio Stations:
WGIR 610 AM (Manchester); WQSO 96.7 FM (Seacoast), WPKX 930 AM (Seacoast)

TV: Jan. 26- ESPN
Brendan Glasheen (Play-by-Play), Zack Holler (Color)

Jan. 27-MYTV9

Series Records:
With UConn: UNH leads 15-4-0
At Whittemore Center: UNH leads, 4-2-0
At XL Center: UConn leads 2-1-0
Last Meeting: UConn 4, UNH 2 (2/25/2017; Hartford, Conn.)
Last UNH Win: UNH 2, UConn 0 (3/7/2015; Durham, N.H.)
First Meeting: UNH 8, UConn 1 (1/16/1929; Durham, N.H.)
Coach Umile vs. UConn: 5-4-0
Series Win Streak: UConn four games

WATCH ON ESPN3

COMPLETE GAME NOTES: Go here to read the complete set of game notes for the games versus UConn.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

The University of New Hampshire men's hockey team will return to the Whittemore Center on Friday, Jan. 26, to take on UConn at 7:00 p.m. The game will be First Responders Night and hot dogs will only be $1. There will also be a Coach Umile Milestones Poster giveaway. UNH will then travel to Hartford, Conn., on Saturday, Jan. 27, to play the Huskies at the XL Center at 3:35 p.m.
The Wildcats are 15-4-0 all-time versus UConn, but the Huskies have won four straight over the Wildcats.
UNH is ranked fourth in the nation and first in Hockey East with a .874 penalty kill percentage.
UNH has outscored its opposition, 69-65, so far this season and have posted four shutouts, while UConn has been outscored by its opponents by a 75-66 margin.
Only two points separate the teams. UConn is seventh in the Hockey East standings with 13 points, while UNH is tied for eighth with 11.

NEXT UP: After playing at Northeastern on Friday, Feb. 2, the Wildcats will return to the Whittemore Center on Saturday, Feb. 3, to take on UMass at 7:00 p.m. The game will be Mascot Night. The game will also feature the third Coach Umile commemorative pin giveaway. Tickets can be purchased at the Whittemore Center Box Office, online at UNHWildcats.com or by calling 603-862-4000.

THE MATCHUP: UNH is sixth in Hockey East in scoring offense with 2.88 goals scored per game, while UConn is ninth with 2.44 goals per contest. The Wildcats are third in scoring defense with 2.71 goals allowed per game, while the Huskies are sixth with 2.78 goals allowed per contest. UNH is tied for sixth with a .194 power play percentage and UConn is fourth with a .207 percentage. The Wildcats lead the league with a .874 penalty kill percentage and the Huskies are third with a .817 percentage.

STRONG PENALTY KILL: The Wildcats are fourth nationally and first in Hockey East with a .874 penalty kill percentage. UNH is 90-for-103 on the penalty kill only allowing 13 goals. UNH is also ranked third in Hockey East in scoring defense with 2.71 goals allowed per game.

KELLEHER WITH BIG GAME VERSUS MAINE: On Jan. 20, freshman forward Charlie Kelleher (Longmeadow, Mass.) posted one goal and two assists for three points as the Wildcats tied Maine, 3-3, at Alfond Arena. He tied the game at 3-3 with 9:58 left in the third period. This was the fourth time this season he tallied two assists and the second time he posted three points. He has two goals and 11 assists for 13 points this season.

VELA ON THREE-GAME POINT STREAK: Junior forward Marcus Vela (Burnaby, British Columbia) is on a three-game scoring streak with three assists for three points. This season he has four goals and five assists for nine points.

TIRONE EARNS HOCKEY EAST WEEKLY HONOR: Senior assistant captain Danny Tirone (Trumbull, Conn.) was named the Hockey East Defensive Player of the Week for his performance in the two ties at Maine. This is the seventh time in his career that Tirone has earned Defensive Player of the Week accolades and the fourth time this season (12/4/2017, 11/27/2017, 10/9/2017, 3/7/2016, 2/1/2016 & 1/19/2015). It is his eighth 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. Tirone went 0-0-2 on the week with two ties at Maine. The Wildcats tied the Black Bears, 2-2, on Jan. 19, and 3-3 on Jan. 20. He made 33 saves on each night posting a .930 save percentage and a 2.32 goals against average for the week. Tirone leads Hockey East this season with four shutouts.

MCNICHOLAS LEADING THE TEAM IN POINTS: Senior forward Michael McNicholas (Manhattan Beach, Calif.) leads the team with 17 assists and 22 points, while he also has five goals. For his career he has played in 105 games with 22 goals and 56 assists for 78 points.

GILDON THIRD IN ROOKIE SCORING: Freshman defenseman Max Gildon (Plano, Texas) is third in Hockey East in points scored by a freshman with 18. He has seven goals and 11 assists this season. Gildon is tied for the team-lead in goals, is tied for second in assists and is second in points.

CHANTER NAMED CAPTAIN: Senior defenseman Dylan Chanter (Armstrong, British Columbia) is the team captain. Chanter played in 37 games a year ago as a key member of the defense. This season he has appeared in all 24 games.

TIRONE SETS SCHOOL RECORDS: Senior assistant captain Danny Tirone (Trumbull, Conn.) is ranked first all-time at UNH with 3,342 career saves. Tirone has played in 115 career games, which is also a school record. Tirone's 47 career wins are seventh, and his 2.84 goals against average is eighth and his .912 save percentage is sixth.

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 595-364-112 all-time record at UNH. The 595 wins are third among active Division I coaches.

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).

NUMBER 91: The 2017-2018 season is the 91st year of men's hockey at UNH. The program has a record of 1,231-933-152.

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.

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.

BUTLER NAMED TO OLYMPIC TEAM: UNH alum Bobby Butler (Marlborough, Mass.) has been named to the 2018 United States Olympic Team. The 2018 Winter Olympics will be held on Feb. 9-25, in PyeongChang, South Korea. Butler represented Team USA in the 2013 World Championship with three goals and one assist for four points as the team won the bronze medal. Butler was a Hobey Baker "Hat Trick" Finalist and an All-American as a senior at UNH in 2009-2010. Butler led UNH in scoring with 53 points (29 goals, 24 assists), ranking second in the country. Among his other awards, Butler was the 2010 Hockey East Player of the Year, 2010 Walter Brown Award winner, Hockey East Three Stars Award winner, a New England All-Star, Leonard Fowle Award winner (New England MVP) and Herb Gallagher Award winner (New England's best forward). Butler totaled 121 points at UNH (61 goals, 60 assists), becoming the 67th member of the Wildcat Century Club. A member of three Hockey East regular season championship teams (2007, 2008, 2010), Butler led the 'Cats to the NCAA tournament in each of his four seasons. Butler has played in a combined 127 NHL games with Ottawa, New Jersey, Nashville and Florida with 20 goals and 29 assists for 49 points. He currently plays for the Milwaukee Admirals, the AHL affiliate of Nashville.

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.