University of New Hampshire Athletics
Brendan van Riemsdyk's two goals helped UNH rally to a 5-5 tie vs. Yale on Saturday.
Photo by: Jess Speechley
Insider Report: Souza's 'Cats Roll Into BU, BC Weekend
1/10/2019 5:36:00 PM | Men's Ice Hockey, UNH Insider
DURHAM, N.H. – Desperate times called for daring measures.
The University of New Hampshire men's hockey team was facing desperate times against Yale University on Saturday night at the Whittemore Center.
The Bulldogs led 3-0 after a period and upped it to 4-0 before the second period was five minutes old.
Junior forward Brendan van Riemsdyk scored a goal on the power play, but Yale soon went back on the power play, looking to build on its 4-1 lead.
"At that point in the game we were down by a few," van Riemsdyk said. "You kind of have a heightened sense of, if I get the puck here I'm not going to just clear it out, I'm going to try and make a play and you can afford to be a little more risky when you're down like that."
Junior defenseman Anthony Wyse took a risk and got into a rush and scored a shorthanded goal with Marcus Vela assisting.
Yale answered that score to make it 5-2 and soon was back on the power play again.
This time, van Riemsdyk picked up a shorthanded goal to pull UNH to within 5-3.
The two shorties came within a span of three minutes and 14 seconds and boosted the Wildcats, who got goals from freshman Eric Esposito and junior Justin Fregona in the third period, to a wild 5-5 tie against Yale.
The tie extended UNH's unbeaten streak to five games and coach Mike Souza's team aims to ride the momentum from that run into games this weekend against Boston University and Boston College.
The Wildcats play at BU on Friday night at 7:30.
They face Boston College on Saturday night at 7 p.m. on ESPN+ in the Whittemore Center for Mascot Night.
Mini UNH hockey sticks will be given to the first 1,000 fans at the game. Fungo from the New Hampshire Fisher 'Cats, Sluggo from the Portland Sea Dogs and Boris and Snowball from Pats Peak Ski Area are among the mascots expected at the game.
Individual and group tickets for all Wildcat home games are available by CLICKING HERE or by calling 603-862-4000.
Van Riemsdyk is one of four players in Hockey East with two shorthanded goals this season and only one player in the country – Alden Dupuis of RIT - has three shorties.
Last year, the Wildcats had no shorthanded goals during the season. So far this year they have three.
Van Riemsdyk is the first Wildcat with two shorties in a season since Kevin Goumas and Matt Willows each had a pair in 2013-14.
"It's all situational," van Riemsdyk said. "If you're up by a goal or if you're tied late in the game, you're probably not going to be looking to do the same sort of thing that we were down a few early in the game. It's all situational when you want to choose to make those plays, but you've got to pick your spots."
Van Riemsdyk and the Wildcats are already getting down to the nitty gritty of the season.
They have 15 regular season games remaining and all are Hockey East contests. There's added drama to the race to the playoffs this season: Unlike in recent years, not all teams will make the playoffs.
"Our guys are well aware that only eight teams are getting in this year and that means three teams aren't getting in," Souza said. "That just adds to the sense of urgency of each and every game and the importance of each and every game. I love it and I want our players to love it."
UNH is 6-7-6 overall and at 2-4-3 in Hockey East is in eighth place in the standings. The Wildcats are a point behind seventh-place Maine and four points behind UMass Lowell in sixth.
Merrimack is a point behind UNH and UConn is two points back.
Boston University is 6-8-3 overall and 5-5-2 in Hockey East for fifth in the standings. Junior defenseman Dante Fabbro leads the Terriers with three goals and 10 assists for 13 points.
Junior goalie Jake Oettinger has a 2.54 goals against average and .924 save percentage and a 6-8-3 record.
UNH is 0-6-2 in its last eight games against the Terriers.
HOME AGAIN
WILDCAT NOTES
Allen Lessels
@UNHInsider
Allen.Lessels@unh.edu
The University of New Hampshire men's hockey team was facing desperate times against Yale University on Saturday night at the Whittemore Center.
The Bulldogs led 3-0 after a period and upped it to 4-0 before the second period was five minutes old.
Junior forward Brendan van Riemsdyk scored a goal on the power play, but Yale soon went back on the power play, looking to build on its 4-1 lead.
"At that point in the game we were down by a few," van Riemsdyk said. "You kind of have a heightened sense of, if I get the puck here I'm not going to just clear it out, I'm going to try and make a play and you can afford to be a little more risky when you're down like that."
Junior defenseman Anthony Wyse took a risk and got into a rush and scored a shorthanded goal with Marcus Vela assisting.
Yale answered that score to make it 5-2 and soon was back on the power play again.
This time, van Riemsdyk picked up a shorthanded goal to pull UNH to within 5-3.
The two shorties came within a span of three minutes and 14 seconds and boosted the Wildcats, who got goals from freshman Eric Esposito and junior Justin Fregona in the third period, to a wild 5-5 tie against Yale.
The tie extended UNH's unbeaten streak to five games and coach Mike Souza's team aims to ride the momentum from that run into games this weekend against Boston University and Boston College.
The Wildcats play at BU on Friday night at 7:30.
They face Boston College on Saturday night at 7 p.m. on ESPN+ in the Whittemore Center for Mascot Night.
Mini UNH hockey sticks will be given to the first 1,000 fans at the game. Fungo from the New Hampshire Fisher 'Cats, Sluggo from the Portland Sea Dogs and Boris and Snowball from Pats Peak Ski Area are among the mascots expected at the game.
Individual and group tickets for all Wildcat home games are available by CLICKING HERE or by calling 603-862-4000.
Van Riemsdyk is one of four players in Hockey East with two shorthanded goals this season and only one player in the country – Alden Dupuis of RIT - has three shorties.
Last year, the Wildcats had no shorthanded goals during the season. So far this year they have three.
Van Riemsdyk is the first Wildcat with two shorties in a season since Kevin Goumas and Matt Willows each had a pair in 2013-14.
"It's all situational," van Riemsdyk said. "If you're up by a goal or if you're tied late in the game, you're probably not going to be looking to do the same sort of thing that we were down a few early in the game. It's all situational when you want to choose to make those plays, but you've got to pick your spots."
Van Riemsdyk and the Wildcats are already getting down to the nitty gritty of the season.
They have 15 regular season games remaining and all are Hockey East contests. There's added drama to the race to the playoffs this season: Unlike in recent years, not all teams will make the playoffs.
"Our guys are well aware that only eight teams are getting in this year and that means three teams aren't getting in," Souza said. "That just adds to the sense of urgency of each and every game and the importance of each and every game. I love it and I want our players to love it."
UNH is 6-7-6 overall and at 2-4-3 in Hockey East is in eighth place in the standings. The Wildcats are a point behind seventh-place Maine and four points behind UMass Lowell in sixth.
Merrimack is a point behind UNH and UConn is two points back.
Boston University is 6-8-3 overall and 5-5-2 in Hockey East for fifth in the standings. Junior defenseman Dante Fabbro leads the Terriers with three goals and 10 assists for 13 points.
Junior goalie Jake Oettinger has a 2.54 goals against average and .924 save percentage and a 6-8-3 record.
UNH is 0-6-2 in its last eight games against the Terriers.
HOME AGAIN
- After Boston College on Saturday, the next UNH home game is against UConn on Saturday, Jan. 26 at 7 p.m.
- Boston College is 6-9-2 overall and 6-1-2 in Hockey East.
- The Eagles have 14 points in the league and are tied for first place with Massachusetts.
- UNH played to a 2-2 tie at BC on Nov. 16.
- The Eagles had won seven straight games in the series before that.
- UNH's last win in the series was a 2-1 decision on Jan. 12, 2013.
- The Wildcats are 0-9-3 in their last 12 vs. the Eagles.
- Junior forward David Cotton leads BC with 11 goals and seven assists for 18 points.
- Junior goaltender Joseph Woll has a 2.13 goals against average with a .927 save percentage and 5-9-2 record for BC.
- The Eagles have lost their last three games.
- They lost 4-0 at Notre Dame on Dec. 31.
- They lost a pair of games at Arizona State, 5-2 and 2-0, last weekend.
- Individual and group tickets for UNH home games are available by calling 603-862-4000 or at www.unhwildcats.com.
WILDCAT NOTES
- UNH is 5-1-3 in its last nine games.
- The Wildcats are 6-7-6 overall and 2-4-3 in Hockey East
- Blackburn has at least one point in each of the last nine games.
- He has three goals and nine assists for 12 points in that stretch.
- Freshman Angus Crookshank has a point in each of the last six games.
- He has four goals and five assists for nine points in that span.
- Wyse had a goal and two assists for a career-high three points against Yale.
- Sophomore goalie Mike Robinson is third in goals against average in Hockey East at 2.10 per game.
- He is fourth in save percentage at .926.
Allen Lessels
@UNHInsider
Allen.Lessels@unh.edu
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