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University of New Hampshire Athletics
Junior Charlie Kelleher leads the Wildcats in scoring with a goal and four assists through two games.
10/17/2019 3:28:00 PM | Men's Ice Hockey, UNH Insider
After Win, Tie at Miami, 'Cats Move on to Bentley
DURHAM, N.H. – Kohei Sato, a junior forward, had one goal in each of his first two seasons as a member of the University of New Hampshire men's hockey program.
The speedy Sato scored three goals last weekend in the team's two-game, season-opening series at Miami University. He had UNH's first goal of the season and added a second in Friday night's 6-2 win and potted another in a 4-4 tie Saturday night.
"Anyone that's been around the program and has seen Kohei play knows his biggest asset is his skating," said UNH coach Mike Souza. "He's an elite, elite skater. He displayed that last weekend. All three of his goals were the direct result of his speed. One of them he beats a guy up the ice. The other two were breakaways."
Sato's performance was one of several highlights of the opening weekend for the Wildcats.
They look to keep the good things rolling with another road game at Bentley University of the Atlantic Hockey League on Friday at 7 p.m.
Souza's team plays its first five games on the road. UNH opens Hockey East competition with a game at Merrimack College on Friday, Oct. 25 at 7 p.m. and is at Boston University on Saturday, Oct. 26 at 7.
The Wildcats play their first contest in the Whittemore Center against Boston College on Friday, Nov. 1 at 7 p.m. and follow up on Saturday, Nov. 2 with a home game against Dartmouth College at 7 p.m.
The first of a six-set trading card series will be given away at the Boston College game and the UNH Marching Band will perform on the ice. Season, group and individual tickets for all UNH home games are available by CLICKING HERE or by calling 603-862-4000.
Besides Sato's play, Souza was happy with the way the Wildcats moved the puck and executed on the power play against Miami.
"I thought we did some things well," Souza said. "I thought our 'D' did a good job in transition, a really good job getting the pucks to our forwards as quickly as possible and constantly allowing us to go back on the attack. We got some nice contributions from Sato and from our powerplay. It was good to get some guys on the scoresheet. It's always nice to get that first one as a player and we were able to have some guys do that this weekend."
Seven different players scored the 10 UNH goals on the weekend and 13 players picked up at least one point in the series.
The Wildcats did not score their 10th goal of the season until the fifth game last year and that's also when they got their first win.
They scored five goals on 11 power play opportunities at Miami.
"It's kind of a team effort on the power play," said junior defenseman Max Gildon. "All five guys, we were clicking and we were able to put the puck in the net."
Five players – Gildon, junior defenseman Benton Maass, junior forwards Charlie Kelleher and Patrick Grasso and sophomore forward Angus Crookshank – each had one of the power play goals.
UNH is 2-1-0 against Bentley and all the games have been in the Whittemore Center. The Wildcats won a game last year, 4-3, but lost to the Falcons, 5-1, in their season opener on Oct. 8, 2016.
Sato's goals all came at even strength.
He had an opportunity to play for Team Japan in the World Championships over the summer and the experience gave him a boost coming into the season, Sato and Souza agreed.
"I think it did a lot for his confidence," Souza said. "We noticed it right from the start of our practices. He looks like a junior. He looks like a guy who has been around and is ready to take that next step. It's one weekend. There's a long way to go. But it was a great start for him."
Sato had a couple of goals and a couple of assists with Team Japan and aspires to play in the Olympics as well as professionally in North America.
"I learned a lot from the older guys there," Sato said. "Our average age was pretty up there. We had a few guys 35, 36 years old. They've been playing professionally for a while. They do the little things that don't get noticed. They were able to teach me those little things. Definitely getting two goals in that tournament helped me gain in my confidence. I was hoping to translate that on the ice at UNH."
That plan is off to a good beginning.
HOME AGAIN
WILDCAT NOTES
Allen Lessels
@UNHInsider
Allen.Lessels@unh.edu
The speedy Sato scored three goals last weekend in the team's two-game, season-opening series at Miami University. He had UNH's first goal of the season and added a second in Friday night's 6-2 win and potted another in a 4-4 tie Saturday night.
"Anyone that's been around the program and has seen Kohei play knows his biggest asset is his skating," said UNH coach Mike Souza. "He's an elite, elite skater. He displayed that last weekend. All three of his goals were the direct result of his speed. One of them he beats a guy up the ice. The other two were breakaways."
Sato's performance was one of several highlights of the opening weekend for the Wildcats.
They look to keep the good things rolling with another road game at Bentley University of the Atlantic Hockey League on Friday at 7 p.m.
Souza's team plays its first five games on the road. UNH opens Hockey East competition with a game at Merrimack College on Friday, Oct. 25 at 7 p.m. and is at Boston University on Saturday, Oct. 26 at 7.
The Wildcats play their first contest in the Whittemore Center against Boston College on Friday, Nov. 1 at 7 p.m. and follow up on Saturday, Nov. 2 with a home game against Dartmouth College at 7 p.m.
The first of a six-set trading card series will be given away at the Boston College game and the UNH Marching Band will perform on the ice. Season, group and individual tickets for all UNH home games are available by CLICKING HERE or by calling 603-862-4000.
Besides Sato's play, Souza was happy with the way the Wildcats moved the puck and executed on the power play against Miami.
"I thought we did some things well," Souza said. "I thought our 'D' did a good job in transition, a really good job getting the pucks to our forwards as quickly as possible and constantly allowing us to go back on the attack. We got some nice contributions from Sato and from our powerplay. It was good to get some guys on the scoresheet. It's always nice to get that first one as a player and we were able to have some guys do that this weekend."
Seven different players scored the 10 UNH goals on the weekend and 13 players picked up at least one point in the series.
The Wildcats did not score their 10th goal of the season until the fifth game last year and that's also when they got their first win.
They scored five goals on 11 power play opportunities at Miami.
"It's kind of a team effort on the power play," said junior defenseman Max Gildon. "All five guys, we were clicking and we were able to put the puck in the net."
Five players – Gildon, junior defenseman Benton Maass, junior forwards Charlie Kelleher and Patrick Grasso and sophomore forward Angus Crookshank – each had one of the power play goals.
UNH is 2-1-0 against Bentley and all the games have been in the Whittemore Center. The Wildcats won a game last year, 4-3, but lost to the Falcons, 5-1, in their season opener on Oct. 8, 2016.
Sato's goals all came at even strength.
He had an opportunity to play for Team Japan in the World Championships over the summer and the experience gave him a boost coming into the season, Sato and Souza agreed.
"I think it did a lot for his confidence," Souza said. "We noticed it right from the start of our practices. He looks like a junior. He looks like a guy who has been around and is ready to take that next step. It's one weekend. There's a long way to go. But it was a great start for him."
Sato had a couple of goals and a couple of assists with Team Japan and aspires to play in the Olympics as well as professionally in North America.
"I learned a lot from the older guys there," Sato said. "Our average age was pretty up there. We had a few guys 35, 36 years old. They've been playing professionally for a while. They do the little things that don't get noticed. They were able to teach me those little things. Definitely getting two goals in that tournament helped me gain in my confidence. I was hoping to translate that on the ice at UNH."
That plan is off to a good beginning.
HOME AGAIN
- The Wildcats play their first home game against Boston College on Friday, Nov. 1 at 7 p.m.
- Dartmouth is at the Whittemore Center the next night, Saturday, Nov. 2, at 7 p.m.
- They are the first of five home games in November.
- The first of a six-set trading card series will be given away at the Boston College game.
- The UNH Marching Band will perform on the ice that night
- Season, group and individual tickets for all UNH home games are available at www.unhwildcats.com or by calling 603-862-4000.
- Group ticket options start at $9.
- A flexible six-ticket mini-plan is available.
- Other November home games are against Massachusetts on Sunday, Nov. 10 at 1 p.m., and a pair against Michigan on Friday, Nov. 22 at 7 p.m. and Saturday, Nov. 23 at 7 p.m.
WILDCAT NOTES
- Kelleher leads the team in scoring with a goal and four assists for five points.
- Pierson has two goals and two assists for four points.
- Gildon has a goal and three assists for four.
- Gildon was named Hockey East's Co-Defensive Player of the Week.
- Junior goalie Mike Robinson played both games in Miami and has a 2.88 goals against average and .885 save percentage.
- The Wildcats led Saturday night's game 3-0 before Miami scored four straight goals.
- Grasso scored his power play goal with 5:46 left in the third period to earn the tie.
Allen Lessels
@UNHInsider
Allen.Lessels@unh.edu
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