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University of New Hampshire Athletics
Mike Robinson and the Wildcats have won their last three games.
12/2/2021 3:48:00 PM | Men's Ice Hockey, UNH Insider
'Cats Aim to Add to 3-Game Win Streak vs. Terriers
DURHAM, N.H. – The University of New Hampshire men's hockey team has worked its way back to the .500 mark for the season with a nice three-game winning streak and now looks for a shot of momentum as it hits the halfway mark and a three-week-plus holiday break.
The Wildcats open a two-game set at Hockey East foe Boston University on Friday night at 7 at Agganis Arena in Boston.
The teams meet again Saturday night at 7 for Blue Out BU Night, powered by Unitil, at the Whittemore Center. Fans are encouraged to wear blue and to get to the Whitt early for a special interactive fan experience.
Individual and group tickets are available at www.unhwildcats.com and by calling the Whittemore Center Box office at 603-862-4000.
Fueled by strong goaltending, tight penalty killing and timely goals, UNH has won its last three games, two in overtime, two over Top 20 teams and each by a single goal.
"I think the guys feel good about themselves," said coach Mike Souza after Saturday's 3-2 overtime win over Holy Cross. "But you know what, it was all about BU after the game tonight. The guys addressed it. These are two huge league games for us again."
The three straight wins are a first for the Wildcats since they ran off four in a row nearly two years ago.
They are even at 7-7-1 overall and are 3-5-1 in Hockey East.
The team was disappointed in not getting a win in regulation after it gave up an extra attacker goal with two minutes to play.
A breakaway goal by senior forward Filip Engaras for the winner with less than a minute left in OT took some sting out of that.
The Wildcats won at No. 16 Harvard, 1-0, on Friday night on Jackson Pierson's fifth goal in five games.
Pierson also had the overtime winner the game before in a 2-1 decision over No. 8 UMass.
The senior forward leads the team with six goals and four of them have been game-winners. He shares the lead in the country for most game-winners with the four.
Grad student goalie Mike Robinson has been impressive in the three-game stretch. He's stopped 79 of the 82 shots he's faced in the three games, including 27 while picking up his eighth career shutout against Harvard. He's been named Hockey East Goalie of the Week each of the last two weeks.
"We had some breakdowns tonight that Michael bailed us out on," Souza said after Saturday's win. "He's got a great partner and I think Ty Conklin's done a great job with them."
Robinson, who is 6-foot-4, has been pushed by David Fessenden, a 6-foot-6 junior transfer from Alabama-Huntsville. They and Jeremy Forman have been working with assistant coach Ty Conklin, a former Wildcat All American and NHL goalie.
"Competition is a great thing, certainly a great thing at that position," Souza said. "I feel we've got it in our forward group, too. . . . There are some guys who have been in and out of the lineup – everyone wants to play – and when guys have been called upon, they've stepped in and done their job."
The depth has been especially helpful, Souza said, on the penalty kill. The Wildcats have killed off 90.7 percent of the penalties called against them this season, second in the league to the 91.3 percent of Northeastern.
Boston University has struggled in the non-conference portion of its schedule and is 4-9-2 overall, but is just in front of UNH in the Hockey East standings at 3-5-2. The Terriers have a single win in their last nine games – they're 1-6-2 in that stretch.
Here are their last five results: 6-4 loss to Cornell last Saturday at Madison Square Garden; 2-2 tie and 1-0 overtime loss to Northeastern; 4-3 loss in OT and 2-2 tie against defending national champion Massachusetts.
The USCHO rankings of those teams this week: Cornell No. 9, Northeastern No. 16 and Massachusetts No. 14.
BU's record, Souza said, is deceiving.
"We know how talented they are," he said. "They've had our number. They're a tough out. We've got to be at our best if we're going to have a chance against them."
This weekend is the last chance for the Wildcats to pick up Hockey East points for more than a month.
UNH takes a break now and returns to action against Dartmouth in the Ledyard Classic in Hanover on Thursday, Dec. 30.
The team's next Hockey East action is Jan. 14 and 15 with a home-and-home series against Boston College.
THE ROAD AHEAD
Allen Lessels
@UNHInsider
Allen.Lessels@unh.edu
The Wildcats open a two-game set at Hockey East foe Boston University on Friday night at 7 at Agganis Arena in Boston.
The teams meet again Saturday night at 7 for Blue Out BU Night, powered by Unitil, at the Whittemore Center. Fans are encouraged to wear blue and to get to the Whitt early for a special interactive fan experience.
Individual and group tickets are available at www.unhwildcats.com and by calling the Whittemore Center Box office at 603-862-4000.
Fueled by strong goaltending, tight penalty killing and timely goals, UNH has won its last three games, two in overtime, two over Top 20 teams and each by a single goal.
"I think the guys feel good about themselves," said coach Mike Souza after Saturday's 3-2 overtime win over Holy Cross. "But you know what, it was all about BU after the game tonight. The guys addressed it. These are two huge league games for us again."
The three straight wins are a first for the Wildcats since they ran off four in a row nearly two years ago.
They are even at 7-7-1 overall and are 3-5-1 in Hockey East.
The team was disappointed in not getting a win in regulation after it gave up an extra attacker goal with two minutes to play.
A breakaway goal by senior forward Filip Engaras for the winner with less than a minute left in OT took some sting out of that.
The Wildcats won at No. 16 Harvard, 1-0, on Friday night on Jackson Pierson's fifth goal in five games.
Pierson also had the overtime winner the game before in a 2-1 decision over No. 8 UMass.
The senior forward leads the team with six goals and four of them have been game-winners. He shares the lead in the country for most game-winners with the four.
Grad student goalie Mike Robinson has been impressive in the three-game stretch. He's stopped 79 of the 82 shots he's faced in the three games, including 27 while picking up his eighth career shutout against Harvard. He's been named Hockey East Goalie of the Week each of the last two weeks.
"We had some breakdowns tonight that Michael bailed us out on," Souza said after Saturday's win. "He's got a great partner and I think Ty Conklin's done a great job with them."
Robinson, who is 6-foot-4, has been pushed by David Fessenden, a 6-foot-6 junior transfer from Alabama-Huntsville. They and Jeremy Forman have been working with assistant coach Ty Conklin, a former Wildcat All American and NHL goalie.
"Competition is a great thing, certainly a great thing at that position," Souza said. "I feel we've got it in our forward group, too. . . . There are some guys who have been in and out of the lineup – everyone wants to play – and when guys have been called upon, they've stepped in and done their job."
The depth has been especially helpful, Souza said, on the penalty kill. The Wildcats have killed off 90.7 percent of the penalties called against them this season, second in the league to the 91.3 percent of Northeastern.
Boston University has struggled in the non-conference portion of its schedule and is 4-9-2 overall, but is just in front of UNH in the Hockey East standings at 3-5-2. The Terriers have a single win in their last nine games – they're 1-6-2 in that stretch.
Here are their last five results: 6-4 loss to Cornell last Saturday at Madison Square Garden; 2-2 tie and 1-0 overtime loss to Northeastern; 4-3 loss in OT and 2-2 tie against defending national champion Massachusetts.
The USCHO rankings of those teams this week: Cornell No. 9, Northeastern No. 16 and Massachusetts No. 14.
BU's record, Souza said, is deceiving.
"We know how talented they are," he said. "They've had our number. They're a tough out. We've got to be at our best if we're going to have a chance against them."
This weekend is the last chance for the Wildcats to pick up Hockey East points for more than a month.
UNH takes a break now and returns to action against Dartmouth in the Ledyard Classic in Hanover on Thursday, Dec. 30.
The team's next Hockey East action is Jan. 14 and 15 with a home-and-home series against Boston College.
THE ROAD AHEAD
- Fans can purchase group and individual game tickets at UNHWildcats.com/Tickets or by calling the UNH Wildcats box office at 603-862-4000 (Monday-Friday, 10am-5pm).
- Fans must wear masks while inside the Whittemore Center.
- Every home game and away Hockey East game will be livestreamed for free on College SportsLive.
- The Wildcats play Dartmouth in the first round of the Ledyard Classic in Hanover on Thursday, Dec. 30.
- They play either Boston College or Mercyhurst the next day.
- UNH plays at home against St. Lawrence on Friday, Jan. 7 and Clarkson, Saturday, Jan. 8.
- The Wildcats get back to Hockey East play with a series against Boston College on Jan. 14 and 15.
- The Friday night game is at the Whittemore Center.
- Saturday's is in Conte Forum at BC.
Allen Lessels
@UNHInsider
Allen.Lessels@unh.edu
Players Mentioned
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