UNH Recruits Update: Week 17

Player of the Week - Jason Kalinowski*

On a prep school team loaded with talented seniors, 16-year-old Jason Kalinowski, a junior at the Salisbury School, is the 2nd leading scorer among forwards and the 3rd leading scorer overall. Last week, Kalinowksi scored a goal in both of Salisbury's games and helped his team move up two slots to #4 on the U.S. Hockey Report's Division I Prep Hockey Poll. In a 5-2 victory over 3rd-ranked Gunnery, Kalinowski scored the game-winning goal on a powerplay and added 2 assists. Against the 8th-ranked Berkshire School, Kalinowski scored a goal and an assist in Salisbury's 6-3 win.

Kalinowski's contributions to the Salisbury team are even more impressive when you consider he doesn't play on their first line. The top line of seniors is lead by leading scorer Philip Zielonka who recently committed to Harvard. He is joined by fellow seniors John Stevens and Zack Pryzbek, both of whom are on the NHL Central Scouting Service's Midterm Rankings list. Kalinowski's 8 goals in 17 games ties him for second behind Zielonka's 16 goals.

Last September, when Jason Kalinowski committed to play at the University of New Hampshire, he was projected to enroll in the fall of 2015. However, Kalinowski (DOB: 7/2/95) is 3 months older than fellow UNH recruit Shane Eiserman (10/10/95) and 6 months younger than Tyler Kelleher (1/2/95) who are projected to come to UNH for the 2014-15 season. Eiserman and Kelleher are also a year behind Kalinowksi in their schooling. If Kalinowski continues to progress on the ice at an accelerated rate, he might find himself coming to UNH in the fall of 2014.
* Photo credit: Dave Arnold Photography

NOTE
The statistics for the recruits, presented in the table, are categorized by the projected year they will enroll in UNH. For example, the "2012 Recruits" are projected to begin playing for UNH in the Fall of 2012. I have based these projections on a number of factors including:
~ How old the player would be upon admission.
~ Number of years in junior hockey prior to admission.
~ Anticipated date of high school graduation.
~ Number of seniors leaving the team at the end of the previous season.
~ The player's performance in the current season.

Player	Team	League	GP	Goals	Asst	Pts	PIM
2012 Recruits
Dan Correale	Nanaimo Clippers	BCHL	13	6	4	10	6
Maxim Gaudreault	Sioux City	USHL	37	7	10	17	26
Jamie Hill	Waterloo	USHL	34	5	14	19	42
Collin MacDonald	Jersey Hitmen	EJHL	37	24	15	39	14
Harry Quast	Bay State	EJHL	36	7	19	26	44
Kyle Smith	Junior Bruins	EJHL	33	18	32	50	24
2012 or '13 Recruit
Brett Pesce	Jersey Hitmen	EJHL	17	1	5	6	18
2013 Recruit
Jordan Masters	Muskegon	USHL	27	4	10	14	39
Matias Cleland	Waterloo	USHL	20	0	3	3	24
Dylan Maller	Tri-City	USHL	27	1	2	3	8
Andrew Poturalski	Buffalo Jr Sabres	OJHL	28	13	17	30	12
2013 or '14 Recruit
Michael McNicholas	Muskegon	USHL	17	2	3	5	6
2014 Recruits
Shane Eiserman	Cushing Academy	NEPSAC	20	10	21	31	-
Tyler Kelleher	USA U17 Team	USHL	20	10	8	18	16
2015 Recruits
Jason Kalinowski	Salisbury Prep	NEPSAC	17	8	9	17	-

News & Notes

United States Hockey League:
~ Jordan Masters scored an assist in the USHL/NHL Top Prospects Game last Tuesday. The game showcased many of the top USHL players eligible for the 2012 NHL Entry Draft. There reportedly were up to 200 NHL scouts in attendance.

~ Tyler Kelleher scored 2 more goals for the U.S. Under-17 NTDP team in two USHL games last week. Kelleher's 10 goals in 20 games makes him the second leading goal scorer on Team USA.

Eastern Junior Hockey League:
~ 2012 or 2013 Recruit Brett Pesce was scheduled to return to the Jersey Hitmen lineup following his four, college-game stint with the U.S. NTDP U-18 Team. However, Pesce announced on twitter that he is recovering from mononucleosis and won't return to hockey action for a few more weeks.

British Columbia Hockey League:
~ 2012 Recruit Dan Correale, scored two more goals and 2 assists in the three Nanaimo Clippers' games last week. Correale has scored at least a point per game in 7 of the last 9 games.

New England Prep School Hockey Conference:
~ 2014 Recruit Shane Eiserman of Cushing Academy scored 3 goals and 3 assists in three games last week. Cushing entered the week ranked #10 in the U.S. Hockey Report's Division I Prep Hockey Poll. However, Cushing lost 2 out of the 3 games and fell out of the Top 10. Shane Eiserman is the second leading scorer on the Cushing team.

UNH Plays 7th-Ranked BC Even; Comes Up Empty

DURHAM, NH - The results on the scorecard are stark. Two weekend home-and-home series; One against 6th-Ranked Merrimack College, another against 7th-Ranked Boston College. One win, three losses. A gain of only 2 points in the Hockey East standings and still fighting for the final playoff spot. For UNH fans accustomed to watching their team battle for the Hockey East regular season title every year since before the turn of the century, this is unsettling.

But look closer and there's a UNH hockey team that's playing its best hockey of the season when their backs are against the wall. Yes, they lost a home game to Merrimack and two games to BC but each loss was by a single goal. Two of the losing goals came in overtime - including tonight's nerve-wracking 3-2 loss to BC. The other came with just 55 seconds left in regulation Friday night in Chestnut Hill.

Tonight, UNH played BC essentially even. UNH had 33 shots on goal and BC had 37. UNH made few mistakes but two were costly. Just minutes into the first period, BC forward Barry Almeida was left unattended near the goal line and snapped a one-timer past Freshman goalie Casey DeSmith. The other miscue came 2 minutes and 43 seconds into the overtime period when Kevin Goumas was called for hooking as he tried to disrupt BC's breakout of their zone. It's debatable whether the infraction was blatant enough to be called in overtime. UNH managed to kill off over a minute of BC's powerplay but Almeida tipped in his second goal of the night for the game-winner.

Technically, UNH is on a three-game losing streak as it prepares to play two of the teams immediately in front of them in the Hockey East standings - home-and-home with Providence College next weekend and a home game against Northeastern in two weeks. However, unlike the midseason stretch in which UNH lost 7 out of 8 games, there have been several noticable improvements in UNH's team play and the performance of individual players:

~ For most of tonight's game against BC, UNH was able to execute the tight-checking defensive play evident last weekend against Merrimack. Defensemen and forwards blocked numerous shots and passes with their sticks.

~ Several forwards including freshman Matt Willows, Jeff Silengo, Greg Burke and Kevin Goumas were very effective in covering BC forwards trying to maneuver with the puck behind Casey DeSmith and the UNH net.

~ Freshman Casey DeSmith is doing what a long line of outstanding UNH goalies have done over the last decade. He's making the routine saves plus timely outstanding saves and giving his teammates the opportunity to win every night.


~ In the two games against BC, freshman defenseman Trevor van Riemsdyk reasserted himself into UNH's offense. In the Friday game, TvR had two assists. Tonight, he carried the puck into the offensive zone several times and skated in deep to make plays. During one sequence midway through the third period, TvR carried the puck out of the UNH zone, through center ice and into the BC zone, fired a shot, then chased a BC forward all the way back into the UNH zone and poke-checked the puck away as the forward was about to shoot on DeSmith. TvR also made some outstanding defensive plays in the UNH zone. In the first period, the speedy John Gaudreau tried to break free of TvR by skating with the puck from one circle to other. Not only did TvR keep up with him, he stole the puck and Gaudreau grabbed him and was called for a holding penalty.

~ More balanced scoring: Before this weekend,, Stevie Moses had been scoring the bulk of the UNH goals. Moses is the leading goal-scorer in Hockey East with 18 goals so far this season. However, UNH generated more balanced scoring against Boston College with goals by forwards Austin Block, Scott Pavelski, and Mike Borisenok and defenseman Brett Kostolansky.

~ Freshman forward Matt Willows is playing with more confidence and with an edge. He is tenacious in pursuit of opposing puck carriers and often finishes with a body check.

~ At the start of the season, UNH's second line was Grayson Downing on left wing, Greg Burke at center, and John Henrion on right wing. This line was reunited against BC. While they did not generate any shots on goal Friday night, they had 9 SOG on Saturday night. Having the skillful Downing and Burke on the same line as Henrion seems to bring out his passing ability and improves the quality of his shot selection.

~ On Friday night, New York Rangers draft pick Chris Kreider showed an amazing burst of speed to get past Brett Kostolansky and score. Kostolansky redeemed himself tonight by scoring a nice, backdoor goal on the power play in the first period. Of late, Kostolansky has been getting chunks of power play time paired with Connor Hardowa. UNH has been trying to generate faster passes and quicker puck movement on the power play and this plays to Kostolansky's strength.

Although UNH's hope of earning home ice in the Hockey East quarterfinals is fading, they have shown they can be competitive against the top teams in Hockey East. The immediate objective is to make it into the quarterfinals and then do some damage.

UNH Recruits Update: Week 16

Player of the Week - Dan Correale

Last season, 2012 UNH Recruit Dan Correale was the 4th leading scorer in the Alberta Junior Hockey League. As a member of the Grande Prairie Storm, he ended the 2010-11 season with 24 goals and 46 assists in 60 games. Correale dished out the second most assists in the AJHL. He was on track to play for UNH this season but his plan was side-tracked by shoulder surgery over the summer. In early December, before he had fully recuperated, Correale was traded to the Nanaimo Clippers of the British Columbia Hockey League. Correale welcomed the opportunity to play for his former coach Mike Vandekamp.

Since his return to action on December 14th, Dan Correale has scored 5 goals and 3 assists in 10 games with the Nanaimo Clippers. Last week, Correale scored 3 goals in two important games with teams ahead of the Clippers in the BCHL standings. On Jan. 20th, Correale scored a go-ahead goal as the Clippers beat the Surrey Eagles in overtime 3-2. He was awarded the #2 Star of the game. On Sunday, Correale scored 2 goals, including a game-winning, power play goal against the Merritt Centennials. For his efforts, Correale earned the #1 Star of the game. The 5'10", 180 lbs. forward has regained his high-scoring touch as he prepares himself for arrival at UNH next fall.

NOTE
The statistics for the recruits, presented in the table, are categorized by the projected year they will enroll in UNH. For example, the "2012 Recruits" are projected to begin playing for UNH in the Fall of 2012. I have based these projections on a number of factors including:
~ How old the player would be upon admission.
~ Number of years in junior hockey prior to admission.
~ Anticipated date of high school graduation.
~ Number of seniors leaving the team at the end of the previous season.
~ The player's performance in the current season.

Player	Team	League	GP	Goals	Asst	Pts	PIM
2012 Recruits
Dan Correale	Nanaimo Clippers	BCHL	10	5	3	8	6
Maxim Gaudreault	Sioux City	USHL	34	7	8	15	24
Jamie Hill	Waterloo	USHL	31	5	13	18	36
Collin MacDonald	Jersey Hitmen	EJHL	35	24	15	39	12
Harry Quast	Bay State	EJHL	34	7	18	25	40
Kyle Smith	Junior Bruins	EJHL	32	17	32	49	24
2012 or '13 Recruit
Brett Pesce	Jersey Hitmen	EJHL	17	1	5	6	18
2013 Recruit
Jordan Masters	Muskegon	USHL	24	4	8	12	37
Matias Cleland	Waterloo	USHL	20	0	3	3	24
Dylan Maller	Tri-City	USHL	25	1	2	3	8
Andrew Poturalski	Buffalo Jr Sabres	OJHL	27	13	17	30	12
2013 or '14 Recruit
Michael McNicholas	Muskegon	USHL	17	2	3	5	6
2014 Recruits
Shane Eiserman	Cushing Academy	NEPSAC	17	7	18	25	-
Tyler Kelleher	USA U17 Team	USHL	18	8	8	16	16
2015 Recruits
Jason Kalinowski	Salisbury Prep	NEPSAC	15	6	6	12	-

News & Notes

United States Hockey League:
~ In the four games the U.S. Under-17 NTDP team has played since it resumed action in the USHL, Tyler Kelleher has scored 3 goals and an assist. Kelleher maintained his position as the second leading scorer on Team USA.

~ Jordan Masters is scheduled to compete in the first ever USHL/NHL Top Prospects Game this Tuesday, January 24th. The game will be played at the Muskegon Lumberjacks' home arena - where Masters plays - and will showcase many of the top USHL players eligible for the 2012 NHL Entry Draft.

~ After missing two Lumberjack games, Michael McNicholas returned to the lineup for both games last week.

Eastern Junior Hockey League:
~ 2012 Recruit Collin MacDonald has scored 4 goals in the last 4 games and is the 4th leading goal scorer in the EJHL.

Ontaria Junior Hockey League:
~ 2013 Recruit Andrew Poturalski recovered from a broken ankle sustained in mid-November and has returned to the Buffalo Junior Sabres' lineup. In his 4th game back, Poturalski scored a goal to up his total for the season to 13 goals in 27 games.

UNH Splits With 6th-Ranked Merrimack

DURHAM, NH - As sophomore forward Nick Sorkin said in the post-game news conference, UNH has figured out how to play effective team defense. Merrimack College entered the weekend series with UNH ranked 6th in the nation. In a 2-1 win on Friday and 2-3 overtime loss tonight, UNH held the Warriors to 25 and 26 shots on goal respectively. That's 5-6 fewer shots on goal than Merrimack has averaged this season.

In the last four games, beginning with Providence College on Jan. 11th, UNH has only allowed a total of 5 goals. How are they doing it? A big reason is stick work in their defensive zone. Tonight, in particular, it was remarkable how many shots were blocked with sticks and how often a UNH defenseman or forward quickly corraled a loose puck and cleared it away from the scoring zone.

Another noticable improvement is the number of odd-man rushes UNH is allowing into their zone. There are no stats for this but Merrimack managed very few tonight. Even when Merrimack attempted their familiar stategy of positioning a forward up near the UNH blueline to wait for a homerun pass out of their own zone, UNH defenders were all over it. On one play in the third period, a Merrimack forward hanging out between the red line and the UNH blueline received a long pass but freshman Trevor van Riemsdyk was right there to poke check the puck away.

UNH is also playing smart, strategic defense. With less than a minute left in Friday's game, Merrimack called timeout just before a faceoff in the UNH end. Merrimack pulled Cannata for the extra attacker and drew up a play. At the same time, the UNH unit had gathered around Associate Coach Jim Tortorella and he diagrammed how he wanted UNH to defend against what Merrimack was likely to do off the faceoff. When the puck was dropped, UNH effectively neutralized Merrimack's play.

Both Nick Sorkin and junior defenseman Connor Hardowa (pictured above) deserve The UNH Men's Hockey Blog's #1 Star for their combined play in the two Merrimack games. Sorkin had an assist on the game-winning goal Friday and 2 assists and 4 SOG tonight. Hardowa scored an assist last night and scored the game-tying goal with about 11 minutes left in regulation tonight. On that powerplay goal, Sorkin and Hardowa combined on one of the prettiest goals of the season. Sorkin was positioned in the faceoff circle to the left of Merrimack goalie Joe Cannata and he saw Hardowa skating toward the net on the opposite side of the ice. Sorkin threaded the needle through the congestion in front of Cannata and Hardowa blasted a one-timer. The shot was particularly impressive because Hardowa is a right-handed shot and had to reach back to shoot the puck past the right side of Cannata.

Of course, freshman goalie Casey DeSmith deserves more than honorable mention for his back-to-back starts against Merrimack. Most of the time, DeSmith is directing rebounds into the corners and his glove work has been impressive. On two different occasions in the game tonight, he stopped a flurry of Merrimack activity by reaching up over his head to snag a floating, elevated puck.

DeSmith has started 6 games so far this season which are not enough to include him on the official Hockey East goalie rankings. However, DeSmith's 2.00 goals against average would put him in 2nd place behind UMass-Lowell goalie Doug Carr. DeSmith's save percentage of .927 would place him in 3rd just behind Merrimack standout goalie Joe Cannata.

With the two points UNH earned on Friday night, they now have 13 points in Hockey East games and are in 8th place. UMass-Amherst is one point ahead of UNH and Providence College is two points ahead. UNH has two more games with both of these teams. As UNH demonstrated this weekend, they can compete with a top team in Hockey East and the nation. Next weekend will provide another such opportunity as UNH plays a home-and-home series against Boston College.

UNH Recruits At The 2012 EJHL All-Star Classic

The youngsters who have committed to play hockey at the University of New Hampshire are developing their skills all over North America in four junior leagues and in prep school hockey. When I've watched UNH Recruits play in a game, either in person or online, there's usually one and occasionally two recruits in the lineup. So, when the 2012 Eastern Junior Hockey League All-Star Classic came to the Tri-Town Arena in Hooksett, NH on Monday and three UNH Recruits were on the rosters, it was an opportunity not to be missed.

The three All-Stars planning to enroll at UNH in the fall of 2012 - Collin MacDonald, Kyle Smith, and Harry Quast - are among the leading scorers in the EJHL. MacDonald is the 4th leading goal scorer and Smith is 5th in assists and 7th in total points. Among EJHL defensemen, Quast is tied for 1st in total goals and power play goals, and tied for 3rd in points.

The Northern Division and Southern Division teams featured 20 players who have accepted offers to play college hockey. Nine are committed to Hockey East teams and four others will play in the Ivy League. With so much talent playing in an exhibition game, I expected the type of run-and-gun, high-scoring play usually seen in all-star games. Not so. The fans - which included numerous college coaches - were treated to fast-paced, tight-checking hockey with solid goaltending.

The first period ended in a 1-1 tie with goals from Nick Bligh (South Shore Kings/Dartmouth) for the Southern Division and Brett Mason (Valley Junior Warriors/Uncommitted) for the Northern Division. Early in the second period, Cody Learned (Junior Bruins/Yale) put the North ahead but T.J. O'Brien (Bay State Breakers/Uncommitted) tied the score a short time later.

With about 8 minutes left in the second period and the score tied 2-2, Kyle Smith (Junior Bruins/UNH) fired a shot on goal and K.J. Tiefenwerth (Junior Bruins/former Boston College commit/Now Uncommitted) gathered the rebound, made a nifty spin move in front of the crease, and scored.

With less than a half-minute left in the second period and the Southern Division trailing 3-2, Collin MacDonald (Jersey Hitmen/UNH) won a faceoff in the Northern zone and fellow Jersey Hitman Steven Swavely (uncommitted) beat Rochester Stars' goalie Gordon Ceasar.

In the final period, the Southern Division went on top 4-3 on a goal from Tyler Bouchard (Springfield Pics/UConn). In the waning seconds of regulation, Zach Luczyk (Junior Bruins/Quinnipiac) tied the game 4-4.

Collin MacDonald was chosen to shoot first for the South in the shootout. As he approached the net, MacDonald made a quick backhand to forehand to backhand move and beat the goalie on the high side. The Southern Division won the shootout on a subsequent goal by Jimmy Vesey (South Shore Kings/Harvard).

Notes on UNH Recruits

~ Kyle Smith - This is the first time I've seen Smith play this season (I saw him once last season). In skating style and stature, he is tall and lanky and reminiscent of sophomore forward Jeff Silengo. Smith's forte is passing and setting up goals. He is the Assistant Captain of the Junior Bruins.

~ Collin MacDonald - This is the third time I've seen MacDonald play this season and he continues to impress. He has moved up to the first line for the Jersey Hitmen and plays on their first power play unit. MacDonald is a big, strong left-winger who shows speed in open ice and tenacious one-on-one play in the offensive zone. He's often called on to take the faceoff in the offensive zone as he did on the third goal of the EJHL All-Star game.

~ Harry Quast - The All-Star game was my first opportunity to see Harry Quast play and I was pleasantly surprised. Quast is the most recent player to commit to UNH and there have been no reports of him being offered an athletic scholarship. However, Quast's skills may translate very well on the big ice sheet at the Whittemore Center. To begin with, for a big defenseman (6'4", 210 lbs.) Quast is a graceful, fast skater. In the defensive zone, Quast was physical - routinely checking the puck carrier into the boards - and he used his long arms/reach to effectively poke-check the puck away from forwards trying to skate past him. On rushes through center ice, Quast always had his head up looking to make his next move. On at least three occasions, Quast made pinpoint, long passes from just over his blueline, across the centerline, to a forward just about to enter the offensive zone. Quast will definitely be in the mix in the battle for playing time at UNH next season.

UNH Recruits Update: Week 15

Player of the Week - Tyler Kelleher

Following a strong finish at the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge, 17-year-old forward Tyler Kelleher continued his scoring ways as the U.S. Under-17 NTDP team resumed play in the USHL. In back-to-back, away games against Youngstown last weekend, Kelleher scored a goal each night. Team USA won both games against the Phantoms who had the best home-game record in the USHL. In the final period of the 2-1 victory on Friday night, Kelleher gathered a loose puck in the corner, skated behind the Youngstown net, and buried a wrap-around goal. It was Kelleher's second game-winning-goal in his first season in the USHL. On a team loaded with top American players born in 1995, Kelleher is now the second leading scorer.

Last season, Tyler Kelleher was a freshman at Deerfield Academy and scheduled to graduate in the Spring of 2014. Unless he accelerates his schooling, he's on track to enter UNH in the Fall of 2014. If he graduates from high school a year early, he will have played two seasons with the U.S. National Team Development Program. At that point, he would be ready - both academically and in terms of his hockey development - to enroll at UNH in the Fall of 2013.

NOTE
The statistics for the recruits, presented in the table, are categorized by the projected year they will enroll in UNH. For example, the "2012 Recruits" are projected to begin playing for UNH in the Fall of 2012. I have based these projections on a number of factors including:
~ How old the player would be upon admission.
~ Number of years in junior hockey prior to admission.
~ Anticipated date of high school graduation.
~ Number of seniors leaving the team at the end of the previous season.
~ The player's performance in the current season.

Player	Team	League	GP	Goals	Asst	Pts	PIM
2012 Recruits
Dan Correale	Nanaimo Clippers	BCHL	8	2	3	5	4
Maxim Gaudreault	Sioux City	USHL	32	7	7	14	22
Jamie Hill	Waterloo	USHL	29	5	12	17	34
Collin MacDonald	Jersey Hitmen	EJHL	32	22	13	35	12
Harry Quast	Bay State	EJHL	31	7	18	25	36
Kyle Smith	Junior Bruins	EJHL	30	14	31	45	22
2012 or '13 Recruit
Brett Pesce	Jersey Hitmen	EJHL	17	1	5	6	18
2013 Recruit
Jordan Masters	Muskegon	USHL	24	4	8	12	37
Matias Cleland	Waterloo	USHL	19	0	3	3	22
Dylan Maller	Tri-City	USHL	22	1	2	3	6
Andrew Poturalski	Buffalo Jr Sabres	OJHL	23	12	17	29	12
2013 or '14 Recruit
Michael McNicholas	Muskegon	USHL	15	2	3	5	6
2014 Recruits
Shane Eiserman	Cushing Academy	NEPSAC	16	7	18	25	-
Tyler Kelleher	USA U17 Team	USHL	16	7	7	14	16
2015 Recruits
Jason Kalinowski	Salisbury Prep	NEPSAC	12	6	4	10	-

News & Notes

Eastern Junior Hockey League:
~ This afternoon (Monday) I had an oppportunity to attend the 2012 EJHL All-Star Game at the Tri-Town Arena in Hooksett, NH. 2012 Recruits Collin MacDonald, and Harry Quast played for the Southern Division Team and Kyle Smith played for the Northern Division. The Southern team won in a shootout. Look for an upcoming post on the details.

~ At the All-Star break, Collin MacDonald is the 4th leading goal scorer in the EJHL. Kyle Smith is 5th in assists and 7th in total points. Among EJHL defensemen, Harry Quast is tied for 1st in total goals and power play goals, and tied for 3rd in points

United States Hockey League:
~ Jordan Masters and Michael McNicholas missed the last two Lumberjack games but are expected to return to the lineup soon.

UNH Smothers Dartmouth 4-1

MANCHESTER, NH - It's time to recognize the valuable contributions of new Associate Coach Jim Tortorella. The 2012 UNH Wildcats have started to play an effective, aggressive-style of team defense. Over the first two periods of the 11th Annual Riverstone Cup, UNH only allowed Dartmouth 8 shots on goal. Everyone from freshman goalie Casey DeSmith, to the defensemen, to the back-checking forwards contributed to a stifling defensive effort which resulted in a 4-1 victory over Dartmouth. Coach Tortorella, whose primary responsibilities include the goalies, defensemen and penalty kill units, deserves a measure of credit for UNH's improved defensive play.

The difference between UNH's play in its own end over the last two games and what often happened during the first half of the season is striking. During the long stretch from mid-November until the end of 2011, when UNH lost 7 out of 8 games, the players were often ineffective at intercepting passes, blocking shots, and covering opposing players around the net. Following the 1-0 shutout of Providence College on Wednesday night, Coach Umile praised the team for not allowing grade A scoring opportunities. Tonight, the UNH fans who braved the cold on their way to the Verizon Wireless Arena got to see for themselves how much the team defense has improved. The defensemen and forwards used their speed and agility to attack the puck carrier, clog up the passing lanes, and push opposing players away from the net. On those few occasions when a shot got through to DeSmith, he was up to the task - either directing rebounds safely into the corners, making a glove save, or pouncing on the puck to stop play. Overall, DeSmith made 21 saves against Dartmouth to go along with 26 saves at Providence.

The same attacking defense was also evident when UNH killed off three power plays. Rather than remaining static in a tight box in front of DeSmith, the penalty killers were pursuing the puck carrier out on the perimeter. For example, during one penalty-kill sequence in the third period, defenseman Connor Hardowa skated from below the goal line out to the top of the circle to poke-check the puck away from a Dartmouth attacker.

Dartmouth's only goal came midway through the first period seconds after a UNH power play ended. A nice outlet pass sent forwards Doug Jones and Matt Lindblad off on a 2-on-1 break. After some nifty passing between the two, Lindblad beat DeSmith who had little chance of making the save.


Plenty of Offense

UNH defensive dominance was matched by its offensive effort. Over the first two periods, UNH outshot Dartmouth 23 to 8 and lead 3-1. Tomorrow's headlines will highlight Senior Stevie Moses extraordinary display of 8 shots on goal and 4 goals. There were also plenty of assists to go around. Moses first goal was a one-timer, slap shot set up by a perfect pass from Freshman Trevor van Riemsdyk. His second goal - a shorthanded goal early in the second period - came on a 2-on-1 break with Kevin Goumas. Moses third goal with less than 5 minutes remaining in the period came when he banged in a rebound off a slap shot from Connor Hardowa. The fourth goal by Stevie Moses, which came about 7 minutes into the final period, was one for the highlight reel. Nick Sorkin dug the puck out from behind the net and Moses zipped a backhand shot with his back facing Dartmouth goalie James Mello.

Adjustments That Have Paid Off

~ Ever since Freshman Casey DeSmith replaced Matt Di Girolamo in the third period against Brown University, he seems to be gaining confidence.

~ At the Frozen Fenway game against Maine, Kevin Goumas and Nick Sorkin switched positions on the first line. Goumas is now centering Sorkin on the left wing and Moses on the right wing. While Sorkin was productive as a center, Kevin Goumas adds quickness and dogged tenacity to the line's forechecking. Goumas is particularly effective when he controls the puck behind the opponents' net.

~ First-year defenseman Justin Agosta was paired with veteran Brett Kostolansky. On those occasions when Agosta gets caught up in the offensive play, Kostolansky's speed allows him to cover any breakouts into the neutral zone.

UNH Stars of the Game

#3 Star: Kevin Goumas - 3 assists and 3 shots on goal; Goumas was in the thick of the action every shift.

#2 Star: Casey Desmith - The game against Dartmouth marked DeSmith's fourth full game in his NCAA career. The freshman goalie from Rochester, NH now has a save percentage of .929 and a goals-against average of 2.00.

#1 Star: Stevie Moses - Moses was named the "Player of the Game" for the 11th Annual Riverstone Cup.

UNH Recruits Update: Week 14

Player of the Week - Jason Kalinowski*

Early in his second season of prep school hockey, 16-year-old forward Jason Kalinowski (DOB 7/2/95) has nearly equalled his scoring totals from last season. A junior at The Salisbury School, Kalinowski has scored 6 goals and 4 assists in the first 11 games. In Salisbury's two victories last week against Deerfield and Taft, Kalinowski tallied 2 goals and 2 assists. The right-handed winger is currently the 3rd leading scorer on the very talented Salisbury squad and is 2nd in goals scored. Combine Kalinowski with fellow 1995-born, UNH recruits Tyler Kelleher at center and Shane Eiserman at left wing and you've got a potent offensive threat.
* Photo credit: Dave Arnold Photography

NOTE
The statistics for the recruits, presented in the table, are categorized by the projected year they will enroll in UNH. For example, the "2012 Recruits" are projected to begin playing for UNH in the Fall of 2012. I have based these projections on a number of factors including:
~ How old the player would be upon admission.
~ Number of years in junior hockey prior to admission.
~ Anticipated date of high school graduation.
~ Number of seniors leaving the team at the end of the previous season.
~ The player's performance in the current season.

Player	Team	League	GP	Goals	Asst	Pts	PIM
2012 Recruits
Dan Correale	Nanaimo Clippers	BCHL	6	2	2	4	2
Maxim Gaudreault	Sioux City	USHL	30	7	7	14	20
Jamie Hill	Waterloo	USHL	27	5	11	16	34
Collin MacDonald	Jersey Hitmen	EJHL	31	20	13	33	12
Harry Quast	Bay State	EJHL	30	7	18	25	36
Kyle Smith	Junior Bruins	EJHL	27	13	27	40	8
2012 or '13 Recruit
Brett Pesce	Jersey Hitmen	EJHL	17	1	5	6	18
2013 Recruit
Jordan Masters	Muskegon	USHL	24	4	8	12	37
Matias Cleland	Waterloo	USHL	17	0	3	3	17
Dylan Maller	Tri-City	USHL	20	1	2	3	4
Andrew Poturalski	Buffalo Jr Sabres	OJHL	21	12	17	29	12
2013 or '14 Recruit
Michael McNicholas	Muskegon	USHL	15	2	3	5	6
2014 Recruits
Shane Eiserman	Cushing Academy	NEPSAC	14	7	14	21	-
Tyler Kelleher	USA U17 Team	USHL	14	5	7	12	14
2015 Recruits
Jason Kalinowski	Salisbury Prep	NEPSAC	11	6	4	10	-

News & Notes

United States Hockey League:
~ Tyler Kelleher and the U.S. Under-17 National Team advanced to the gold medal game of the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge but lost to the Russian team 4-7. Kelleher had two assists in the final game including one on a pretty rush into the offensive zone and manuever around a Russian defender on the first goal of the game. The NTDP U-17 team returns to USHL action on January 13th.
~ Jordan Masters has been selected to compete in the first ever USHL/NHL Top Prospects Game on January 24th. The game will showcase many of the top USHL players eligible for the 2012 NHL Entry Draft.

Eastern Junior Hockey League:
~ Over the last couple of weeks, 2012 or 2013 Recruit Brett Pesce played in four college hockey games as a member of the U.S. NTDP U-18 Team. Some of his highlights included:
- A +2 rating in the Minnesota State University-Mankato game.
- Playing in the starting lineup against the University of Wisconsin.
- A +1 rating against Northeastern University.
- Three blocked shots in the Boston University game.
- No penalties in any of the four games.
Pesce will rejoin the Jersey Hitmen of the EJHL.
~ 2012 Recruits Kyle Smith, Collin MacDonald, and Harry Quast have been selected to play in the 2012 EJHL All-Star Game. The game will be played on Monday, Jan 16th at noon at the Tri-Town Arena in Hooksett, NH.

British Columbia Hockey League:
~ 2012 Recruit Dan Correale, who was out of action from August to mid-December following shoulder surgery, regained his scoring touch last week. In the Nanaimo Clippers' game against Surrey, Correale scored a short-handed goal and assisted on the game-tying goal. Against the Langley Rivermen, he scored another game-tying assist and earned the #2 Star.

Ontaria Junior Hockey League:
~ 2013 Recruit Andrew Poturalski will return to the Buffalo Junior Sabres' lineup tonight in a home game against the Georgetown Raiders. Poturalski broke his ankle during practice in mid-November.

UNH Forces Overtime at Frozen Fenway

BOSTON, MA - 100 years ago, the old ball yard was constructed on the former marshlands in the Back Bay of Boston. Ever since then, the handsome brick walls have framed a long list of memorable athletic events. For the families of UNH hockey players and the UNH families who love UNH hockey, an ice hockey game played atop the infield grass on a balmy January evening has been added to the list.



Thanks to extensive media coverage leading up to Frozen Fenway 2012, fans got to watch UNH players describe how excited they were to play at Fenway in front of tens of thousands. As the UNH flag lead the team onto the ice, the noise and enthusiasm rivaled similar moments at the Whittemore Center.

Veteran fans can be forgiven for not recognizing UNH's all-time leading scorer Ralph Cox (Class of 1979) as he dropped the ceremonial puck. Back in the days when he sported a fu manchu, Cox posted an amazing 70+ points per season his last three years at UNH and was named an All-American twice. Those who don't remember seeing Ralph Cox play may recognize him as the last player cut by legendary coach Herb Brooks from the USA team that first beat Russia, then beat Finland for gold in 1980. In the fanfare of the pregame festivities, it was easy to momentarilly forget how important the contest against Maine was for the Hockey East standings.

UNH seemed to ride the tide by scoring just a minute into the game. Freshman Grayson Downing made a Crosby-like, low backhanded shot on Maine goalie Dan Sullivan forcing a right pad save. John Henrion buried the rebound. A few minutes later, Maine would tie the game on the first of their three power play goals.

Late in the first period, Senior Captain Damon Kipp was called for the first of his two penalties on the evening. Kipp, who is big and plays an aggressive, pro-style game, received a hitting from behind penalty for contact that would likely be overlooked at the professional level. UNH successfully killed off that penalty and entered the dugout tied at 1-1.

Over the first half of the second period, Maine controlled more of the territorial play than UNH. At the 10-minute mark, Kipp was penalized again for a body check that could have gone either way. His objections to the "boarding" call lasted all the way to the penalty box. UNH successfully killed off the first minute of the penalty but then John Henrion was whistled for interference.

UNH, which has the third lowest penalty minutes in Hockey East, had dug itself a considerable hole. They faced a 5-on-3 against the top Maine power play unit which features three, high-scoring seniors - Spencer Abbott, Brian Flynn and Will O'Neill. In an outstanding individual effort, sophomore Kevin Goumas shocked the veteran Maine unit by stealing the puck at the red line, sprinting into the Maine zone on a breakaway, and beating Sullivan between his blocker and body.

Maine answered with another powerplay goal with just a few seconds left on the two-man advantage. The initial shot was redirected past freshman goalie Casey DeSmith who had no chance of stopping the deflection. UNH managed to kill off part of the subsequent 5-on-4 powerplay but Maine scored it's third powerplay goal on a shot that DeSmith did not appear to handle cleanly. Maine outshot UNH 13-3 in the second period and lead 3-2. Their momentum carried into the third period when Maine scored their 4th goal shortly after the puck dropped.

Trailing 4-2 with about 18 minutes left in regulation, UNH picked up the pace and intensity. The strength of their game - transitioning through center ice and making crisp passes into the opponents' zone - came to the fore. Kevin Goumas scored his second goal of the night on a quick pass from Stevie Moses. A few minutes later, persistent forechecking by the Grayson Downing-Jeff Silengo-John Henrion line resulted in Downing's 6th goal of his freshman season. Score tied 4-4.

For the remaining 15 minutes of the third period, both teams worked their tails off in a close-checking battle. There were no further penalties to either team. UNH outshot Maine 13-8 in the final period.

The Fenway Faithful were treated to the second overtime game of the day (UMass beat UVM in the opener). When the day began, UNH and Maine were separated by only 4 points in the Hockey East standings. UNH needed to finish up its come-from-behind effort with at least a point but it was not to be. Senior forward Brain Flynn finished off a cycling play by Maine's first line a minute and a half into overtime.

UNH Stars for the Night

#3 Star: Casey Desmith - Playing in only his fourth NCAA game and starting for the second time, the freshman goalie from Rochester, NH played well given the circumstances.

#2 Star: Grayson Downing - In his first 17 games as a college player, Downing has scored nearly a point a game. His goal against Maine placed him in a tie for third leading scorer on the team.

#1 Star: Kevin Goumas - The sophomore forward has become a mainstay on UNH's first line. His speed, quickness and tenacity resulted in two goals against Maine.

The Road Ahead

With 14 games remaining against Hockey East opponents, UNH finds itself in uncharted territory. If the season ended today, it would miss the Hockey East Tournament for the first time since most UNH fans can remember. However, they are only 1 point behind Northeastern and UMass-Amherst and 4 points behind Providence. They have 6 head-to-head games left with these teams and 2 more games against last-place Vermont.

RePost of "UNH to Play in Frozen Fenway 2012"

The following is a repost of an article which appeared on The UNH Men's Hockey Blog last August. It covers the news conference held at Fenway Park when the grass was green, the weather was hot, and the Red Sox were still in the Pennant Race.

FENWAY PARK, Boston - When it's 86 degrees and the sun is reflecting off the Green Monster, it's difficult to imagine anyone playing hockey on the lush infield grass. But that's exactly what will happen on January 7, 2012. At a press conference this afternoon, Boston Mayor Tom Menino announced that the celebration of the 100th Anniversary of Fenway Park will begin with the Frozen Fenway 2012. The University of New Hampshire men's hockey team will play against rival the University of Maine in a 7:30 p.m. game. UMass Amherst will face off against UVM in the 4:00 p.m. game.

Speaking in front of representatives of the Boston Red Sox, Hockey East Association, Fenway Sports Management, New England Sports Network, and a couple dozen reporters, UNH Coach Dick Umile said "Over the years, Timmy (Whitehead) and I and Coach Walsh talked about us possibly playing a game like this in a big venue and I can't think of a better place to play than at Fenway Park. We're really looking forward to it. We have a lot of alums in the New England area and Boston area and hopefully they along with our fans will be down here. Hopefully we'll sell this out quickly because it's going to be an exciting day."

Following the formal remarks, I had an opportunity to interview Co-Captains Mike Borisenok and Damon Kipp. When asked about their experience playing hockey outdoors, Borisenok said "I grew up playing outside (in Watervilet, NY) whether it was on a pond or home-built rink. I never got to play an outdoor game so it's going to be really exciting." Kipp described his early experiences growing up in Salmon Arm, British Columbia. "I played a lot on a lake after shoveling the snow and setting up banks for the rink. I played with a lot of my friends - not a lot of them played hockey - but it's such a tradition to throw on the skates, get a stick and puck and shoot around. Good memories growing up, that's for sure."

I asked both Co-Captains and Coach Umile whether they would make any adjustments in their game plan going from indoor to outdoor hockey. Borisenok said "We'll play our systems. It's going to be the same size ice surface. The only difference will be the weather which could play a big impact." Kipp added "we're going to have to just play and deal with whatever's going on. The weather could be a big thing but we'll try to approach it like a normal game." Coach Umile indicated that the team will have an opportunity to practice on the specially-constructed ice surface at Fenway. Otherwise, he plans to prepare like it was any other game against Maine.

Tickets for the Frozen Fenway 2012 go on sale Tuesday, September 13th. Hockey East Commissioner Joe Bertagna reminded the audience that tickets for the 2010 games at Fenway Park sold out in two days. It was also announced today that the Bruins will play the Vancouver Canucks at the TD Garden earlier in the day on January 7th. Tom Carron said that all three games will be broadcast on NESN.

Notes:

Both captains told me that all of the incoming freshmen are either on campus or will be arriving soon in Durham. That means that Jay Camper, Eric Chevrier, Casey DeSmith, Grayson Downing, Ryan Randall, Trevor van Riemsdyk, Casey Thrush, and Matt Willows should be suiting up for UNH in a few weeks.

A representative of the Athletic Department indicated that the replacement for Coach Lassonde should be announced early next week. As with most state positions, the posting needed to be up for a specific period of time.

And finally, in what could be a harbinger of things to come, the little bear mascot for the University of Maine passed out on the Fenway turf. He reportedly was recuperating and resting comfortably.

UNH Recruits Update: Week 13

Player of the Week - Shane Eiserman

When 16-year-old forward Shane Eiserman (DOB 10/10/95) verbally accepted an offer to play for UNH last August, he had just completed a successful summer season with the U.S. National Team. As a 15-year-old, Eiserman was invited to the USA Hockey Select 16 Player Development Camp in June. His outstanding play earned him a spot on the US Under-17 Select Team that went on to win the Five Nations Tournament in early August. Now, as a sophomore at Cushing Academy in Ashburnham, MA, Eiserman has quickly become a top player in the New England Prep School Hockey Conference.

Last week, Shane Eiserman and the Cushing Academy Penguins won the annual Watkins Boys' Invitational Hockey Tournament by beating Canterbury, Lawrence, Northfield-Mt. Hermon, and Culver Academy. Eiserman scored the game-winning-goal in three of the games, one of which was an overtime goal against Canterbury. In the four games, Eiserman scored 5 goals and 4 assists. He is currently the second leading scorer for Cushing behind Garrett Hehir, a junior from Auburn, MA who has not yet committed to a Division I program. Eiserman will be eligible for the 2014 NHL Entry Draft. UNH fans from Western Massachusetts interested in seeing Shane Eiserman play can catch Cushing vs. the Berkshire School this Wednesday, 3:30 at Amherst College.

NOTE
The statistics for the recruits, presented in the table, are categorized by the projected year they will enroll in UNH. For example, the "2012 Recruits" are projected to begin playing for UNH in the Fall of 2012. I have based these projections on a number of factors including:
~ How old the player would be upon admission.
~ Number of years in junior hockey prior to admission.
~ Anticipated date of high school graduation.
~ Number of seniors leaving the team at the end of the previous season.
~ The player's performance in the current season.

Player	Team	League	GP	Goals	Asst	Pts	PIM
2012 Recruits
Dan Correale	Nanaimo Clippers	BCHL	4	1	0	1	2
Maxim Gaudreault	Sioux City	USHL	28	7	6	13	18
Jamie Hill	Waterloo	USHL	25	5	11	16	34
Collin MacDonald	Jersey Hitmen	EJHL	30	20	13	33	12
Harry Quast	Bay State	EJHL	29	7	18	25	34
Kyle Smith	Junior Bruins	EJHL	26	12	27	39	6
2012 or '13 Recruit
Brett Pesce	Jersey Hitmen	EJHL	17	1	5	6	18
2013 Recruit
Jordan Masters	Muskegon	USHL	21	3	7	10	35
Matias Cleland	Waterloo	USHL	15	0	3	3	17
Dylan Maller	Tri-City	USHL	18	1	2	3	2
Andrew Poturalski	Buffalo Jr Sabres	OJHL	21	12	17	29	12
2013 or '14 Recruit
Michael McNicholas	Muskegon	USHL	12	2	3	5	0
2014 Recruits
Shane Eiserman	Cushing Academy	NEPSAC	12	7	12	19	-
Tyler Kelleher	USA U17 Team	USHL	14	5	7	12	14
2015 Recruits
Jason Kalinowski	Salisbury Prep	NEPSAC	9	4	2	6	-

News & Notes

United States Hockey League:
~ 2012 Recruit Maxim Gaudreault scored the game-winning-goal and added an assist in Sioux City's win over Lincoln on New Year's Eve. At this point in his second season with the Musketeers, Gaudreault (6'0", 193 lbs.) plays left wing on the 1st line and logs substantial minutes on Sioux City's penalty kill and power play units.
~ 2012 Recruit Jamie Hill has scored a goal and 3 assists in his last two games with the Waterloo BlackHawks. Hill is currently the right winger on Waterloo's 2nd line and plays on their 1st penalty kill unit.
~ 2013 Recruit Dylan Maller, a defenseman in his first season in the USHL scored his first goal for the Tri-City Storm in a 4-3 win over Sioux City.
~ Tyler Kelleher is a member of the U.S. Under-17 National Team currently playing in the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge in Ontario. The NTDP U-17 team returns to USHL action on January 13th.
Eastern Junior Hockey League:
~ 2012 or 2013 Recruit Brett Pesce played in two college hockey games last week as a member of the U.S. NTDP U-18 Team. On New Year's Eve, Pesce started against the University of Wisconsin.
~ Teams in the EJHL have resumed their schedule after a 10-day holiday break.