Seventh-Ranked Men's Hockey Plays Home-and-Home Series with Providence College
GAME NOTES
DURHAM, N.H. -- The seventh-ranked University of New Hampshire men's hockey team enters into a home-and-home series with Hockey East rival Providence College. The 'Cats narrowly escaped with a 4-3 overtime win over the Friars last Friday night. The teams play Friday night in Providence (7 p.m.) and return home on Saturday for the series finale (7 p.m. - Whittemore Center).
SCOUTING THE FRIARS: The Friars enter this weekend's home-and-home series with UNH with a 7-10-5 overall record and a 3-8-4 mark in Hockey East, good for eighth place in league. PC is trying to snap a four-game losing streak, which includes back-to-back 4-3 overtime losses to Maine and the Wildcats most recently. The Friars are led offensively by seniors Kyle MacKinnon (12g, 6a) and Ian O'Connor (6g, 11a) with 18 and 17 points, respectively. In net, Alex Beaudry has seen the majority of action. He is 6-9-5 with a 3.16 GAA and a .904 save precentage in 20 games.
SERIES HISTORY vs. PROVIDENCE: The Wildcats and Friars have met 141 times in the all-time series history dating back to Feb. 12, 1927, with UNH leading the series at 77-50-14. Coach Umile owns a 46-21-7 all-time mark vs. Providence. New Hampshire is unbeaten in its last 12 games (10-0-2) against the Friars dating back to Feb. 24, 2007. UNH has won five-straight including a sweep of last year's season series and last weekend's 4-3 overtime win. Top liners Phil DeSimone (2g, 8a) and Paul Thompson (7g, 3a) are the active leading scorers against Providence with 10 apiece. Junior Matt DiGirolamo is 2-0-0 with a 2.99 GAA and a .900 save percentage.
SCORING LEADERS VS. THE FRIARS:
Player GP G-A-P
Phil DeSimone 10 2-8-10
Paul Thompson 9 7-3-10
Stevie Moses 7 3-6-9
Mike Sislo 10 2-4-6
Blake Kessel 7 1-3-4
Damon Kipp 5 0-2-2
Mike Borisenok 5 2-1-3
Brett Kostolansky 4 0-3-3
Dalton Speelman 3 0-2-2
Jeff Silengo 1 1-0-1
Nick Sorkin 1 1-0-1
Matt Campanale 7 0-1-1
Kevin Goumas 1 0-1-1
Greg Manz 4 0-0-0
Mike Beck 6 0-0-0
Greg Burke 3 0-0-0
Austin Block 3 0-0-0
John Henrion 4 0-0-0
Connor Hardowa 2 0-0-0
Scott Pavelski 1 0-0-0
Kevin McCarey 2 0-0-0
Goaltending Stats
Player GP/Min GA GAA W-L-T SV SV%
DiGirolamo 2/120:14 6 2.99 2-0-0 54 .900
DiGirolamo Game-by-Game vs. the Friars
Date Min Res. Svs. GA Shots
12-11-09 60:00 W 32 3 35
1-21-11 64:14 W 22 3 25
Totals 120:14 2-0-0 54 6 60
LAST TIME THESE TEAM MET (JAN. 21 VS. PC): Paul Thompson scored with 46 seconds remaining in overtime to lift seventh-ranked UNH a 4-3 Hockey East victory against Providence College at the Whittemore Center. With the score tied 3-3 in the extra session, Mike Sislo fired a slapshot from the left point that ricocheted off Thompson in the low slot into the net to end the game at 4:14. Blake Kessel, with the initial pass from the right point to Sislo, was also credited with an assist. UNH goaltender Matt DiGirolamo made 22 saves, including one in OT. Providence counterpart Alex Beaudry stopped 31 shots, including 12 in both the second and third periods as well as one in overtime.The Wildcats have a 2-1-4 overtime record this season.
LAST TIME OUT (JAN. 22 VS. BU): Kieran Millan made 38 saves to backbone 15th-ranked Boston University to a 2-1 Hockey East victory against UNH at the Whittemore Center. Millan recorded double-digit saves all three periods with 10 in the first, 15 in the second and 13 in the third. UNH's Matt DiGirolamo made 13 of his 22 saves in the opening stanza. Greg Burke scored UNH's lone goal in the secon period.
TOP LINERS APPROACHING CENTURY MARK: All three members of UNH's top line have a chance to capture 100 points during their senior season. Mike Sislo is now just six points away.
Player G-A-P Points to 100
Mike Sislo 45-52-97 3
Paul Thompson 46-48-94 6
Phil DeSimone 25-66-91 9
CENTURY CLUB NOTES: With three Wildcats approaching 100 career points here are a few things of note:
- Bobby Butler was the last Wildcat to make the century club with an assist on the game-winner in a Jan. 22, 2010 3-2 overtime win at Providence
- Overall 66 Wildcats have recorded 100 career points.
- Paul Thompson is looking to become just the third Granite Stater to earn the century club at UNH. Frank Roy (Berlin, N.H.; 174 pts; 1979) and Dana Barbin (Exeter, N.H.; 127 pts; 1981) are the other two.
- Mike Sislo could become the first player from Wisconsin to join the century club, while Mark Mowers is the only other player from N.Y., Phil DeSimone's home state, in UNH's century club.
- Sean Collins (173 pts.), Preston Callander (130 pts.) and Justin Aikins (103 pts) are the last trio of classmates to enter the century club. They were class of 2005.
CLOSE CALLS AGAINST THE FRIARS: While UNH is riding a 12 game unbeaten streak against the Friars, the series has been close of late. During the 11-game unbeaten streak, the teams have gone to overtime five times (3 UNH wins, 2 ties). Including the overtime games, eight of the 11 games have been decided by one goal or less.
17 AND 17 FOR 17: Paul Thompson scored in overtime on Friday night against Providence to notch his 17 goal of the season. The red-hot senior has scored six goals in the last five games and now has 17 goals and 17 assists to match his jersey #17.
SCORING FROM ALL LINES: In Jan. 21's 4-3 come-from-behind win over Providence, UNH got a goal from all four offensive lines.
BIG COME BACK: While UNH has had a knack for big come-backs this season with a pair of extra-attacker goals, last night was the largest come-back of the regular season overcoming a three-goal deficit.
KOSTO HAPPY TO ASSIST: Brett Kostolansky matched a career-high with two assists in last night's 4-3 win over PC.
WORKING OVERTIME: UNH improved to 2-1-4 in overtime games.
THOMPSON'S EIGHT POWER PLAY GOALS: Paul Thompson's eight power play goals are the most by a Wildcat player since Brett Hemingway's 11 power play tallies in 2005-06.
THOMPSON FOR THE WIN: Paul Thompson's four game-winning goals are tied for the most in Hockey East and are third most nationally.
THOMPSON VS. BUTLER: Bobby Butler had one of the best seasons by a UNH player in some time including being a Hobey Baker Hat Trick finalist a year ago. However, through 22 games Paul Thompson numbers are better than Butler's in several categories.
Through 22 games Goals Assists Points PPG
Butler in 2009-10 16 16 32 1.45
Thompson in 2010-11 17 17 34 1.55
THOMPSON THIRD IN NATION IN SCORING: Paul Thompson is third in the nation in points per game at 1.55 ppg behind Miami's Andy Miele (1.69 ppg) and Carter Camper (1.65 ppg).
'CATS OWN LEAGUE'S SECOND BEST POWER PLAY: UNH owns the league's second best power play overall with a 20.0 percent conversion rate. The 'Cats are 20-of-100 on the extra-man advantage this season.
UNH HOPES TO CONTINUE RECENT SUCCESS AGAINST PROVIDENCE: UNH is 10-0-2 in its last 12 games against PC with its last loss coming in a 7-1 defeat on Feb. 24, 2007. In addition, New Hampshire is 14-0-1 in its last 15 games at home against the Friars with the last loss at home coming on March 12, 2004 in the Hockey East quarterfinals.
HOME-SWEET-HOMESTAND: New Hampshire is in the midst of playing six of seven games at the friendly confines of the Whittemore Center. UNH is 6-2-3 overall at home and 6-1-1 against Hockey East foes at the Whitt.
'CATS HOPE TO RIDE GREEN LINE TO THE GARDEN: Dubbed the "Green Line" for the color they skate in during practice, UNH is hoping to continue to ride the unbelievable success of the "Green Line" to big things in 2010-11. The line has registered a point in 18 of 22 games and accounts for over 43 percent of the UNH offense.
Green Line by the Numbers
Player G-A-P PPG Note
Thompson 17-17-34 1.55 1st in HE ppg, pts.
Sislo 9-20-29 1.32 2nd in HE in assists
DeSimone 5-18-23 1.05 3rd in HE in assists
THOMPSON FIRST IN HOCKEY EAST IN SCORING; SISLO RIGHT BEHIND: Paul Thompson ranks first in Hockey East in scoring with 34 points, while his linemates Mike Sislo (29 pts) is fourth in the leauge in scoring.
SISLO SECOND IN HOCKEY EAST IN ASSISTS; DeSIMONE THIRD: Mike Sislo is second in Hockey East with 20 assists this season, while Phil DeSimone is third in the league with 18 assists.
'CATS OFF TO BEST START SINCE 2006-07: UNH is off to its best start at 13-4-4 (.714) since the 2006-07 season when it was 14-3-1 (.833).
Year Record (Pct.) Final Record
2010-11 13-5-4 (.681) ---
2009-10 11-7-4 (.591) 18-14-7
2008-09 11-7-4 (.591) 20-13-5
2007-08 14-7-1 (.659) 25-10-3
2006-07 18-3-1 (.840) 26-11-2
DIGI LIGHTS OUT IN HOCKEY EAST PLAY: Matt DiGirolamo continues to be lights out in Hockey East play. Overall, DiGirolamo has allowed three goals or fewer in 14-of-15 conference games and two or fewer 11 times in league play. He is first in Hockey East in GAA (1.72), save percentage (.940), win percentage (.800) and wins (11).
9-0-1 WHEN LEADING AFTER TWO: UNH is 9-0-1 when leading after two periods.
SCORING BY CLASS: 2010-11 breakdown of scoring by class.
Class G-A-P G-A-P %.
Seniors: 31-60-91 41-47-45
Juniors: 18-30-48 24-24-24
Sophomores: 21-29-50 28-23-25
Freshmen: 5-8-13 7-6-6
TO THIS POINT LAST YEAR: A comparison through 22 games between this season and last season.
09-10 10-11
Record 11-7-4 13-5-4
HE Record 10-2-3 11-2-2
Goals scored 76 75
Goals scored/PG 3.45 3.41
Goals Allowed 72 54
Goals Allowed/PG 3.27 2.45
Shots 649 784
Shots Allowed 713 665
Power Play 18.5% 20.0%
(18-97) (20-100)
Penalty Kill 80.0% 80.0%
(72-90) (60-75)
Top 3 Scorers Butler Thompson
16-16-32 17-17-34
Kessel Sislo
6-21-27 9-20-29
Thomp. DeSimone
13-12-25 5-18-23
COLLEGEHOCKEYNEWS.COM'S PAIRWISE RANKINGS (1/24)
Rk Team PCWs W-L-T Win % Rk RPI Rk
1 Yale 31 17-2-0 .8947 1 .6114* 1
2t Minn-Duluth 29 17-5-3 .7400 2 .5860* 2
2t North Dakota 29 18-7-2 .7037 5t .5856 3
2t Denver 29 16-5-5 .7115 4 .5794 4
5t Boston College 26 17-6-0 .7391 3 .5728* 5
5t Michigan 26 17-6-4 .7037 5t .5624 6
7t Rensselaer 23 15-6-3 .6875 7 .5425* 11
7t Wisconsin 23 17-8-3 .6607 12 .5556* 7
9 Notre Dame 22 16-9-3 .6250 15 .5502 8
10t New Hampshire 21 13-5-4 .6818 8t .5477 9
10t Western Mich 21 12-6-8 .6154 17 .5296 18
12t Dartmouth 19 11-6-2 .6316 14 .5390 14
12t Neb-Omaha 19 13-9-2 .5833 21t .5408 12
12t Merrimack 19 13-5-4 .6818 8t .5386 15
15 Union 18 16-7-3 .6731 10 .5454 10
16 Miami 16 14-9-3 .5962 19t .5308 17
17t Colorado College 14 14-11-1 .5577 25 .5261 20
17t Maine 14 11-6-5 .6136 18 .5404 13
17t Boston Univ. 14 11-7-6 .5833 21t .5348 16
20 Princeton 12 11-6-1 .6389 13 .5272 19
21t Minnesota 10 10-9-3 .5227 27 .5217 21
21t Alaska 10 10-10-4 .5000 29t .5183 22
21t Ohio State 10 13-10-2 .5600 24 .5136 25
24 Clarkson 9 12-9-2 .5652 23 .5138 24
25t St. Cloud State 7 11-11-2 .5000 29t .5159 23
25t No. Michigan 7 11-11-4 .5000 29t .5122 26
27 Quinnipiac 5 12-10-3 .5400 26 .5009 32
28 Brown 4 7-8-4 .4737 35t .5094 28
29t Bemidji State 3 9-13-2 .4167 40 .5036 30
29t Minnesota State 3 10-11-5 .4808 33 .5113 27
31 Michigan State 2 10-12-4 .4615 37 .5025 31
32 Niagara 1 15-7-2 .6667 11 .5075 29
WHERE IS UNH RANKED?: Here is a week-by-week look at the 'Cats in the national polls and the HE standings:
Date USA TODAY USCHO HE
9/27 8th N/P 3rd (pre)
10/4 N/P 10th 3rd (pre)
10/11 9th 9th 4th
10/18 7th 7th 6th
10/25 10th 10th 7th
11/1 10th 10th 9th
11/8 8th 9th 4th
11/15 8th 7th 3rd
11/22 6th 6th 3rd
11/29 5th 5th 3rd
12/6 3rd 3rd 2nd
12/13 2nd 2nd 1st
12/20 2nd NP 1st
12/27 NP NP 1st
1/3 4th 4th 1st
1/10 4th 4th 1st
1/17 7th 7th 1st
1/24 8th 7th 2nd
THE NATIONAL POLLS:
USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Men's Hockey Poll (Jan. 24)
Rk. Team, Points (FPV) Last Week Record Weeks
1 Yale University, 510 (34) 1 17-2-0 16
2 Boston College, 455 3 17-6-0 16
3 University of Denver, 415 4 16-5-5 16
4 Minnesota Duluth, 413 5 17-5-3 16
5 North Dakota, 404 2 18-7-2 16
6 University of Michigan, 334 6 17-6-4 16
7 University of Wisconsin, 276 9 17-8-3 11
8 New Hampshire, 270 7 13-5-4 16
9 Notre Dame, 224 8 16-9-3 13
10 Rensselaer, 201 13 15-6-3 8
11 University of Maine, 134 11 11-6-5 16
12 Union College, 122 10 16-7-3 13
13 Miami University, 117 12 14-9-3 16
14 Merrimack College, 87 14 13-5-4 3
15 Nebraska Omaha, 59 15 13-9-2 14
Others receiving votes: Western Michigan University, 27; Dartmouth College, 18; Boston University, 12; Niagara University, 2.
USCHO.com Division I Men's Hockey Poll (Jan. 24)
Rk. School (FPV) Record Points Weeks
1 Yale (46) 17-2-0 995 1
2 Boston College (4) 17-6-0 915 3
3 Denver 16-5-5 877 4
4 North Dakota 18-7-2 846 2
5 Minnesota-Duluth 17-5-3 841 5
6 Michigan 17-6-4 765 6
7 New Hampshire 13-5-4 663 7
8 Wisconsin 17-8-3 631 9
9 Notre Dame 16-9-3 590 8
10 Rensselaer 15-6-3 466 14
11 Miami 14-9-3 448 11
12 Maine 11-6-5 446 10
13 Union 16-7-3 397 12
14 Merrimack 13-5-4 379 13
15 Nebraska-Omaha 13-9-2 340 16
16 Boston University 11-7-6 246 15
17 Western Michigan 12-6-8 234 17
18 Dartmouth 11-6-2 179 18
19 Princeton 11-6-1 88 20
20 Colorado College 14-11-1 53 NR
Others Receiving Votes: Ohio State 37, Minnesota 23, Niagara 16, Alaska 8, St. Cloud State 6, RIT 4, Robert Morris 3, Clarkson 2, Minnesota State 1, Northern Michigan 1
Wildcats Among National leaders (THRU 1/24): Below is a list of where UNH players and team rank nationally.
Individual Rank Stats
Points Per Game:
Paul Thompson 3rd 1.55 ppg
Mike Sislo 15th 1.32 ppg
Phil DeSimone 49th 1.05 ppg
Goals Per Game:
Paul Thompson 3rd 0.77 gpg
Mike Sislo 83rd 0.41 gpg
John Henrion 83rd 0.41 gpg
Assists Per Game:
Mike Sislo 7th 0.91 apg
Phil DeSimone 19th 0.82 apg
Paul Thompson 28th 0.77 apg
Power Play Goals:
Paul Thompson 4th 8 ppg
Short-Handed Goals:
Dalton Speelman 30th 1 shg
Stevie Moses 30th 1 shg
Game-Winning Goal:
Paul Thompson 4th 4 gwg
Mike Sislo 43rd 2 gwg
Defensemen Scoring:
Blake Kessel 9th 0.82 ppg
Goals Against Average:
Matt DiGirolamo 27th 2.38 gaa
Save Percentage:
Matt DiGirolamo 21st .920
Winning Percentage:
Matt DiGirolamo 14th .682
Team
Scoring Offense 14th 3.41
Scoring Defense 16th 2.45
Scoring Margin 10th 0.95
Penalty Minutes 56th 9.1
Power Play 17th 20.0
Penalty Kill 42nd 80.0
Combined Special Teams 48th 45.7
Winnning Percentage 8th .682
Among the League Leaders (THRU 1/24): Where some of the Wildcats rank in Hockey East.
Player All Games HE Games
Points Paul Thompson 1st (34 pts) 1st (27 pts)
Mike Sislo 4th (29 pts) 6th (18 pts)
Phil DeSimone 8th (23 pts) 18th (14 pts)
Goals Paul Thompson 1st (17 g) 1st (14 g)
Mike Sislo 14th (9 g) 51st (3 g)
John Henrion 14th (9 g) 27th (4 g)
Assists Mike Sislo 2nd (20 a) 1st (15 a)
Phil DeSimone 3rd (18 a) 7th (11 a)
Paul Thompson 6th (17 a) 4th (13 a)
PP Points Paul Thompson 1st (15 pts) 1st (12 pts)
Mike Sislo 6th (11 pts) 8th (7 pts)
Blake Kessel 13th (9 pts) 22nd (5 pts)
Phil DeSimone 19th (8 pts) 14th (6 pts)
Brett Kostolansky 19th (8 pts) 8th (7 pts)
PP Goals Paul Thompson 1st (8 ppg) 2nd (5 ppg)
Mike Sislo 14th (3 ppg) 37th (1 ppg)
SH Points Four Tied 11th (1 shp) n/a
SH Goals Dalton Speelman 6th (1 shg) n/a
Stevie Moses 6th (1 shg) n/a
GW Goals Paul Thompson 1st (4 gwg) 1st(4 gwg)
Mike Sislo 8th (2 gwg) 13th(1 gwg)
Def. Scoring Blake Kessel 1st (18 pts) 5th (10 pts)
Brett Kostolansky 5th (14 pts) 2nd 11 pts)
GAA Matt DiGirolamo 4th (2.38) 1st (1.72)
Save % Matt DiGirolamo 4th (.920) 1st (.940)
Win % Matt DiGirolamo 2nd (.682) 1st (.800)
Saves Matt DiGirolamo 1st (611) 5th (407)
Minutes Matt DiGirolamo 1st (1336:57) 2nd (907:53)
Wins Matt DiGirolamo 2nd (13) 1st (11)
Minutes Matt DiGirolamo 1st (1213:48) 2nd (784:44)
Wins Matt DiGirolamo 2nd (12) 1st (10)
WHERE UNH IS RANKED IN HOCKEY EAST (THRU 1/24):
Overall HE games
Goals/per game 3.41/2nd 3.07/3rd
GAA 2.45/4th 1.73/1st
Power Play 20.0/2nd 21.2/2nd
Penalty Kill 80.0/7th 84.0/5th
Special Teams Net +4/3rd +4/2nd
1st Period Scoring 17/8th 14/5th
2nd Period Scoring 30/3rd 18/4th
3rd Period Scoring 26/1st 14/7th
Overtime Scoring 2/2nd 2/1st
'CATS IN THE PROS: Here is a listing of former Wildcats playing professional hockey:
Justin Aikins: Bossier Shreveport Mudbugs (CHL)
Bobby Butler: Ottawa Senators (NHL)
Joe Charlebois: Kalamazoo Wings (ECHL)
Greg Collins: Las Vegas Wranglers (ECHL)
Ty Conklin: St. Louis Blues (NHL)
Matt Dzieduszycki: Hannover Scorpions (DEL)
Matt Fornataro: Norfolk Admirals (ECHL)
Thomas Fortney: ESV Buchloe (GER)
Brian Foster: Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs
Jamie Fritsch: Las Vegas Wranglers (ECHL)
Darren Haydar: Chicago Wolves (AHL)
Brett Hemingway: Belfast Giants (EIHL)
Colin Hemingway: Belfast Giants (EIHL)
Kevin Kapstad: Landshut Cannibals (2.GBun)
Jason Krog: Chicago Wolves (AHL)
Peter LeBlanc: Rockford IceHogs (AHL)
Nathan Martz: Szekeshfehervar Alba Volan HC (Aust)
Jacob Micflikier: Charlotte Checkers (AHL)
Mark Mowers: Fribourg-Gotteron (Swiss-A)
Jerry Pollastrone: Las Vegas Wranglers (ECHL)
Josh Prudden: Belfast Giants ( EIHL)
Mike Radja: Augsburg Panthers (DEL)
Kevin Regan: Valpellice (Italy)
Steve Saviano: Vaxjo HC (SWE)
Trevor Smith: Springfield Falcons (AHL)
Garrett Stafford: San Antonio Rampage (AHL)
Craig Switzer: Las Vegas Wranglers (ECHL)
James van Riemsdyk: Philadelphia Flyers (NHL)
Daniel Winnik: Colorado Avalanche (NHL)
BUTLER RECALLED TO OTTAWA: The Ottawa Senators recalled former University of New Hampshire standout Bobby Butler from the club's American Hockey League affiliate, the Binghamton Senators, on Tuesday. He is being recalled on an emergency basis in place of injured forward Alex Kovalev. Butler's recall marks his second of the season by the Senators. He was recalled for the first time on Dec. 5 and made his regular-season debut later that day in the team's 3-1 victory over the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden. In four games with the Senators this season, Butler has been held scoreless with no penalty minutes. Currently, Butler ranks sixth in the AHL with 19 goals while also recording 11 assists and 33 penalty minutes in 41 games with Binghamton this season.
PAIR OF WILDCATS NAMED TO AHL ALL STAR GAME: Former UNH standouts Bobby Butler and Garrett Stafford have been named to the 2011 AHL All Star game.
UNH HOCKEY ON TELEVISION: UNH will have nine games broadcast live on TV in 2010-11. NESN will air five games, three will air on CBS College Sports, while one will air locally on ONN (Ohio).
DATE GAME Channel RES.
Oct. 8 at Miami CBS-College Sports L, 3-6
Oct. 9 at Miami ONN (OHIO) W, 6-3
Nov. 19 Boston U. NESN W, 5-2
Dec. 10 at Maine CBS-College Sports W, 4-3 OT
Jan. 22 Boston U. NESN L, 1-2
Feb. 4 Maine NESN
Feb. 5 Maine NESN
Feb. 18 at Vermont CBS-College Sports
March 4 at Boston College NESN
ALL IN THE FAMILY: UNH junior defenseman Blake Kessel is the younger brother of Toronto Maple Leafs forward Phil Kessel, while sophomore forward Scott Pavelski is the younger brother of Joe Pavelski of the San Jose Sharks.
WILDCATS PICKED THIRD IN HOCKEY EAST PRESEASON POLL:
Rk. Team (FPV) Pts.
1. Boston College (9) 90
2. Maine (1) 80
3. New Hampshire 76
4. Boston University 59
5. Northeastern 54
6. Vermont 53
7. Merrimack 48
8. UMass-Lowell 33
9. Massachusetts 26
10. Providence 21
THE DICK UMILE ERA: Dick Umile, a six-time Hockey East Coach of the Year, enters his 21st season as the head coach of the UNH Wildcats. He passed both Jerry York and Jack Parker in becoming the first coach in league history to six coach of the year honors. After signing a long-term contract in 2008, Umile will conclude his coaching career at his alma mater.
During his time spent at UNH, Umile has molded UNH hockey into one of the top programs in all of Division I hockey, guiding the Wildcats to four Frozen Four appearances, 16 NCAA tournament appearances and 20 Hockey East championship tournament showings in his 20-year career in Durham.
In addition, Umile has posted 17 20-victory campaigns over the span of 20 seasons. Umile is now the winningest coach in the history of UNH hockey with 462 career victories. He surpassed legendary coach Charlie Holt on Feb. 16, 2005 in a 6-1 victory at Merrimack at Thom Lawler Arena in North Andover, Mass. Umile ranks fifth among active NCAA coaches with a .645 winning percentage and on the active victories list his 462 victories ranks seventh among NCAA coaches. He has been named Coach of the Year a total of 11 times in his career, including New England honors four times and Hockey East Coach of the Year six times Last year, Umile guided the Wildcats, who were picked fourth in the Hockey East Preseason Poll, to their eighth regular season championship including the third in the last four years. The Wildcats led the Hockey East standings for an eye-popping 16-straight weeks, taking over the league lead Nov. 23, 2009 and never relinquishing that position. UNH went unbeaten at home in Hockey East play for the first time since the 1999-00 season and won the regular season series with six of nine league foes. Umile helped guide a team that lost 10 players, including Hockey East All Star and leading scorer James van Riemsdyk, from the 2008-09 squad to its 22nd straight trip to the Hockey East playoffs and home-ice advantage in the quarterfinals for a league-best 14th-straight season. After going just 2-6-2 over its first 10 games, Umile's Wildcats responded with a 10-1-2 mark over the next 13 games, including a 12-game unbeaten streak in Hockey East play. Umile's run in the regular season was capped by a dramatic 3-3 come-from-behind deadlock with Boston College that clinched the league's crown in front of the home fans on Senior Day at the Whittemore Center. The 'Cats earned an at-large bid in the NCAA tournament for the ninth-straight season and captured a convincing 6-2 win over favored Cornell in the opening round, advancing to the regional final for the second-straight season.
'CATS SELECTED IN THE NHL DRAFT: Four current UNH players have been selected in the National Hockey League draft...Greg Burke (Washington), Phil DeSimone (Washington), Blake Kessel (N.Y. Islanders) and Eric Knodel (Toronto) have all been taken.
UNH HOCKEY ON THE RADIO: In the summer of 1999, the University of New Hampshire Athletic Department formed the "UNH Sports Network" — the largest network ever to broadcast UNH sporting events. Wildcats Sports Properties has added WGIN-AM 930 (Rochester) and WQSO-FM 96.7 (Portsmouth) as affiliate stations on the Wildcat Sports Network, joining flagship WGIR-AM 610 (Manchester), which was added in 2008. All three stations are part of the Clear Channel family. These three aforementioned stations -- along with WUVR-AM 1490 (Lebanon), WNTK-FM 99.7 (New London), WASR-AM 1420 (Wolfeboro) and WCNL-AM 1010 (Newport) -- will carry the following: all UNH football & men's hockey broadcasts and weekly coaches' shows, a select number of men's basketball, women's basketball and women's hockey broadcasts. Dan Parkhurst will be handling the play-by-play for the fourth-straight season, while Pete Webster will once again be doing the color commentating. Webster has been announcing Wildcat hockey since the 1993-94 season.ouncing Wildcat hockey for 16 years since the 1993-94 season.
LISTEN LIVE ON THE INTERNET: UNHWildcats.com via Stretch Internet Broadcast will carry all of the UNH men's ice hockey action again this season. If you can not attend Wildcat hockey, you can still tune into the game from anywhere you can gain access to the internet. Fans can get to the UNH men's ice hockey broadcast site by going to the men's hockey schedule page at www.unhwildcats.com.
THE DICK UMILE SHOW ON RADIO: The Coach's Show featuring UNH men's hockey head coach Dick Umile and hosted by Mike Murphy begins its 11th season in 2010-11. The Coach's Show is broadcast Mondays beginning in January (7 p.m. to 8 p.m.) on the Wildcat Sports Network from various locations around the seacoast and features Coach Umile, as well as a student-athlete from the men's ice hockey team. In front of a live audience, Murphy and his guests talk about the latest news and notes regarding UNH hockey.
UNH Coach's Show
1/31 Kelley's Row - Dover, NH
2/7 Ballard's - Durham, NH
2/14 Kelley's Row - Dover, NH
2/21 Ballard's - Durham, NH
2/28 Kelley's Row - Dover, NH
3/7 Ballard's - Durham, NH
3/14 Kelley's Row - Dover, NH
WILDCAT AWARDS: Here is a list of awards that Wildcat players have won to date this season:
Player Award Date
Blake Kessel INCH Preseason All-America First Team 10/7
Blake Kessel InsideHockey.com's Hobey Watch 10/7
Matt DiGirolamo HE Defensive Player of the Week 10/18
UNH Wildcats HE Team of the Week 11/8
Matt DiGirolamo HE Player of the Week 11/8
Matt DiGirolamo INCH National Player of the Week 11/8
Paul Thompson HE co-Player of the Week 11/22
Paul Thompson HE Player of the Month (November) 12/1
Mike Sislo HE co-Player of the Week 12/6
Matt DiGirolamo HE Defensive Player of the Week 12/6
Jeff Silengo HE Rookie of the Week 12/13
UNH Wildcats HE Team of the Week 12/13
Matt DiGirolamo HE Goalie of the Month (December) 1/4
Paul Thompson HE Player of the Week 1/10
GRANITE STATE CONNECTION: The Wildcat hockey team features a pair of players from New Hampshire with Greg Burke (Lee) and Paul Thompson (Derry) all hailing from the Granite State.
WATCH ALL THE ACTION WITH THE UNHWILDCATS.TV: UNH and Pack Network have once again partnered to provide online video streaming of UNH's seven ticketed sports for the upcoming 2010-11 season with UNHwildcats.TV.
Wildcat fans are encouraged to buy the "Wildcat All-Access Pass" which is an annual subscription for $89.95 that provides all the live coverage of UNH home athletic events. Fans can also purchase home events on a per game basis of $7.95.
