UNH hockey carries over some momentum from last season

Junior Mike Robinson has been solid in the UNH net. stew milne

By Andrew Mahoney

November 14, 2019

4 minutes to read

Outside of Durham, N.H., expectations were low regarding the University of New Hampshire hockey team this season. The Wildcats, coming off a 12-15-9 season, were picked to finish seventh in the Hockey East preseason coaches’ poll.

But UNH is defying expectations early on, and sits at 5-2-1, the most recent win a 3-1 victory over No. 2 UMass last Sunday.

“I think we’re in a good place right now,’’ said second-year coach Mike Souza. “Like every team in the country, we’re a work in progress. There’s a long way to go.’’

Souza felt good about his team heading into the season based on how things went in his first year behind the bench, when the Wildcats had 14 of their contests go to overtime. A strong finish allowed UNH to hold on for the final playoff spot in the Hockey East tournament, where it faced first-place UMass in the quarterfinals.

The Wildcats gave UMass a scare, dropping the first game, 5-4, in double overtime, before the Minutemen were able to complete the sweep. It was an experience that Souza believes is still playing dividends.

“It was indicative of a couple of things,’’ said Souza. “One, how tight college hockey is night in and night out, but also it was a good sign for our program that with a little extra hard work over the summer, we could maybe turn some of those ties into wins.’’

The overtime games have carried into this season, with five of UNH’s eight games going to an extra session, and the Wildcats going 3-1-1 in those contests, including a 1-0 win over Boston College in which junior goalie Mike Robinson stopped 28 shots to record the shutout. Robinson is 3-2-1 on the season, posting a 1.96 goals-against average and a .918 save percentage.

“I think Michael is really starting to establish himself as one of the top goaltenders in Hockey East,’’ said Souza. “He’s big and athletic, and he’s maturing as a person, which is carrying over to the ice.’’

Robinson is also benefiting from the tutelage of Ty Conklin, who played alongside Souza on the 1998-99 UNH team that set a program record with 31 wins and rolled all the way to the NCAA title game before losing to Maine. Conklin played parts of 11 seasons in the NHL, and was working in the private sector when Souza persuaded him to come back to the Wildcats over a round of golf to be the volunteer goaltending development coach.

“The unique thing about Ty is, he sees the game from all different aspects,’’ said Souza. “He played in three Stanley Cup Finals. He brings a wealth of experience not only to our goaltenders, but to our whole staff.’’

The Wildcats will look to keep it going this weekend when they head to Orono for a pair of games against Maine (5-3-2, 2-2-2). Filip Engaras, who sat out all of last season and the first nine games this year after playing a limited number of games at the professional level in Sweden, will join the team for Saturday night’s game, adding some punch to a lineup that has been top-heavy in scoring with Jackson Pierson (2-11—13), Max Gildon (4-8—12), and Charlie Kelleher (4-6—10) leading the way.

“When UNH and Maine get together this weekend, it’s what college hockey is all about,’’ said Souza. “It’s one of the great rivalries in college hockey. I’ve been fortunate enough to be a part of it for a long time, and I’m excited to take our team up there this weekend.’’

Three straight for BC

Boston College (5-4, 3-2) extended its winning streak to three games with a sweep of UConn (2-5-1, 1-3-0) last weekend, outscoring the Huskies, 11-1. Junior Aapeli Rasanen had a hat trick and an assist to lead the Eagles in Saturday’s 5-1 win at Hartford. “He played great,’’ said assistant coach Mike Ayers. “He’s been fluctuating in and around our lineup. Normally a center, we had him at wing, and he capitalized on some opportunities.’’ . . . Bridgewater’s Jake Flynn has been skating on UConn’s top defensive pairing. “He’s been maybe the biggest surprise on our team,’’ said UConn coach Mike Cavanaugh. “I always knew he was a good player and a good skater, but his competitive level is fantastic. Going into this game, he was leading our team in plus/minus as a freshman defenseman. Playing on the penalty kill, the power play, he’s played a lot of minutes for us. I knew he was going to be a good player. I didn’t know he was going to be this good so quick.’’

Zeroed in at Harvard

Harvard is off to a strong start, defeating Princeton and No. 15 Quinnipiac last weekend to improve to 3-0. First-year goaltender Mitchell Gibson recorded a 31-save shutout in his debut against the Tigers, and stopped 32 of 34 shots the next night against the Bobcats to be named ECAC Hockey Goaltender of the Week. He is the first Harvard goalie to record a shutout in his debut since Tripp Tracy in 1992. The No. 12 Crimson hit the road this weekend for league games at Brown and Yale . . . No. 14 Northeastern (5-3-2, 2-2-1) and No. 10 Providence (5-3-2, 3-2-1) will face off in a home-and-home series beginning Friday night at Providence.