2020–21 New Hampshire Wildcats men's ice hockey season
men's ice hockey season
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/10/UNH_Wildcats.png/250px-UNH_Wildcats.png)
Jeff Giuliano
Ty Conklin
Benton Maass
Eric MacAdams
« 2019–20 2021–22 »
The 2020–21 New Hampshire Wildcats Men's ice hockey season was the 95th season of play for the program and the 37th season in the Hockey East conference. The Wildcats represented the University of New Hampshire and were coached by Mike Souza, in his 3rd season.
Season
As a result of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic the entire college ice hockey season was delayed. Because the NCAA had previously announced that all winter sports athletes would retain whatever eligibility they possessed through at least the following year, none of New Hampshire's players would lose a season of play.[1] However, the NCAA also approved a change in its transfer regulations that would allow players to transfer and play immediately rather than having to sit out a season, as the rules previously required.[2]
After a good start to the season, UNH was bit by the injury bug. The team lost several key upperclassmen for extended periods, including team captain Charlie Kelleher.[3] The Wildcats were able to play well in some of their games but the team went through an 8-game stretch where they couldn't win a single match. By the end of the season the team had gotten healthy again, but they sat 10th in the conference. UNH came alive in the Hockey East Tournament, knocking off long-time rival Maine 7–2 in the opening round. The Wildcats then took on the top team in the nation, Boston College and came close to pulling off a stunning upset, falling 2–3 in their final game of the year.
Jeremy Forman sat out the season.
Departures
Player | Position | Nationality | Cause |
---|---|---|---|
Liam Blackburn | Forward | ![]() | Graduation (Signed with ERSC Amberg) |
Matthew Dawson | Defenseman | ![]() | Graduation |
Justin Fregona | Forward | ![]() | Graduation |
Max Gildon | Defenseman | ![]() | Signed professional contract (Florida Panthers) |
Robby Griffin | Forward | ![]() | Left program |
Joey Lazzaro | Goaltender | ![]() | Graduation |
Nolan McElhaney | Defenseman | ![]() | Transferred to Long Island |
Joe Sacco | Forward | ![]() | Graduation |
Anthony Wyse | Defenseman | ![]() | Graduation (Signed with Indy Fuel) |
Recruiting
Player | Position | Nationality | Age | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
Nick Cafarelli | Forward | ![]() | 18 | Middleton, MA |
Jeremy Forman | Goaltender | ![]() | 21 | Northbrook, IL |
Cameron Gendron | Forward | ![]() | 21 | Wilmington, MA |
Nikolai Jenson | Defenseman | ![]() | 20 | Cold Spring, MN |
Joe Nagle | Defenseman | ![]() | 21 | Weymouth, MA |
Luke Reid | Defenseman | ![]() | 19 | Geneva, IL; 166th selection in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft |
Carsen Richels | Forward | ![]() | 18 | Ham Lake, MN |
Alec Semandel | Defenseman | ![]() | 19 | Waunakee, WI; transfer from Lake Superior State |
Tyler Ward | Forward | ![]() | 21 | Kamloops, BC; transfer from Denver |
Roster
As of February 12, 2021.[4]
No. | S/P/C | Player | Class | Pos | Height | Weight | DoB | Hometown | Previous team | NHL rights |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | ![]() | Jeremy Forman | Freshman | G | 5' 10" (1.78 m) | 150 lb (68 kg) | 1999-09-22 | Northbrook, Illinois | Corpus Christi (NAHL) | — |
2 | ![]() | Drew Hickey | Junior | D | 5' 11" (1.8 m) | 188 lb (85 kg) | 1997-10-28 | New Canaan, Connecticut | Connecticut (NCDC) | — |
3 | ![]() | Ryan Verrier | Junior | D | 6' 0" (1.83 m) | 193 lb (88 kg) | 1998-11-19 | Reading, Massachusetts | Green Bay (USHL) | — |
5 | ![]() | Will MacKinnon | Junior | D | 5' 11" (1.8 m) | 202 lb (92 kg) | 2000-04-13 | Plymouth, Michigan | Des Moines (USHL) | — |
6 | ![]() | Lucas Herrmann | Sophomore | F | 6' 2" (1.88 m) | 210 lb (95 kg) | 2000-08-01 | Lancaster, New York | Madison (USHL) | — |
7 | ![]() | Alec Semandel | Junior | D | 6' 3" (1.91 m) | 206 lb (93 kg) | 1998-05-23 | Waunakee, Wisconsin | Lake Superior State (WCHA) | — |
8 | ![]() | Nikolai Jenson | Freshman | D | 5' 11" (1.8 m) | 193 lb (88 kg) | 2000-07-28 | Cold Spring, Minnesota | Youngstown (USHL) | — |
9 | ![]() | Angus Crookshank | Junior | F | 5' 11" (1.8 m) | 179 lb (81 kg) | 1999-10-02 | North Vancouver, British Columbia | Langley (BCHL) | OTT, 126th overall 2018 |
10 | ![]() | Kalle Eriksson | Sophomore | D | 5' 10" (1.78 m) | 178 lb (81 kg) | 1999-09-15 | Leksand, Sweden | Madison (USHL) | — |
11 | ![]() | Jackson Pierson | Junior | F | 5' 9" (1.75 m) | 171 lb (78 kg) | 1999-09-10 | Zionsville, Indiana | Culver (Midget AAA) | — |
12 | ![]() | Eric Esposito | Junior | F | 5' 11" (1.8 m) | 186 lb (84 kg) | 1998-08-24 | West Haven, Connecticut | Youngstown (USHL) | — |
13 | ![]() | Nick Cafarelli | Freshman | F | 5' 10" (1.78 m) | 182 lb (83 kg) | 2001-12-31 | Middleton, Massachusetts | Wenatchee (BCHL) | — |
14 | ![]() | Tyler Ward | Junior | F | 5' 10" (1.78 m) | 186 lb (84 kg) | 1999-08-19 | Kamloops, British Columbia | Denver (NCHC) | — |
15 | ![]() | Chase Stevenson | Sophomore | F | 5' 11" (1.8 m) | 180 lb (82 kg) | 1999-01-13 | West Kelowna, British Columbia | Trail (BCHL) | — |
16 | ![]() | Filip Engarås | Junior | F | 6' 0" (1.83 m) | 199 lb (90 kg) | 1999-05-16 | Stockholm, Sweden | Skellefteå (J20 SuperElit) | EDM, 169th overall 2020 |
17 | ![]() | Carsen Richels | Freshman | F | 6' 3" (1.91 m) | 220 lb (100 kg) | 2001-10-03 | Ham Lake, Minnesota | Blaine (USHS–MN) | — |
18 | ![]() | Kohei Sato | Senior | F | 6' 1" (1.85 m) | 180 lb (82 kg) | 1996-09-26 | Nishitōkyō, Japan | Northeast (NAHL) | — |
19 | ![]() | Eric MacAdams (A) | Senior | F | 5' 11" (1.8 m) | 187 lb (85 kg) | 1997-04-29 | Salem, Massachusetts | Dubuque (USHL) | — |
20 | ![]() | Patrick Grasso (A) | Senior | F | 5' 7" (1.7 m) | 161 lb (73 kg) | 1996-05-29 | Ankeny, Iowa | Des Moines (USHL) | — |
21 | ![]() | Cam Gendron | Freshman | D | 6' 3" (1.91 m) | 181 lb (82 kg) | 1999-02-05 | Hampstead, New Hampshire | New Jersey (NAHL) | — |
22 | ![]() | Joe Hankinson | Sophomore | F | 6' 0" (1.83 m) | 194 lb (88 kg) | 1999-06-15 | Hopkins, Minnesota | Cedar Rapids (USHL) | — |
23 | ![]() | Charlie Kelleher (C) | Senior | F | 5' 8" (1.73 m) | 163 lb (74 kg) | 1997-02-04 | Longmeadow, Massachusetts | Sioux City (USHL) | — |
25 | ![]() | Joe Nagle | Freshman | D | 5' 10" (1.78 m) | 192 lb (87 kg) | 1999-05-17 | Weymouth, Massachusetts | New Jersey (NAHL) | — |
27 | ![]() | Luke Reid | Freshman | D | 6' 0" (1.83 m) | 192 lb (87 kg) | 2001-09-26 | Warman, Saskatchewan | Chicago (USHL) | NSH, 166th overall 2020 |
28 | ![]() | Benton Maass (A) | Senior | D | 6' 2" (1.88 m) | 205 lb (93 kg) | 1998-11-25 | Elk River, Minnesota | Elk River (USHS–MN) | WSH, 182nd overall 2017 |
29 | ![]() | Joseph Cipollone | Junior | F | 5' 8" (1.73 m) | 180 lb (82 kg) | 1997-03-29 | Purchase, New York | Boston Jr. Bruins (NCDC) | — |
31 | ![]() | Mike Robinson | Senior | G | 6' 4" (1.93 m) | 202 lb (92 kg) | 1997-03-27 | Bedford, New Hampshire | Springfield (NAHL) | SJS, 86th overall 2015 |
35 | ![]() | Ty Taylor | Junior | G | 6' 4" (1.93 m) | 190 lb (86 kg) | 1999-07-05 | Richmond, British Columbia | Vernon (BCHL) | TBL, 214th overall 2018 |
Standings
| |||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conference record | Overall record | ||||||||||||||||
GP | W | L | T | OTW | OTL | SOW | HEPI | GF | GA | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA | ||
#6 Boston College | 21 | 16 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 58.61 | 82 | 46 | 24 | 17 | 6 | 1 | 91 | 58 | |
#11 Boston University | 14 | 10 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 56.36 | 49 | 37 | 16 | 10 | 5 | 1 | 52 | 45 | |
#1 Massachusetts * | 22 | 13 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 55.44 | 76 | 42 | 29 | 20 | 5 | 4 | 103 | 48 | |
Connecticut | 22 | 10 | 10 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 52.01 | 69 | 63 | 23 | 10 | 11 | 2 | 70 | 69 | |
#16 Providence | 23 | 10 | 8 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 50.80 | 63 | 61 | 25 | 11 | 9 | 5 | 71 | 67 | |
Northeastern | 20 | 9 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 49.94 | 68 | 60 | 21 | 9 | 9 | 3 | 69 | 64 | |
#19 Massachusetts–Lowell | 16 | 7 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 48.00 | 46 | 53 | 20 | 10 | 9 | 1 | 59 | 63 | |
Maine | 15 | 3 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 46.66 | 41 | 61 | 16 | 3 | 11 | 2 | 43 | 68 | |
Merrimack | 18 | 5 | 11 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 45.38 | 47 | 66 | 18 | 5 | 11 | 2 | 47 | 66 | |
New Hampshire | 21 | 5 | 13 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 43.66 | 51 | 83 | 23 | 6 | 14 | 3 | 60 | 88 | |
Vermont | 12 | 1 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 38.02 | 17 | 37 | 13 | 1 | 10 | 2 | 20 | 42 | |
Championship: March 20, 2021[5] No Regular Season Champion Awarded[6] * indicates conference tournament champion (Lamoriello Trophy) Rankings: USCHO.com Top 20 Poll |
Schedule and Results
Date | Time | Opponent# | Rank# | Site | TV | Decision | Result | Attendance | Record | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Regular Season | |||||||||||
December 11 | 7:00 PM | vs. Maine | Whittemore Center • Durham, New Hampshire | NESN+ | Robinson | T 1–1 SOW | 0 | 0–0–1 (0–0–1) | |||
December 12 | 7:00 PM | vs. Maine | Whittemore Center • Durham, New Hampshire | NESN+ | Robinson | W 6–2 | 0 | 1–0–1 (1–0–1) | |||
December 30 | 3:30 PM | vs. #9 Massachusetts | Whittemore Center • Durham, New Hampshire | Robinson | L 0–4 | 0 | 1–1–1 (1–1–1) | ||||
January 1 | 4:00 PM | vs. Connecticut | Whittemore Center • Durham, New Hampshire | NESN | Robinson | L 1–2 | 0 | 1–2–1 (1–2–1) | |||
January 2 | 4:00 PM | at Connecticut | XL Center • Hartford, Connecticut | Robinson | W 2–1 OT | 0 | 2–2–1 (2–2–1) | ||||
January 6 | 3:30 PM | at #8 Massachusetts | Mullins Center • Amherst, Massachusetts | Robinson | L 0–4 | 0 | 2–3–1 (2–3–1) | ||||
January 8 | 7:00 PM | at #2 Boston College | Conte Forum • Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts | NESN | Robinson | W 4–3 OT | 0 | 3–3–1 (3–3–1) | |||
January 10 | 4:00 PM | vs. #2 Boston College | Whittemore Center • Durham, New Hampshire | Robinson | L 2–3 OT | 0 | 3–4–1 (3–4–1) | ||||
January 13 | 6:05 PM | at #14 Northeastern | Matthews Arena • Boston, Massachusetts | NESN | Robinson | L 0–7 | 0 | 3–5–1 (3–5–1) | |||
January 15 | 4:00 PM | at Connecticut | Mark Edward Freitas Ice Forum • Storrs, Connecticut | Robinson | L 5–6 OT | 0 | 3–6–1 (3–6–1) | ||||
January 16 | 5:00 PM | vs. Connecticut | Whittemore Center • Durham, New Hampshire | Taylor | L 3–8 | 0 | 3–7–1 (3–7–1) | ||||
January 22 | 7:00 PM | vs. Merrimack | Whittemore Center • Durham, New Hampshire | Robinson | L 2–5 | 0 | 3–8–1 (3–8–1) | ||||
January 23 | 4:05 PM | at Merrimack | J. Thom Lawler Rink • North Andover, Massachusetts | Robinson | T 2–2 SOW | 0 | 3–8–2 (3–8–2) | ||||
January 29 | 7:00 PM | at #17 Providence | Schneider Arena • Providence, Rhode Island | NESN | Robinson | L 1–5 | 0 | 3–9–2 (3–9–2) | |||
January 31 | 3:30 PM | vs. #17 Providence | Whittemore Center • Durham, New Hampshire | NESN | Robinson | L 2–3 | 0 | 3–10–2 (3–10–2) | |||
February 5 | 6:00 PM | at #20 Massachusetts–Lowell | Tsongas Center • Lowell, Massachusetts | Robinson | W 2–1 | 0 | 4–10–2 (4–10–2) | ||||
February 6 | 5:00 PM | vs. #20 Massachusetts–Lowell | Whittemore Center • Durham, New Hampshire | Taylor | W 7–6 OT | 0 | 5–10–2 (5–10–2) | ||||
February 12 | 7:00 PM | vs. #18 Northeastern | Whittemore Center • Durham, New Hampshire | Robinson | L 2–6 | 0 | 5–11–2 (5–11–2) | ||||
February 13 | 6:05 PM | at #18 Northeastern | Matthews Arena • Boston, Massachusetts | NESN+ | Taylor | L 4–5 | 0 | 5–12–2 (5–12–2) | |||
February 19 | 6:05 PM | vs. Merrimack | Whittemore Center • Durham, New Hampshire | Robinson | T 3–3 SOW | 0 | 5–12–3 (5–12–3) | ||||
February 20 | 4:05 PM | at Merrimack | J. Thom Lawler Rink • North Andover, Massachusetts | Robinson | L 2–6 | 0 | 5–13–3 (5–13–3) | ||||
Hockey East Tournament | |||||||||||
March 10 | 4:30 PM | at Maine | Alfond Arena • Orono, Maine (Opening Round) | Robinson | W 7–2 | 0 | 6–13–3 | ||||
March 14 | 4:30 PM | at #1 Boston College | Conte Forum • Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts (Quarterfinal) | NESN | Robinson | L 2–3 | 0 | 6–14–3 | |||
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from USCHO.com Poll. All times are in Eastern Time. |
[7]
Scoring statistics
Name | Position | Games | Goals | Assists | Points | PIM |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Jackson Pierson | F | 23 | 9 | 16 | 25 | 4 |
Angus Crookshank | LW | 20 | 9 | 9 | 18 | 4 |
Kalle Eriksson | D | 23 | 6 | 12 | 18 | 2 |
Patrick Grasso | C | 23 | 7 | 8 | 15 | 2 |
Filip Engarås | C | 22 | 6 | 5 | 11 | 21 |
Eric MacAdams | RW | 16 | 5 | 5 | 10 | 31 |
Ryan Verrier | D | 23 | 2 | 8 | 10 | 24 |
Luke Reid | D | 22 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 12 |
Kohei Sato | LW | 22 | 1 | 7 | 8 | 33 |
Lucas Herrmann | F | 17 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 4 |
Tyler Ward | LW | 21 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 6 |
Cam Gendron | F | 16 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 6 |
Nick Cafarelli | F | 14 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 4 |
William MacKinnon | D | 22 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 20 |
Benton Maass | D | 20 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 |
Charlie Kelleher | RW | 13 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 10 |
Joe Hankinson | F | 13 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
Nikolai Jenson | D | 20 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 12 |
Joseph Cipollone | C | 12 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
Eric Esposito | LW | 17 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 20 |
Carsen Richels | LW | 22 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 8 |
Chase Stevenson | F | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Ty Taylor | G | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Drew Hickey | D | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
Joe Nagle | D | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
Alec Semandel | D | 19 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
Mike Robinson | G | 21 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
Bench | - | 23 | - | - | - | 10 |
Total | 60 | 109 | 169 | 251 |
[8]
Goaltending statistics
Name | Games | Minutes | Wins | Losses | Ties | Goals Against | Saves | Shut Outs | SV % | GAA |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Mike Robinson | 21 | 1227 | 5 | 12 | 3 | 69 | 511 | 0 | .881 | 3.37 |
Ty Taylor | 5 | 165 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 17 | 69 | 0 | .802 | 6.16 |
Empty Net | - | 10 | - | - | - | 2 | - | - | - | - |
Total | 23 | 1403 | 6 | 14 | 3 | 88 | 580 | 0 | .868 | 3.76 |
Rankings
Poll | Week | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 (Final) | ||||
USCHO.com | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | - | NR | |||
USA Today | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR |
USCHO did not release a poll in week 20.[9]
Awards and honors
Player | Award | Ref |
---|---|---|
Patrick Grasso | Len Ceglarski Award | |
Jackson Pierson | Hockey East Second Team | [10] |
Angus Crookshank | Hockey East Third Team | [10] |
Players drafted into the NHL
Round | Pick | Player | NHL team |
---|---|---|---|
3 | 88 | Stiven Sardarian† | Buffalo Sabres |
6 | 192 | Alex Gagne† | Tampa Bay Lightning |
† incoming freshman [11]
References
- ^ "NCAA approves blanket waiver for 2020 fall sports athletes to retain year of eligibility". CBS Sports. August 21, 2020. Retrieved January 25, 2021.
- ^ "DI Council grants waiver to allow transfer student-athletes to compete immediately". NCAA. December 16, 2020. Retrieved January 25, 2021.
- ^ "UNH fighting back from injury midway through the season". The New Hampshire. January 24, 2021. Retrieved March 17, 2021.
- ^ "2020–21 Men's Ice Hockey Roster". UNH Wildcats. Retrieved June 24, 2018.
- ^ "Hockey East Unveils 2021 Tournament and Seeding Format - Hockey East Association". hockeyeastonline.com. Retrieved February 10, 2021.
- ^ "2021 Hockey East Women's Tournament Field Set". hockeyeastonline.com. Retrieved March 13, 2021.
- ^ "New Hampshire Wildcats (Men) 2020-2021 Schedule and Results". College Hockey Stats. Retrieved December 5, 2019.
- ^ "Univ. of New Hampshire 2020-2021 Skater Stats". Elite Prospects. Retrieved March 7, 2020.
- ^ "USCHO Division I Men's Poll". USCHO.com. Retrieved November 26, 2019.
- ^ a b "Hockey East Names 2020-21 Men's All-Star Teams - Hockey East Association". hockeyeastonline.com. Retrieved March 17, 2021.
- ^ "NCAA player rankings, selections in 2021 NHL Draft". USCHO.com. Retrieved July 24, 2021.