DURHAM – The University of New Hampshire males’s hockey staff, that includes a dozen avid gamers new to the roster, plans to pick out up its tempo of play somewhat this season.
Senior defensemen Kalle Eriksson pointed to higher staff pace as probably the most issues he’s spotted within the early-going of observe because the Wildcats head into a protracted road-trip to open the season.
“I feel like we’re all good skaters and the pace has been really high compared to other years,” Eriksson mentioned in a preseason media convention Wednesday.
The Wildcats will put their added pace to a snappy check.
They open the season Friday evening at No. 17 Clarkson after which transfer on to finish an up-state New York swing with a recreation at St. Lawrence on Saturday evening. Both video games get started at 7 p.m.
The Wildcats will waste little time in getting their skating on show on their made over house Towse Rink within the Whittemore Center, both: They open Hockey East play at house against Boston College subsequent Saturday, Oct. 15, at 7 p.m.
New forums and glass have been built across the Whittemore rink all through the offseason and the dimensions of the ice sheet was once adjusted to 200 ft by means of 90 ft. It were Olympic-sized at 200-by-100 ft.
After the hole weekend in New York and beginning with BC, 9 of UNH’s subsequent 10 video games are against Hockey East fighters.
Senior ahead Chase Stevenson is in complete settlement with Eriksson at the staff’s outlook.
“I think people are going to see a different look from us this year,” Stevenson mentioned. “We’ve got a lot of guys who are fast. I think we’re going to be a team that plays extremely fast and I think we’ve got a lot of new guys that can make plays.”
Stevenson is the staff’s captain and Eriksson, senior ahead Harrison Blaisdell and sophomore defenseman Alex Gagne of Bedford, N.H., are the exchange captains.
Head trainer Mike Souza and his group of workers have added 8 beginners and 4 transfers to a roster that now numbers 29.
The novices must lend a hand in every house of operations: protection, offense and goaltending. Here’s a snappy take a look at every unit.
The protection
Among the leaders but even so Eriksson and Gagne are returners juniors Luke Reid and Nikolai Jenson and sophomore Colton Huard. Huard is likely one of the returning scorers from final yr after amassing six objectives and 10 assists for 16 issues. He and sophomore ahead Liam Devlin (9 objectives, 7 assists) have been tops in scoring of the avid gamers who’re again.
Souza expects the protection must gasoline the offense with its talent to wreck the puck out and advance it.
Freshman Damien Carfagna is amongst those that has inspired in observe. He helped the Sioux City Musketeers to the Clark Cup championship within the United States Hockey League final season.
(*17*) Souza mentioned. “I think it’s the strength of our team. We have some experience back there. Certainly a lot of mobility and some size.”
The offense
The Wildcats averaged 2.24 objectives a recreation final season and need to spice up that quantity.
Devlin and some other sophomore ahead, Robert Cronin (7-5-12), have been at the similar line this week because the Wildcat group of workers put its early teams in combination.
“Liam and Robert are two guys we expect to take a step this year,” Souza mentioned. “They’ve been through the league and played in a lot of key situations for us last year and I’m excited about where they are right now.”
Additional scoring up entrance may just come from any collection of puts between returners, transfers and beginners.
Among the beginners to look at are Stivan Sardarian, who’s from Russia and was once a third-round pick out of the Buffalo Sabres in 2021; Jake Dunlap out of Windham, N.H.; Morgan Winters, who had 13 objectives and 28 assists for 41 issues in 56 video games final yr within the USHL; and Cy LeClerc from Brentwood, N.H.
Goaltending
Senior David Fessenden, who had a 2-4-1 file with a 2.19 objectives against moderate and save proportion of .909 final yr, and freshman Tyler Muszelik have each had excellent camps.
Souza praised the activity former Wildcat All American and NHLer Ty Conklin, the staff’s goaltending trainer, has performed with the 2 goalies.
Fessenden did a pleasant activity within the weight room all through the summer season, Souza mentioned.
Muszelik performed with the U.S. National Under-18 staff final yr and had a 24-5-3 file with a .900 save proportion and a pair of.91 objectives against moderate. He was once picked by means of the Florida Panthers within the 6th around of this yr’s NHL draft.
“We’re excited to see the two of them work with each other and push each other,” Souza mentioned. “Certainly both of them are capable of starting games for us.”