2020–21 New Hampshire Wildcats men's ice hockey season

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2020–21 New Hampshire Wildcats
men's ice hockey season
Conference10th Hockey East
Home iceWhittemore Center
Rankings
USCHONR
USA TodayNR
Record
Overall6–14–3
Conference5–13–3–3–3–2
Home2–7–2
Road4–7–1
Neutral0–0–0
Coaches and captains
Head coachMike Souza
Assistant coachesGlenn Stewart
Jeff Giuliano
Ty Conklin
Captain(s)Charlie Kelleher
Alternate captain(s)Patrick Grasso
Benton Maass
Eric MacAdams
New Hampshire Wildcats men's ice hockey seasons
« 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[edit]

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[edit]

Player Position Nationality Cause
Liam Blackburn Forward  Canada Graduation (Signed with ERSC Amberg)
Matthew Dawson Defenseman  Canada Graduation
Justin Fregona Forward  Canada Graduation
Max Gildon Defenseman  United States Signed professional contract (Florida Panthers)
Robby Griffin Forward  United States Left program
Joey Lazzaro Goaltender  United States Graduation
Nolan McElhaney Defenseman  United States Transferred to Long Island
Joe Sacco Forward  United States Graduation
Anthony Wyse Defenseman  United States Graduation (Signed with Indy Fuel)

Recruiting[edit]

Player Position Nationality Age Notes
Nick Cafarelli Forward  United States 18 Middleton, MA
Jeremy Forman Goaltender  United States 21 Northbrook, IL
Cameron Gendron Forward  United States 21 Wilmington, MA
Nikolai Jenson Defenseman  United States 20 Cold Spring, MN
Joe Nagle Defenseman  United States 21 Weymouth, MA
Luke Reid Defenseman  United States 19 Geneva, IL; 166th selection in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft
Carsen Richels Forward  United States 18 Ham Lake, MN
Alec Semandel Defenseman  United States 19 Waunakee, WI; transfer from Lake Superior State
Tyler Ward Forward  Canada 21 Kamloops, BC; transfer from Denver

Roster[edit]

As of February 12, 2021.[4]

No. S/P/C Player Class Pos Height Weight DoB Hometown Previous team NHL rights
1 Illinois Jeremy Forman Freshman G 5' 10" (1.78 m) 150 lb (68 kg) 1999-09-22 Northbrook, Illinois Corpus Christi (NAHL) —
2 Connecticut Drew Hickey Junior D 5' 11" (1.8 m) 188 lb (85 kg) 1997-10-28 New Canaan, Connecticut Connecticut (NCDC) —
3 Massachusetts Ryan Verrier Junior D 6' 0" (1.83 m) 193 lb (88 kg) 1998-11-19 Reading, Massachusetts Green Bay (USHL) —
5 Michigan Will MacKinnon Junior D 5' 11" (1.8 m) 202 lb (92 kg) 2000-04-13 Plymouth, Michigan Des Moines (USHL) —
6 New York (state) Lucas Herrmann Sophomore F 6' 2" (1.88 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 2000-08-01 Lancaster, New York Madison (USHL) —
7 Wisconsin Alec Semandel Junior D 6' 3" (1.91 m) 206 lb (93 kg) 1998-05-23 Waunakee, Wisconsin Lake Superior State (WCHA) —
8 Minnesota Nikolai Jenson Freshman D 5' 11" (1.8 m) 193 lb (88 kg) 2000-07-28 Cold Spring, Minnesota Youngstown (USHL) —
9 British Columbia 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 Sweden Kalle Eriksson Sophomore D 5' 10" (1.78 m) 178 lb (81 kg) 1999-09-15 Leksand, Sweden Madison (USHL) —
11 Indiana Jackson Pierson Junior F 5' 9" (1.75 m) 171 lb (78 kg) 1999-09-10 Zionsville, Indiana Culver (Midget AAA) —
12 Connecticut Eric Esposito Junior F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 186 lb (84 kg) 1998-08-24 West Haven, Connecticut Youngstown (USHL) —
13 Massachusetts Nick Cafarelli Freshman F 5' 10" (1.78 m) 182 lb (83 kg) 2001-12-31 Middleton, Massachusetts Wenatchee (BCHL) —
14 British Columbia Tyler Ward Junior F 5' 10" (1.78 m) 186 lb (84 kg) 1999-08-19 Kamloops, British Columbia Denver (NCHC) —
15 British Columbia Chase Stevenson Sophomore F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 1999-01-13 West Kelowna, British Columbia Trail (BCHL) —
16 Sweden 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 Minnesota Carsen Richels Freshman F 6' 3" (1.91 m) 220 lb (100 kg) 2001-10-03 Ham Lake, Minnesota Blaine (USHS–MN) —
18 Japan Kohei Sato Senior F 6' 1" (1.85 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 1996-09-26 Nishitōkyō, Japan Northeast (NAHL) —
19 Massachusetts Eric MacAdams (A) Senior F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 187 lb (85 kg) 1997-04-29 Salem, Massachusetts Dubuque (USHL) —
20 Iowa Patrick Grasso (A) Senior F 5' 7" (1.7 m) 161 lb (73 kg) 1996-05-29 Ankeny, Iowa Des Moines (USHL) —
21 New Hampshire Cam Gendron Freshman D 6' 3" (1.91 m) 181 lb (82 kg) 1999-02-05 Hampstead, New Hampshire New Jersey (NAHL) —
22 Minnesota Joe Hankinson Sophomore F 6' 0" (1.83 m) 194 lb (88 kg) 1999-06-15 Hopkins, Minnesota Cedar Rapids (USHL) —
23 Massachusetts Charlie Kelleher (C) Senior F 5' 8" (1.73 m) 163 lb (74 kg) 1997-02-04 Longmeadow, Massachusetts Sioux City (USHL) —
25 Massachusetts Joe Nagle Freshman D 5' 10" (1.78 m) 192 lb (87 kg) 1999-05-17 Weymouth, Massachusetts New Jersey (NAHL) —
27 Saskatchewan 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 Minnesota 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 New York (state) Joseph Cipollone Junior F 5' 8" (1.73 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 1997-03-29 Purchase, New York Boston Jr. Bruins (NCDC) —
31 New Hampshire 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 British Columbia 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[edit]

2020–21 Hockey East 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[edit]

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[edit]

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[edit]

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[edit]

Main article: 2020–21 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey 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[edit]

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[edit]

2021 NHL Entry Draft[edit]

Round Pick Player NHL team
3 88 Stiven Sardarian† Buffalo Sabres
6 192 Alex Gagne† Tampa Bay Lightning

† incoming freshman [11]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "NCAA approves blanket waiver for 2020 fall sports athletes to retain year of eligibility". CBS Sports. August 21, 2020. Retrieved January 25, 2021.
  2. ^ "DI Council grants waiver to allow transfer student-athletes to compete immediately". NCAA. December 16, 2020. Retrieved January 25, 2021.
  3. ^ "UNH fighting back from injury midway through the season". The New Hampshire. January 24, 2021. Retrieved March 17, 2021.
  4. ^ "2020–21 Men's Ice Hockey Roster". UNH Wildcats. Retrieved June 24, 2018.
  5. ^ "Hockey East Unveils 2021 Tournament and Seeding Format - Hockey East Association". hockeyeastonline.com. Retrieved February 10, 2021.
  6. ^ "2021 Hockey East Women's Tournament Field Set". hockeyeastonline.com. Retrieved March 13, 2021.
  7. ^ "New Hampshire Wildcats (Men) 2020-2021 Schedule and Results". College Hockey Stats. Retrieved December 5, 2019.
  8. ^ "Univ. of New Hampshire 2020-2021 Skater Stats". Elite Prospects. Retrieved March 7, 2020.
  9. ^ "USCHO Division I Men's Poll". USCHO.com. Retrieved November 26, 2019.
  10. ^ a b "Hockey East Names 2020-21 Men's All-Star Teams - Hockey East Association". hockeyeastonline.com. Retrieved March 17, 2021.
  11. ^ "NCAA player rankings, selections in 2021 NHL Draft". USCHO.com. Retrieved July 24, 2021.
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