Well fans, I'm back from Denver, here to provide a few comments about how
the tournament went for the Wildcats.
Semifinals
UNH defeated CC 5-3 in a game which showed all of the positives of the
Wildcats this year. Excellent checking in both the offensive and defensive
zones, great transitional play and solid goaltending. Derek Bekar had the
first two goals, both set up by turnovers in the neutral zone. While
everyone (at least on the UNH list) is talking Jason Krog for Hobey Baker,
and the play of Tom Nolan and Mark Mowers (he looked OK this weekend) is
great, it is Bekar who continues to perform in the manner that the NHL
scouts like to see. Strong skater, accurate shot, tough in the corners.
He is having a great year.
CC is a very good team. Like last year, they have an excellent group of
forwards and work the puck into the zone very well. I was pleased at how
our defense withstood their challenge. Their only goal in the first two
periods was kind of flukey, a defelected puck bounced in the air, landed at
a guy's feet and he put it in. While others have commented that CC held
their own during the game, it was clear to me that UNH, overall, was a
better skating team.
The third period got a little tight when the lead was cut to two. I think
here our younger defenseman started backing in on Matile, ran around a
little too much allowing CC to take advantage. When CC got the power play
late, I was not too comfortable. However, as has happened so many times
this year, our penalty kill was superb. Before Krog scored the game
clincher, we actually had two other glittering chances to score. CC is a
top notch team. I would have to assume that they will be in the WCHA final
and in the NC$$. So for UNH to handle them, especially in Colorado, was a
pleasure to see.
Finals
This was a classic NC$$ playoff type game. Two excellent teams, well
coached, good skating, good checking and excellent goaltending. After
Bekar got a power play goal in the first period, Miami scored two. Both
goals were on nice set ups off of face offs. On the first, the puck was
drawn back off the right face-off circle toward the right point. A
forward, I don't know who, came in front of the defenseman, corralled the
puck and fed it cross ice to the right defenseman who cruised in from the
point. Matile could not get over in time and they scored. The second goal
for Miami was on a similar type play and, on both of them, I have to think
that if UNH had time to prepare, these things could be defensed against.
The second period was a goaltender's period, as both were outstanding. I
think there were 4 or 5 breakaways in the period but no scoring. In the
third Miami sat back and checked UNH off the puck and the team could never
get going. They did not score until there were about 3 minutes left when
Umile pulled Matile for an extra skater and, after several chances, Mowers
put one in on a rebound of a Nolan shot. With about 1:20 to go, Matile was
pulled again and although UNH pressed hard in the zone and had a couple of
chances, the couldn't get the equalizer. The fourth goal for Miami was an
empty-netter.
All and all, not the best result for the Wildcats but this split should not
hurt us too much in the rankings. We beat a top-notch team the first night
and lost what was essentially a one goal game to another good team in the
championship. When you consider that they really had no practices (just a
couple of skate arounds) prior to this weekend's games, the results were
pretty good.
One final note, the announced attendance on both nights was 10,000+. There
were never more than 8,000 people (DU-Miami on Saturday) in the arena at
any one time and for the final, there were probably 3 or 4,000 scattered
around the arena. Apparently if it's not DU-CC, it won't draw. BTW,
Denver is a nice place to go to but the oxygen deprivation is no joke, it
is real!
Greg Ambrose, UNH '72
GO BLUE
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