Four weeks into the college hockey season and the University of New Hampshire men’s hockey is already far from where it wants to be.
Falling behind 2-0 in each of their first four games, including their lone win that came in a visit to Clarkson on Oct. 15, the emphasis last week was to find goals early and play strong from the first drop of the puck.
Last weekend at home against Colorado College, UNH fell behind 2-0 again, this time on a pair of shorthanded goals early in the first period. But UNH showed poise and came back to tie it in the second period, 3-3. With the momentum leaning their way, the Wildcats only needed to play 1-0 hockey in the third before their home crowd at the Whittemore Center.
Instead, Colorado College earned a goal on a power play and UNH took its third loss of the year. This week in practice, it wasn’t just about starting the game fast and hard, but about finishing and finding the advantage of playing at home.
“We ought to be really hungry at this point because losing at the Whitt, we discussed that a lot this week,” UNH Coach Dick Umile said during his midweek press conference Wednesday. “We discussed it before the (Colorado College) game and after that third period. It was unacceptable the way we competed in the third period, not finding a way to win the game. I don’t care how we do it. … It’s a 20-minute hockey game in the third period and we lose it in our home arena. That’s what’s on our mind right now.”
UNH will have its chance to make up the loss in front of the home crowd Saturday when Merrimack (2-3-1) visits Durham. First, the Wildcats will travel to Amherst, Mass., to open Hockey East play with Massachusetts (2-2-0) tonight at 7.
Senior forward Tyler Kelleher is trying to stay positive and hopes he can help his team turn their skid into a streak.
“The No. 1 thing is just compete and do our jobs,” he said Wednesday. “If we all do our jobs and we’re hungry to compete and win games, I think we’ll be fine.”
Practices this week have been more intense, Umile said, suggesting UNH’s struggle to win games so far has a fire burning in the 27-year head coach and his players.
Kelleher agreed.
“I think practice has been pretty good this week,” he said. “I think we’re all pretty angry and upset about last weekend’s loss so we’re pretty motivated this weekend.”
Sophomore winger Marcus Vela is set to return to the lineup and make his regular-season debut this weekend after missing four weeks nursing a shoulder injury and concussion suffered in an exhibition game with New Brunswick.
The San Jose Sharks prospect has been skating at full speed in practice this week. He will likely be back on the second line skating with junior forwards Shane Eiserman and Michael McNicholas. Vela recorded 16 points on seven goals in 37 games last season.
“It’ll be good to have him back in the lineup,” Umile said. “He’s a big, strong player that can add some offense for us as well.”
On the topic of injuries, junior goaltender Adam Clark is dealing with a nagging shoulder issue. Umile said it may be scar tissue from a previous surgery that’s bothering him, but said he couldn’t go into more detail.
Umile jokingly likened his response to one New England Patriots Coach Bill Belichick made this season when he gave a deadpan response to a reporter’s question about an injury that sidelined interim starting quarterback Jimmy Garopolo.
“I’m a football coach, not a doctor,” Belichick said in September.
On Clark’s injury, Umile didn’t want to go beyond saying it was a shoulder issue.
“I don’t want to sound like Belichick, but that’s just what they’re telling me,” Umile said with a laugh. “I didn’t do the surgery, I thought that was a pretty good line. This job is hard enough answering the coaching positions, let alone the surgeries.”
(Nick Stoico can be reached at 369-3339, nstoico@cmonitor.com or on Twitter @NickStoico.)