Sometimes, the reason a team struggles is obvious.
Through his team’s first six games, all New Hampshire sophomore forward Ryan Conmy had to do was look up.
“You can look at the scoreboard and think, you can’t win games without scoring,” Conmy said. “(I) think everyone kind of knows that. You want to score goals and win games.”
UNH went into last Saturday’s home matchup vs. Long Island averaging a mere 1.5 goals per game and having been twice shut out. Then the Wildcats got six goals from five different players in a 6-1 win.
Whether or not this means UNH’s scoring woes are in the rear-view mirror remains to be seen, but it’s an encouraging start.
“‘Consistency’ would be the word — or lack thereof, early,” said UNH seventh-year coach Mike Souza. “And that pains me, because I want to be known as a group where you know what to expect when you play UNH. That they’re going to be a hard team to play against, and if you beat them, it’s going to be damn hard.”
In addition to a lack of offensive punch, a brand-new goalkeeping roster and a tough schedule have contributed to UNH’s struggles so far this season. Also, injuries.
Yet after seven games the Wildcats stand at 3-3-1, and, for at least one night, appear to have gotten out of their scoring rut.
UNH was 20-15-1 in 2023-24, breaking a streak of five losing seasons under Souza (save for 2019-20, when the Wildcats were .500), and were knocking on the door of their first NCAA tournament appearance since 2013.
Injuries have been a problem for the Wildcats, with top scorers Conmy and junior forward Cy LeClerc each missing time. Both were absent from UNH’s Hockey East opener at Merrimack, a 0-0 tie which the Wildcats lost in a shootout.
Comny and LeClerc each found the back of the net vs. Long Island, Comny for the fifth time this season.
As for goalkeeping, all seven of UNH’s starts have gone to junior Jared Whale, a transfer from Alaska Anchorage. Whale was thrust into the spotlight after the departure of Jakob Hellsten, who signed a pro contract with Leksands IF of the Swedish Hockey League; and Tyler Muszelik, a 2022 Florida Panthers draft pick, who transferred to Connecticut.
So far this season for UNH, Whale has recorded a .894 save percentage with a 2.50 goals-against average. Last year with the Seawolves, Whale was 10-12-1 with a .909 save percentage and a 2.67 GAA.
“Our goaltending (has) been inconsistent,” Souza said. “But (goaltending coach Sean Maguire) has done a really good job with Jared saying, hey, listen, we need you to be dialed in each and every night. I think it’s been a learning curve for him, but I know our group is confident in front of him. I’m certainly confident with him in the net.”
The rout vs. Long Island provided the Wildcats a brief respite from a brutal schedule stretch that saw UNH get outscored 19-8 in four games vs. Quinnipiac and Providence. The lone bright spot was a 3-2 win at Quinnipiac after getting slammed 8-2 the previous night. This weekend, UNH will play a home-and-home series vs. Northeastern (1-4-2), another team looking to gain traction in Hockey East after a slow start.
Ultimately, UNH believes the answers it’s looking for can be found right inside their own locker room.
“They’re a very competitive group,” Souza said. “They’re competitive against each other. They’re not afraid to get on each other in a positive way. (The) guys know it’s not about some ‘rah-rah’ speech. It’s about execution, it’s about preparing. (I) think the attitude’s in the right place.”
Conmy noted that with little roster turnover from last year’s winning season, he believes the pieces are in place for UNH to be competitive.
“We’ve got a handful of new guys, so it’s pretty much the same team as last year,” he said. “Showing up to the rink, everyone loves seeing each other. That vibe’s unbelievable. We’ve started off a little slower than we’d like to (but) I think we’re on the rise.”
