2021–22 New Hampshire Wildcats men's ice hockey season
College ice hockey team season
The 2021–22 New Hampshire Wildcats Men's ice hockey season was the 96th season of play for the program and the 38th season in the Hockey East conference. The Wildcats represented the University of New Hampshire and were coached by Mike Souza , in his 4th season.
Season
For much of the season, New Hampshire's attempt at rebuilding the program were hampered by a lack of offense. The Wildcats finished almost as many games being shut out (four) as scoring more than 3 goals (five). A majority of the team's victories came as a result of strong defensive play.
UNH had their moments during the year, defeating several ranked teams, but they couldn't sustain their success for long. In the first half of the season the wildcats hovered around the .500 mark. After returning from the winter break, the team went on a 5-game winning streak to get their head above water. After that good stretch, however, the team stumbled down the stretch and lost eight of their final ten games. The offense was about as strong as it had been earlier in the year but the defense faltered, allowing almost 4 goals per game over that span.
The result of their poor finish was that New Hampshire slid down the Hockey East standings and had to open the conference playoffs on the road. They travelled south to play Boston College and vastly outshot the Eagles in the match, 47–27. Unfortunately, the defense was again an issue and the team needed a hat-trick from Tyler Ward just to get the game into overtime. It was not the Wildcat's night, unfortunately, and BC netted the game-winner. The loss capped off the season which, though it was an improvement over the previous campaign, was the 8th consecutive year that UNH did not possess a winning record.
Departures
Recruiting
Roster
As of August 19, 2021.[ 1]
No. S/P/C
Player
Class
Pos
Height
Weight
DoB
Hometown
Previous team
NHL rights
1
Jeremy Forman Sophomore
G 5' 10" (1.78 m)
150 lb (68 kg)
1999-09-22
Northbrook, Illinois Corpus Christi (NAHL —
2
Drew Hickey Senior
D 5' 11" (1.8 m)
188 lb (85 kg)
1997-10-28
New Canaan, Connecticut Connecticut (NCDC )
—
3
Ryan Verrier A Senior
D 6' 0" (1.83 m)
193 lb (88 kg)
1998-11-19
Reading, Massachusetts Green Bay (USHL —
5
Will MacKinnon C Senior
D 5' 11" (1.8 m)
202 lb (92 kg)
2000-04-13
Plymouth, Michigan Des Moines (USHL —
6
Lucas Herrmann Junior
F 6' 2" (1.88 m)
210 lb (95 kg)
2000-08-01
Lancaster, New York Madison (USHL —
7
Alec Semandel Senior
D 6' 3" (1.91 m)
206 lb (93 kg)
1998-05-23
Waunakee, Wisconsin Lake Superior State (WCHA —
8
Nikolai Jenson Sophomore
D 5' 11" (1.8 m)
193 lb (88 kg)
2000-07-28
Cold Spring, Minnesota Youngstown (USHL —
9
Connor Sweeney Freshman
F 6' 2" (1.88 m)
200 lb (91 kg)
2000-05-05
North Andover, Massachusetts Islanders (NCDC )—
10
Kalle Eriksson Junior
D 5' 10" (1.78 m)
178 lb (81 kg)
1999-09-15
Leksand, Sweden Madison (USHL —
11
Jackson Pierson A Senior
F 5' 9" (1.75 m)
171 lb (78 kg)
1999-09-10
Zionsville, Indiana Culver (Midget AAA —
12
Eric Esposito Senior
F 5' 11" (1.8 m)
186 lb (84 kg)
1998-08-24
West Haven, Connecticut Youngstown (USHL —
13
Nick Cafarelli Sophomore
F 5' 10" (1.78 m)
182 lb (83 kg)
2001-12-31
Middleton, Massachusetts Wenatchee (BCHL —
14
Tyler Ward Senior
F 5' 10" (1.78 m)
186 lb (84 kg)
1999-08-19
Kamloops, British Columbia Denver (NCHC —
15
Chase Stevenson Junior
F 5' 11" (1.8 m)
180 lb (82 kg)
1999-01-13
West Kelowna, British Columbia Trail (BCHL —
16
Filip Engarås Senior
F 6' 0" (1.83 m)
199 lb (90 kg)
1999-05-16
Stockholm, Sweden Skellefteå (J20 SuperElit EDM 2020
17
Carsen Richels Sophomore
F 6' 3" (1.91 m)
220 lb (100 kg)
2001-10-03
Ham Lake, Minnesota Blaine (USHS–MN —
18
Harrison Blaisdell Junior
F 5' 11" (1.8 m)
190 lb (86 kg)
2001-03-18
Regina, Saskatchewan North Dakota (NCHC WPG 2019
19
Eric MacAdams A Senior
F 5' 11" (1.8 m)
187 lb (85 kg)
1997-04-29
Salem, Massachusetts Dubuque (USHL —
20
Colton Huard Freshman
D 6' 3" (1.91 m)
200 lb (91 kg)
2000-11-27
Foothill Ranch, California Chicago (USHL —
21
Cam Gendron Sophomore
D 6' 3" (1.91 m)
181 lb (82 kg)
1999-02-05
Hampstead, New Hampshire New Jersey (NAHL —
22
Joe Hankinson Junior
F 6' 0" (1.83 m)
194 lb (88 kg)
1999-06-15
Hopkins, Minnesota Cedar Rapids (USHL —
24
Robert Cronin Freshman
F 5' 10" (1.78 m)
187 lb (85 kg)
2000-08-15
Plymouth, Massachusetts Dubuque (USHL —
25
Will Margel Freshman
F 5' 9" (1.75 m)
165 lb (75 kg)
2001-03-16
Potomac, Maryland Johnstown (NAHL —
25
Liam Devlin Freshman
F 5' 11" (1.8 m)
192 lb (87 kg)
2001-01-07
Needham, Massachusetts Omaha (USHL —
27
Luke Reid Sophomore
D 6' 0" (1.83 m)
192 lb (87 kg)
2001-09-26
Warman, Saskatchewan Chicago (USHL NSH 2020
28
Alex Gagne Freshman
D 6' 4" (1.93 m)
207 lb (94 kg)
2002-08-12
Bedford, New Hampshire Muskegon (USHL TBL 2021
29
Joseph Cipollone Senior
F 5' 8" (1.73 m)
180 lb (82 kg)
1997-03-29
Purchase, New York Boston Jr. Bruins (NCDC )—
31
Mike Robinson Senior
G 6' 4" (1.93 m)
202 lb (92 kg)
1997-03-27
Bedford, New Hampshire Springfield (NAHL SJS 2015
35
Rafe Gaughan Freshman
G 6' 1" (1.85 m)
185 lb (84 kg)
2000-02-11
Somersworth, New Hampshire Northeast (NA3HL —
41
David Fessenden Junior
G 6' 6" (1.98 m)
230 lb (104 kg)
1998-04-30
Parker, Colorado Alabama–Huntsville (WCHA —
Standings
Schedule and results
Date
Time
Opponent#
Rank#
Site
TV
Decision
Result
Attendance
Record
Regular Season
October 8
7:00 PM
Union *
Whittemore Center • Durham , New Hampshire
Robinson
W 4–1 3,409
1–0–0
October 9
7:00 PM
Union *
Whittemore Center • Durham , New Hampshire
Robinson
W 3–2 3,273
2–0–0
October 15
9:05 PM
at Arizona State *
Oceanside Ice Arena • Tempe , Arizona
Forman
L 1–5 698
2–1–0
October 16
6:05 PM
at Arizona State *
Oceanside Ice Arena • Tempe , Arizona
Robinson
L 1–5 915
2–2–0
October 24
5:00 PM
#12 Providence
Whittemore Center • Durham , New Hampshire
Robinson
L 0–2 3,458
2–3–0 (0–1–0)
October 29
7:00 PM
at #8 Providence
Schneider Arena • Providence , Rhode Island NESN+
Robinson
L 1–6 2,227
2–4–0 (0–2–0)
October 30
7:00 PM
#8 Providence
Whittemore Center • Durham , New Hampshire
Fessenden
W 2–1 OT
3,134
3–4–0 (1–2–0)
November 5
7:00 PM
Northeastern
Whittemore Center • Durham , New Hampshire NESN+
Fessenden
L 1–4 4,063
3–5–0 (1–3–0)
November 6
7:00 PM
at Northeastern
Matthews Arena • Boston , Massachusetts
Robinson
L 1–4 2,352
3–6–0 (1–4–0)
November 12
7:00 PM
Vermont
Whittemore Center • Durham , New Hampshire NESN
Fessenden
W 2–1 3,537
4–6–0 (2–4–0)
November 13
7:00 PM
Vermont
Whittemore Center • Durham , New Hampshire
Fessenden
T 3–3 SOL
3,606
4–6–1 (2–4–1)
November 19
7:00 PM
at #8 Massachusetts
Mullins Center • Amherst , Massachusetts NESN
Fessenden
L 0–3 4,363
4–7–1 (2–5–1)
November 20
7:00 PM
#8 Massachusetts
Whittemore Center • Durham , New Hampshire
Robinson
W 2–1 OT
4,316
5–7–1 (3–5–1)
November 26
7:00 PM
at Harvard *
Bright-Landry Hockey Center • Boston , Massachusetts NESN
Robinson
W 1–0 2,042
6–7–1
November 27
7:00 PM
Holy Cross *
Whittemore Center • Durham , New Hampshire NESN
Robinson
W 3–2 OT
2,919
7–7–1
December 3
7:30 PM
at Boston University
Agganis Arena • Boston , Massachusetts
Robinson
L 1–3 3,123
7–8–1 (3–6–1)
December 4
7:00 PM
Boston University
Whittemore Center • Durham , New Hampshire
Robinson
L 1–2 OT
5,021
7–9–1 (3–7–1)
Ledyard Bank Classic
December 30
7:30 PM
at Dartmouth *
Thompson Arena • Hanover , New Hampshire (Ledyard Bank Semifinal)NESN
Fessenden
L 1–3 178
7–10–1
December 31
4:00 PM
vs. Mercyhurst *
Thompson Arena • Hanover , New Hampshire (Ledyard Bank Consolation Game)
Robinson
W 7–1 48
8–10–1
January 8
7:00 PM
Clarkson *
Whittemore Center • Durham , New Hampshire
Robinson
W 5–1 3,213
9–10–1
January 14
7:00 PM
#20 Boston College
Whittemore Center • Durham , New Hampshire NESN
Robinson
W 3–2 4,873
10–10–1 (4–7–1)
January 15
7:00 PM
at #20 Boston College
Conte Forum • Chestnut Hill , Massachusetts
Robinson
W 5–2 3,408
11–10–1 (5–7–1)
January 21
7:05 PM
at Connecticut
XL Center • Hartford , Connecticut
Robinson
W 3–1 2,928
12–10–1 (6–7–1)
January 22
4:05 PM
at Connecticut
XL Center • Hartford , Connecticut NESN+
Robinson
L 2–3 OT
3,855
12–11–1 (6–8–1)
February 4
7:00 PM
at Merrimack
J. Thom Lawler Rink • North Andover , Massachusetts
Robinson
L 2–5 2,177
12–12–1 (6–9–1)
February 5
7:30 PM
at Connecticut
Whittemore Center • Durham , New Hampshire
Robinson
L 1–6 5,574
12–13–1 (6–10–1)
February 11
7:00 PM
at Vermont
Gutterson Fieldhouse • Burlington , Vermont
Robinson
L 0–3 2,672
12–14–1 (6–11–1)
February 13
2:00 PM
#13 Massachusetts Lowell
Whittemore Center • Durham , New Hampshire
Robinson
W 3–0 3,870
13–14–1 (7–11–1)
February 18
7:30 PM
at Maine
Alfond Arena • Orono , Maine NESN
Robinson
L 3–6 4,670
13–15–1 (7–12–1)
February 19
7:00 PM
at Maine
Alfond Arena • Orono , Maine
Robinson
W 5–2 4,985
14–15–1 (8–12–1)
February 26
7:00 PM
Merrimack
Whittemore Center • Durham , New Hampshire
Robinson
L 3–4 5,348
14–16–1 (8–13–1)
March 4
7:00 PM
#16 Massachusetts Lowell
Whittemore Center • Durham , New Hampshire
Robinson
L 3–6 6,003
14–17–1 (8–14–1)
March 5
6:00 PM
at #16 Massachusetts Lowell
Tsongas Center • Lowell , Massachusetts
Fessenden
L 0–1 6,234
14–18–1 (8–16–1)
Hockey East Tournament
March 9
7:00 PM
at Boston College *
Conte Forum • Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts (Opening Round)
Robinson
L 3–4 OT
1,125
14–19–1
*Non-conference game. # Rankings from USCHO.com Poll . All times are in Eastern Time . [ 2]
Scoring statistics
Name
Position
Games
Goals
Assists
Points
PIM
Tyler Ward LW 34
11
16
27 4
Jackson Pierson F 34
12
12
24 8
Filip Engarås C 33
7
14
21 16
Liam Devlin F 34
9
7
16 35
Colton Huard D 28
6
10
16 6
Robert Cronin F 30
7
5
12 16
Kalle Eriksson D 32
0
12
12 12
Luke Reid D 34
3
5
8 18
Harrison Blaisdell C 25
2
6
8 6
Joe Cipollone C 30
2
6
8 0
Eric MacAdams RW 33
1
7
8 42
Alex Gagne D 33
1
7
8 16
Nick Cafarelli F 15
3
4
7 6
Ryan Verrier D 24
1
6
7 28
Will MacKinnon D 27
1
5
6 12
Nikolai Jenson D 30
1
5
6 18
Chase Stevenson F 33
4
1
5 16
Will Margel C /W 18
1
3
4 6
Eric Esposito LW 30
3
0
3 14
Cam Gendron F 19
1
1
2 14
Lucas Herrmann F 24
0
1
1 8
Jeremy Forman G 1
0
0
0 0
Alec Semandel D 1
0
0
0 0
Raphael Gaughan G 1
0
0
0 0
Jake Moniz G 1
0
0
0 0
Joe Hankinson F 1
0
0
0 0
Drew Hickey D 7
0
0
0 0
David Fessenden G 9
0
0
0 0
Carsen Richels LW 13
0
0
0 0
Connor Sweeney F 22
0
0
0 2
Mike Robinson G 27
0
0
0 15
Total
76
133
209
318
[ 3]
Goaltending statistics
Name
Games
Minutes
Wins
Losses
Ties
Goals Against
Saves
Shut Outs
SV % GAA
Raphael Gaughan 1
0:53
0
0
0
0
1
0
1.000
0.00
Jake Moniz 1
0:36
0
0
0
0
2
0
1.000
0.00
David Fessenden 9
492
2
4
1
18
180
0
.909
2.19
Mike Robinson 27
1513
12
14
0
66
618
2
.904
2.62
Jeremy Forman 1
34
0
1
0
4
13
0
.765
7.08
Empty Net
-
21
-
-
-
7
-
-
-
-
Total
34
2064
14
19
1
95
814
2
.895
2.76
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
22
23
24
25 (Final)
USCHO.com
NR
NR
NR
NR
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
NR
NR
NR
NR
Note: USCHO did not release a poll in week 24. [ 4]
Players drafted into the NHL
† incoming freshman
[ 5]
Awards and honors
References
Formerly the New Hampshire Bulls
Playing venues Head coaches Seasons Conference affiliations Rivalries All-time leaders Frozen Four appearances NCAA Tournament appearances Conference Tournament titles Hobey Baker winners
