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College Hockey: Change in store for battle of NH
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THAT'S ONE.
The University of New Hampshire hockey team will try to stretch that Wednesday night victory to a winning streak against Dartmouth College on Saturday night in the Battle for the RiverStone Cup at Verizon Wireless Arena.
It's a RiverStone that's headed for a one-year-respite.
UNH and Dartmouth will not play in Manchester next season. The Wildcats are going to Dartmouth's Ledyard National Bank Classic over New Year's instead and the teams will meet in the first round of that tournament in Hanover.
“We had talked about playing in a tournament and it's been a long time since we had played at Dartmouth's,” said Steve Metcalf, UNH's deputy director of athletics.
The Wildcats plan to play Hockey East rival Merrimack at the Verizon next January instead.
“That made sense,” Metcalf said. “We think it will be a good draw. We were due to play a home and home series with them. We'll go to Merrimack on Friday and play at the Verizon on Saturday.”
UNH is scheduled to again host the NCAA Northeast Regional at the Verizon in March of 2013.
The Wildcats and Big Green plan to resume their Verizon clash in 2014.
On Wednesday, UNH senior Stevie Moses provided the only goal the defense and goalie Casey DeSmith, a freshman from Rochester, required for a 1-0 triumph at Providence College.
The Wildcats snapped an ugly five-game losing streak with the win and, for the moment at least, climbed a couple of spots in the Hockey East standings.
“We needed to win a hockey game,” said UNH coach Dick Umile. “We hadn't won on the road and we put that thing to rest. It was desperation for us, to be quite honest. We needed to play well.”
DeSmith stopped all 28 Providence shots for not only his first collegiate shutout, but his first collegiate win.
The Friars played their first game without leading goal scorer Tim Schaller, a junior from Merrimack. Providence announced that Schaller, who has scored 10 goals to go with four assists, will be out indefinitely with mononucleosis.
UNH improved to 7-11-2 overall and 5-8-1 in Hockey East and moved one point past Massachusetts and Northeastern into seventh place with its win.
Dartmouth brings a 7-6-2 overall record and 4-4-1 mark in the ECAC into the Verizon. The Big Green beat Rensselaer, 4-3, on Friday night, but lost to Union, 7-1, on Saturday.
“Union played really well,” said Dartmouth coach Bob Gaudet. “Some of it was self-inflicted, but they played a great game.”
Union scored four goals on six power-play chances.
Three goalies have started at least two games each for Dartmouth this season and Gaudet said he might go with either senior Jody O'Neill or James Mello or sophomore Cab Morris on Saturday night.
Morris had been getting most of the recent action, but was pulled in favor of O'Neill early in the second period against Union. He gave up five goals on 22 shots.
Junior forward Dustin Walsh, who has missed seven games but still ranks among Dartmouth's leading scorers, is expected to miss the game. He returned to the lineup for Dartmouth's holiday tournament, but was hurt again against RPI. Gaudet hopes to have him back within a couple of weeks.
THE ST. ANSELM MEN, 5-3-2 overall and unbeaten in their last four games, play Southern Maine, 5-5-2, at home tonight at 7 and the University of New England, 3-6-2, on Saturday at 4.
USM and UNE both have coaches with New Hampshire ties. Southern Maine coach Jeff Beaney is a 1982 graduate of New England College and is in his 25th season with the Huskies.
UNE's Brad Holt is the son of legendary UNH coach Charlie Holt and graduated from UNH in 1979.
Holt's team plays at New England College, 7-5-0, tonight at 7. USM is at NEC on Saturday at 4.
The St. Anselm women, 9-4-0 and on a three-game winning streak, play UMass-Boston on Saturday at home at 1 p.m.
THE UNH WOMEN, 6-13-3 overall and 0-7-2 in Hockey East, look for their first league win at home against UConn this weekend.
The teams play tonight at 7 and on Saturday at 4 at the Whittemore Center.
THE DARTMOUTH WOMEN, 9-5-2 overall and 5-3-2 in the ECAC, are coming off a 3-2 Frozen Fenway win over Providence on Tuesday and play their next four games at home. They meet RPI tonight at 7 and Union on Saturday at 4.
Allen Lessels covers UNH athletics for the New Hampshire Union Leader and Sunday News. He may be reached at alessels@unionleader.com.
The University of New Hampshire hockey team will try to stretch that Wednesday night victory to a winning streak against Dartmouth College on Saturday night in the Battle for the RiverStone Cup at Verizon Wireless Arena.
It's a RiverStone that's headed for a one-year-respite.
UNH and Dartmouth will not play in Manchester next season. The Wildcats are going to Dartmouth's Ledyard National Bank Classic over New Year's instead and the teams will meet in the first round of that tournament in Hanover.
“We had talked about playing in a tournament and it's been a long time since we had played at Dartmouth's,” said Steve Metcalf, UNH's deputy director of athletics.
The Wildcats plan to play Hockey East rival Merrimack at the Verizon next January instead.
“That made sense,” Metcalf said. “We think it will be a good draw. We were due to play a home and home series with them. We'll go to Merrimack on Friday and play at the Verizon on Saturday.”
UNH is scheduled to again host the NCAA Northeast Regional at the Verizon in March of 2013.
The Wildcats and Big Green plan to resume their Verizon clash in 2014.
On Wednesday, UNH senior Stevie Moses provided the only goal the defense and goalie Casey DeSmith, a freshman from Rochester, required for a 1-0 triumph at Providence College.
The Wildcats snapped an ugly five-game losing streak with the win and, for the moment at least, climbed a couple of spots in the Hockey East standings.
“We needed to win a hockey game,” said UNH coach Dick Umile. “We hadn't won on the road and we put that thing to rest. It was desperation for us, to be quite honest. We needed to play well.”
DeSmith stopped all 28 Providence shots for not only his first collegiate shutout, but his first collegiate win.
The Friars played their first game without leading goal scorer Tim Schaller, a junior from Merrimack. Providence announced that Schaller, who has scored 10 goals to go with four assists, will be out indefinitely with mononucleosis.
UNH improved to 7-11-2 overall and 5-8-1 in Hockey East and moved one point past Massachusetts and Northeastern into seventh place with its win.
Dartmouth brings a 7-6-2 overall record and 4-4-1 mark in the ECAC into the Verizon. The Big Green beat Rensselaer, 4-3, on Friday night, but lost to Union, 7-1, on Saturday.
“Union played really well,” said Dartmouth coach Bob Gaudet. “Some of it was self-inflicted, but they played a great game.”
Union scored four goals on six power-play chances.
Three goalies have started at least two games each for Dartmouth this season and Gaudet said he might go with either senior Jody O'Neill or James Mello or sophomore Cab Morris on Saturday night.
Morris had been getting most of the recent action, but was pulled in favor of O'Neill early in the second period against Union. He gave up five goals on 22 shots.
Junior forward Dustin Walsh, who has missed seven games but still ranks among Dartmouth's leading scorers, is expected to miss the game. He returned to the lineup for Dartmouth's holiday tournament, but was hurt again against RPI. Gaudet hopes to have him back within a couple of weeks.
- - - - - - - -
THE ST. ANSELM MEN, 5-3-2 overall and unbeaten in their last four games, play Southern Maine, 5-5-2, at home tonight at 7 and the University of New England, 3-6-2, on Saturday at 4.
USM and UNE both have coaches with New Hampshire ties. Southern Maine coach Jeff Beaney is a 1982 graduate of New England College and is in his 25th season with the Huskies.
UNE's Brad Holt is the son of legendary UNH coach Charlie Holt and graduated from UNH in 1979.
Holt's team plays at New England College, 7-5-0, tonight at 7. USM is at NEC on Saturday at 4.
The St. Anselm women, 9-4-0 and on a three-game winning streak, play UMass-Boston on Saturday at home at 1 p.m.
- - - - - - - -
THE UNH WOMEN, 6-13-3 overall and 0-7-2 in Hockey East, look for their first league win at home against UConn this weekend.
The teams play tonight at 7 and on Saturday at 4 at the Whittemore Center.
- - - - - - - -
THE DARTMOUTH WOMEN, 9-5-2 overall and 5-3-2 in the ECAC, are coming off a 3-2 Frozen Fenway win over Providence on Tuesday and play their next four games at home. They meet RPI tonight at 7 and Union on Saturday at 4.
Allen Lessels covers UNH athletics for the New Hampshire Union Leader and Sunday News. He may be reached at alessels@unionleader.com.
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