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2023–24 New Hampshire Wildcats men's ice hockey season

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2023–24 New Hampshire Wildcats
men's ice hockey season
ConferenceT–5th Hockey East
Home iceWhittemore Center
Rankings
USCHO#20
USA Hockey#19
Record
Overall20–15–1
Conference12–11–1
Home14–4–1
Road6–11–0
Coaches and captains
Head coachMike Souza
Assistant coachesGlenn Stewart
Jeff Giuliano
CaptainAlex Gagne
Alternate captain(s)Harrison Blaisdell
Nikolai Jenson
New Hampshire Wildcats men's ice hockey seasons
« 2022–23 2024–25 »

The 2023–24 New Hampshire Wildcats Men's ice hockey season was the 98th season of play for the program and the 40th in Hockey East. The Wildcats represented the University of New Hampshire, played their home games at the Whittemore Center and were coached by Mike Souza in his 6th season.

Season

[edit]

Hoping to continue their strong play from the end of the previous season, New Hampshire began the year with a tough slate by facing preseason #1 Boston University in the opener. Surprisingly, the Wildcats outscored the Terriers and planted their flag early in the year. UNH then earned a split with the defensing national champions, Quinnipiac, but not everything was looking good. Tyler Muszelik had been in goal for all three games and allowed 4 goals in each. Even so, the team was set to continue with the sophomore netminder in goal but he was knocked out of the lineup with a lower body injury in the third week of the season.[1]

Transfer Jakob Hellsten took over in goal and the goaltending results improved immediately. Over the next four games, hardly allowed a goal, albeit against weaker opposition. Hellsten played so well that when Muszelik had recovered the two goalies had to share the crease. This situation only made the difference between the two more stark as Hellsten swiftly proved to be the better of the two. In the meantime, New Hampshire's offense continued to score at an impressive rate. The Wildcats scored at least 3 goals in eight of their first thirteen games and entered the break in a prime position to finally end their NCAA tournament drought.

After the winter break, Muszelik had the worst game of his career, allowing 5 goals on 13 shots against Army. While the Wildcats were good enough at the time to absorb the loss, it was the last real opportunity for Muszelik in goal and Hellsten would start all but one game for the rest of the season. The UNH defense did a good job insulating their goaltender as the Wildcats were the #3 team in the nation in shots allowed (23.5 per game).[2] That assistance helped Hellsten's efforts to keep the puck out of the net, however, the Wildcats began experiencing other troubles.

The offense that had carried the team in the first half of the year suddenly found it difficult to score consistently. UNH squandered several chances to win games by failing to score and went .500 over their final 14 games. Though the team was not helped by that middling stretch, New Hampshire was saved due to the fact that the Hockey East was the top-ranked league in college hockey that year. Even with their up and down play, the Wildcats remained in the top-20 by season's end and still had a small chance at earning an at-large bid.

With UNH starting in the first round of the conference tournament, the team would need to at least make the semifinal round if not the conference championship game to make the tournament. As the 6th seed, the Wildcats opened against last-place Massachusetts Lowell. Hellsten set a new program record by posting his third consecutive shutout which, coincidentally, all came against the River Hawks. The offense was barely visible in the match but New Hampshire would have to hope that that was a one-off and the scoring would return in the quarterfinals. Unfortunately, the trend continued and their long-time rival Maine was more than happy to take advantage. The Wildcats only managed to muster 18 shots on goal and none of them found the back of the net. To make matters worse, UNH was whistled for five penalties in the game and the two power play goals from the Black Bears were more than enough to end New Hampshire's season.[3]

Departures

[edit]
Player Position Nationality Cause
Ryan BlackForward United StatesGraduation (retired)
Damien CarfagnaDefenseman United StatesTransferred to Ohio State
Nico DeVitaDefenseman United StatesTransferred to Ferris State
Jake DunlapForward United StatesTransferred to Ohio State
Kalle ErikssonDefenseman SwedenGraduation (signed with Almtuna IS)
David FessendenGoaltender United StatesGraduate transfer to Canisius
Joe HankinsonForward United StatesGraduation (retired)
Will MargelForward United StatesTransferred to Mercyhurst
Cade PenneyDefenseman CanadaLeft program (retired)
Chase StevensonForward CanadaGraduation (retired)

Recruiting

[edit]
Player Position Nationality Age Notes
Ryan ConmyForward United States18Alexandria, VA; selected 182nd overall in 2023
Brendan FitzgeraldDefenseman United States20North Reading, MA
Zach HahnDefenseman United States21Huntington, NY
Jakob HellstenGoaltender Sweden23Ljusdal, SWE; transfer from North Dakota
Marty LaviņšForward Latvia20Riga, LAT
Luis LindnerDefenseman/Forward Austria22Spittal an der Drau, AUT; transfer from American International
Nick RingForward United States19Hingham, MA
Jason SiedemForward United States20Madison, NJ
J. P. TurnerForward United States20East Falmouth, MA
Ronan WalshForward United States21Andover, NH

Roster

[edit]

As of July 10, 2023.[4]

No. Nat. Player Class Pos Height Weight DoB Hometown Previous team NHL rights
1 United States Jeremy Forman Senior G 5' 10" (1.78 m) 150 lb (68 kg) 1999-09-22 Northbrook, Illinois Corpus Christi IceRays (NAHL)
2 United States Jack Babbage Junior D 6' 1" (1.85 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 2000-08-30 Tully, New York Quinnipiac (ECAC)
3 United States Conor Lovett Junior F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 2001-04-07 Franklin, Massachusetts Cedar Rapids RoughRiders (USHL)
5 United States Zach Hahn Freshman D 6' 2" (1.88 m) 205 lb (93 kg) 2002-08-06 Huntington, New York P.A.L. Jr. Islanders (NCDC)
6 Latvia Marty Laviņš Freshman F 6' 1" (1.85 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 2003-04-10 Riga, Latvia Cedar Rapids RoughRiders (USHL)
7 Russia Stiven Sardarian Sophomore F 6' 1" (1.85 m) 170 lb (77 kg) 2003-02-07 Saint Petersburg, Russia Youngstown Phantoms (USHL) BUF, 88th overall 2021
8 United States Nikolai Jenson (A) Senior D 5' 11" (1.8 m) 193 lb (88 kg) 2000-07-28 Cold Spring, Minnesota Youngstown Phantoms (USHL)
9 United States Connor Sweeney Junior F 6' 2" (1.88 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 2000-05-05 North Andover, Massachusetts Islanders Hockey Club (NCDC)
10 United States Ronan Walsh Freshman F 6' 4" (1.93 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 2002-05-03 Andover, New Hampshire Amarillo Wranglers (NAHL)
12 United States Liam Devlin Junior F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 192 lb (87 kg) 2001-01-07 Needham, Massachusetts Omaha Lancers (USHL)
13 United States Nick Cafarelli Senior F 5' 10" (1.78 m) 182 lb (83 kg) 2001-12-31 Middleton, Massachusetts Wenatchee Wild (BCHL)
15 Austria Luis Lindner Junior D 5' 11" (1.8 m) 170 lb (77 kg) 2001-05-16 Spittal an der Drau, Austria American International (AHA)
16 Canada Luke Reid Senior D 6' 0" (1.83 m) 192 lb (87 kg) 2001-09-26 Warman, Saskatchewan Chicago Steel (USHL) NSH, 166th overall 2020
17 Latvia Kristaps Skrastiņš Sophomore F 5' 10" (1.78 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 2001-11-20 Grobiņa, Latvia Amarillo Wranglers (NAHL)
18 Canada Harrison Blaisdell (A) Senior F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 2001-03-18 Regina, Saskatchewan North Dakota (NCHC) WPG, 134th overall 2019
19 United States Brendan Fitzgerald Freshman D 6' 0" (1.83 m) 165 lb (75 kg) 2003-03-06 North Reading, Massachusetts Cedar Rapids RoughRiders (USHL)
20 United States Colton Huard Junior D 6' 3" (1.91 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 2000-11-27 Foothill Ranch, California Chicago Steel (USHL)
21 United States Cam Gendron Senior D 6' 3" (1.91 m) 181 lb (82 kg) 1999-02-05 Hampstead, New Hampshire New Jersey Titans (NAHL)
22 United States J. P. Turner Freshman F 6' 0" (1.83 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 2003-01-31 East Falmouth, Massachusetts Fargo Force (USHL)
23 United States Jason Siedem Freshman F 5' 10" (1.78 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 2002-10-17 Madison, New Jersey Blackfalds Bulldogs (AJHL)
24 United States Robert Cronin Junior F 5' 10" (1.78 m) 187 lb (85 kg) 2000-08-15 Plymouth, Massachusetts Dubuque Fighting Saints (USHL)
25 United States Nick Ring Freshman F 5' 10" (1.78 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 2003-10-26 Abington, Massachusetts Sioux Falls Stampede (USHL)
26 United States Morgan Winters Sophomore F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 165 lb (75 kg) 2001-12-08 Osprey, Florida Omaha Lancers (USHL)
28 United States Alex Gagne (C) Junior D 6' 4" (1.93 m) 207 lb (94 kg) 2002-08-12 Bedford, New Hampshire Muskegon Lumberjacks (USHL) TBL, 192nd overall 2021
29 United States Cy LeClerc Sophomore F 5' 9" (1.75 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 2002-08-17 Brentwood, New Hampshire Janesville Jets (NAHL)
30 United States Tyler Muszelik Sophomore G 6' 3" (1.91 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 2004-07-01 Long Valley, New Jersey NTDP (USHL) FLA, 189th overall 2022
35 United States Rafe Gaughan Senior G 6' 1" (1.85 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 2000-02-11 Somersworth, New Hampshire Northeast Generals (NA3HL)
36 United States Ryan Conmy Freshman F 5' 10" (1.78 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 2004-10-23 Alexandria, Virginia Sioux City Musketeers (USHL) LAK, 182nd overall 2023
37 Sweden Jakob Hellsten Junior G 6' 0" (1.83 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 2000-02-02 Ljusdal, Sweden North Dakota (NCHC)

Standings

[edit]
Conference record Overall record
GP W L T OTW OTL SW PTS GF GA GP W L T GF GA
#2 Boston College †*242031101611055641346118389
#3 Boston University2418421115710453402810216397
#10 Maine241491010447667372312211994
#16 Providence241194312376658351813410083
#13 Massachusetts24121024203657623720143108105
#20 New Hampshire2412111100366956362015110690
Northeastern249141130306571361716311397
Connecticut249141111294977361519290105
Vermont247143103265281351319387106
Merrimack246171011216285351321198114
Massachusetts Lowell24417314018397836824472113
Championship: March 23, 2024
† indicates regular season champion
* indicates conference tournament champion (Lamoriello Trophy)
Rankings: USCHO Division I Men's Poll

Schedule and results

[edit]
DateTimeOpponent#Rank#SiteTVDecisionResultAttendanceRecord
Exhibition
October 7 5:00 pm vs. Maine* Jack Kelley RinkWaterville, Maine (Rivalry, Exhibition)ESPN+ Hellsten L 2–3  1,452
Regular Season
October 13 7:00 pm #1 Boston University Whittemore CenterDurham, New HampshireESPN+, NESN Muszelik W 6–4  6,070 1–0–0 (1–0–0)
October 20 7:00 pm #4 Quinnipiac* Whittemore CenterDurham, New HampshireESPN+ Muszelik L 2–5  5,689 1–1–0
October 21 7:00 pm #4 Quinnipiac* Whittemore CenterDurham, New HampshireESPN+, NESN Muszelik W 5–4 OT 5,169 2–1–0
October 26 7:00 pm #18 Northeastern Whittemore CenterDurham, New HampshireESPN+ Hellsten W 4–1  3,613 3–1–0 (2–0–0)
October 28 7:00 pm Dartmouth* Whittemore CenterDurham, New Hampshire (Rivalry)ESPN+ Hellsten W 3–1  4,258 4–1–0
November 3 7:00 pm #7 Providence #15 Whittemore CenterDurham, New HampshireESPN+ Hellsten T 1–1 SOL 6,501 4–1–1 (2–0–1)
November 4 7:00 pm at #7 Providence #15 Schneider ArenaProvidence, Rhode IslandESPN+ Hellsten L 0–2  2,850 4–2–1 (2–1–1)
November 17 7:00 pm at Northeastern #13 Matthews ArenaBoston, MassachusettsESPN+ Muszelik W 4–2  2,612 5–2–1 (3–1–1)
November 18 7:00 pm Northeastern #13 Whittemore CenterDurham, New HampshireESPN+ Hellsten W 4–0  6,010 6–2–1 (4–1–1)
November 24 7:00 pm at #20 RIT* #12 Gene Polisseni CenterHenrietta, New YorkFloHockey, NESN Muszelik L 4–5  2,365 6–3–1
November 25 5:00 pm at #20 RIT* #12 Gene Polisseni CenterHenrietta, New YorkFloHockey, NESN Hellsten W 4–3 OT 2,610 7–3–1
December 1 7:00 pm at #11 Maine #15 Alfond ArenaOrono, Maine (Rivalry)ESPN+ Hellsten L 2–5  5,043 7–4–1 (4–2–1)
December 9 4:00 pm Rensselaer* #16 Whittemore CenterDurham, New HampshireESPN+ Muszelik W 1–0  5,299 8–4–1
December 29 7:00 pm at Army* #16 Tate RinkWest Point, New YorkFloHockey Muszelik L 3–6  2,610 8–5–1
December 30 7:00 pm at Sacred Heart* #16 Martire Family ArenaFairfield, ConnecticutFloHockey Hellsten W 6–2  3,368 9–5–1
January 5 7:00 pm Princeton* #17 Whittemore CenterDurham, New HampshireESPN+ Hellsten W 5–2  4,190 10–5–1
January 6 4:00 pm Princeton* #17 Whittemore CenterDurham, New HampshireESPN+ Hellsten W 3–1  4,449 11–5–1
January 13 6:00 pm at #2 Boston University #16 Agganis ArenaBoston, MassachusettsESPN+ Hellsten L 0–3  5,359 11–6–1 (4–3–1)
January 19 7:00 pm at Connecticut #17 Toscano Family Ice ForumStorrs, ConnecticutESPN+, NESN Hellsten W 5–0  2,691 12–6–1 (5–3–1)
January 21 4:00 pm Connecticut #17 Whittemore CenterDurham, New HampshireESPN+, NESN Hellsten L 1–2  5,482 12–7–1 (5–4–1)
January 26 7:00 pm at Vermont #17 Gutterson FieldhouseBurlington, VermontESPN+ Hellsten L 1–2  2,604 12–8–1 (5–5–1)
January 27 7:00 pm at Vermont #17 Gutterson FieldhouseBurlington, VermontESPN+ Muszelik W 6–3  3,150 13–8–1 (6–5–1)
February 2 7:00 pm #3 Boston University #18 Whittemore CenterDurham, New HampshireESPN+ Hellsten L 3–6  6,501 13–9–1 (6–6–1)
February 3 7:00 pm Merrimack #18 Whittemore CenterDurham, New HampshireESPN+ Hellsten W 3–1  5,080 14–9–1 (7–6–1)
February 9 7:00 pm at #1 Boston College #17 Conte ForumChestnut Hill, MassachusettsESPN+ Hellsten L 1–6  6,608 14–10–1 (7–7–1)
February 10 7:00 pm at Merrimack #17 J. Thom Lawler RinkNorth Andover, MassachusettsESPN+ Hellsten L 1–3  2,639 14–11–1 (7–8–1)
February 16 7:00 pm #7 Maine #19 Whittemore CenterDurham, New Hampshire (Rivalry)ESPN+, NESN Hellsten W 6–2  6,501 15–11–1 (8–8–1)
February 17 7:00 pm #7 Maine #19 Whittemore CenterDurham, New Hampshire (Rivalry)ESPN+ Hellsten W 5–2  6,501 16–11–1 (9–8–1)
February 23 7:00 pm at #14 Massachusetts #16 Mullins CenterAmherst, MassachusettsESPN+ Hellsten L 2–3  6,089 16–12–1 (9–9–1)
February 24 7:00 pm #14 Massachusetts #16 Whittemore CenterDurham, New HampshireESPN+ Hellsten W 3–2 OT 6,085 17–12–1 (10–9–1)
March 1 7:00 pm #1 Boston College #17 Whittemore CenterDurham, New HampshireESPN+ Hellsten L 3–5  6,501 17–13–1 (10–10–1)
March 3 5:00 pm at #1 Boston College #17 Conte ForumChestnut Hill, MassachusettsESPN+ Hellsten L 0–1  5,402 17–14–1 (10–11–1)
March 8 7:15 pm at Massachusetts Lowell #18 Tsongas CenterLowell, MassachusettsESPN+, NESN Hellsten W 4–0  4,986 18–14–1 (11–11–1)
March 9 7:00 pm Massachusetts Lowell #18 Whittemore CenterDurham, New HampshireESPN+, NESN Hellsten W 4–0  5,885 19–14–1 (12–11–1)
Hockey East Tournament
March 13 7:00 pm Massachusetts Lowell* #17 Whittemore CenterDurham, New Hampshire (Opening Round)ESPN+, NESN Hellsten W 1–0  4,032 20–14–1
March 16 7:00 pm at #8 Maine* #17 Alfond ArenaOrono, Maine (Quarterfinal, Rivalry)ESPN+ Hellsten L 0–5  5,043 20–15–1
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from USCHO.com Poll. All times are in Eastern Time.
Source:[5]

Scoring statistics

[edit]
Name Position Games Goals Assists Points PIM
Ryan ConmyRW3414173114
Cy LeClercF3610182817
Morgan WintersF3310122219
Colton HuardD365172216
Liam DevlinF281372037
Robert CroninF334121614
Luke ReidD361151618
Harrison BlaisdellC321131424
Stiven SardarianC/RW32771412
Marty LaviņšC3559146
Alex GagneD361131424
Kristaps SkrastiņšC3557124
Nick CafarelliF28651141
J. P. TurnerC24461021
Nick RingF3428106
Luis LindnerD/F36010102
Nikolai JensonD3545912
Jack BabbageD151450
Brendan FitzgeraldD2805544
Connor SweeneyF320448
Cam GendronF101232
Conor LovettF201230
Jason SiedemF81010
Jeremy FormanG10000
Zach HahnD10000
Tyler MuszelikG80000
Jakob HellstenG280000
Total106188294349

[6]

Goaltending statistics

[edit]
Name Games Minutes Wins Losses Ties Goals Against Saves Shut Outs SV % GAA
Jakob Hellsten281675:1115121575705.9092.04
Tyler Muszelik8478:27330271871.8743.38
Empty Net-21:04---6----
Total362174:5720151907576.8942.48

Rankings

[edit]
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 26 (Final)
USCHO.com NR NR NR NR 15 14т 13 12 15 16 16 17 16 17 17 18 17 19 16 17 18 17 19 19 20
USA Hockey NR NR NR NR 16 15 13 10 14 16 16 16 16 17 16 17 17 19 17 17 18 17 18 19 19 19

Note: USCHO did not release a poll in weeks 11 or 25.[7]
Note: USA Hockey did not release a poll in week 12.

Awards and honors

[edit]
Player Award Ref
Alex Gagne Hockey East Third Team [8]

References

[edit]
  1. "UNH hockey: Emergence of transfer Hellsten provides Wildcats with boost". New Hampshire Union Leader. November 1, 2023. Retrieved May 7, 2024.
  2. "2023-24 National Team Statistics". College Hockey Inc. Retrieved May 7, 2024.
  3. "Maine vs UNH Hockey East Quarterfinals Game Highlights 2024-03-16". YouTube. Retrieved May 7, 2024.
  4. "2022–23 Men's Ice Hockey Roster". UNH Wildcats. Retrieved June 24, 2018.
  5. "2023-24 Men's Ice Hockey Schedule". New Hampshire Wildcats. Retrieved August 18, 2023.
  6. "Univ. of New Hampshire 2023-2024 Skater Stats". Elite Prospects. Retrieved March 7, 2020.
  7. "USCHO Division I Men's Poll". USCHO.com. Retrieved November 26, 2019.
  8. "HOCKEY EAST NAMES 2023-24 MEN'S ALL-STAR TEAMS". Hockey East. March 15, 2024. Retrieved March 18, 2024.