Hanging on the wall of the UNH Men's Hockey locker room is a board, a board with their next opponent's name written on it. Right now it reads Merrimack College, and according to the Wildcats, that's all they are focused on.
After winning the Hockey East regular season last weekend, the Wildcats' mentality going into the final four games of the regular season is to take them one at a time
"[Merrimack] is our next opponent and we want to win," said UNH Head Coach Dick Umile. "We play every game to win. We are taking it one game at a time. That is what got us here."
No matter how the final four games play out, the Wildcats are guaranteed to finish number one in the division. Many teams in the Wildcats' position would choose to take the opportunity to rest certain players. However, according to Umile, the Wildcats are not going to change anything.
"You can rest people and kind of lose it," said Umile. "I don't think that you should change the pace that you play at or work at. You do what you do and continue to play."
After the way his team has been playing recently, it makes sense for Umile to leave things the way they are. The Wildcats are currently riding a nine-game unbeaten streak with a record of 8-0-1 dating back to January 25. The team has yet to lose in its last 13 Hockey East games, and is also boasting an 11-3-1 record on the road this season including a current nine-game road unbeaten streak.
However, Wildcats senior d efenseman Craig Switzer said that this upcoming weekend against Merrimack is going to be the most important weekend for the Wildcats.
"You can not relax against a team like Merrimack," said Switzer. "We still have four games left and they are still important games. We just got to keep going and not change anything and not get too comfortable."
The last time UNH and Merrimack met on the ice was January 6, and the Wildcats came away with a close 1-0 win. Now, the stakes are much different. Although UNH has already clinched the Hockey East, Merrimack, only three points behind of UMASS, is still fighting for the eighth and final playoff spot.
Umile said that the Warriors' style of hockey is going to be much different than what the Wildcats have been seeing recently.
"They play a two man lock system that makes it very difficult for you," said Umile. "They don't let you open the game up."
According to Umile, Merrimack's success starts from its goaltending.
Andrew Braithwaite plays in net for the Warriors. He has an overall record of 8-8-1 this season and he had 89 saves last weekend in two games against Providence College.
However, the Wildcats are very confident in their own goaltender's abilities, as well as the recent play of the entire defense.
Switzer said that the defense has been letting up fewer shots and allowing goaltender Kevin Regan to see most of them.
Umile said that Regan's recent play has been a key factor in the Wildcats success.
"He takes away goals and that is the difference between us and other teams," said Umile. "Where we would put it in, our goaltender does not allow you to have it."
Regan has a chance to tie Scott Clemmensen for most wins in Hockey East history. With four games left Regan (48) is four wins away from the record (52).
The final four games of the season will also have an effect on whether or not the Wildcats finish with the top spot in the nation.
Umile said that he is not worried about where the team finishes nationally, and that he simply wants the team to stay focused and keep playing their game.
"We want to play at the pace and the confidence that we've been playing with and if we do that obviously we can finish high in the national rankings," said Umile.
Switzer said that while the team does think about finishing number one in the national rankings, they are trying not to think about it too much.
"It is in the back of our minds and we don't want to pay too much attention to the rankings," said Switzer. "Right now we are just focusing on Friday night against Merrimack. That's all we can do. We can only control what we can"
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