UNH Gets Pub (Beyond the Blog)

(picture is fromThe Newsies. Myyyyyyyy second favorite musical)

The New Hampshire, UNH's only student run publication, which is circulated to about 5,000 people every Tuesday and Friday, was published yesterday, and to almost everyone's surprise there was an article about the Wildcats win over UCONN on Saturday. This is the very first legitimate outlet that has covered one of our games this season, and hopefully not the last. I'd suggest giving this article a read because unlike the blog you are reading now, it will give you a non-biased and newsworthy representation of the show we put on Saturday afternoon. Pair that with an insightful quote from Evan Flower, and even Yours Truly on the other side the microphone, and you've got quite a story for an industry in its dying days. Quite simply, just another piece of brilliant journalism brought to you by the hardest working students in the hardest major at the University.

A Message From the Honorable Barry Katz

(Actual photo from last year's tailgate)

Many of you have seen the bearded man with the Winnebago that has been one of the most faithful fans both of the Wildcats as well as the blog since he has caught wind of both. Despite providing the boys with everything from pulled pork sandwiches to a wealth of lacrosse knowledge, this man has been there every step of the way. This man is the one, the only Barry Katz. And he has kindly reached out to the only source that UNH Lacrosse fans trust, (here) in order to spread his generosity to other UNH fans that are looking to get the same full experience that he rocks week in and week out.

For every father, brother, sister or friend attending the UNH game tonight, you are cordially invited by UNH Lacrosse to join Barry Katz at Stonehill College tonight, for a little pregame tailage. He will begin the festivities around 6 oclock and you can find him in the parking lot in a big white Winnebago. There will be food, drinks, etc. and everything that you would expect from a legendary tailgater like BK.

That being said, with a little bit more notice, we are also putting together a BBQ for AFTER the BU game on Sunday afternoon. This one will not only be for the fans, but for all of the players as well, being the last regular season home game. Everyone is encouraged to come as it will be a great opportunity to meet all the players and families that you have been dying to talk to all season long. So bring anything from your world famous dessert to a side salad, truly anything will help. If you are the organizational type and would like to email Barry to coordinate something for either game, his email is BKatz@weehours.com. I'll see you all in Easton later tonight.

UNH Runs UCONN, 10-4, With Highlights to Prove It.

As shocking as it may sound, we played UCONN on Saturday, in the rain. That's right, and for those of you counting at home, and for those of you counting that is our 6th rain game of the year, out of only 8 games played in New England. In any event, the Wildcats played top to bottom, some of the best lacrosse we've played since Colorado. Rides, clears, finishes, dodges, and most importantly, goals were all dominated by the home squad. All the highlights from the game can be found in the video above, which was made by our fantastic new camera operator. Though the music is incredibly corny, it's still nice to see all the goals, hits and saves that you missed by being a fair weather fan.

On a more serious note, as many people know, the big game was being played in memoriam of UNH Lacrosse Alumni, Mike Bowen, who recently lost his battle with cancer. Mike has been a part of the 2010 Wildcats since he inspired us before we played Boston University this fall in what would be ultimately be the last UNH game he would be able to watch. Mike is on our minds, on our helmets, on our shooters, and in our hearts, and will surely be watching as we head into the final stretch of the playoffs before conference playoffs come to Durham in two weeks.

Ladies and Gentleman, Your Defensive Coach

My sincerest apologies to Coach Saint, but I really had no other option but to make this gem public for the world to see. No witty comments, no captions, and most importantly no PhotoShop to make this funny. Simply an image to enjoy. Side note: I will probably have to run for this.

What Exactly is CHONE?

(One of many victims to the CHONE)

All around the lacrosse community there are words and phrases that get tossed around in which only the most knowledgeable of lax bros can comprehend what they truly mean. Whether its a greaser, ripping the duck, or twine tickling 101, these combinations of words truly transform one's vocabulary. The newest term to grace the turf of Memorial Field? Chone.

Crafted in the Commonwealth Lacrosse world headquarters in Franklin, MA, chone is as much of a word as it is a lifestyle. I can't take credit for the invention of the word, however, I can take credit for making it a part of everyone's every day to day vocabulary. Pronounced in a way that rhymes with phone or loan; chone is a word that can be used on almost any occassion as nearly any part of speech. It's incredibly versatile, similar to the Mariner's newest utility man, but they are not to be confused.

Chone refers to a rip that snaps the tag directly under the crossbar. It was originally used with the word upper as it's modifier. For example, the first time I heard it in a sentence while shooting on a cage, a wise man said to me "Watch me rip this biscuit upper chone while you're still too busy going side meat patty." (I promise that is an actual, direct, accurate quotation) However, it has developed into its own animal, with people crafting phrases like "Choney", "Chone Darts", "Chonemeiester", or the ever elusive "Chone Zone." Basically, if you are in the chone zone, you will not be stopped, and every shot will be nothing short of a ripper d.

The reaction to ripping chone can be handled one of two ways. If you're the OchoCinco type, you can act out a preemptively drawn up cele, causing a scene but possibly risking a two minute unsportsmanlike penalty. More commonly, you can take the Dan Milano approach and shrug it off, acting like you do it on the reg. The great one's have all done the latter, from Michael Jordan, to Eldrick himself. It's kind of like apologizing for what you just did, yet still having no remorse for the action you just took. I compare the Chone Shrug to when the ever thoughtful Pilgrims invited the Native Americans for the first Thanksgiving. Sorry for slaughtering your entire extended family, but here, have some cranberry sauce, it's legit. You just look in the face of the opponent in disbelief and simply say in a collected voice, "Chone?" And though they will be beyond furious, they will likely nod their heads, respecting a good chone as it happens.

Rarely, and I mean rarely, do long poles get the chance at chone glory. The greats have tried to bring the word into their habits on the barbaric end of the field, and we have welcomed their efforts with open arms, however the perfect remedy has yet to be found. The best thing about chone, see, is that has the ability to transfer between sports, as long as a net is involved. Rip one bar down from outside the 18 in FIFA? Chone. Zdeno Chara scores a power play goal on a slap shot from the blue line that knocks Ryan Miller's water bottle into the stands? Chone. When I watch the below video, and the shot that begins around the :5o second mark, there is really no combination of letters in the English language that describe it better than C-H-O-N-E.

So use it, spread it, embrace it. Because whether you like it or not now, the chone is here to stay and you are going to start hearing it a lot more often. It will slowly sweep the United States of America, and you will have me to thank for the early tip off. If you really can't stand it, may I recommend a little getaway for yourself? I heard there's some really nice beaches off the coast of Ecuador.

Wildcats Ranked #24 by CollegeLax

The following blog post takes place between the hours of 3 and 4 p.m. CTU has been notified that UNH is up one spot from last week in CollegeLax's essentially irrelevant poll. After going 3-0 over the weekend, the 'Cats are faced with two in conference games to decide their place in the PCLL playoffs. 2-0 equals a first round bye, 1-1 equals opening round host, 0-2 means we're traveling for round one and then coming back to Durham for the rest of the playoffs. It's crunch time and Jack Bauer isn't around to bail anyone out in this season. Hopefully we can catch the Twine Flu that has been circling around, and tear these two like an upper left corner.

Cats Knock Off Northeastern, Hold Off URI...What?

In the past five days we have had three games, and went 3-0 nonetheless. More importantly, however, we have proved my hypothesis that the UNH Wildcats are the single strangest team in the MCLA for the 2010 season.

On Friday night down in the Bean, we played Northeastern, one of the perennial powers of the PCLL, and played a great game of lacrosse despite the monsoon conditions over Malden Catholic High School. Our game plan was tight, every one knew what to do, and we simply when out and executed. With a 6-6 halftime score, we once again proved the "second-half" team stigma, and outscored the Huskies 5-1 in third. The first line of middies produced like we practiced, being on the field for 9 of the 11 goals. Our defense was lock-down in the second half, strangling every possession the Huskies had, and limiting them to only 2 goals for the remainder of the game. Rarely, do I remember defensive stints, and even more rarely do I post them here, so this truly must have been special.

Following the big win Friday night, we had one night off and traveled down to Rhode Island to play the Rams of URI. Admittedly, we took the game a lot lighter than we should have, and went down there still peacocking our chests from the NU win. We looked good in the first quarter in every category except the important one. We possessed the ball the entire quarter, let our defense breathe, and peppered the Rams with 13 shots in the first 15 minutes. However, we could only manufacture one goal on these takes and went into the second with only a 1-0 lead. This was a trend for us throughout the game as we let URI hang around to the point where our backs were against a wall, and all of the momentum was on the home sideline. It seemed we couldn't catch a break. It felt like every call was going the other way, every ground ball, and every time we missed the net, they seemed to be hitting the one on the other end. I know who I look, blogging about myself. It's self righteous and egotistical, and I usually tend to avoid it when it comes to write-ups. But being a hard-working journalist, I think my readers would want to know who scored the game winner in double OT to get the 'Cats out of Rhode Island, and I will not deprive them of that.

It's true, I dialed up the fluorescent green machine, ordered a #2 which consists of the face dodge to dip and dunk combo with extra high cheese and ketchup, and sealed the bag shut for a sudden victory goal. And though the meal was good, it didn't sit as well as the ones we had at Northeastern, or in Boulder. It was sour and unsettling. And when the stomach is rumbling, you have a few choices. You can complain about it and sit around and wait to get sick, or you can be mentally strong and use it as fuel for the rest of the day, because regardless of what it tasted like, its still food. That being said, the 'Cats have a dinner date with some new Huskies this weekend, a relationship ended in a bloody dogfight in which UCONN picked up the tab. Except this time, they're coming to eat at our house, and there's only one thing on the menu. NECTAR.

CollegeLax Ratings

You know the deal. New CollegeLax Rankings are posted, and just scraping in are the Wildcats. Yeah, it's up a smidge from last week, but we haven't been working to just make it in. It's crunch time now, time to win some big games in conference and prove that we belong with the top guys. At this point, being named 25th in the country is like receiving a George Michael album in your Easter basket. You'll smile, and pretend like it means something but you know that once you get your other gifts later on, you'll forget about that Twenty-Five album real quick.

Friday Night Bites: 'Cats vs. Dogs

After a tough battle down at the Coliseum, the 'Cats are now gearing up for 2 more in conference games this weekend that hold just as much worth as the BC game last Friday. We'll be traveling down to Boston to play another perennial rival Northeastern Huskies on Friday night, in a game that will be played at Malden Catholic High School at 8 p.m. From there, Sunday, we have the lovely drive to Smithsfield, Rhode Island to take on the Rams of URI.

The focus is on the game this Friday night, as we have only beaten Northeastern once in my four years here, and it came in a 6-5 thriller that happened to be at Malden Catholic as well. The only guarantee for this game, is that a member of the beloved Red Army will come out on top, as NU's head coach, and Walpole native Joe Brady is one of the founding founders of the greatest Men's league teams on this side of the Great Wall. That being said, I gotta give it to the Army for their showing at the BC game. I wasn't expecting it, but to look up and see CCCP members both new and old, sent a single tear of joy trickling down my cheek. I'm sure they will be out in full force again Friday night, hopefully getting raw, and hopefully on the side of the Wildcats, but who I am to try and persuade them? I mean, I'm sure Northeastern's blog gives the Red Army the respect it deserves on the reg. . .

(Also there is a new poll up. I'm going to start interviewing players on the team with ridiculous and outrageous questions. If you'd like to see anyone in this segment, please let me know, and I'll be sure to accommodate)

UNH Bumped to #17 in the U.S by CollegeLax

After a 24-2 win over CCSU going into Spring Break, UNH is now ranked number 17 in the CollegeLAX Prodigy Poll for the week of March 17. And just as I did when we were 21, I Googled "17" and changed the first image to suit us appropriately. In this case, it happened to be a Zac Efron movie, but of course I'd find a way to make it work. Instead of just making it work, though, I made it pop, with what might be my favorite blog post of all time.

Everyone's favorite Sailor/LSM John Tyler Markley's physique, attitude, hair, style,all the way down to the way he walks, all have an uncanny resemblance to the High School Musical Star, and he just so happens to wear jersey #17. And that, ladies and gentlemen is why they call me The Boss, and that's why I get paid the big bucks. Well, that, but also this. . .

Quick Scheduling Info

Due to some logistically nightmarish organizational skills by our fellow PCLL teams, a couple of our games have been changed and can be seen at right in bold pink. But for those that don't want to do the work to scroll over, here it is in summary.

We are still hosting Bridgewater State College tonight at 7 p.m

• This game will be played on the brand new fields built behind Bremner Field, and are specifically lined for lacrosse. One of few games out there this season.

Our biggest game of the year vs. Boston College has been moved

• Instead of next Thursday at BC, it'll be played this Sunday, March 28th at 8 p.m. at the Harvard Coliseum in Allston/Cambridge shown above
  

Our game vs. Northeastern University is still on ice.

• Hang tight on this one. We are definitely playing them, but the time and place has yet to be determined by them. Their field time is limited and the originally scheduled games have been bumped. Stay Tuned, and when I hear, you'll hear.

So change your Blackberry Calendars, tell your friends, and pencil UNH Lacrosse in for the remainder of the season. I promise it will be worth it, but as Levar Burton said on Reading Rainbow, "But you don't have to take my word for it."

UNH Ranked #21 In The U.S by CollegeLax

This link says it all. The 'Cats are in the top 25 for the first time in my four year career, and possibly in the history of the club. With another big out of conference game tomorrow night vs. Minnesota State, it's time to climb that ladder.

Rookie Look-A-Likes 2010

Well, here it is, everyone's favorite time of the year. The time when I dig deep through the trenches of Facebook and find embarrassing photos and compare them to the celebrities and figures we know and love. You can check out all of the older Look-A-Likes in these links. Round 1 featured a Bulgarian footballer and John C. Reilly, while Round 2 touched up on everyone's more animated side. But, like everyone's favorite juicer, I'm not here to talk about the past. To the pics! And make sure to vote on which is most similar on the poll to the right.

Choice A: Rookie Attackman Conor Murphy and The Office's John Krasinski AKA Jim Halpert




Choice B: Rookie Goaltender Jacob Katz and Beans from Even Stevens




Choice C : Rookie Attackman Joe Gardiner and Super Bowl MVP Drews Brees



Choice D: (the most obscure actor you'll see all day): Rookie Midfielder Garrett Buckley and Kyle Howard AKA Gunther from the Paper Brigade



Vote! And if you think you have any better lookalike comparisons, post 'em in the comments.

Upset City: Winner, Winner, Buffalo Dinner

For those of you who aren't following our new live Twitter feed, let me be the first to say that you missed out last night. We played Colorado University, who was ranked by CollegeLax as the #8 team in the country. UNH isn't even near the top 25 (yet). On paper, this game seemed to be a logistical nightmare for the Wildcats, and that's before you even factor in the altitude. But, the Wildcats came from behind and were able to take the Buffs down 9-8 in a game that was as classic as jeans and a white tee.

We went down 3-0 to start the game, but fresh off a 6 goal deficit turned into upset win not even a week ago, there never a sense of panic, and a consistent focus at what was at hand. After the ball landed on the turf in front of the cage, the kid was able to scoop the GB and bomb a 5 mph shot (change up) past the keeper for a garbage goal that put us on the board. Captain James Rubio scored the next goal stick side high coming off a dodge, but we just could not seem to close the door. Every time we scored, they answered. 4-2, then 5-3, the cushion was always there. They netted one more, and we went into the half down 6-3, yet still fully confident that the game was ours. There was no more shock, and realized that we could easily run with or past the Buffs we had heard so much about.

We did exactly that, flattening their cushion with goals coming from a few kids that were born in the 1990's. Freshman Joe Gardiner had a hat trick, while his classmate Garrett Buckley had two goals that went into the net instead off the iron around it. And of course, sophomore Evan Flower tagged a chone of his own. Gardiner's first goal was notched with less than one second left in the third quarter, making the game 7-6 heading into the fourth.

Despite never leading, the momentum was all on the away bench, and the CU boys were unravelling before our eyes. Whether it's the fact that they were blindsided by their "blind date" or that they just hadn't been in a situation like that in a long time, the game got chippy and the flags flew accordingly. We spent a good part of the fourth man-up and netted the tying goal in a said opportunity. Then with 2 minutes remaining Joe "Fructis" Gardiner beat the keeper and we had our first and last lead of the game. Keeper Jake Katz made 21 saves on 29 shots for the Wildcats, stomping out kick saves like a champagne glass wrapped in a napkin. We cleared, possessed the ball, took and took a timeout. Then, we unanimously decided to put the ball in the hands of Taylor Kenny to run out the final 25 seconds. Of course, he chilled, and ran out two All American defensemen to kill the clock and we were free to rush our goalie like a bunch of wild buffaloes. We did, fully solidifying the biggest win for UNH Lacrosse within the Sullivan era. This is exactly what we needed to kickoff the season. A team building, rejunivating, come from behind victory. And to get a great feeling like that just from your own hard work is a feeling that no money could ever buy. Especially in this economy.

If you want to check out all of the stats from this nailbiter, you can get them right HERE off the MCLA website. Also, check out the CU Lacrosse blog, at www.redhotbuffs.com (Inspired by Yours Truly). Their blogger is a rad dude and they have some very entertaining videos, polls, and interviews of their own.

Wildcats White Out the PENmen in OT Thriller

Despite looking like he belongs at the Magic Kingdom signing autographs, this is not one of the Seven Dwarfs. This is in fact, a Penman, the mascot of Southern New Hampshire University. Why they would name their team after a journalist like myself is completely beyond me, but that's a whole 'nother blog. What I do know, however, is that they have a Division II lacrosse team that has literally trounced us every single year and twice on Sundays for the last 4 that I've been involved. One year it was close, but every other time, they basically showed us why they were D2 and we were exactly what every player and coach hates, "Just a club." And to start the game, we were on pace for another one of these embarrassments. With a miscommunication of the starting time, the original field not being plowed, and our flat demeanor, we came out and went down 7-1 to start the game, and it was as ugly as one of Don Cherry's suits.

But, they call it halftime for a reason, and if one team can score seven in a half, there's no reason the other can't do that in the second. The beauty of live sports. We did exactly that, possessing the ball, keeping it simple, and slowly but surely creeping back into the game. A few man-up goals, an unsettled or two, all backboned by sound defense and great goaltending, suddenly their 7-1 half was matched by us starting the second 7-1 and we were in a 9-8 game. We tied it up with just over a minute remaining, and almost closed it out in the final seconds, but of course, a game like this had to be settled in overtime.

They call it sudden-death, but it seemed more like a dragged-out, waterboarded death. 10 minutes of overtime play, and probably 8 saves to boot. Back and forth, SNHU would have a great chance and our goalie would make a great play, feed, and then we were going back. Then we'd dodge, and shoot, and their goalie would literally stand on his head to keep his boys hopes alive. We hit the crossbar. They hit the crossbar. There were literally no fingernails left in the stands. That is, until sophomore Evan Flower, received a pass about twelve yards out and ripped a duck into the side panel, quietly giving himself a gentleman's 6 goals on the day. The bench erupted and stormed the field, debris everywhere, and it was official. The Wildcats just topped SNHU for the first time, and it couldn't have come at a more opportune time. With our two toughest games of the season this week in beautiful Colorado, a win like this can only help. It can boost team morale and create the positive vibe we need, and it reminds us that even if we are already written in for a loss in some people's books, that someone still invented the erasable PEN(men).