# 2022–23 New Hampshire Wildcats men's ice hockey season

The 2022–23 New Hampshire Wildcats Men's ice hockey season was the 97th season of play for the program and the 39th in the Hockey East conference. The Wildcats represented the University of New Hampshire and were coached by Mike Souza, in his 5th season.

## Season

With about half of the roster changing in the offseason, the outlook for New Hampshire was a complete unknown. Gone was the team's starting goaltender, as well as its top three scorers. David Fessenden, who had previously been a starter at Alabama–Huntsville, held the inside track for the job at the start but he ended up sharing the job with Tyler Muszelik for most of the season. The revamped offense seemed capable enough in the first few games, enabling the team to post an early 3–2 record. Unfortunately, after that decent start, the scoring completely dried up. Over a nearly 8-week stretch, New Hampshire went 0–12–1 and scored more two goals on just one occasion. While the defense wasn't particularly strong in that span, the offense squandered the chances they got by averaging slightly more than 1 goal per game. It wasn't until the series with Arizona State in min-December that the team pulled out of its tailspin but they still ended the first half of the season 10 games under .500.
With the Wildcats on pace for one of their worst performances in history, UNH stumbled after their return from the winter break. The team got swept by a down Union squad and then had to run through a gauntlet as 8 of their next 9 games came against ranked opponents. With everything arrayed against them, New Hampshire completely turned its season around. Fessenden played some his best hockey in that 9-game stretch while the offense rediscovered its scoring touch. The Wildcats went 7–2 in those games to pull itself out of the doldrums. While they weren't solely responsible, the wins that UNH posted in that run helped knock Connecticut and Providence out of the NCAA tournament.
While the wins came too late to save New Hampshire's season, they did show what the team was capable of doing. The offense struggled over the final few games and cost the team in their lone playoff game, but the Wildcats had already proven themselves to be 'giant-killers'.

## Departures

| Player | Position | Nationality | Cause |
| Joe Cipollone | Forward | United States | Graduation (signed with South Carolina Stingrays) |
| Filip Engarås | Forward | Sweden | Signed professional contract (Bakersfield Condors) |
| Eric Esposito | Forward | United States | Graduate transfer to Mercyhurst |
| Lucas Herrmann | Forward | United States | Left program (retired) |
| Drew Hickey | Defenseman | United States | Graduation (retired) |
| Eric MacAdams | Forward | United States | Graduation (signed with Adirondack Thunder) |
| Will MacKinnon | Defenseman | United States | Graduation (signed with Reading Royals) |
| Jake Moniz | Goaltender | United States | Left program (retired) |
| Jackson Pierson | Forward | United States | Graduate transfer to Notre Dame |
| Carsen Richels | Forward | United States | Transferred to St. Scholastica |
| Mike Robinson | Goaltender | United States | Graduation (signed with Reading Royals) |
| Alec Semandel | Defenseman | United States | Graduation (signed with HK 36 Skalica) |
| Ryan Verrier | Defenseman | United States | Graduation (signed with Worcester Railers) |
| Tyler Ward | Forward | Canada | Graduation (signed with Maine Mariners) |

## Recruiting

| Player | Position | Nationality | Age | Notes |
| Jack Babbage | Defenseman | United States | 22 | Tully, NY; transfer from Quinnipiac |
| Damien Carfagna | Defenseman | United States | 19 | Wood-Ridge, NJ |
| Nico DeVita | Defenseman | United States | 21 | Bellevue, WA; transfer from Ferris State |
| Jake Dunlap | Forward | United States | 20 | Windham, NH |
| Cy Leclerc | Forward | United States | 20 | Brentwood, NH |
| Conor Lovett | Forward | United States | 21 | Franklin, MA; transfer from Merrimack |
| Tyler Muszelik | Goaltender | United States | 18 | Long Valley, NJ; selected 189th overall in 2022 |
| Cade Penney | Defenseman | Canada | 21 | White Rock, BC |
| Stiven Sardaryan | Forward | Russia | 19 | Saint Petersburg, RUS; selected 88th overall in 2021 |
| Kristaps Skrastiņš | Forward | Latvia | 20 | Grobiņa, LAT |
| Morgan Winters | Forward | United States | 20 | Osprey, FL |

## Roster

As of August 23, 2022.

## Standings

2022–23 Hockey East Standingsvte :
| | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Overall record | Overall record | Overall record | Overall record | Overall record | Overall record |
| | GP | W | L | T | OTW | OTL | SW | PTS | GF | GA | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA |
| #4 Boston University †* | 24 | 18 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 54 | 99 | 62 | 40 | 29 | 11 | 0 | 154 | 106 |
| #14 Merrimack | 24 | 16 | 8 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 50 | 72 | 52 | 38 | 23 | 14 | 1 | 106 | 89 |
| #16 Northeastern | 24 | 14 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 49 | 78 | 45 | 35 | 17 | 13 | 5 | 107 | 82 |
| Connecticut | 24 | 13 | 9 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 41 | 78 | 71 | 35 | 20 | 12 | 3 | 113 | 96 |
| Massachusetts Lowell | 24 | 11 | 10 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 39 | 56 | 54 | 36 | 18 | 15 | 3 | 89 | 82 |
| Maine | 24 | 9 | 11 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 32 | 62 | 65 | 36 | 15 | 16 | 5 | 92 | 94 |
| Providence | 24 | 9 | 9 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 32 | 64 | 60 | 37 | 16 | 14 | 7 | 103 | 87 |
| Boston College | 24 | 8 | 11 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 30 | 70 | 73 | 36 | 14 | 16 | 6 | 104 | 104 |
| Massachusetts | 24 | 7 | 14 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 28 | 55 | 80 | 35 | 13 | 17 | 5 | 94 | 103 |
| New Hampshire | 24 | 6 | 15 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 23 | 44 | 76 | 35 | 11 | 20 | 3 | 74 | 105 |
| Vermont | 24 | 5 | 16 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 18 | 36 | 76 | 36 | 11 | 20 | 5 | 69 | 103 |
| Championship: March 18, 2023 † indicates regular season champion * indicates conference tournament champion (Lamoriello Trophy) Rankings: USCHO.com Top 20 Poll ||||||||||||||||||

## Schedule and results

| Date | Time | Opponent$^#$ | Site | TV | Decision | Result | Attendance | Record |
| Regular Season ||||||||||
| October 7 | 7:00 PM | at #17 Clarkson* | Cheel Arena • Potsdam, New York | ESPN+ | Fessenden | W 4–3 $^{OT}$ | 2,267 | 1–0–0 |
| October 8 | 7:00 PM | at St. Lawrence* | Appleton Arena • Canton, New York | ESPN+ | Muszelik | W 4–1 | 2,048 | 2–0–0 |
| October 15 | 7:00 PM | Boston College* | Whittemore Center • Durham, New Hampshire | ESPN+ | Fessenden | L 2–4 | 6,179 | 2–1–0 (0–1–0) |
| October 18 | 7:00 PM | at Merrimack | J. Thom Lawler Rink • North Andover, Massachusetts | ESPN+ | Muszelik | L 1–6 | 2,814 | 2–2–0 (0–2–0) |
| October 21 | 7:00 PM | Army* | Whittemore Center • Durham, New Hampshire | ESPN+ | Fessenden | W 3–1 | 5,608 | 3–2–0 |
| October 23 | 1:00 PM | at Boston College | Conte Forum • Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts | ESPN+ | Fessenden | L 0–5 | 3,524 | 3–3–0 (0–3–0) |
| October 28 | 7:00 PM | #13 Providence | Whittemore Center • Durham, New Hampshire | ESPN+ | Muszelik | T 2–2 $^{SOL}$ | 3,906 | 3–3–1 (0–3–1) |
| October 29 | 7:00 PM | at #13 Providence | Schneider Arena • Providence, Rhode Island | NESN+, ESPN+ | Fessenden | L 1–3 | 2,333 | 3–4–1 (0–4–1) |
| November 4 | 7:00 PM | at #16 Northeastern | Matthews Arena • Boston, Massachusetts | NESN+, ESPN+ | Muszelik | L 2–6 | 2,468 | 3–5–1 (0–5–1) |
| November 5 | 7:00 PM | #16 Northeastern | Whittemore Center • Durham, New Hampshire | ESPN+ | Fessenden | L 0–3 | 4,337 | 3–6–1 (0–6–1) |
| November 11 | 7:00 PM | at Vermont | Gutterson Fieldhouse • Burlington, Vermont | ESPN+ | Fessenden | L 1–2 $^{OT}$ | 3,003 | 3–7–1 (0–7–1) |
| November 12 | 7:00 PM | at Vermont | Gutterson Fieldhouse • Burlington, Vermont | ESPN+ | Fessenden | L 1–2 | 2,753 | 3–8–1 (0–8–1) |
| November 15 | 7:00 PM | #10 Harvard* | Whittemore Center • Durham, New Hampshire | ESPN+ | Muszelik | L 1–3 | 2,812 | 3–9–1 |
| November 18 | 7:00 PM | #16 Massachusetts | Whittemore Center • Durham, New Hampshire | NESN, ESPN+ | Fessenden | L 2–4 | 4,506 | 3–10–1 (0–9–1) |
| November 26 | 7:00 PM | at Holy Cross* | Hart Center • Worcester, Massachusetts | FloHockey | Muszelik | L 2–3 | 408 | 3–11–1 |
| December 2 | 7:00 PM | #9 Boston University | Whittemore Center • Durham, New Hampshire | NESN+, ESPN+ | Muszelik | L 3–6 | 4,396 | 3–12–1 (0–10–1) |
| December 3 | 6:00 PM | at #9 Boston University | Agganis Arena • Boston, Massachusetts | ESPN+ | Fessenden | L 0–3 | 3,574 | 3–13–1 (0–11–1) |
| December 9 | 7:00 PM | Arizona State* | Whittemore Center • Durham, New Hampshire | ESPN+ | Fessenden | L 1–4 | 3,859 | 3–14–1 |
| December 10 | 4:00 PM | Arizona State* | Whittemore Center • Durham, New Hampshire | ESPN+ | Muszelik | W 5–4 | 3,363 | 4–14–1 |
| December 30 | 4:00 PM | at Union* | Achilles Rink • Schenectady, New York | | Fessenden | L 3–4 | 1,530 | 4–15–1 |
| December 31 | 4:00 PM | at Union* | Achilles Rink • Schenectady, New York | | Muszelik | L 2–3 | 1,352 | 4–16–1 |
| January 6 | 7:00 PM | at #11 Providence | Schneider Arena • Providence, Rhode Island | ESPN+ | Fessenden | W 2–0 | 2,842 | 5–16–1 (1–11–1) |
| January 8 | 2:00 PM | Sacred Heart* | Whittemore Center • Durham, New Hampshire | ESPN+ | Fessenden | W 4–1 | 4,205 | 6–16–1 |
| January 15 | 3:00 PM | at #19 Massachusetts | Mullins Center • Amherst, Massachusetts | NESN, ESPN+ | Fessenden | W 3–1 | 4,246 | 7–16–1 (2–11–1) |
| January 20 | 7:15 PM | at #19 Massachusetts Lowell | Tsongas Center • Lowell, Massachusetts | ESPN+ | Fessenden | L 2–6 | 6,016 | 7–17–1 (2–12–1) |
| January 21 | 7:00 PM | #19 Massachusetts Lowell | Whittemore Center • Durham, New Hampshire | ESPN+ | Fessenden | L 2–3 | 4,237 | 7–18–1 (2–13–1) |
| February 3 | 7:00 PM | #15 Merrimack | Whittemore Center • Durham, New Hampshire | ESPN+ | Fessenden | W 3–2 $^{OT}$ | 3,536 | 8–18–1 (3–13–1) |
| February 4 | 6:00 PM | at #16 Massachusetts Lowell | Tsongas Center • Lowell, Massachusetts | ESPN+ | Muszelik | W 5–4 | 5,252 | 9–18–1 (4–13–1) |
| February 10 | 7:00 PM | #13 Connecticut | Whittemore Center • Durham, New Hampshire | ESPN+ | Fessenden | W 4–1 | 4,528 | 10–18–1 (5–13–1) |
| February 11 | 4:00 PM | #13 Connecticut | Whittemore Center • Durham, New Hampshire | NESN, ESPN+ | Muszelik | W 3–2 $^{OT}$ | 4,845 | 11–18–1 (6–13–1) |
| February 17 | 7:00 PM | Maine | Whittemore Center • Durham, New Hampshire (Rivalry) | NESN, ESPN+ | Fessenden | T 2–2 $^{SOW}$ | 6,501 | 11–18–2 (6–13–2) |
| February 18 | 7:00 PM | Maine | Whittemore Center • Durham, New Hampshire (Rivalry) | ESPN+ | Muszelik | T 0–0 $^{SOW}$ | 6,501 | 11–18–3 (6–13–3) |
| February 25 | 7:00 PM | at #16 Connecticut | Toscano Family Ice Forum • Storrs, Connecticut | ESPN+ | Fessenden | L 1–6 | 2,691 | 11–19–3 (6–14–3) |
| March 2 | 7:00 PM | Vermont | Whittemore Center • Durham, New Hampshire | ESPN+ | Muszelik | L 2–3 | 3,448 | 11–20–3 (6–15–3) |
| Hockey East Tournament ||||||||||
| March 8 | 7:00 PM | at Providence* | Schneider Arena • Providence, Rhode Island (First Round) | ESPN+ | Fessenden | L 1–2 $^{OT}$ | 1,286 | 11–21–3 |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from USCHO.com Poll. All times are in Eastern Time. Source: ||||||||||

## Scoring statistics

| Name | Position | Games | Goals | Assists | Points | PIM |
| Liam Devlin | F | 35 | 12 | 12 | 24 | 18 |
| Cy LeClerc | F | 35 | 13 | 7 | 20 | 6 |
| Chase Stevenson | F | 35 | 12 | 8 | 20 | 28 |
| Colton Huard | D | 35 | 3 | 16 | 19 | 6 |
| Damien Carfagna | D | 35 | 6 | 10 | 16 | 2 |
| Ryan Black | RW | 34 | 5 | 8 | 13 | 0 |
| Nick Cafarelli | F | 23 | 3 | 8 | 11 | 29 |
| Nikolai Jenson | D | 33 | 1 | 9 | 10 | 33 |
| Alex Gagne | D | 35 | 1 | 8 | 9 | 14 |
| Jake Dunlap | F | 28 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 10 |
| Stiven Sardarian | C/RW | 29 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 8 |
| Kristaps Skrastiņš | C | 26 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 4 |
| Kalle Eriksson | D | 33 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 12 |
| Robert Cronin | F | 31 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 14 |
| Luke Reid | D | 35 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 14 |
| Morgan Winters | F | 20 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 16 |
| Harrison Blaisdell | C | 32 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 10 |
| Connor Sweeney | F | 34 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 6 |
| Cam Gendron | F | 23 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
| Conor Lovett | F | 29 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 16 |
| Will Margel | C/W | 12 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Joe Hankinson | F | 7 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Jack Babbage | D | 14 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| David Fessenden | G | 25 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 15 |
| Jeremy Forman | G | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Nico DeVita | D | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tyler Muszelik | G | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | | | 74 | 124 | 198 | 271 |

## Goaltending statistics

| Name | Games | Minutes | Wins | Losses | Ties | Goals Against | Saves | Shut Outs | SV % | GAA |
| David Fessenden | 25 | 1427:21 | 7 | 14 | 1 | 63 | 647 | 1 | .911 | 2.65 |
| Tyler Muszelik | 14 | 685:29 | 4 | 7 | 2 | 37 | 278 | 1 | .883 | 3.24 |
| Empty Net | - | 21:21 | - | - | - | 5 | - | - | - | - |
| Total | 35 | 2134:01 | 11 | 21 | 3 | 105 | 925 | 2 | .898 | 2.95 |

## Rankings

| Poll | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | 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 | 27 (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 | NR | NR |
Note: USCHO did not release a poll in weeks 1, 13, or 26.

## Awards and honors

| Player | Award | Ref |
| New Hampshire Wildcats | Charlie Holt Team Sportsmanship Award | |

## Players drafted into the NHL
### 2023 NHL Entry Draft

| Round | Pick | Player | NHL team |
| 6 | 172 | Ryan MacPherson $^†$ | Philadelphia Flyers |
| 6 | 182 | Ryan Conmy $^†$ | Los Angeles Kings |
| 7 | 221 | Sebastian Bradshaw $^†$ | Dallas Stars |
† incoming freshman