UNH Wildcats Are Number One in Women's Hockey

THE RIDE TO THE TOP BEGAN FOUR YEARS AGO.

UNH HAD BEEN ELIMINATED FROM THE EASTERN COLLEGIATE ATHLETIC CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT.

KAREN KAY WAS CONCLUDING HER TENTH SEASON AS COACH, NINE OF WHICH WERE WINNING CAMPAIGNS.

BUT UNH’S ATHLETIC DIRECTOR, MARTY SCARANO, FELT THE TEAM NEEDED A CHANGE AT THE TOP.

(Track 7 - 1:28-1:45) “The program had flattened. Obviously, Karen Kay had some great success in the program here. Things had changed. The scope of womens hockey had changed. Karen and I had some discussions about that. I don’t think she shared the same vision for the program that I had.”

AFTER A NATIONAL SEARCH, SCARANO SELECTED UNH’S TOP MENS ASSISTANT BRIAN MCCLOSKEY AS THE UNIVERSITY’S THIRD HEAD COACH IN 25 SEASONS.

COACHING WOMEN ATHLETES WAS DIFFERENT THAN COACHING MEN, AND MCCLOSKEY ADMITS HE HAD TO QUICKLY MAKE SOME ADJUSTMENTS.

(Track 6 - 6:16-6:38 “I’ve had to learn how to communicate better. You know women take things a lot more literally that I say men. I’ve got two phenomenal assistants who happen to be women. And they interpret for me. They spared me a lot of embarrassment the first year, but they continue to spare me that embarrassment. So, it’s an on-going education.

LINDSAY HANSEN, THE TEAM’S CAPTAIN, WAS RECRUITED BY COACH KAY.

SHE’S BEEN ONE OF THE FEW TO BE ON THIS TEAM FOR MCCLOSKEY’S FOUR-YEAR REIGN, AND SHE SAYS HE HAS ADJUSTED WELL TO COACHING WOMEN.

Track 3 - 2:59-3:22 “I think now coach is much more comfortable with women. You know going from the guys to the women side. It’s really interesting seeing coach from my freshman year to now. He’s been changing every year, for the better you know. He’s just really smart, and he’s dealing with women a lot differently. It’s just nice to see.”

IT’S THOSE SMARTS THAT ATHLETIC DIRECTOR SCARANO SAYS HAS HELPED MCCLOSKEY LEAD HIS ATHLETES TO THE NUMBER ONE RANKING IN THE NATION.

Track 7: 3:22-3:40 “His kids believe in him. He’s a great leader. He’s like the Pied Piper. The kids follow him around. He’s very demanding. He’s not afraid to chastise you if you’re not giving 100 percent. But, I think he’s obviously going to make these women a lot better players and students before they leave here.”

MCCLOSKEY WAS KNOWN AS A TOP-RATED MENS RECRUITER, AND HE BROUGHT HIS SKILLS WITH HIM TO THE WOMENS PROGRAM.

HIS RECRUITING STRATEGY IS SIMPLE.

Track 6 - 1:44-1:55 “I just went out to find kids who are athletic and thought the game. I talked to my staff and said we need kids with three ingredients, they are athletes first and foremost. They think the game, and they compete.”

BUT A COACH CAN'T GO JUST ANYWHERE TO RECRUIT ELITE WOMENS HOCKEY TALENT.

THERE’S NEW ENGLAND, MINNESOTA AND CANADA.

MCCLOSKEY CONCEDED THE MINNESOTA HIGH SCHOOL TALENT TO THE LARGE MIDWESTERN UNIVERSITIES.

Track 6 - 3:15-3:27 “But we’ve really hit the New England area hard. We’ve gotten some of the best recruits out of New England the last few years. And, we’ve been really aggressive in Ontario, which is sort of the way the men were 20 or 30 years ago. Ontario is a real hot bed.”

ONE OF HIS TOP PLAYERS GREW UP NOT FAR FROM THE WHITTEMORE CENTER.

DURHAM RESIDENT SADIE WRIGHT-WARD, IS A SOPHOMORE WITH 28 GOALS AND 31 ASSISTS THIS SEASON.

LIKE MANY YOUNG FEMALE HOCKEY PLAYERS, WRIGHT-WARD ORIGINALLY SKATED WITH THE BOYS.

Track 5 - 1:06-1:17 “I played on the guys team. I played for Oyster River, all guys. I was always the only girl on the team. I went to Brewster my junior year and that was the first time I didn’t play with the guys.”

AFTER GRADUATING FROM BREWSTER ACADEMY, WRIGHT-WARD CHOSE TO STAY CLOSE TO HOME FOR HER COLLEGE CAREER.

BUT THE DECISION WAS NOT EASY.

Track 5 - 3:21-3:37 “It was a tough decision for me to come to UNH. When I was younger, it was always my dream. But then as I got older, I’d say do I really want to stay in my home town, kind of close to home. But once I started looking at the school, I loved Coach McCloskey. I loved the team.”

ARMED WITH TWELVE SKATERS FROM THE UNITED STATES, NINE FROM CANADA, AND ONE FROM SCOTLAND, MCCLOSKEY HAS SEEN HIS TEAM POST A RECORD OF 32 WINS, TWO LOSSES AND ONE TIE.

THE WILDCATS HAVEN’T LOST SINCE EARLY NOVEMBER.

A TIE TO MAINE IN MID -JANUARY IS THE ONLY BLEMISH IN A 28-GAME UNBEATEN STREAK.

AND AS THE TEAM ENTERS THIS WEEKEND’S NCAA TOURNAMENT CAPTAIN LINDSAY HANSEN SAYS THEY'RE CONFIDENT.

Track 3 - 4:08-4:20 “We have a really good team. I don’t think anyone’s cocky at all. I just think we’re really confident in each other. You know we trust everyone. That’s one of the main keys to our success I think.”

IN THE FIRST ROUND, UNH WILL HOST HARVARD, THE CHAMPIONS OF THE EASTERN COLLEGIATE ATHLETIC CONFERENCE.

THE WILDCATS HAVE DEFEATED THE CRIMSON TWICE THIS YEAR…3-0 AND 5-1.

IF THEY WIN A THIRD TIME, THEY WILL ADVANCE TO THE NCAA SEMIFINALS.

THE FROZEN FOUR, AS IT’S CALLED, IS SCHEDULED FOR NEXT WEEKEND IN MINNEAPOLIS.

FOR NHPR NEWS, I’M JIM JEANNOTTE