DURHAM � Mike Souza returned to the University of New Hampshire men's hockey team in 2015 as the coach-in-waiting. Three years later the wait is over.

However, he wasn�t so anxious to take over the program where he excelled as a player two decades earlier that he couldn�t have waited a little longer if it meant the Wildcats' season was still alive.

Instead, the Wakefield, Mass., native was the centerpiece of an introductory news conference Wednesday afternoon at the Whittemore Center that signaled the start of a new era in UNH hockey, which has struggled in recent years and is coming off its worst season in decades.

�We want to be playing hockey this week, not having a press conference,� said Souza, who officially became the program's 13th head coach.

The Wildcats went 10-20-6 and won just one of their last 21 games in Dick Umile�s final year as head coach after 28 seasons. It was their third straight 20-loss season, despite a 5-0 start and a national ranking.

�We�ve had a couple down years,� Souza said. �They�re behind us now. My focus is on our first (offseason) workout next week (as) we prepare to hit the ice next fall and restore our program to its rightful place in our league and nationally.�

The losing is a departure from what used to be the norm when the Wildcats made the NCAA tournament 10 years in a row during one stretch. It�s a place they haven�t been since 2013.

They finished last in Hockey East this season for the first time in 30 years.

�All I know about this program is excellence from my time being here and the building being filled and us winning a lot of hockey games,� said Souza, a member the winningest class in the program�s history. �I want our players to experience those same things.�

The Wildcats return five of their top six point-getters and their top three goal-scorers. Patrick Grasso should be back as well after missing most of this season with a shoulder injury that eventually required surgery.

Grasso was a 20-goal scorer as a freshman.

�I don�t look at it as a rebuild at all,� Souza said. �Naturally we�ve got to start winning some hockey games and it just perpetuates itself. First you win one and then you win two. Winning becomes infectious just like losing does.

�We can�t worry about what didn�t happen this past season,� he added. �My full focus is on what�s going to happen.�

Souza likes the young nucleus anchored by freshman defensemen Max Gildon and Benton Maass, and freshman forward Charlie Kelleher. Sophomore forward Liam Blackburn and junior Ara Nazarian combined for 20 goals this year.

Offense was a major concern, particularly over the second half of the season. The Wildcats went 2-11 in one-goal games, and were outscored 43-25 in the third period and overtime.

�Not a lot is going to change about our style of play,� Souza said. �Above all I want to fill this building again. I want to fill the Whittemore Center, not when we play Maine, but when we play every opponent because that�s the way it was when I was here.�

The average home attendance this season was 4,422, more than 2,000 below capacity.

One of Souza�s biggest strengths is recruiting, and he has connections not only in North America but also in Europe where he played professionally for six years.

�In today�s hockey (recruiting�s) almost everything,� said UNH Director of Athletics Marty Scarano. �You can be the best coach in the nation, but if you don�t have the talent you�re not going to win enough games.�

�Mike is a master recruiter and evaluates talent very well,� Umile said.

The Wildcats lost two of their top six defensemen and must find a replacement for Danny Tirone, who set a school record for career saves and is the program�s all-time leader in games played by a goalie at UNH.

Freshman Mike Robinson, of Bedford, got his feet wet this season, appearing is six games with two starts. Senior Adam Clark has another year of eligibility and could also return.

�I�m super excited about what the future holds for our program,� Souza said. �Obviously I�m inside and I understand what�s going on inside the program, and trust me when I tell you there�s a lot to be excited about. But I�m also a realist, and I understand those words are hollow if we don�t win hockey games.�

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