WIS Productions arrives early to the party (for once!) with the latest edition of "Umile's Last Stand - The _____ for 600"
"Umile's Last Stand - The Quest for 600"
Coach Umile's current career wins total: 583
Wins Remaining to the next round number: 17
*Games Remaining (Next 2 Seasons - Min.): 40
Win Pct. Required to Hit Target: 42.5%
WIS Estimated Likelihood of Success: 60%
2016/2017 Cupcake Conversion Ratio (CCR): 9/15 (60%)
* - minimum games remaining assumes 34 regular season games, and at least 2 games in the MBPBEGAM "playoffs"
Looking on the bright side of things ... UNH managed to play a highly-ranked BU squad pretty evenly over the first 5 periods of the weekend, and Hobey hopeful Tyler Kelleher was back in top form with a 6 point weekend. Beyond that ... ugh. There's no doubt "The Gauntlet" has claimed UNH as a casualty, with a 1-7-2 record since the trip to NICC about a month ago. Giddy discussion of a potential bye, and home ice for the REAL first round of the HE Tourney has turned to grim analysis of what's going to be necessary to right the ship in time to earn some home ice dates in the MBPBEGAM first round of the "playoffs". No less than three (3) two goal leads were squandered by the 'Cats over the last two evenings, and speculation about an earlier-than-expected end to Coach Umile's tenure has once again surfaced in this thread. The 3rd party capitulation last night on home ice was loaded with symbolic overtones, as another all-too-familiar collapse from a program that brought back some painful memories of similarly embarrassing *performances* in much higher-profile circumstances in the past.
Entering the final weekend of the HE regular season ... UNH has managed to slip under the "Mallen Line" (named after the former UMass Amherst coaching *legend* whose teams consistently defined what 9th place in a then-9 team league meant) and are looking for help from all corners of Hockey East to somehow wrest some extra home ice games away from Merrimack and/or Northeastern for the first time in a couple of seasons. So thank goodness for the arrival of UMass Amherst Mach II, a/k/a UConn this weekend. And if there's a team that's staggering through the last month-plus worse than UNH ... well, these are your guys, and once again, hope springs eternal.
The Big Picture - the only realistic goals of relevance continue to be (1) earning some home "post-season" games, and (2) finding a way to make sure Coach Umile's career ends successfully around this time next season with a happy ending to The Quest. No wins against BU this past weekend can't be seen as a shocker ... but the way they happened was highly disappointing, and raises the issue of the team's intestinal fortitude. And that's the last thing any team or coach wants to have to answer questions about at this time of any season. But things like throwing away multiple two-goal leads, and forgetting to compete in the 3rd period last night, don't make that issue go away.
Just when things might seem darkest, the Hockey East schedulers have thrown Coach Umile and the 'Cats a fresh batch of ... CUPCAKES!!! Yes, after all this time, starved of these confectionary treats, the UConn Luce Canaans arrive in *top* form, in the midst of their own six (6) game winless streak, with one win in their own last ten (10) games, and two wins in their last twelve (12) games. Despite the hype which had begun to emanate from Storrs about how Luce's program was "on the rise" with another exciting batch of stud recruits. they are still a couple of points behind UNH and languishing in 10th place. I guess it just goes to show that the lesson we all learned from Coach Mallen a generation ago - y'know, the one where the long-time, high profile BC assistant goes to State U to build a strong D-1 program where none previously existed ... and proceeds to fall flat on his face, showing how fortunate he was to have been on Jerry York's good side for so long - still hasn't gained appropriate traction in the hockey world. Hey, at least Luce has got that coaching tr - oops, er - shrub going for him ...
Predictions:
Friday (Feb. 24th): @ UNH 5 UConn 3
Saturday (Feb. 25th): *UNH 4 @ UConn 4
* - UNH blows 2 goal lead late in the 3rd, Coach Umile plays defensively in OT waiting for the shootout ...
NEXT CUPCAKE ON THE SHELF (CONFIRMED): UConn (2/24/17); @ UConn (2/25/17)
WIS BRAIN-BUSTING TRIVIA QUESTION: Which former Bruins' goalie is now an assistant coach with a HE program?
IS BS35+4 PAYING ATTENTION YET?
It's a gray morning in Durham, as an unseasonably warm February Sunday morning finds higher-than-usual foot traffic across the campus. One man wanders over to the Wildcat statue on Main St. with a bag of peanuts, looking pensive as he finds a comfy spot on the imposing creature's pedestal. A few wayward birds wander over, and the man shares the contents of his brown paper bag selflessly with the winged migrants. Oblivious to the inanimate status of his new-found friend, the man begins to reflect on some issues currently on his mind ...
BS35+4: Hey big guy ... tough times over there of late (pointing to The Whitt). You ever do something you thought was the smartest thing you ever thought of, and then eventually came to realize it wasn't?
W-CAT:
BS35+4: ... I mean, I like the guy. I really do. He's won a lot of games. Reflected well on the U ...
W-CAT:
BS35+4: ... but he just ran out of gas, you know what I mean? Went from being really good, to good, to good enough, and he just didn't know either how to turn it around, or when to quit and let someone else try ...
W-CAT:
BS35+4: ... and that G-D lifetime contract, my God, what the hey was Judy thinking?? Can you imagine???
W-CAT:
BS35+4: ... so here I am, with a 3 year plan that we worked up to get Coach to the next round number. Load up the schedules with a ton of easy games, hope we can tread water, get him his gold watch moment at The Whitt sometime next Winter ...
W-CAT:
BS35+4: ... and now he's struggling to do even THAT (shaking head). I mean, the guy absolutely won't quit, so now I gotta either be the bad guy and pull the plug on his last season this week so we can give him a going away night at the arena this coming weekend ... or else I gotta stick with the plan, and watch another year of this turgid crap ... (looking to the statute, and then to the heavens) what do I do?
W-CAT:
BS35+4: I suppose you're right, big guy ... standing pat worked with Coach Mac and the Football program ... it's starting to work with Bill across the street, and lord knows we were beyond patient with that guy ... you sure?
W-CAT:
BS35+4: Then it's decided. One more year, then I'll look like a genius again. Good talk, big guy.
W-CAT:
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