UNH Hockey 2023 Off Season Thread Turn and Face the Strange

[NCAA watcher]

Well, someone's pushing it, and regardless of whether or not the NCAA has the final say, there's something to be said about effectively managing the situation. ..Don't we expect AD's to, y'know, manage crap like this, and keep it out of the headlines, or Twitter, or whatever???

Quick to judge, quick to anger
Slow to understand

Looks like the MacPherson twins are heading to the powerhouse Penticton Vees team, which has provided UNH Joey Laleggia......well, almost.

https://www.pentictonvees.ca/vees-la...cpherson-twins

[jstadts]

RPI fan here, Wondering if anyone of you folks has heard anything about Playing RPI this coming season?

Thanks, The mushroom treatment is common in Troy also. Keep the faith.

[Chuck Murray]

Ask Ryan Bamford...UMass AD...

Not sure its exactly fair to throw this all on UNH. I've heard via some decent sources this issue is more on UMass' end of things, and that UNH had/has been
helpful in Fessie's desires to transfer. If there's a situation where, due to his transfer history, rules wise as Watcher has put out, well, seems to me the school that was to
receive this player is at fault for not dealing with all of that appropriately.

I don't think we will know the exact nature of the story, at least, not at the moment, but even with my blue colored glasses on...I'm not so quick to sink Ms. Rich/MS7 on this one....ATW...agree,
but some people just love to find anything, something...to dig with even when they don't know all the facts particularly when they aren't happy with a given situation that doesn't fit
their perspective narrative (think this is human nature to be honest...).

If anyone with any real substance knows otherwise, let them post it here...

For what it's worth, I think I was the first one on this thread to point back in the direction of UMass as complicit.

The whole thing seems to be a totally avoidable mess that UNH has somehow allowed itself to get sucked into.

You never used to see guys like Jerry York (or currently Norm Bazin) get caught up in this stupid crap.

You gotta think there is a reason why this happens here, and doesn't happen there.

Details ... as in, sweating the details. AD Rich's purported strong suit. Just sayin' ...

[Snively65]

For what it's worth, I think I was the first one on this thread to point back in the direction of UMass as complicit.

The whole thing seems to be a totally avoidable mess that UNH has somehow allowed itself to get sucked into.

You never used to see guys like Jerry York (or currently Norm Bazin) get caught up in this stupid crap.

You gotta think there is a reason why this happens here, and doesn't happen there.

Details ... as in, sweating the details. AD Rich's purported strong suit. Just sayin' ...

Agree that a compliance specialist AD should have been more involved in tracking the Fessenden departure from the get go. Going to the Wayback Machine, in post #150 on this thread, I wondered whether Fessenden could enter the portal given that he had already transferred once, which did not generate further comment until Dan noted in post #226 that Fessenden had entered the portal with a “do not contact” clause, presumably indicating as Dan noted that Fessenden had his destination already planned. Chuck commented further about Fessenden in post #247, then Nifty in post #256 on March 23rd noted that Fessenden was heading to UMass-Flagship. UMass-Flagship will be competing with UNH and UVM for the HEA basement this coming season, so probably appropriate that two of these three teams may get their wrists slapped by the NCAA, or at least look like the losah teams that they are. And what a drop off for Flagship in such a short time.

[Chuck Murray]

Agree that a compliance specialist AD should have been more involved in tracking the Fessenden departure from the get go. Going to the Wayback Machine, in post #150 on this thread, I wondered whether Fessenden could enter the portal given that he had already transferred once, which did not generate further comment until Dan noted in post #226 that Fessenden had entered the portal with a “do not contact” clause, presumably indicating as Dan noted that Fessenden had his destination already planned. Chuck commented further about Fessenden in post #247, then Nifty in post #256 on March 23rd noted that Fessenden was heading to UMass-Flagship. UMass-Flagship will be competing with UNH and UVM for the HEA basement this coming season, so probably appropriate that two of these three teams may get their wrists slapped by the NCAA, or at least look like the losah teams that they are. And what a drop off for Flagship in such a short time.

Well, they certainly made the best of a generational talent (Makar), and it's not like a St. Louis or Kariya or Makar walks into a D-1 program on a regular basis. But my money is on Ben Barr, who IIRC was pretty much responsible for most of the rest of the Minutewagon's recruiting, and their subsequent transformation into a D-1 powerhouse. In retrospect, I probably gave Coach Carvel too much credit, as we'd already seen the same phenomenon at Union and Providence when Barr started shopping for their groceries, and neither of those programs has been the same since he left (only Providence has remained a consistently above .500 program post-Barr).

I get the gnawing feeling that this is the season where Ben Barr takes UMaine north of .500 for a good long run at or near the top of Hockey East. And here we are in Durham, already poised for Season 3 of MS7 vs. Barr, and if you folks think the last couple of years has been painful for UNH Hockey, just wait 'til UMaine has a five or so year head start on competing regularly in games that mean something.

If you guys think I'm cranky now ... well, in the memorable words of the boys from Bachman Turner Overdrive ...

[walrus]

Looks like the MacPherson twins are heading to the powerhouse Penticton Vees team, which has provided UNH Joey Laleggia......well, almost.

https://www.pentictonvees.ca/vees-la...cpherson-twins

Hopefully Barr has them headed to Maine in a few years

[Snively65]

Hopefully Barr has them headed to Maine in a few years

Greedy much? You already have the Nadeau bros.

[NCAA watcher]

Hopefully Barr has them headed to Maine in a few years

We'll see if their loyalty is to the Coaching staff or the new coach in April 2024. They'll be the new coach's first recruiting challenge, sort of like Carvel and Makar.

[Snively65]

We'll see if their loyalty is to the Coaching staff or the new coach in April 2024. They'll be the new coach's first recruiting challenge, sort of like Carvel and Makar.

Love the optimism for “the new coach in April 2024.” But, I think that the chances of a coaching change happening that soon are unlikely. Gotta give MS7 a few more years to prove that planned enhanced amenities help with recruiting and retention, if not coaching.

Edit: why cannot we hire a great alum player as a head coach like Colgate just did? Oh …….. wait ……..

[acs64]

Love the optimism for “the new coach in April 2024.” But, I think that the chances of a coaching change happening that soon are unlikely. Gotta give MS7 a few more years to prove that planned enhanced amenities help with recruiting and retention, if not coaching.

Edit: why cannot we hire a great alum player as a head coach like Colgate just did? Oh …….. wait ……..

You could always go after Tim Whitehead. Knows the league, well respected. Decent recruiter ?

[NCAA watcher]

Love the optimism for “the new coach in April 2024.” But, I think that the chances of a coaching change happening that soon are unlikely.

Not sure why you would question my accuracy based on my track record of predications :smiley:

NCAA watcher
03-31-2022, 08:53 AM
Another data point on coaching contracts
At RPI, Smith is in his fifth year at the school. ...
For context, I surmise that Souza received a contractual commitment to become head coach when he joined in 2015, so the question about his contract status is the length -- 3 plus 3? 3 plus 4? 3 plus 5? (think about that worst case scenario, an unproven kid four years into a mediocre career, getting a 8 year commitment!!!)

If 3 plus 4, it is up now. Even in the "worst case scenario of 3 plus 5", it expires after next year.

If it was 3 plus 3, and expired in 2021, there is no way a sane AD would have given more than a 2 year extension based on the meager results, so would still be up in 2023, or, if only a one year extension, would be up this summer. (I am assuming Marty was either semi-sane or at least neutered against a longer extension)

The TLDR version: the new AD will come in after this hiring season, so in any event will not make a decision on Souza until March 2023 when we are eliminated from the HE play-in game. At that point he will have a clean slate for a change.

NCAA watcher 11-05-2022, 11:50 AM
If AD Rich has not remedied the men's and women's program after March I will be first in line with the pitchforks. ...I see no reason for Rich to stay "loyal" to coaches she never knew before June, and for programs she was hired to upgrade. It's the easiest fix in the world, made easier, I would guess, by the fact that Souza's contract must be up for renewal. (I say that based on him being here for 8 years. He was not given a 9 year deal to come here, and even if they threw a 4 year deal or even a 5 year deal at him when hired in 2018, that's up. The only conceivable way he could be under contract in 2023-24 is if his contract came up in 2022, and lame-duck Marty gave him a parting 2 year deal. Would Dean even allow that? There's no way the deal came up in 2021 and Souza negotiated a 3 year extension.
So, order 1 would be negotiating a deal, and I can't see how Mikey would approach that with someone he doesn't know. I'd be surprised if he's not been told outright he's coaching for his job.

NCAA watcher 11-29-2022, 01:26 PM
A group of candidates will leak in late March, and by April 15th, in time for the Naples Coaches convention, UNH will name a new HC. His press conference will not be "golly gee, what a great family environment, that you Dick." The HC will acknowledge the faults, speak about resurrecting the program to its position, and about changing the culture. Five players will hit the portal, and 2 may find places within D1 teams.
UNH will still finish 9 or 10th in 2023-24, and the biggest challenge will be seeing growth among the current young team players. You hope that the 2024 recruits represent an upgrade, much like Maine's Nadeau brothers and Hopkins, who were not brought in the first couple of years (and so Maine is still struggling) but will help raise the talent level. The hope is 7th/8th place in 2024-25, but with momentum so the open recruits start to believe in the narrative that UNH is on the way up, and cast their lot with the new HC, signaling for other recruits.

[Snively65]

Not sure why you would question my accuracy based on my track record of predications :smiley:

Great summary, ‘watcher. Even I got my hopes elevated some when Herrion got the boot. But now I am back in the real world.

[Snively65]

Alfie? ...hmmm..Alfie somebody........ What ta heck was this guys last name? Cant think of it. Dam Alzheimers of mine.....chit I know the guy from somewhere. WAIT , WAIT...just came to me..... Michaud!!! Alfie Michaud !! Goaltender I think for UMaine back in 99 was it? Won some important game I believe. ;>)

I do not think that I have told this story on these threads. I was not able to attend the FF in Anaheim, so a friend invited me over to watch the NC game on her TV. She had two young cats that she was trying to teach how to play hockey at the time, and during the first intermission said “watch this” as she flicked a small plastic puck onto the linoleum kitchen floor. The puck wound up in a corner with lower cabinets and after the cats skidded into the corner with both batting at the puck with their little paws for several seconds, the puck came flying out into the middle of the floor with both cats in quick pursuit. Just like in real hockey at the Whitt. The cats were napping, as cats are prone to do, when MS7 scored his goal, and as I jumped up and yelled, one cat shot straight up over two feet in the air while the other snoozed right through the commotion. That first cat’s response was my favorite memory of that game. No moral to this story.

[After the Whistle]

Cute story Snivley. That was a most memorable game for sure.
Hey has anyone heard anything from yesterdays big presentation. Certainly not ver crowded.

[After the Whistle]

Sorry about that Snivley!