2014 UNH Wildcats: Ending Strong and Starting Fresh

[96IllinoisDad]

Good article. Good kids and it's nice to see them get a fresh start at solid programs. As far as Coach Witt, I really don't think she will have any trouble recruiting to UNH. It's a great place to go to school, will be to play hockey, and recruits are forward looking anyways. From a recruit standpoint, this is a place where starting day one, nothing will be taken for granted, they will set a high standard, and they will build off of the core group and some of the positives the girls mentioned in their article. The biggest impediment to recruiting is no longer with the program and the recruiting since then had opened wide up for Wood and Jones. This should carry over to the new staff and they should be able to recruit the players they want and it sounds like Coach Witt can draw the talent. Offensive players will love the big sheet of ice and they will have an opportunity to contribute from day one. It's a great situation for a new player if you believe the coaching staff will be able to develop you as a player. The other issues (AD, Assistant AD,...) fade into the background, the coaching staff becomes the face of the program, and from the players perspective it's all positive with a lot to look forward to. This actually becomes a really compelling place to come to and I would not be surprised to hear of transfers coming in to UNH over the next couple of seasons. This team could turn the corner competitively fairly quickly. You'll still have the same recruiting dynamics of player, school, coach fit but things are already settling in. Hopefully the current players/prospective players will know who the full staff will be right after the Florida meetings.

Witt should be at Cianfarano's house with full offer in hand. She is one of few schools with scholarship $$. Rebuild beast of east.

 

[ClOuD 9]

Re: 2014 UNH Wildcats: Ending Strong and Starting Fresh

Fire Marty.

I second this, botched it from start to finish.

 

[zoofer]

Re: 2014 UNH Wildcats: Ending Strong and Starting Fresh

Even in reading the TNH article ClOuD, you have no idea how true dat! Read the Scarano thread on the men's side and you'll see how both programs have declined in the past 10 years.....he continues to ignore both programs' issues with the Admission Director, who is renown for his ignoring the current Hobey Baker winner, cause he wasn't UNH material!! So now you hear just a percentage of how he treats his athletes, when " we here at UNH know how to stand by our student-athletes"....if he doesn't lose his job when UNH is found negligent in the McCloskey incident, then no matter how many coaches we go thru, no one will trust anything at UNH Athletics again!

 

[HockeyEast33]

Re: 2014 UNH Wildcats: Ending Strong and Starting Fresh

Announcement that two players have transferred, from today's New Hampshire

http://www.tnhonline.com/news/women...erm=The_NH_2&utm_campaign=The_NH_2_2014429620

Interesting comments in the article.

Here's a question - Hux may be the most knowledgeable to answer. It says in here that Coach Wells from St Lawrence came to Durham to speak with one of the transfers either during or right after the season. Is that acceptable/rule compliant recruiting? Poaching scholarship players from other programs mid season? In pro leagues they call that tampering and there are usually massive fines and suspensions associated with it. Is it possible that this is legal in college hockey?

 

[OnMAA]

Re: 2014 UNH Wildcats: Ending Strong and Starting Fresh

Here's a question - Hux may be the most knowledgeable to answer. It says in here that Coach Wells from St Lawrence came to Durham to speak with one of the transfers either during or right after the season. Is that acceptable/rule compliant recruiting? Poaching scholarship players from other programs mid season? In pro leagues they call that tampering and there are usually massive fines and suspensions associated with it. Is it possible that this is legal in college hockey?

For any player to talk to another school (for varsity play) they have to get permission from their own school first. (NCAA rule).


P.S.

The player transferring to another school in HE may have to sit a year. (I think that HE rule was brought in in the not too distant past, Hux would know those details). Most recent within HE transfer that I can recall was the Wakefield one, ironically also from UNH to BU. At that time there was no transfer and sit rule for transfers within HE.

 

[OnMAA]

Re: 2014 UNH Wildcats: Ending Strong and Starting Fresh

You guys are killing me!! I was and am a fan of McCloskey. I like Wood and Jones too. I don't know Witt. What I do know is: 1) she has a resume/experience; 2) she has played at a high level and performed very well; 3) she coached non-scholarship athletes in a tough conference in a school with very high academic entry standards; 4) she wanted the job at UNH even given the present situation; 5) she is female which the school wanted; and 6) she is starting with a last place team that has lost some key members that can't sink any deeper. .

Just catching up on this thread, and just read about the Witt hiring and the subsequent discussions. The thing I will add is this....

She was at Yale for many years, and has some experience building a program from an also ran into a play-off team. Just look at the progress she made over the years during her tenure there. It was not a spectacular year over year delta, but steady improvement over a sustained period.

 

[Chuck Murray]

Re: 2014 UNH Wildcats: Ending Strong and Starting Fresh

Here's a question - Hux may be the most knowledgeable to answer. It says in here that Coach Wells from St Lawrence came to Durham to speak with one of the transfers either during or right after the season. Is that acceptable/rule compliant recruiting? Poaching scholarship players from other programs mid season? In pro leagues they call that tampering and there are usually massive fines and suspensions associated with it. Is it possible that this is legal in college hockey?

Have to admit that question crossed my mind as well ... who from UNH would have had to extend permission for this? Would that have come from one of the interim co-head coaches, or would UNH Admin have had to give them the green light??

Without that green light, I suspect those nice folks from Indianapolis may be paying a visit to Canton NY soon.

 

[Hux]

Have to admit that question crossed my mind as well ... who from UNH would have had to extend permission for this? Would that have come from one of the interim co-head coaches, or would UNH Admin have had to give them the green light??

Without that green light, I suspect those nice folks from Indianapolis may be paying a visit to Canton NY soon.

The discussion took place after her release, and was facilitated by a third party.

 

[Stick Boy]

Have to admit that question crossed my mind as well ... who from UNH would have had to extend permission for this? Would that have come from one of the interim co-head coaches, or would UNH Admin have had to give them the green light??

Without that green light, I suspect those nice folks from Indianapolis may be paying a visit to Canton NY soon.

Both girls in question had been granted their 'release' from UNH Athletics Department (as were others) prior to researching other schools as per NCAA rules. This was well after the season ended - end of March. No school will speak 'officially' unless player provides official 'release' papers prior to conversations or meetings. Should the athlete not utilize the release and not leave their scholarship is still honored.

No news to dig up on this front guys!

 

[valleyboy]

Re: 2014 UNH Wildcats: Ending Strong and Starting Fresh

Some extremely carefully worded discussion around this one. Must be a lot of big's watching this board. An old hockey scout once told me - you know - one of those guys who sits in the bleachers or stands in the corner every Friday and Saturday night in the same rink for 20 years and notices the talent grow up then move on... and before that he drove his kids around to hockey games for 20 years...(he knew the good ones his kids played against too), and he had a backyard rink for 30 years (needed to keep it going for the grandchildren when they visit!) and he grew up on a backyard rink himself, and played a lot of hockey, even some jr hockey or better, the guy essentially lived hockey, his buddies stand next to him at the rink every Friday and Saturday night - they have similar hockey type resume's - of the ODR hockey gene pool - wonderful stories and knowledge... he told me 'When too much hot air mixes with a hockey rink, the rink eventually fills with fog' and he left it at that.

 

[OnMAA]

Re: 2014 UNH Wildcats: Ending Strong and Starting Fresh

'When too much hot air mixes with a hockey rink, the rink eventually fills with fog'

That is a great line. Had me smiling.

 

[Bumbles]

For any player to talk to another school (for varsity play) they have to get permission from their own school first. (NCAA rule).


P.S.

The player transferring to another school in HE may have to sit a year. (I think that HE rule was brought in in the not too distant past, Hux would know those details). Most recent within HE transfer that I can recall was the Wakefield one, ironically also from UNH to BU. At that time there was no transfer and sit rule for transfers within HE.

Does anyone know the actual answer to this? Will Crossley be able to play right away or have to sit a year? I do recall as well that HE has a sit rule for transfers within the conference but would the coaching change situation be grounds for getting an exception to the sit rule?

 

[Hux]

Does anyone know the actual answer to this? Will Crossley be able to play right away or have to sit a year? I do recall as well that HE has a sit rule for transfers within the conference but would the coaching change situation be grounds for getting an exception to the sit rule?

She will be sittinng out the year.

 

[zoofer]

Re: 2014 UNH Wildcats: Ending Strong and Starting Fresh

Hux, you posted at 1:30 in the morning? Yowser....

 

[Chuck Murray]

Re: 2014 UNH Wildcats: Ending Strong and Starting Fresh

The discussion took place after her release, and was facilitated by a third party.

Both girls in question had been granted their 'release' from UNH Athletics Department (as were others) prior to researching other schools as per NCAA rules. This was well after the season ended - end of March. No school will speak 'officially' unless player provides official 'release' papers prior to conversations or meetings. Should the athlete not utilize the release and not leave their scholarship is still honored.

Thanks for clarifying. The article only said "personally came to Durham earlier this year" so the radar went off.

 

[UCONN FAN]

Re: 2014 UNH Wildcats: Ending Strong and Starting Fresh

Thanks for clarifying. The article only said "personally came to Durham earlier this year" so the radar went off.

The minute a current DI player initiates contact with another school they must inform the NCAA and her current school of the inquiry. I'm sure UNH granted the coach permission if indeed the coach did go to Durham. I can't imagine the AD would want to exacerbate the situation by refusing the current players their release in the wake of this fiasco.
BTB: When Wakefield transferred I'm pretty sure McCloskey wouldn't grant her a transfer so she had to sit out. Hockey East adopted the transfer rule soon after.

 

[Hux]

Re: 2014 UNH Wildcats: Ending Strong and Starting Fresh

The minute a current DI player initiates contact with another school they must inform the NCAA and her current school of the inquiry. I'm sure UNH granted the coach permission if indeed the coach did go to Durham. I can't imagine the AD would want to exacerbate the situation by refusing the current players their release in the wake of this fiasco.
BTB: When Wakefield transferred I'm pretty sure McCloskey wouldn't grant her a transfer so she had to sit out. Hockey East adopted the transfer rule soon after.

Actually, she centralized with Canada's National Women's Team prior to the Vancouver Olympics.

 

[DC78-82]

Re: 2014 UNH Wildcats: Ending Strong and Starting Fresh

The minute a current DI player initiates contact with another school they must inform the NCAA and her current school of the inquiry. I'm sure UNH granted the coach permission if indeed the coach did go to Durham. I can't imagine the AD would want to exacerbate the situation by refusing the current players their release in the wake of this fiasco.
BTB: When Wakefield transferred I'm pretty sure McCloskey wouldn't grant her a transfer so she had to sit out. Hockey East adopted the transfer rule soon after.

McCloskey gave her her release. She was headed to TC for the year, so the "sit" was moot. It doesn't make any sense for a coach to withhold on a release request. Who wants a player on the squad who does not want to be there

 

[ARM]

It doesn't make any sense for a coach to withhold on a release request. Who wants a player on the squad who does not want to be there?

Wasn't the rumor a few years ago that Ashley Riggs wanted to transfer out of Niagara and Margot Page wouldn't give her a release? That is about the only case of that sort I can remember. I agree with you that a team figures to be better off with a roster of players fully committed to the program.

 

[Eeyore]

Re: 2014 UNH Wildcats: Ending Strong and Starting Fresh

Wasn't the rumor a few years ago that Ashley Riggs wanted to transfer out of Niagara and Margot Page wouldn't give her a release? That is about the only case of that sort I can remember. I agree with you that a team figures to be better off with a roster of players fully committed to the program.

Kind of funny how a coach can drop a player from the team without a hassle, but the player can't drop the team without the coach's permission unless she sits out a year.