thecomicbookguy
Nobody.
Re: Hockey East Awards
As for the "if the season was a week longer" bit, yeah, UNH might have dropped out of the top spot, but Merrimack finished tied with UMass, one point higher than Vermont, and just two points out of 9th. With some up and down play those last few weeks as well, who's to say that with another week, NU and UVM* don't overtake Merrimack? Again, I'm not saying Dennehy isn't deserving, or that Umile deserved it more, just trying to get people to admit that Umile may have done a pretty good job this year.
*Speaking of NU and UVM, were it not for three straight late-game comebacks in back-to-back weekends towards the end of the season by UNH, both teams would have finished above Merrimack, pushing them into 9th.
I'm not going to dispute anything in this post except the bolded part, as UNH was not expected to finish all that well. There was a lot of talk heading into the season about the team missing home ice this year. (Although, Connelly and Hendrickson pretty much nailed it in the season preview: "In the Hockey East logjam, the Wildcats could make a run at first place or miss home ice by a mile.") Even as the season got rolling, most people thought UNH would struggle to finish 4th. This UNH team looked awful in the first quarter of the season, and steadily improved to take over the number one spot. I think that is why Umile got the nod.Right. Meanwhile, UNH moves up two spots from third to first, but were hanging onto first by their fingernails. If the season had been a week or two longer, they'd likely have lost it to BC, who are clearly playing better than any other team in the league right now (BU included). If the award had been given a weekend later I think Dennehy still gets the nod and Umile doesn't share it. UNH was expected to finish well this year, and having finished well, was expected to advance from the first round in the playoffs and didn't.
So UNH has met some expectations but failed to meet others, while Merrimack's program has met or exceeded just about every expectation one could reasonably have held for it, given last year's performance.
Dennehy won for bringing the program up from the doldrums of a 3-win season early in his tenure to competing for home ice and getting into the playoffs this year after finishing in last place the previous season.
Umile won for finishing first in the regular season while not being BC or BU.
I suppose one can say those are equivalent
As for the "if the season was a week longer" bit, yeah, UNH might have dropped out of the top spot, but Merrimack finished tied with UMass, one point higher than Vermont, and just two points out of 9th. With some up and down play those last few weeks as well, who's to say that with another week, NU and UVM* don't overtake Merrimack? Again, I'm not saying Dennehy isn't deserving, or that Umile deserved it more, just trying to get people to admit that Umile may have done a pretty good job this year.
*Speaking of NU and UVM, were it not for three straight late-game comebacks in back-to-back weekends towards the end of the season by UNH, both teams would have finished above Merrimack, pushing them into 9th.
. I can deal. Can always give the we have no superstars, we just play as a team answer. Kind of like the Patriots a few years ago in that respect 