LSSU Laker Hockey

[AnchorsAway]

Re: LSSU Laker Hockey

The reality is that there is not that much talent in the SJHL to begin with so my suspicion is that most players in that league would be tickled pink to be recruited by any D-1 school. This of course does very little to help a program like Lake State and my arguement for quite some time has been that the coaching staff must bend their recruting practices and resources away from the Canadian tier II Junior leagues and onto the domestic junior ranks.

This is not to say that there is no talent in Canada, far from it, but rather that talent that remains after the Major Junior Programs have had their fill is more apt to favor the big name programs in hopes of advancing their professional hockey careers over the lesser ones who are not known to move players on to the NHL. Think about it, a solid player who could have played in the OHL as a 17 year old did not forgo that prime opportunity to play at a small school with limited resources....like Lake Superior.

What is eventually left for the smaller programs are players who did not possess the ability/talent to play in the CHL as 16, 17 and even 18 year olds and who were passed over by the more successful college teams. You simply cannot build a winning program taking the bulk of your players from these leagues. Yes, you may find a few decent players who can help your program but certainly not enough to have your program compete year in and year out.

As for Borek, I was once his harshest critic but have since realized that there was little if anything he could have done to prevent Lake States slide from one of the preeminent teams in the nation to an also ran. As has been mentioned, the college hockey landscape was evolving rapidly and elite players no longer wished to play for Lake State....no matter who was on the coaching staff.

Many of the better Laker players in the past were known as "partial qualifiers", meaning they did not possess the necessary SAT/ACT scores and grades to earn a regular admission but were brought in because they were athletes. They were requried to take remedial programs and achieve a passing GPA in order to continue playing and studying. The clearinghouse did away with all of that.....putting even more of a strain on Lake State recrutiting practices that relied heavily on taking such players.

These are some tulmutous times for Lake State....the advent of the big 10 and resulting shakeup coupled with massive budgetary cuts proposed by the state Governor will require real leadership from administration to overcome.

As far as moving players on to a pro career, the Lakers haven't done too terrible in that capacity recently, Acton, Gysbers, D. Smith, Perkovich, and Schofield are all currently playing at the AHL level and it is very possible that in the next 2-3 years that Gysbers, Smith, Perkovich, and Schofield will all be in the NHL, (I don't see Acton making it). When you add Trotman in as another possible NHLer in 3-4 years or so that would make 5 Laker alumni in the NHL, which would be the most since the alumni from the Laker glory years, that would be a selling point that LSSU should pitch to recruits in my opinion...5 NHL players obviously doesn't compare with the dozens of Michigan players in the NHL but I'd guess it would be more than 80% of schools in D 1 hockey.

 

[DB Cooper]

Re: LSSU Laker Hockey

That may be the case, but I think it's hard to argue the root of his idea. I'd agree that his means of expressing it could use some refinement, however, his opinion does have merit and grounds to stand on. Frank Anzalone (along with Mason, Jackson, Comley) are the men who put Lake Superior hockey on the map and made the program into one of the historic greats. Jim Roque has done nothing to warrant seven years on the job. Everyone can see that the program is trending downwards and is a far cry from what it used to be. And there are quite a few apologists for Roque. I've talked to many employees at the University who are ardent supporters of Roque. He is gifted at saying the right things to the media and controlling the message. I think Truth Squad has just gone off the deep end trying to get his point across. If I felt that passionately about something and my efforts proved futile for that many years I'd probably start losing it too. There really isn't a single, legitimate, hockey-based argument that can be made as to why Roque should keep his job.

The "Truths" amuse me, aside from the repetition and personal venom. What I think is apparent however, is a rather simplistic approach to the solution of the poor Laker performance. Of course the knee jerk reaction is to get a new coach. That won't work. In fact, it will be counter productive.

A coach that may consider the LSSU job is probably going to be young and ambitious. He will be looking for a program that has the infra structure in place to produce a winner. Promises are nice, but if the framework for success is present already, that will be a good attractant. The last thing a young, ambitious coach wants is to step into an obviously dead end job, stopping his career progress before it starts. LSSU hockey is currently a dead end job. If the administration is motivated, and able, to consider a coaching change, they need to be able to sell the job to a desirable candidate, not pick the low hanging fruit and hope for the best. They need to offer a competitive salary, and prove they are willing to do what it takes to enable a coach to be successful. I think even a gifted coach would struggle to produce the level of success I would like to see again, given current conditions.

Therein lies an argument that a coaching change this year is not essential. First, improve funding for the program. As I've said before, that removes that justification for mediocrity. If benchmarks for the team are not met next season, then begin the coaching search, selling an improving facility, increased funding for the program (recruiting etc.), and a good salary. Be aggressive in chosing candidates. Division I jobs are scarce.

A partial solution which has already been discussed on this board may occur without the university having to do anything. If the formation of the Big Ten hockey conference leads to a reorganization placing the Lakers in a conference with more similarly sized opponents, chances for success would improve. More wins equals more fan support equals more money.

As much as I hope for a better year next year, none of my ideas solve what I believe to be the main issue affecting the team in recent years; consistent effort and motivation. I am certain the current coaches, who are all very intelligent, are well aware of this problem, but have been unable to solve it.

The Laker hockey program has been grossly mismanaged, all momentum has been wasted, changing coaches is futile until adequate administrative support is achieved.

 

[Truth Serum]

Re: LSSU Laker Hockey

The "Truths" amuse me, aside from the repetition and personal venom. What I think is apparent however, is a rather simplistic approach to the solution of the poor Laker performance. Of course the knee jerk reaction is to get a new coach. That won't work. In fact, it will be counter productive.

A coach that may consider the LSSU job is probably going to be young and ambitious. He will be looking for a program that has the infra structure in place to produce a winner. Promises are nice, but if the framework for success is present already, that will be a good attractant. The last thing a young, ambitious coach wants is to step into an obviously dead end job, stopping his career progress before it starts. LSSU hockey is currently a dead end job. If the administration is motivated, and able, to consider a coaching change, they need to be able to sell the job to a desirable candidate, not pick the low hanging fruit and hope for the best. They need to offer a competitive salary, and prove they are willing to do what it takes to enable a coach to be successful. I think even a gifted coach would struggle to produce the level of success I would like to see again, given current conditions.

Therein lies an argument that a coaching change this year is not essential. First, improve funding for the program. As I've said before, that removes that justification for mediocrity. If benchmarks for the team are not met next season, then begin the coaching search, selling an improving facility, increased funding for the program (recruiting etc.), and a good salary. Be aggressive in chosing candidates. Division I jobs are scarce.

A partial solution which has already been discussed on this board may occur without the university having to do anything. If the formation of the Big Ten hockey conference leads to a reorganization placing the Lakers in a conference with more similarly sized opponents, chances for success would improve. More wins equals more fan support equals more money.

As much as I hope for a better year next year, none of my ideas solve what I believe to be the main issue affecting the team in recent years; consistent effort and motivation. I am certain the current coaches, who are all very intelligent, are well aware of this problem, but have been unable to solve it.

The Laker hockey program has been grossly mismanaged, all momentum has been wasted, changing coaches is futile until adequate administrative support is achieved.

We can now add DB Cooper to the list of those proving a lot of the points of not just the "truth's" but others.

The discussion is completely a wasted one because the simple fact is this coach will not go anywhere for a long time. He can have 20 loss seasons, lack of player development, inconsistent play night to night, crowds in the 1000's, off-ice incidents, it simply will not matter. It is all about who you know and the bottom line which is money, especially what has been promised and the strings with it in the next couple of years.

On a totally related note, I am not a fan of Kurt Busch, I am more of a Hendrick guy. That is the truth Bud D, I mean buddy.

 

[peten16]

Re: LSSU Laker Hockey

There are many reasons Roque should not have his contract renewed. If for no other reason he should be let go because of his antics after the MSU game and subsiquent actions. I know quite a few employees of the University and think they are top shelf folks. Which is why I feel strongly about this issue. I don't want to get into the what ifs about it.

I live in NC, can someone please tell me about what happened after the MSU game?

 

[AnchorsAway]

Re: LSSU Laker Hockey

The "Truths" amuse me, aside from the repetition and personal venom. What I think is apparent however, is a rather simplistic approach to the solution of the poor Laker performance. Of course the knee jerk reaction is to get a new coach. That won't work. In fact, it will be counter productive.

A coach that may consider the LSSU job is probably going to be young and ambitious. He will be looking for a program that has the infra structure in place to produce a winner. Promises are nice, but if the framework for success is present already, that will be a good attractant. The last thing a young, ambitious coach wants is to step into an obviously dead end job, stopping his career progress before it starts. LSSU hockey is currently a dead end job. If the administration is motivated, and able, to consider a coaching change, they need to be able to sell the job to a desirable candidate, not pick the low hanging fruit and hope for the best. They need to offer a competitive salary, and prove they are willing to do what it takes to enable a coach to be successful. I think even a gifted coach would struggle to produce the level of success I would like to see again, given current conditions.

Therein lies an argument that a coaching change this year is not essential. First, improve funding for the program. As I've said before, that removes that justification for mediocrity. If benchmarks for the team are not met next season, then begin the coaching search, selling an improving facility, increased funding for the program (recruiting etc.), and a good salary. Be aggressive in chosing candidates. Division I jobs are scarce.

A partial solution which has already been discussed on this board may occur without the university having to do anything. If the formation of the Big Ten hockey conference leads to a reorganization placing the Lakers in a conference with more similarly sized opponents, chances for success would improve. More wins equals more fan support equals more money.

As much as I hope for a better year next year, none of my ideas solve what I believe to be the main issue affecting the team in recent years; consistent effort and motivation. I am certain the current coaches, who are all very intelligent, are well aware of this problem, but have been unable to solve it.

The Laker hockey program has been grossly mismanaged, all momentum has been wasted, changing coaches is futile until adequate administrative support is achieved.

I see your point, but I don't necessarily agree, you said yourself that D1 jobs are scarce...there are only a handful of schools that have ever won a national championship, let alone 3...now granted that was a long time ago and the program is in a much different place now than it was in those days but nonetheless it is a championship winning program which gives it a leg up on most of the other small schools in NCAA hockey...also the Big Ten team are gone now and the Lakers had a 7-10-7 record this past season against the teams that will be competing in the CCHA next season (and keep in mind that 7 of those 10 losses came against ND and Miami)...If I'm the administration I see that record with 7 ties, combined with a young and promising Lakers roster as meaning the Lakers are at a hell of a crossroads as far as the next 2-3 years goes, they have the option of sticking with a below average coach in Roque or selling this "on the brink of something" to a young up and coming coach...and any young up and coming coach whose worth a **** should certainly have the stones to think that he has what it takes to take this opportunity and get off to a great start the next couple of years with LSSU...and so what if we get a guy that see this as a stepping stone job? As long as he can produce a rate of success higher than what we have been saddled with then I can live with that much easier than living with a coach who is settled in and is satisfied with a career of wasting talent and lower tier finishes in the CCHA.

 

[peten16]

Re: LSSU Laker Hockey

Also, how will the Norris renovation affect the hockey program? From what I read there will be no changes to the arena proper. It seems to me that "renovation" is basically just a facade to spruce up the outside appearance of that complex.

 

[Truth Squad]

Re: LSSU Laker Hockey

I live in NC, can someone please tell me about what happened after the MSU game?

http://www.uscho.com/2011/01/28/lssus-roque-in-more-hot-water-with-ccha/

http://www.westerncollegehockeyblog.com/2011/1/21/1948886/ccha-suspends-roque-for-one-game

The Truth Is Out There.....
TBA

 

[sm2pk]

Re: LSSU Laker Hockey

I think a lot of coaches out there as assistants,juniors,Division 3,and even Joey Shahawn would take the Lake State job if offered.

 

[DopeyBaker]

Re: LSSU Laker Hockey

Also, how will the Norris renovation affect the hockey program? From what I read there will be no changes to the arena proper. It seems to me that "renovation" is basically just a facade to spruce up the outside appearance of that complex.

More details for you: http://norriscenterproject.com/

 

[DB Cooper]

Re: LSSU Laker Hockey

We can now add DB Cooper to the list of those proving a lot of the points of not just the "truth's" but others.

The discussion is completely a wasted one because the simple fact is this coach will not go anywhere for a long time. He can have 20 loss seasons, lack of player development, inconsistent play night to night, crowds in the 1000's, off-ice incidents, it simply will not matter. It is all about who you know and the bottom line which is money, especially what has been promised and the strings with it in the next couple of years.

On a totally related note, I am not a fan of Kurt Busch, I am more of a Hendrick guy. That is the truth Bud D, I mean buddy.

If there is some kind of club being formed, let me tell you right now, I'm not paying any dues. Although, I am partial to secret handshakes.

 

[peten16]

Re: LSSU Laker Hockey

I think a lot of coaches out there as assistants,juniors,Division 3,and even Joey Shahawn would take the Lake State job if offered.

What makes you think hiring a D-III coach is a good idea? D-III is basically club hockey. If a D-III guy is the best we can get then the previous point is proven.

 

[DB Cooper]

Re: LSSU Laker Hockey

I see your point, but I don't necessarily agree, you said yourself that D1 jobs are scarce...there are only a handful of schools that have ever won a national championship, let alone 3...now granted that was a long time ago and the program is in a much different place now than it was in those days but nonetheless it is a championship winning program which gives it a leg up on most of the other small schools in NCAA hockey...also the Big Ten team are gone now and the Lakers had a 7-10-7 record this past season against the teams that will be competing in the CCHA next season (and keep in mind that 7 of those 10 losses came against ND and Miami)...If I'm the administration I see that record with 7 ties, combined with a young and promising Lakers roster as meaning the Lakers are at a hell of a crossroads as far as the next 2-3 years goes, they have the option of sticking with a below average coach in Roque or selling this "on the brink of something" to a young up and coming coach...and any young up and coming coach whose worth a **** should certainly have the stones to think that he has what it takes to take this opportunity and get off to a great start the next couple of years with LSSU...and so what if we get a guy that see this as a stepping stone job? As long as he can produce a rate of success higher than what we have been saddled with then I can live with that much easier than living with a coach who is settled in and is satisfied with a career of wasting talent and lower tier finishes in the CCHA.

I'd like to see the decline stopped as soon as possible, and of course it is always better to have the players exposed to high level instruction for as long as possible. A scenario that could develop is that a new coach could come in and reinvigorate the program and move them to the middle of the pack. Some might be satisfied with this limited progress and delay or neglect the changes needed in the program to take it to the upper level of the league. Without this support, the Lakers will again stagnate and lose any excitement and momentum gernerated by a new coach. Again, competent managment of this program is needed. The coach is responsible for coaching. He needs to be managed by, and reponsible to the athletic director.

I think a lot of coaches out there as assistants,juniors,Division 3,and even Joey Shahawn would take the Lake State job if offered.

I would want them to aim very high with their next hire. I would expect to see candidates with demonstrated long term success at the college level as a head coach. If a person has head coaching experience at only the division III level, they would need to have been an assistant at a very successful division I program at some point, with substantial recruiting and coaching responsibilities. I am convinced that creating a culture of success is a learned skill that the next coach must have. I know Joe Shahawn was a very good NAHL coach, but I would be concerned that he has not been a college head coach, nor does he meet the above criteria regarding his assistant experience. That is not to say that he might not be a great hire, only that he has a higher risk of failure.

 

[jnacc]

Re: LSSU Laker Hockey

We can now add DB Cooper to the list of those proving a lot of the points of not just the "truth's" but others.

The discussion is completely a wasted one because the simple fact is this coach will not go anywhere for a long time. He can have 20 loss seasons, lack of player development, inconsistent play night to night, crowds in the 1000's, off-ice incidents, it simply will not matter. It is all about who you know and the bottom line which is money, especially what has been promised and the strings with it in the next couple of years.

On a totally related note, I am not a fan of Kurt Busch, I am more of a Hendrick guy. That is the truth Bud D, I mean buddy.

Somehow I do not believe that Roque could survive any more 20 loss seasons and crowds in the 1000's no matter how politically connected he may be because the Laker program itself will not survive.
Believe me, the Lakers have a ZERO buzz factor in the Soo and the school will be massively impacted in a very very negative way if Gov Snyder's budget passes as is. Fan apathy (and I would like to emphatically say well deserved fan apathy as this program has given us very little to cheer about the dozen years or so), the creation of the Big 10 and probable demise of the CCHA could very well spell the end.

The Lakers must show continued improvement. Roque must prove and must prove it this coming season once and for all that he has the wherewithal to mold a competitive team that will challenge for a CCHA final four berth and potential NCAA appearance. There is no tomorrow! The 2011-12 season will be the tell all. If Roque fails and the program flounders to another 8-11th place finish and an early playoff exit while still holding 3 years remaining on a 4 year contract then I can assure you that it will be GAME OVER! No Norris Center Renos, no amount of cheerleading and no pleading will bring back fans.

Right now the Eagles have more of a buzz factor than the Lakers (not hard to do of course). You will see a mass exodus of the few remaining core Laker fans to the Eagles organization....I know because I am one of them and know several dozen of them....we are tired of what is going on.....we DEMAND results this coming season!!!!

End of story.

 

[sm2pk]

Re: LSSU Laker Hockey

What makes you think hiring a D-III coach is a good idea? D-III is basically club hockey. If a D-III guy is the best we can get then the previous point is proven.

Brian Kelly did with football from a division 2 team at Grand Valley to division 1 and has been quite successful so far. I am impressed with the Adrain coach in division 3 who took a new program and in it's first 4 years have been to the playoffs twice and finishing second this year. MI State must have seen something to hire Anastos who has spent a total of one year in his life as an assistant coach back in 1992. because a guy is coaching at a lower level doesn't mean he cannot take the next step up .

 

[Truth Squad]

Re: LSSU Laker Hockey

Somehow I do not believe that Roque could survive any more 20 loss seasons and crowds in the 1000's no matter how politically connected he may be because the Laker program itself will not survive.
Believe me, the Lakers have a ZERO buzz factor in the Soo and the school will be massively impacted in a very very negative way if Gov Snyder's budget passes as is. Fan apathy (and I would like to emphatically say well deserved fan apathy as this program has given us very little to cheer about the dozen years or so), the creation of the Big 10 and probable demise of the CCHA could very well spell the end.

The Lakers must show continued improvement. Roque must prove and must prove it this coming season once and for all that he has the wherewithal to mold a competitive team that will challenge for a CCHA final four berth and potential NCAA appearance. There is no tomorrow! The 2011-12 season will be the tell all. If Roque fails and the program flounders to another 8-11th place finish and an early playoff exit while still holding 3 years remaining on a 4 year contract then I can assure you that it will be GAME OVER! No Norris Center Renos, no amount of cheerleading and no pleading will bring back fans.

Right now the Eagles have more of a buzz factor than the Lakers (not hard to do of course). You will see a mass exodus of the few remaining core Laker fans to the Eagles organization....I know because I am one of them and know several dozen of them....we are tired of what is going on.....we DEMAND results this coming season!!!!

End of story.

I don't know what or who the Soo Eagles are but I am not surprised people are leaving watching the same old show year after year after year.

Year 7 of the Roque Administration is the make or break year. Bill will tell us about the recruits and it's year 8 is the make or break year, then the cycle repeats over and over again.

All is not lost there is playoff hockey in many parts of the country there Neil

The Truth Is Out There.....
TBA

 

[Laker54]

Re: LSSU Laker Hockey

What makes you think hiring a D-III coach is a good idea? D-III is basically club hockey. If a D-III guy is the best we can get then the previous point is proven.

If you hire a D-III coach that has championship experience he can move to the next level. Look at what Ohio State did with Jim Tressel in 2001. He had won several National Championships with Youngstown State and was in the hunt most of the time. People thought they were crazy for hiring someone from D-II. Well he moved up to become very sucessful. Baring his recent problems. The same thing can be done in hockey; for example hire a guy like the coach at Adrian College who, since day one has had the program in the National Championship hunt year in and year out. He is only one example of the type of coach they could/should look for.

 

[MafiaMan]

Re: LSSU Laker Hockey

Waaaaay off topic...someone from LSSU please tell me how I can get a Laker hockey jersey...and not one of the cheap knock-offs from your bookstore!

 

[peten16]

Re: LSSU Laker Hockey

If you hire a D-III coach that has championship experience he can move to the next level. Look at what Ohio State did with Jim Tressel in 2001. He had won several National Championships with Youngstown State and was in the hunt most of the time. People thought they were crazy for hiring someone from D-II. Well he moved up to become very sucessful. Baring his recent problems. The same thing can be done in hockey; for example hire a guy like the coach at Adrian College who, since day one has had the program in the National Championship hunt year in and year out. He is only one example of the type of coach they could/should look for.

The difference is in D-II there are scholarships and thus recruiting. There are no scholarships in D-III, therefore recruiting becomes an afterthought, they are teams full of wannabe walk-ons. The are no egos or prima donnas in D-III. That's what got Borek, he could not manage the egos.

 

[PerkyforPrez]

Waaaaay off topic...someone from LSSU please tell me how I can get a Laker hockey jersey...and not one of the cheap knock-offs from your bookstore!

Call Tim Christian his number is in the athletic directory.

 

[Truth Squad]

Re: LSSU Laker Hockey

Saint Frank (angels sing) continues to work miracles on the hockey rink. He has guided the mighty Mallards (quack, quack) to an unbelievable seventh-place finish!

Saint Frank (angels sing) coached an offensive juggernaut, as the Mallards (quack, quack) scored more goals than one other team in the ever-tough CHL.

Saint Frank (angels sing) helped the Mallards (quack, quack) finish an unheard of three games over .500! And while the Mallards (quack, quack) ended the season with a sub-par road record, nonetheless Saint Frank (angels sing) guided his team to a miraculous four-games-above-.500 at home!! (angels sing / quack, quack)

http://chl.stats.pointstreak.com/standings.html?leagueid=12&seasonid=5902

Hey Neil this ones for you.

http://www.berthoudrecorder.com/2011/04/02/mallards-come-back-for-game-1-win/

How are you, bill and Jimbo enjoying the links up there Neil? It is ancient history up there but some teams still play in April. I am sure things will be different next season

The Truth Is Out There.....
TBA