What's new
USCHO Fan Forum

This is a sample guest message. Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

  • The USCHO Fan Forum has migrated to a new plaform, xenForo. Most of the function of the forum should work in familiar ways. Please note that you can switch between light and dark modes by clicking on the gear icon in the upper right of the main menu bar. We are hoping that this new platform will prove to be faster and more reliable. Please feel free to explore its features.

LSSU Lakers 2014 off season thread

Status
Not open for further replies.
Re: LSSU Lakers 2014 off season thread

Is truth-hole still posting? I blocked her a long time ago, but I can see that he posts, just not the content.

I only see it when people quote her.

Thought he'd be gone, now that his cause is over.
 
Re: LSSU Lakers 2014 off season thread

More FYI: The Hounds have not made it out of the 1st round of the playoffs since Hartsberg last year in 2008. They are doing great this year, but this is the first decent year really since 2008, have gone through four coaches, and it is clear that attendance has NOT suffered.

Big big difference between Hound and Laker fans....they do not accept a losing culture there and that is why 2 coaches and 1 G.M heads have rolled in the past 3 seasons and Kyle Dubas noggin was set to roll down Queen St at the end of last year until his savior Sheldon Keefe appeared and made things right again. Yes attendance did not really suffer all that much during Torrie and Lambert's run but a still newish shiny arena would do that but season ticket sales did drop and there was a lot of dissatisfaction and team owenership rightfully guessed that attendance and revenue would drop unless immediate changes were quickly made. Cripe, I remember being at one game not to long after Lambert was dismissed and Torrie took over the coaching duties, an entire section of fans in one area were hurtling insults at Lukenda's ownership box....calling him some very nasty names and chanting "tight wad...tight wad!!", which is quite ironic because here's the most generous man the twin Soo's have known in quite some time being ridiculed for not wanting to spend money on the Hounds.
The Laker's problem was complacency, acceptance of mediocrity and finally a sense resignation from the administration that nothing could be done. It was these factors that allowed Roque to remain at LSSU for so long and what finally drove the fans away.
 
Re: LSSU Lakers 2014 off season thread

Big big difference between Hound and Laker fans....they do not accept a losing culture there and that is why 2 coaches and 1 G.M heads have rolled in the past 3 seasons and Kyle Dubas noggin was set to roll down Queen St at the end of last year until his savior Sheldon Keefe appeared and made things right again. Yes attendance did not really suffer all that much during Torrie and Lambert's run but a still newish shiny arena would do that but season ticket sales did drop and there was a lot of dissatisfaction and team owenership rightfully guessed that attendance and revenue would drop unless immediate changes were quickly made. Cripe, I remember being at one game not to long after Lambert was dismissed and Torrie took over the coaching duties, an entire section of fans in one area were hurtling insults at Lukenda's ownership box....calling him some very nasty names and chanting "tight wad...tight wad!!", which is quite ironic because here's the most generous man the twin Soo's have known in quite some time being ridiculed for not wanting to spend money on the Hounds.
The Laker's problem was complacency, acceptance of mediocrity and finally a sense resignation from the administration that nothing could be done. It was these factors that allowed Roque to remain at LSSU for so long and what finally drove the fans away.


I agree with you 100%. There was a time, especially during Scott Borek's last years, when that passion was found at LSSU. That was a long time ago. The refusal to accept sub-standard results was a proud hallmark of LSSU hockey -- the Little School that Could. And my point about Greyhound crowds was that despite the less-happy years, they never dipped below 4,000 average per game. I was exploring the question "Why?"
Yes, there is a difference between the fan bases. There is a difference between the two Sault Ste. Maries. But I think the Hounds have simply done a better job of selling themselves.
 
Re: LSSU Lakers 2014 off season thread

Congratulations to Globke for getting WCHA Rookie of the Year!! First Laker to get Rookie of the year since 1980.
 
Re: LSSU Lakers 2014 off season thread

I agree with you 100%. There was a time, especially during Scott Borek's last years, when that passion was found at LSSU. That was a long time ago. The refusal to accept sub-standard results was a proud hallmark of LSSU hockey -- the Little School that Could. And my point about Greyhound crowds was that despite the less-happy years, they never dipped below 4,000 average per game. I was exploring the question "Why?"
Yes, there is a difference between the fan bases. There is a difference between the two Sault Ste. Maries. But I think the Hounds have simply done a better job of selling themselves.

I think that we will immediately see a net increase in attendance just because of the "new coach" factor. I bet season ticket sales spike up once the prospective candidate is hired. As I keep saying, if Dunbar and the unversity make the right hire, attendance will increase by the upper hundreds in the first year or 2 and possibly more after that. More attendance will mean more success because of the added revenue and then we will finally have a virtuous loop upward rather than toilet bowl swirl we had with Roque.
 
Re: LSSU Lakers 2014 off season thread

Congratulations to Globke for getting WCHA Rookie of the Year!! First Laker to get Rookie of the year since 1980.

I enjoyed watching him the past season it is a well deserved honor. Congrats :) I'm looking forward to watching him and the other freshmen next season with a new coach.
 
Re: LSSU Lakers 2014 off season thread

I think that we will immediately see a net increase in attendance just because of the "new coach" factor. I bet season ticket sales spike up once the prospective candidate is hired. As I keep saying, if Dunbar and the unversity make the right hire, attendance will increase by the upper hundreds in the first year or 2 and possibly more after that. More attendance will mean more success because of the added revenue and then we will finally have a virtuous loop upward rather than toilet bowl swirl we had with Roque.

I remember when Frank came back in 2001, season ticket sales went up.
 
Re: LSSU Lakers 2014 off season thread

Also kudos to Czuczman for getting All-WCHA 2nd team and Kapalka for All-WCHA 3rd team. Both players will be greatly missed.
 
Re: LSSU Lakers 2014 off season thread

And wins plummeted
To be fair, wins were already plummeting under Borek and the team had become undisciplined. When Arbuckle hired Anzalone, they both knew that the Lakers were going to have to suffer through some more very lean years.
 
To be fair, wins were already plummeting under Borek and the team had become undisciplined. When Arbuckle hired Anzalone, they both knew that the Lakers were going to have to suffer through some more very lean years.

Just didn't realize it would be 13 more!
 
Re: LSSU Lakers 2014 off season thread

With the team Anzalone took over , they were lucky to get 5 wins. Half the team walked out and the other half had to learn what conditioning was.

Frank inherited one of the worst teams in college hockey. That 2001-02 squad would have been soundly beaten by mid-range D-3 schools...they were that bad! In four years he managed to keep the ship from running aground and steer her to open waters. Unfortunately for him and the Laker program, his caustic personality and callous treatment of the players finally cost him the job but make no mistake in that he was well on his way into making Laker Hockey a winning institution once more. Shame that it had to be Roque that was given the job and not someone like a Joe Shawhan. We would have a least been a competitive mid tier team in the new WCHA ala a Michigan Tech and not the sad story Laker Hockey has become synonymous for.
Take hope though people for better days are ahead!
 
Re: LSSU Lakers 2014 off season thread

Frank inherited one of the worst teams in college hockey. That 2001-02 squad would have been soundly beaten by mid-range D-3 schools...they were that bad! In four years he managed to keep the ship from running aground and steer her to open waters. Unfortunately for him and the Laker program, his caustic personality and callous treatment of the players finally cost him the job but make no mistake in that he was well on his way into making Laker Hockey a winning institution once more. Shame that it had to be Roque that was given the job and not someone like a Joe Shawhan. We would have a least been a competitive mid tier team in the new WCHA ala a Michigan Tech and not the sad story Laker Hockey has become synonymous for.
Take hope though people for better days are ahead!



Better days are ahead.
 
Re: LSSU Lakers 2014 off season thread

The WCHA coaches were pretty close with their pre-season predictions:

Pre-season coaches’ poll:
1. Minnesota State
2. Ferris
3. Michigan Tech
4. Bowling Green
5. Alaska
6. NMU
7. Bemidji
8. LSSU
9. Anchorage
10. Alabama Huntsville

Final standings:
1. Ferris
2. Minnesota State
T3. Alaska
T3. Bowling Green
5. Michigan Tech
6. Anchorage
7. NMU
T8. Bemidji
T8. LSSU
10. Alabama Huntsville
 
The WCHA coaches were pretty close with their pre-season predictions:

Pre-season coaches’ poll:
1. Minnesota State
2. Ferris
3. Michigan Tech
4. Bowling Green
5. Alaska
6. NMU
7. Bemidji
8. LSSU
9. Anchorage
10. Alabama Huntsville

Final standings:
1. Ferris
2. Minnesota State
T3. Alaska
T3. Bowling Green
5. Michigan Tech
6. Anchorage
7. NMU
T8. Bemidji
T8. LSSU
10. Alabama Huntsville
That's really good considering only 3 points separated #3 from #7
 
Re: LSSU Lakers 2014 off season thread

The campaign is in the works.
Word or your quick efforts to organize are spreading within the community. Maybe with Mrs. Roque gone for a few days common sense will prevail and some of you will realize that Mrs. Dunbar was more supportive than you are led to believe. She kept Coach Roque on for several years longer than most would have providing him stable income and security. Possibly jeopardizing her career in the process. She gave Coach Roque and extended contract a few years ago that he requested to see if security would aid his efforts. She went to the Regents and secured additional monies to put us on par with other universities in the league in all areas but coaches salaries. Her husband was an ex-player and coach at LSSU.

Personally, I look at the people that the Roque brigade are most vigilant in attacking as being on the solution side of the problems we have had.
Mrs. Dunbar wasn't the problem with Coach Roques led Laker collapses each year, Coach Roque was. Mrs. Dunbar is from Sault Ste. Marie and respected within the community. Coach Roque is not.
If the Roque's and their tight knit group want to blame the assistant coaches for the failures of the program then Coach Roque is to blame for the failures of the Coach Anzalone II era. Fair is fair.
I like everyone I've talked to say Joey Shawhan should be the front runner for the Laker job if he wants to return to the Soo. If Coach Roque's followers feel that Joe is not the right guy for the job, I say that even makes a stronger case to go after him.

Maybe the LSSU administration is now seeing the side of coach Roque that has ruined so many. I'm sure Mrs. Dunbar and Mr. McLean are feeling the humiliation that the Truth Squad's and Anchors Aweigh and Anzalone's have lived with.
It's time to rebuild and I will buy season tickets next season to show my support.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top