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LSSU Lakers Hockey: 2017-18

Yooper_by_choice said:
The budget was increased dramatically for Whitten compared to what the previous coach's had.
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I’d like to see you’re definition of “dramatically.” Did it put in the top of the league with Minnesota State and Tech? Did it put them in with Bowling Green & Bemidji and now NMU. Damon, though getting $15-20,000 more than Roque, is still one of the two lowest paid. I would assume assistants and recruiting budgets to rank much higher. We don’t treat it like an elite WCHA program. So why do we expect an elite level result. We don’t even treat it like the middle of the pack.
 
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Re: LSSU Lakers Hockey: 2017-18

RapidsCity said:
I’d like to see you’re definition of “dramatically.” Did it put in the top of the league with Minnesota State and Tech? Did it put them in with Bowling Green & Bemidji and now NMU. Damon, though getting $15-20,000 more than Roque, is still one of the two lowest paid. I would assume assistants and recruiting budgets to rank much higher. We don’t treat it like an elite WCHA program. So why do we expect an elite level result. We don’t even treat it like the middle of the pack.
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LSSU is not a wealthy school with a large endowment nor does it have many wealthy alums ready to make up any shortfalls in the athletic budgets. In fact, declining enrollment has put the school in a rather precarious financial position and there is simply no "extra" money for athletic programs. I dare say that attendance needs to rebound or the wolves will soon be at the door.
 
Re: LSSU Lakers Hockey: 2017-18

Apparently the apathy extends to those paid to watch and record the game. Kossoff was replaced by Mitens after the 3rd goal. The game sheet and the play by play both show Mitens coming in after the 5th goal.
 
Re: LSSU Lakers Hockey: 2017-18

The question I have for Laker fans is this, if things stay as they are and the team finishes in 9th place and out of the playoffs, should they stay the course with Damon Whitten or look in another direction?

The pro's seem to be it will take more time to develop a pipeline of recruits and they don't have a chance because of recruit budgets and the unfair advantages of most of the other teams, so it doesn't matter who the coach is.

The con's seem to be he is getting decent talent but not developing it to his system or in general, he has lost the locker room and players leaving early, apathy has set in on the ice and with the fan base not showing up, and his overall record as head coach is 38-83-18 a winning percentage of around 28%.
 
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Re: LSSU Lakers Hockey: 2017-18

Who knows if someone else would do better, but I think it is worth a try. Northern has seen significant improvement after changing directions this year. Of the games I have watched there just seems to be a constant lack of effort.
 
Re: LSSU Lakers Hockey: 2017-18

The program isn't funded well, and whatever approach Whitten's taken may well not have had a chance to take root. Say you're an applicant for the next opening: are you interested in coaching for peanuts in an office where you'll have to do a lot of the off-ice work yourself and where the last guy got only four seasons?

GFM
 
gfmorris said:
The program isn't funded well, and whatever approach Whitten's taken may well not have had a chance to take root. Say you're an applicant for the next opening: are you interested in coaching for peanuts in an office where you'll have to do a lot of the off-ice work yourself and where the last guy got only four seasons?

GFM
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I have thought about it since before the this season started and I have come to the conclusion we need to go in a different direction. Many reasons not just the win loss record have swayed me to feel this way. When I first met Damon I was excited and fairly confident he could turn us in the right direction. I don't think for a few reasons believe he can get the job done here or anywhere else for that matter.

Geof we are not sure how long the program can keep going so it's not something that I take lightly.
 
Re: LSSU Lakers Hockey: 2017-18

Laker Dude said:
Who knows if someone else would do better, but I think it is worth a try. Northern has seen significant improvement after changing directions this year. Of the games I have watched there just seems to be a constant lack of effort.
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I think in Northern's case, they play on an Olympic size home rink and of necessity have had to recruit kids with good speed in recent years to try and take advantage of that rink size. When Potulny took over, he had the advantage of having decent team speed (along with an excellent goalie) already in place and has managed to elevate their play to another level that Kyle wasn't able to reach. The college game today is a skating game. The Lakers haven't been a team with good team speed in a long time. It's gotten better since Whitten took over but still isn't where it needs to be.
 
Re: LSSU Lakers Hockey: 2017-18

PerkyforPrez said:
I have thought about it since before the this season started and I have come to the conclusion we need to go in a different direction. Many reasons not just the win loss record have swayed me to feel this way. When I first met Damon I was excited and fairly confident he could turn us in the right direction. I don't think for a few reasons believe he can get the job done here or anywhere else for that matter.

Geof we are not sure how long the program can keep going so it's not something that I take lightly.
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Oh, I understand that.

GFM
 
Re: LSSU Lakers Hockey: 2017-18

PerkyforPrez said:
Geof, I know you understand that and I'm very happy that it's now in UAH's rearview mirror.
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Well, I know that it's behind us, but it may start picking up steam behind us again. Our Board of Trustees likes to kill athletic programs that aren't run by Nick Saban.

GFM
 
Laker Dude said:
Who knows if someone else would do better, but I think it is worth a try. Northern has seen significant improvement after changing directions this year. Of the games I have watched there just seems to be a constant lack of effort.
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Notthern’s improvement began last year when they went 7-3-0 in their last 10 WCHA gamrs and then took #1 Bemidji to the closing monents of game 3 in the opening round of the pkayoffs
 
Re: LSSU Lakers Hockey: 2017-18

Barring a drastic turnaround on the ice and in the locker room, it’s time to make a change at the end of the season.

The negatives far outweigh the positives after almost 4 years under Whitten, and it shows on the ice, with the off ice issues in the locker room, and with attendance slipping to an all time low, with apathy setting in.

You can say all the right things, make lots of promises, and hope for a better next year, for another year, but at some point you need to see progress and results.

Make the change David Paitson.
 
Re: LSSU Lakers Hockey: 2017-18

RapidsCity said:
I’d like to see you’re definition of “dramatically.” Did it put in the top of the league with Minnesota State and Tech? Did it put them in with Bowling Green & Bemidji and now NMU. Damon, though getting $15-20,000 more than Roque, is still one of the two lowest paid. I would assume assistants and recruiting budgets to rank much higher. We don’t treat it like an elite WCHA program. So why do we expect an elite level result. We don’t even treat it like the middle of the pack.
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The BUDGET is just more then pay for the coach's. The investment has not even come close to panning out. I would just like to see a competitive team. Which will not be with Whitten.
 
Re: LSSU Lakers Hockey: 2017-18

There's one thing that everyone who is calling for Whitten's head is missing:

If he does leave, and a coach comes in with a radically different system (say, more clutch-and-grab based), a number of our current recruits will not work well in that kind of system, and we will be having the same argument as we will have decommits, or players underperforming because it's not their play style.

It's largely a ****ed if you do, ****ed if you don't sort of scenario. I wouldn't be completely upset if they extended Whitten's contract for one or two years, as a sort of prove-it deal, but there are also times where I wouldn't be too upset if he was let go at the end of the year.

One way or another, we will be finding out in the next month what's going to happen. If they do let him go, I'm guessing it will be within a few days after the last game, playoffs or not, to get a full offseason to get a new coach in.

But what we do know, right now, is that some players have their demons - look at what happened with Nenedal. There are rumors of others that are the next best thing to being functional alcoholics, these sort of things don't usually bring a locker room up. Hopefully now that this Nenedal thing is out in the open, other players will get themselves right, if need be, or that some steam has been let out, since it's not a closed door thing anymore.
 
Re: LSSU Lakers Hockey: 2017-18

Deman said:
But what we do know, right now, is that some players have their demons - look at what happened with Nenedal. There are rumors of others that are the next best thing to being functional alcoholics, these sort of things don't usually bring a locker room up.
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That is quite a bold indictment of the student athletes playing hockey at LSSU isn't it?
 
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Re: LSSU Lakers Hockey: 2017-18

Truth Serum said:
That is quite a bold indictment of the student athletes playing hockey at LSSU isn't it?
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Considering there are guys that come in as 21 year old freshman, it's not surprising that there may be a one or two in the bunch. And that's their decision, they're adults.

And I did say rumors. I do not know first hand, since I'm not affiliated with the team, and while you generally wouldn't want to deal with that on your team, as long as they go out onto the ice and perform, then that's what matters in the here and now, though I would hope the team would do whatever it needed to do to get the guy help instead of wasting his future potential.
 
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