Maine

[Ma#1ne Hky]

Re: Maine

Playoff Hockey in Hockey East could be in the rear view mirror if they don't sneak a split or two on the road and take care of business at home to end the last part of the season...no playoffs and that really has to open the AD's eye's.

 

[walrus]

Re: Maine

I guess one of the UConns assts flipped Red off after the game. Too Funny. People wonder why I don't watch Maine hockey anymore. UConn was 0-4-1 in the their last 5, nice of Maine to get them off the losing streak.

 

[NorthMike]

All true that's why there needs to be a tear down and Gendron shown the door out once the season ends.

Unfortunately don't be surprised when Red and comp. are running the show again next year. CT has talent and coaching, just a matter of time if they can put it together.

Any word on Tralmaks injury? Did he stay out the full game or come back in?

 

[BlackI]

Unfortunately don't be surprised when Red and comp. are running the show again next year. CT has talent and coaching, just a matter of time if they can put it together.

Any word on Tralmaks injury? Did he stay out the full game or come back in?

Came back in. He seemed fine after coming back.

 

[acs64]

Re: Maine

I remember now why I stopped watching and following Maine Hockey 3 years ago. At one time I had hopes that Red would be able to get it done given enough time. Wrong. Oh well, lets put up another stiff behind the bench and see what happens. Is Ben Guite still with this staff? Its been sooooo long since I even checked up on this program. Nothing missed, lol. I guess the only consolation might be seeing several of the other teams in HE floundering as well. Bring back Tim Whitehead

 

[Runsub5]

Re: Maine

I guess one of the UConns assts flipped Red off after the game. Too Funny. People wonder why I don't watch Maine hockey anymore. UConn was 0-4-1 in the their last 5, nice of Maine to get them off the losing streak.

I'm sure that came after a choice comment by Gendron. When UConn came back and tied the score at 2-2; I thought Cavanaugh would take care of Gendron for the win. Hard to quantify, but Cavanaugh was getting more out of his players in my opinion. Both teams have a number of international players but I thought UConn had more skill offensively.

 

[amkirby10]

Re: Maine

Tough game to drop, especially in the fashion they did. It's one you really have to have. The home schedule is soft enough the rest of the way I bet they'll still make the playoffs, but they'll get annihilated in two games, most likely in Chestnut Hill or Amherst.

 

[Ma#1ne Hky]

Re: Maine

Tough game to drop, especially in the fashion they did. It's one you really have to have. The home schedule is soft enough the rest of the way I bet they'll still make the playoffs, but they'll get annihilated in two games, most likely in Chestnut Hill or Amherst.

What's sad with this Program, is hoping and knowing once you get in and either make it in as a 7th or 8th seed that this is your gravy for the season and afterwards 2 playoff games and out the door, my only hope in being a #8 seed is that Swayman could steal a series...but stealing a series he has to stand on his head each night and some how some where's Maine has to score some goals to back him up. TOO MUCH TO ASK.

 

[Sean Pickett]

Re: Maine

Unfortunately don't be surprised when Red and comp. are running the show again next year. CT has talent and coaching, just a matter of time if they can put it together.

I don't think Coach Cavanaugh is a better coach than Coach Gendron, although he may be a better recruiter. After last night's game their career records are close:
Coach Gendron - 92-124-29, 0.435
Coach Cavanaugh - 86-119-31, 0.430

So, if Coach Gendron has had less talent, then he is the slightly better game coach. However, Coach Cavanaugh does own the head-to-head record between the two. In reality both coaches should probably be terminated if they don't end up with winning records overall and in league play and make the tournament this season.

Sean

 

[Runsub5]

Re: Maine

I don't think Coach Cavanaugh is a better coach than Coach Gendron, although he may be a better recruiter. After last night's game their career records are close:
Coach Gendron - 92-124-29, 0.435
Coach Cavanaugh - 86-119-31, 0.430

So, if Coach Gendron has had less talent, then he is the slightly better game coach. However, Coach Cavanaugh does own the head-to-head record between the two. In reality both coaches should probably be terminated if they don't end up with winning records overall and in league play and make the tournament this season.

Sean

Cavanaugh is the better recruiter in my mind. He has recruited better talent without a team legacy (unlike Maine) , so I think it's been harder for him. As you point out Cavanaugh has the better record head to head and both are serving as first time head coaches. It's just a gut feeling, but I would terminate Gendron and bring back Cavanaugh for a couple of years.

 

[Ma#1ne Hky]

Re: Maine

I don't think Coach Cavanaugh is a better coach than Coach Gendron, although he may be a better recruiter. After last night's game their career records are close:
Coach Gendron - 92-124-29, 0.435
Coach Cavanaugh - 86-119-31, 0.430

So, if Coach Gendron has had less talent, then he is the slightly better game coach. However, Coach Cavanaugh does own the head-to-head record between the two. In reality both coaches should probably be terminated if they don't end up with winning records overall and in league play and make the tournament this season.

Sean

Add Vermont's Snedden to that list of possible Coaching change, he more likely then at UConn and Maine

 

[NorthMike]

Cavanaugh is the better recruiter in my mind. He has recruited better talent without a team legacy (unlike Maine) , so I think it's been harder for him. As you point out Cavanaugh has the better record head to head and both are serving as first time head coaches. It's just a gut feeling, but I would terminate Gendron and bring back Cavanaugh for a couple of years.

I'd be happy bringing Cav in here next yr.

 

[Drew S.]

I'd be happy bringing Cav in here next yr.

I think he would do well. It’s kind of crazy that he is getting on a bit. I’m sure for a lot of us he’s still kind of a young up and coming coach.

 

[GoBlue51]

Re: Maine

Cavanaugh is the better recruiter in my mind. He has recruited better talent without a team legacy (unlike Maine) , so I think it's been harder for him. As you point out Cavanaugh has the better record head to head and both are serving as first time head coaches. It's just a gut feeling, but I would terminate Gendron and bring back Cavanaugh for a couple of years.

I know blaming Red is the easy and popular thing to do on this forum, but I blame the University of Maine for the lack of recruiting talent. What does Red have to sell these kids on? The atmosphere and the tradition. It ends there.

What teenager is going to be sold on that compared to top-notch facilities at schools like BU, BC, UMass, Northeastern, Providence and UConn? None.

What teenager is going to want to spend three or four years in Orono, ME instead of Boston or any of those areas mentioned above? None.

You can have the best salesman in the world, but it's still hard to sell poop.

Times have changed and most young kids no longer care about tradition or anything along those lines. They want nice facilities and they want to play where they'll be noticed. Right now, those places are located in southern New England.

Look at the four teams at the bottom of the Hockey East standings: Maine, Merrimack, Vermont and UNH.

I don't necessarily think those four teams all have terrible coaches. I think that a combination of facilities and location, compared to the top-tier programs, make it tough to recruit top-tier talent to play at those four schools.

 

[Ma#1ne Hky]

Re: Maine

I know blaming Red is the easy and popular thing to do on this forum, but I blame the University of Maine for the lack of recruiting talent. What does Red have to sell these kids on? The atmosphere and the tradition. It ends there.

What teenager is going to be sold on that compared to top-notch facilities at schools like BU, BC, UMass, Northeastern, Providence and UConn? None.

What teenager is going to want to spend three or four years in Orono, ME instead of Boston or any of those areas mentioned above? None.

You can have the best salesman in the world, but it's still hard to sell poop.

Times have changed and most young kids no longer care about tradition or anything along those lines. They want nice facilities and they want to play where they'll be noticed. Right now, those places are located in southern New England.

Look at the four teams at the bottom of the Hockey East standings: Maine, Merrimack, Vermont and UNH.

I don't necessarily think those four teams all have terrible coaches. I think that a combination of facilities and location, compared to the top-tier programs, make it tough to recruit top-tier talent to play at those four schools.

Winning Programs that play for Hardware adds to making a recruiting pitch better...but true Orono is a hard sell...but you need someone that knows and cares on doing his job...no matter where you play the game.

 

[acs64]

Re: Maine

I know blaming Red is the easy and popular thing to do on this forum, but I blame the University of Maine for the lack of recruiting talent. What does Red have to sell these kids on? The atmosphere and the tradition. It ends there.

What teenager is going to be sold on that compared to top-notch facilities at schools like BU, BC, UMass, Northeastern, Providence and UConn? None.

What teenager is going to want to spend three or four years in Orono, ME instead of Boston or any of those areas mentioned above? None.

You can have the best salesman in the world, but it's still hard to sell poop.

Times have changed and most young kids no longer care about tradition or anything along those lines. They want nice facilities and they want to play where they'll be noticed. Right now, those places are located in southern New England.

Look at the four teams at the bottom of the Hockey East standings: Maine, Merrimack, Vermont and UNH.

I don't necessarily think those four teams all have terrible coaches. I think that a combination of facilities and location, compared to the top-tier programs, make it tough to recruit top-tier talent to play at those four schools.

No doubt its tough to recruit to a state school versus private. But Walshy did it successfully back in the days....granted he sold the kids on helping to build and being a part of a powerhouse from the ground up. And he wasnt afraid to recruit head to head with the established programs of the time. Its not all about recruiting but certainly a very significant part of being successful.

Red seems to be able to coach to the lower end of the middle of the pack and thats about it. How long has it been since the Bears have been to the Garden? At least Whitehead sniffed at a few appearances there, but Red naddah.

Most probably all the Northern New England schools will perpetually be mired in the cellar of hockey east with one occasionally rising to the middle of the pack......but top four ? Nah, I doubt that very much.

 

[Runsub5]

Re: Maine

Winning Programs that play for Hardware adds to making a recruiting pitch better...but true Orono is a hard sell...but you need someone that knows and cares on doing his job...no matter where you play the game.

North Dakota. Not exactly an urban mecca for attracting student athletes but they have a winning tradition and facilities. Probably an outlier to goblue51's argument.

 

[NorthMike]

North Dakota. Not exactly an urban mecca for attracting student athletes but they have a winning tradition and facilities. Probably an outlier to goblue51's argument.

Duluth to name another, there are more.
I don't buy the argument goblue51 presents. As a player would you go to York's team or Reds, no brainer. It's about coaching and development. Yeh some kids might not want rural or a state school atmospheres but there's lots of talent who won't mind.

 

[walrus]

Re: Maine

If location is the problem should the program be moved to USM?

 

[amkirby10]

I know blaming Red is the easy and popular thing to do on this forum, but I blame the University of Maine for the lack of recruiting talent. What does Red have to sell these kids on? The atmosphere and the tradition. It ends there.

What teenager is going to be sold on that compared to top-notch facilities at schools like BU, BC, UMass, Northeastern, Providence and UConn? None.

What teenager is going to want to spend three or four years in Orono, ME instead of Boston or any of those areas mentioned above? None.

You can have the best salesman in the world, but it's still hard to sell poop.

Times have changed and most young kids no longer care about tradition or anything along those lines. They want nice facilities and they want to play where they'll be noticed. Right now, those places are located in southern New England.

Look at the four teams at the bottom of the Hockey East standings: Maine, Merrimack, Vermont and UNH.

I don't necessarily think those four teams all have terrible coaches. I think that a combination of facilities and location, compared to the top-tier programs, make it tough to recruit top-tier talent to play at those four schools.

There's no easy answer as to how Maine could return to being a nationally relevant program. It's a combination of all the things you mentioned, as well as the unquantifiable variable of the kids themselves. Some kids don't like the hustle and bustle of the city, and might be charmed by Orono's small town feel. This is especially true in hockey compared to other sports, just because of who average hockey players are and where they come from. Some kid from a small town in Canada or Minnesota where they only have a stoplight, a gas station, and a rink is likely to feel more comfortable in a place like Orono playing for Maine than they would on Comm Ave playing for BU. And as others have said, there are plenty of examples of successful programs either now or in the recent past in rural locations, like NoDak, Duluth, Clarkson, Miami, Northern Michigan, and more. Hell, even Amherst is probably just as rural as Orono, if you've never been down there it's way more rural then you'd think, and they look like they're starting to establish themselves as one of the new titans of Hockey East. The rural area argument works for other sports (i.e, basketball), but I don't think its a valid argument for hockey.