MCWarrior1011
THEY CAN NEVER TAKE OUR FREEDOM!
Re: Merrimack College 2017-2018
soooooooooo I honestly do not know what to say.
soooooooooo I honestly do not know what to say.
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Merrimack College 2017-2018
- Thread starter MC Alumni
- Start date
BCeagle
Registered User
Based on what I have seen over the years Cav did not impress when he took over for York when York had health issues and for that matter neither has Brown.
UConn has not won anything yet under Cavanaugh but UConn provides. more resources for a coach than Merrimack for Dennehy. Huskies play in a nice facility the Xcel formerly the Hartford Civic Center.
McGinnis and Ayers don’t look like good HC for any D1 school. I can see Ayers as a possible bench coach for his alma mater UNH if that was a available and maybe be groomed for a HC job.
They’re all nice guys but don’t impress me at all as HC material.
Why would Montgomery leave DU ? It doesn’t make sense but would he go back to Maine to revise their program ?
BCeagle
Registered User
Not true, maybe many of the Merrimack fans. I think most of the non MC alums and fans agree that this small school just don’t have the resources to support a top notch program based on everything said.
Cav in charge of BC was a very small sample though. He has slowly built things at UConn. I think they have a lot of seniors though so we'll see how they do next year. Recruiting at BC is much easier than other places but still gotta know how to coach and motivate.
brassbonanza
Super Serial
Re: Merrimack College 2017-2018
XL in Hartford is anything but nice. It's a major recruiting crutch for UConn. What other team plays all of their games in a facility they don't practice at and is 25 miles from campus, where they are fourth on the scheduling totem pole?
XL in Hartford is anything but nice. It's a major recruiting crutch for UConn. What other team plays all of their games in a facility they don't practice at and is 25 miles from campus, where they are fourth on the scheduling totem pole?
Re: Merrimack College 2017-2018
I'm no "booster", and I like Dennehy/love what he's done here. He deserves a spot in the MC hall of Fame, no doubt. He is the reason we are where we are.. and was a wonderful person to have as apart of the college.
Should he have been fired? I don't know. Is it the right decision? Only time will tell.
But here is one thing that is certain - and that is President Hopey's view on this institution. He see's this school as a top tier university and doesn't accept anything less.. it's been that way since he got here. Firing the Basketball Coach, Hiring Gibson as AD.. new football stadium.. entirely new campus pretty much... its pretty clear he expects a lot. And because of that I believe this was mostly his decision.
Emotions aside.. If you look strictly at the numbers.. the firing is justifiable. It simply is. 1 winning season of 13 years is obviously not great.
At this point, the gap between MC and other schools isn't AS big (it's still big)... but as the school grows.. so do the expectations...and I think Hopey has made that pretty clear.. at least internally. all I'm saying is that this isn't THAT big of a surprise for those of us in the alumni circles.
I don't know if this is a good decision.. but unfortunately we seem to all be stuck on the Hopey bandwagon.. wherever that takes us. I wish Dennehy the best and thank him for everything he's done for us.
I'm no "booster", and I like Dennehy/love what he's done here. He deserves a spot in the MC hall of Fame, no doubt. He is the reason we are where we are.. and was a wonderful person to have as apart of the college.
Should he have been fired? I don't know. Is it the right decision? Only time will tell.
But here is one thing that is certain - and that is President Hopey's view on this institution. He see's this school as a top tier university and doesn't accept anything less.. it's been that way since he got here. Firing the Basketball Coach, Hiring Gibson as AD.. new football stadium.. entirely new campus pretty much... its pretty clear he expects a lot. And because of that I believe this was mostly his decision.
Emotions aside.. If you look strictly at the numbers.. the firing is justifiable. It simply is. 1 winning season of 13 years is obviously not great.
At this point, the gap between MC and other schools isn't AS big (it's still big)... but as the school grows.. so do the expectations...and I think Hopey has made that pretty clear.. at least internally. all I'm saying is that this isn't THAT big of a surprise for those of us in the alumni circles.
I don't know if this is a good decision.. but unfortunately we seem to all be stuck on the Hopey bandwagon.. wherever that takes us. I wish Dennehy the best and thank him for everything he's done for us.
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Carmine Scarpaglia
My bad.
Re: Merrimack College 2017-2018
I think the whole point is, It's Merrimack!. Kids that score goals aren't going to line up to play at a school like that. You don't have to expect 8th-11th every year but he was the coach the brought the program to the HE title game and gave pretty much BC's most loaded team ever in my opinion a HELL of a game. Got the NCAAs. I mean Jesus It's Merrimack!. Of course that is NOT sustainable. 20 year old foreigners that can score in their sleep like Da Costa aren't exactly easy to produce.
Bad move IMO. I find it hilarious they just gave the guy a multi-year extension last February and now he is gone. They'll be paying for him to not coach and now they'll be bringing in a new coach and also pay him.
I think the whole point is, It's Merrimack!. Kids that score goals aren't going to line up to play at a school like that. You don't have to expect 8th-11th every year but he was the coach the brought the program to the HE title game and gave pretty much BC's most loaded team ever in my opinion a HELL of a game. Got the NCAAs. I mean Jesus It's Merrimack!. Of course that is NOT sustainable. 20 year old foreigners that can score in their sleep like Da Costa aren't exactly easy to produce.
Bad move IMO. I find it hilarious they just gave the guy a multi-year extension last February and now he is gone. They'll be paying for him to not coach and now they'll be bringing in a new coach and also pay him.
Re: Merrimack College 2017-2018
Who cares if its "just Merrimack".. Sure we're small but we still want our team to succeed just as bad as everybody else. Look at Davidson College and Wake Forest.. they're SMALLER than MC with LOADS of success. The argument that "its merrimack" holds no weight with MC people. You don't root for your team to finish 8-11..... When you pay for tuition/season tickets/or anything else that contributes to the team's success/coaches salaries, you have the right to demand whatever you want. I don't think asking for above 8th consistently is too much to ask. The "its just Merrimack" argument may fly from an outsiders perspective.. but that's about the only place it does fly.
Again, I'm not saying its a good or bad firing.. only time will tell. But our fans deserve success just as much as anybody else.. and you can't be upset at MC fans for wanting to find a way to find that success.
Who cares if its "just Merrimack".. Sure we're small but we still want our team to succeed just as bad as everybody else. Look at Davidson College and Wake Forest.. they're SMALLER than MC with LOADS of success. The argument that "its merrimack" holds no weight with MC people. You don't root for your team to finish 8-11..... When you pay for tuition/season tickets/or anything else that contributes to the team's success/coaches salaries, you have the right to demand whatever you want. I don't think asking for above 8th consistently is too much to ask. The "its just Merrimack" argument may fly from an outsiders perspective.. but that's about the only place it does fly.
Again, I'm not saying its a good or bad firing.. only time will tell. But our fans deserve success just as much as anybody else.. and you can't be upset at MC fans for wanting to find a way to find that success.
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BCeagle
Registered User
Well if you been to the Gutterson or some other older rinks it is nice. HAA, Tsongas etc are very nice for college campus rinks. The Hartford Civic Center was renovated and when I was there last month it didn’t seem like a bad venue. The parking was cheap and food was ok. I realize it was a pro rink for the Whalers but for UConn it is fine even if it is off campus for now.
Yuppie Scum
New member
Re: Merrimack College 2017-2018
Don't feed the BC trolls
Don't feed the BC trolls
Yuppie Scum
New member
Re: Merrimack College 2017-2018
I guess when you can get buildings named after you, you get to call some shots. (Disclaimer, I'm not a booster, but I'm almost done with my student loans after 13 years!)
QUAlum2004
Well-known member
Re: Merrimack College 2017-2018
Really disappointing to see a good coach like Dennehy kicked to the curb. Turned a laughing stock into a respectable program.
Really disappointing to see a good coach like Dennehy kicked to the curb. Turned a laughing stock into a respectable program.
FiveHole12
Registered User
Re: Merrimack College 2017-2018
Demand anything you want! It's your right. The candidates will be knocking down the doors.
What are your demands on the successor coming in? 20 wins/year? 25 wins/year? Two, three or four 20 goal scorers on the roster every year? 3 guys with 40 or more points per season?(NU has 3 of those guys this year... Mack can do it). You gonna tell him during the interview process?
Demand anything you want! It's your right. The candidates will be knocking down the doors.
Re: Merrimack College 2017-2018
) To expect them to be in the mix with BC, BU, PC, UML for a TOP 4 spot every year is ludicrous. That's not what I'm looking for. YOU say we don't have to expect 8-11th every year. What do YOU think is a reasonable expectation? 5th through 7th? 6th through 8th? Honest to God, I'd be okay if THAT was sustainable (with an occasional jump to 5th, or dare I say, even 4th?). But given that they finished 10th in a really down year for Hockey East, and they lose their top 3 scorers (using that term loosely) and 2 of their top defensemen, next year could be worse.
Agree, they botched the contract situation horribly. I would have been fine with him being here another year, and honestly was surprised he is not coming back. But is it that big a gamble? It might bite them in the behind, but maybe not. We'll see in the next 3 to 5 years.
Thanks for the increased font size; I'd almost forgotten which thread this was. Merrimack will never be BOSTON COLLEGE in any way, shape or form (especially in hockey). Any Merrimack fan that expects that is being foolish. That title game was incredible, but it was an aberration (that means an unusual situation not likely to happen again
) To expect them to be in the mix with BC, BU, PC, UML for a TOP 4 spot every year is ludicrous. That's not what I'm looking for. YOU say we don't have to expect 8-11th every year. What do YOU think is a reasonable expectation? 5th through 7th? 6th through 8th? Honest to God, I'd be okay if THAT was sustainable (with an occasional jump to 5th, or dare I say, even 4th?). But given that they finished 10th in a really down year for Hockey East, and they lose their top 3 scorers (using that term loosely) and 2 of their top defensemen, next year could be worse. Agree, they botched the contract situation horribly. I would have been fine with him being here another year, and honestly was surprised he is not coming back. But is it that big a gamble? It might bite them in the behind, but maybe not. We'll see in the next 3 to 5 years.
Re: Merrimack College 2017-2018
Are you being intentionally thick? First of all, don't compare basketball with hockey. It's asinine and it gets you nowhere. You're comparing a niche sport with 60 D1 teams to the 1A/1B college sport in the country with 351 programs. You have 15 players on a college basketball roster and it only takes 1 superstar to make a run.
Second of all, buying tickets or paying tuition gets you what it gets you - a ticket or an education. You can demand whatever you want, you just look like an idiot. "Herr durr I bought this $12 ticket so I get input on a coaching decision with a six figure salary". Give me a break.
Lastly, you DO have to balance expectations with reality, regardless of what you want to believe. The reality is that Dennehy ran a good program. He got good recruits through the door. He helped the program survive back in the mid aughts when the administration was looking for a reason to drop down to AH or D3. He put a competitive team on the ice. He helped get that dumpster fire of an arena a respectable upgrade.
So my question to you is, who are you going to get that's better? You buy your tickets and paid tuition (I imagine) at some point, so here's your big chance to have your say. Who do you target? Who's the heir apparent that is both going to give as much as Dennehy did to this program and raise the success rate on the ice? Who's going to come into Merrimack with its handicaps and take on Hockey East and bring the Warriors to where YOU think it should be. Don't worry, I'll wait. Go Google some names and get back to me.
Are you being intentionally thick? First of all, don't compare basketball with hockey. It's asinine and it gets you nowhere. You're comparing a niche sport with 60 D1 teams to the 1A/1B college sport in the country with 351 programs. You have 15 players on a college basketball roster and it only takes 1 superstar to make a run.
Second of all, buying tickets or paying tuition gets you what it gets you - a ticket or an education. You can demand whatever you want, you just look like an idiot. "Herr durr I bought this $12 ticket so I get input on a coaching decision with a six figure salary". Give me a break.
Lastly, you DO have to balance expectations with reality, regardless of what you want to believe. The reality is that Dennehy ran a good program. He got good recruits through the door. He helped the program survive back in the mid aughts when the administration was looking for a reason to drop down to AH or D3. He put a competitive team on the ice. He helped get that dumpster fire of an arena a respectable upgrade.
So my question to you is, who are you going to get that's better? You buy your tickets and paid tuition (I imagine) at some point, so here's your big chance to have your say. Who do you target? Who's the heir apparent that is both going to give as much as Dennehy did to this program and raise the success rate on the ice? Who's going to come into Merrimack with its handicaps and take on Hockey East and bring the Warriors to where YOU think it should be. Don't worry, I'll wait. Go Google some names and get back to me.
Yuppie Scum
New member
Re: Merrimack College 2017-2018
I guess I can’t blame him for burning out a little after putting so much into the program early on. Let’s not forget he interviewed for the UMass job a few years ago. so while I don’t doubt his passion he wasn’t above seeking better opportunities either.
A few of his personnel moves in the recent cycle didn’t go 100% to plan - Delia going pro(ultimately did not bite us too hard), Plevy flipping his commit over to UMass (don’t forget the “The NLI was not Submitted” incident), etc. And a school like Merrimack kinda has a very slim margin for error/wiggle room to have a really good year. I agree with the other posters suggesting there might not be much we, or a new HC can do better.. here’s hoping it works out
I guess I can’t blame him for burning out a little after putting so much into the program early on. Let’s not forget he interviewed for the UMass job a few years ago. so while I don’t doubt his passion he wasn’t above seeking better opportunities either.
A few of his personnel moves in the recent cycle didn’t go 100% to plan - Delia going pro(ultimately did not bite us too hard), Plevy flipping his commit over to UMass (don’t forget the “The NLI was not Submitted” incident), etc. And a school like Merrimack kinda has a very slim margin for error/wiggle room to have a really good year. I agree with the other posters suggesting there might not be much we, or a new HC can do better.. here’s hoping it works out
Nick Papagiorgio
Holding court
Re: Merrimack College 2017-2018
Look I understand the hand-wringing when someone comes over to remind Merrimack fans that their beloved program is in fact Merrimack. Never mind that someone just cited Davidson and Wake Forest, which kind of blew my mind.
Water seeks its own level. If you were to take out the coaches from the equation, since we're talking about a coaching change, and ranked each program in Hockey East using various metrics ... facilities, location, historic prestige/success, etc (Beanpot access for the Beanpot schools), where do you think Merrimack would rank? I think that would put them squarely in that 8-11 range. If not dead last. Yukon is still tough to assess at this point but may be the only program you could put lower than Merrimack. So with that, you can reasonably expect to be in that range, with the brief stint outside of it in either direction (or for Merrimack, there's only one direction) but that is not something that is going to stick long-term.
It's a zero-sum game. There is a finite amount of wins to go around and that makes life virtually impossible for a program like Merrimack to start grabbing them from other, likely better programs (again on a long-term assessment). It's not like you just grab a new coach and start climbing the charts and never go back to the cellar. It just doesn't work that way.
Dennehy was a good coach. Didn't run afoul of the NCAA. Was just extended last winter for multiple years so he had at least next season if not beyond. Great success in the classroom. Great community involvement. Built the program up from absolutely embarrassing levels on all fronts to at least respectably bad in a great league. The Serino era was a joke with the thugs that they had running around in that rinky-dink rink. It's still not a great rink but at least the renovation turned it into a reasonable small facility. Sometimes it comes down to more than just a win total and to me, Dennehy really had the program into something the campus could be proud of even if they weren't winning (they did go on the road and win a series just 8 or 9 days ago). I don't know what the administration is thinking there but by all means, hire someone else and pay two coaches. The cost per win is going to be something else for a few years.
Look I understand the hand-wringing when someone comes over to remind Merrimack fans that their beloved program is in fact Merrimack. Never mind that someone just cited Davidson and Wake Forest, which kind of blew my mind.
Water seeks its own level. If you were to take out the coaches from the equation, since we're talking about a coaching change, and ranked each program in Hockey East using various metrics ... facilities, location, historic prestige/success, etc (Beanpot access for the Beanpot schools), where do you think Merrimack would rank? I think that would put them squarely in that 8-11 range. If not dead last. Yukon is still tough to assess at this point but may be the only program you could put lower than Merrimack. So with that, you can reasonably expect to be in that range, with the brief stint outside of it in either direction (or for Merrimack, there's only one direction) but that is not something that is going to stick long-term.
It's a zero-sum game. There is a finite amount of wins to go around and that makes life virtually impossible for a program like Merrimack to start grabbing them from other, likely better programs (again on a long-term assessment). It's not like you just grab a new coach and start climbing the charts and never go back to the cellar. It just doesn't work that way.
Dennehy was a good coach. Didn't run afoul of the NCAA. Was just extended last winter for multiple years so he had at least next season if not beyond. Great success in the classroom. Great community involvement. Built the program up from absolutely embarrassing levels on all fronts to at least respectably bad in a great league. The Serino era was a joke with the thugs that they had running around in that rinky-dink rink. It's still not a great rink but at least the renovation turned it into a reasonable small facility. Sometimes it comes down to more than just a win total and to me, Dennehy really had the program into something the campus could be proud of even if they weren't winning (they did go on the road and win a series just 8 or 9 days ago). I don't know what the administration is thinking there but by all means, hire someone else and pay two coaches. The cost per win is going to be something else for a few years.
Re: Merrimack College 2017-2018
Article from the Mack Report site:
http://www.themackreport.com/news/sundays-news-should-not-diminish-dennehys-legacy/
Article from the Mack Report site:
http://www.themackreport.com/news/sundays-news-should-not-diminish-dennehys-legacy/