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Michigan Tech Huskies 2020-21: * Our 100th Anniversary * No Catchy Title Needed *****

manurespreader said:
I like the coach from a Hockey standpoint. I hope he gets an extension, but I'm not all that thrilled with his media faux pas. And it might be a small thing, but I wish he'd wear a suit on the bench.
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I kind of like having a little dose of Don Cherry in what is otherwise a broad climate of overly scripted, PC vanilla interviews.
 
manurespreader said:
I like the coach from a Hockey standpoint. I hope he gets an extension
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It's hard to judge the coaches too harshly during this odd season so IMHO Joe should get another season. What concerns me the most is that we finished third among the UP schools. Tech has better traditions and facilities than NMU and LSSU so at some point, coaching becomes the issue...
 
JohnsonsJerseys said:
They need to find someone who can not only raise this team to the next level, but that actually has some loyalty to Tech, will stick around for 20 years and not bolt the second something better comes along.
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One thing I really like about Joe is that it's clear he loves the UP and is proud to be Tech's coach. You can't question his loyalty. He's not like Marv. Joe just needs to develop a competitive advantage that works to get the talent he needs and then coach them up. Easier said than done...
 
Burnt Orange Husky said:
It's hard to judge the coaches too harshly during this odd season so IMHO Joe should get another season.
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While I acknowledge that COVID created huge challenges this season, that didn't stop other teams from being successful, so I don't find it to be a valid excuse for Tech or justification to accept another mid-pack finish. Just looking at the WCHA, Mankato clearly didn't miss a beat, BGSU / BSU maintained and LSSU took a major step forward. All teams faced the challenge of Covid this year. The winners adapted, overcame and kept finding ways to win consistently. Some other teams did not and finished in the bottom half of the conference.

With the Tommies' head coaching hire, they are clearly not going to be satisfied with a bottom half finish in the CCHA. They are in it to win it from day 1.
 
JohnsonsJerseys said:
While I acknowledge that COVID created huge challenges this season, that didn't stop other teams from being successful, so I don't find it to be a valid excuse for Tech or justification to accept another mid-pack finish. Just looking at the WCHA, Mankato clearly didn't miss a beat, BGSU / BSU maintained and LSSU took a major step forward. All teams faced the challenge of Covid this year. The winners adapted, overcame and kept finding ways to win consistently. Some other teams did not and finished in the bottom half of the conference.
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True. But with fewer games, the margin of error was reduced and minor differences were amplified. Look at how tightly teams 2 through 6 are bunched.

Clearly Minnesota State is the class of the conference. What things are they doing that makes them so successful year after year?
 
Burnt Orange Husky said:
What things are they doing that makes them so successful year after year?
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Money, location, and recent track record are the difference there. Easier to scoop up MN talent as an MN school, especially when you do a lot of winning, and MN produces far more college players than the UP. Mankato also spends more money on their facilities & team than anyone else in the conference, and I'd expect UST to be right there with them.
 
Burnt Orange Husky said:
Look at how tightly teams 2 through 6 are bunched.
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Tech was close in the standings, but not on par with the top four teams in the conference. They went undefeated against the bottom three but had almost no success against the top four. The top four teams finished where they did because they could not only beat the poor teams in the conference but they also got some wins against other top teams as well.
 
beaverhockey said:
Look at their endowment
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Sure, $540M vs Tech's $115M. A private, religious institution vs a state school. Down here in Texas, we have the reverse. Baylor has less money than the mighty Univ of Texas and yet they continue to win big and beat Texas regularly. National championships in both men's and women's basketball. And Waco is not a great location.

Tech has more than enough highly paid female alumni engineers to cover the cost of a team and I'm confident they would rally to the cause. A pitch from Suzanne stating, "The men say we don't need women's hockey. They say we can't afford it. Let's prove them wrong." That's an easy pitch. Let it be totally funded by female alumni. If they don't give their support, than no team.

How much would it cost? Are any accurate estimates available?
 
JohnsonsJerseys said:
Tech was close in the standings, but not on par with the top four teams in the conference. They went undefeated against the bottom three but had almost no success against the top four. The top four teams finished where they did because they could not only beat the poor teams in the conference but they also got some wins against other top teams as well.
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Well put. So how did LSSU do so well? Houghton's better than Sault Ste. Marie. Is it just coaching?
 
Last 4 years league standings:
5th
6th
6th
5th

To quote a quote:
'Best of the lousiest, the lousiest of the Best'
 
JohnsonsJerseys said:
Three year extension for Coach Joe.

https://twitter.com/mtuhky/status/13...974259205?s=20
https://www.michigantechhuskies.com/...20210420hup1ru

Last line of the story, an interesting factoid:
This current contract was agreed upon in January 2021.
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So what do you think keeps him, and what do you think is the reason to cut bait? Two tournament appearances? One year with a deep run? With that last paragraph, big expectations? Does anyone see upsetting the Mavs?
 
beaverhockey said:
Look at their endowment
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That doesn't mean they can spend any of it directly on athletics.

It does mean that they likely have a large pool of alumni with deep pockets willing to write checks for athletics. And if they recruit athletes who also excel academically, then they can fund part of their scholarship from non-athletic sources.
 
I like Joe. I hope he does well. I think the senior class will be good next year.

But 7 years is a long time to be a bottom dweller. We can’t deal with a Jamie Russell again.... next year is a “must year” for Joe.

Go Tech!
 
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