Re: Quinnipiac Bobcats 09-10: Part II
I'm not sure there are any "big name" coaches available that we could get even if we wanted to.
Depends on what you think is a big name coach. No one is leaving a successful program in any of the 4 major conferences to come to QU. But there are plenty of assistants at top programs who would take a head coaching job here (see Appert at RPI). I think that's the type of guy we want to look for. Ideally, I like my teams to be coached by an alum, but QU has to wait until they have been in the ECAC long enough for someone to come out of that era of the program and cut their teeth in the coaching ranks. So I see QU hiring an Appert type guy to lift the program to the top of this league, and then when he leaves for a CCHA/WCHA head coaching job, we can look to an alum that has been his protege.
As for Rand, I'll ask just one question: how many losing seasons has he had at Quinnipiac?
Answer: only his first 2 years, but it is much more complicated than that. Yes, he has had remarkable success, but at this point only the seasons in the ECAC matter. Everything before is now irrelevant. The team's record has stayed consistent since the move from the AHA, but their non-conference schedule was much harder before the move as well because they used to travel anywhere to play a top team. Since they came to the ECAC, they have offset the stronger league schedule with a softer non-conference slate. And their record has still gotten worse every year.
The ECAC is a tough league. We are no worse off than any other team in the conference. In fact, being the new kids on the block, I'd say we're probably ahead of a few for what we've accomplished in a few short years.
What has been accomplished? They did almost win the tourney Cashman's last year, but have been underperformers every year since. Maybe their early success unfairly raised expectations, but I don't think so. Nobody really expected them to spend the requisite decade at the bottom of the league like Union because they were still a D1 program, not a team coming from D3.
Compare Rand, in his 5th year in the ECAC, to Leaman, who is in his 7th year at Union and like Rand was a D3 player. He started with a bad team and it took him 2 years to turn them around and head north, then had they were middling around .500 the last 4 years, and now in the 7th they are a contender.
The first year QU finished 10th but made a run, in just their second year they nearly won the league tourney from 5th, and now they have been sinking lower in the middle of the league for the last 3 years as players just seem to be getting worse. He has a few more years, but it's time to grow and move up.
Interesting argument, but I don't think we've had a team with as much talent as that Albany team since.
The team the following year was arguably as talented. They basically only lost Cashman and should have made up for that in gained experience, plus they added Zach Hansen who has been their best offensive defenseman since. And they were 9-3-4 in the league, but then they lost six games in a row to finish the regular season and never recovered from that, even getting spanked 11-0 in the first game at Harvard in the quarters.
Bigger losses last year (Bates, Nelson, Travis), but good additions in Zurevinski, Heichman, and Bouharevich. Can't really say falling one spot again to 7th was awful, but again with the second half collapse, starting 6-4-2 in league and finishing 3-6-1.
Then obviously this year we had so much promise. We were #1 in the PWR. It is by no means over though, so I'll reserve a little judgment.
But the point of the matter is the program would be nowhere near where it is today if it wasn't for Rand and his recruiting.
Absolutely 100% true. No one can ever take this away from him. He got his team into the big leagues all by himself. I chose to go to law school at QU because they were joining the ECAC(only non-ivy offering JDs), so credit Rand for that too. But now he has to prove he can continue his previous level of success here.
Would you say in four years that if we haven't been back to Albany or to NCAAs you'd think we needed a coaching change?
Absolutely if we haven't even been back to Albany/AC, maybe if we haven't won a game there again. I think four more years is a good max cutoff.
If the complaining was rational, it would hold merit.
It gets more rational each time. This is how coaching changes happen. It is a process. Eventually, he will have to go for the good of the program continuing to grow. The question is whether that is when he is Dan Fridgen's age or if it's when he has Tim Taylor status (been around forever, one reg season title to show for it).
(Pecknold) is an expert at wasting talent.
Kind of agree this is a bit of a problem, especially this year. Can you say Brandon Wong? The kid was a pure goal scorer as a freshman, what has happened with him? His slight dip his sophomore year was explainable as the league woke up to what he was, but he has continued to get worse each year. It's either a woman, bad personal habits, or bad coaching. They have not played to their potential since Cashman was leading them. The senior class is underperforming.
No problem staying awake for my boys! 
