I think part of the problem was that Appert came in promising an uptempo, high powered offense - expectations that may have been too high. We saw many seasons where solid, talented recruits came in but the offense never really produced. In his defense, the 2009-10 season was strong and the 2009-13 period probably would have been better had Jerry D'Amigo and Brandon Pirri stuck around. But I think there was so much optimism when Appert was hired people just assumed the team would be back to challenging for a league title and trips to Albany/LP would be the rule and not the exception, and when those expectations weren't met, the frustration really ramped up. Appert himself seemed to admit this a few weeks ago when he told Ken Schott that he hoped the school would evaluate him more on the graduation rate, community service, character building, and other factors (of which he can justifiably be very proud) than the W-L record.
Whenever the new hire is made McElroy and the new coach should be really clear at the outset about what they think is working, what needs fixing, what the long-term goals are, and how long they think it will take to get there. There can and should be lots of congrats for the new coach and optimism for the future, but a realistic idea of what to expect would help cool some of the frustration out there and maybe even buy the new coach some time to turn things around. Everyone knows there are no guarantees, but if they think the program is 3-4 years away from contending from a league title, say that. If it's 6-7 years, say that. But amid all the congrats and good feelings about the new hire, be realistic about what needs to be done. And I think the school needs to extend an olive branch to hockey alumni and do what it takes to restore their faith in the program (given their response to the Record story, I am not holding my breath).
