UConn's Marshall Resigns

[Jim]

Re: UConn's Marshall Resigns

It would have been nice to see this guy get a shot at coaching in Hockey East after presiding over the program for the length of time that he has.

I feel bad for whomever they hire. It'll be a paycheck job with no real chance of ever doing anything significant on the ice. How long can the next coach reasonably expect to stick around before getting fired for Uconn's upcoming poor record in Hockey East? 5 years give or take?

I htink your analysis is wrong Nick. I'm not saying they will be BC, but UConn will put a competitive team on the ice fairly quickly. Hockey East Champs? Probably not. But expect them to be a middle of the pack team within a couple of seasons and go on from there.

 

[DoubleA]

Re: UConn's Marshall Resigns

Tim Whitehead might be available pretty soon. I hope.

Please contact Whitehead right away before someone else snaps him up. He's a great coach with lots of potential who really could make a name for UConn and himself when they join Hockey East in '14.

 

[Jim]

Re: UConn's Marshall Resigns

Yeah, ya know just because UConn's not in Hockey East doesn't mean they don't have any clue what's going on. It isn't going to be Timmy.

 

[RSTuthill]

Re: UConn's Marshall Resigns

Most schools far from population centers are starting to have problems attracting good players as college hockey expands. My alma mater is one of them and I am sure that Maine is another.

 

[UncleRay]

Re: UConn's Marshall Resigns

Yeah, ya know just because UConn's not in Hockey East doesn't mean they don't have any clue what's going on. It isn't going to be Timmy.

Sorry, Jim, I forgot the , the , and the . Better?

 

[Patman]

Most schools far from population centers are starting to have problems attracting good players as college hockey expands. My alma mater is one of them and I am sure that Maine is another.

Not really, Maine's funk is that they aren't seen as a primo #1 school anymore... Despite that the legacy prestige in the program still brings in players... Tim whitehead does suck

Edit: you also forget that these are college kids whose diets are mostly pizza and Chinese... Very few places without those.

 

[all bear]

Re: UConn's Marshall Resigns

Yeah, ya know just because UConn's not in Hockey East doesn't mean they don't have any clue what's going on. It isn't going to be Timmy.

For a school that wont be in the top 4 or 5 in Hockey East in the foreseeable future, UConn would actually do quite well in hiring Whitehead. He knows the league inside and out, has no issues trailing him, and his players do well in their studies year in and year out. He would make that transition into the big leagues that much smoother for UConn. And, in 5 to 10 years the guy will be retiring anyway. Everyone wins!

(must go now and wash out mouth)

 

[Jim]

Re: UConn's Marshall Resigns

Who knows what will happen, but if I were a betting man as of today I'd bet the job goes to Berard. He has pretty deep Hockey East roots, played at PC, was the top assistant and recruiting coordinator for 15 years so he knows the league. He has done a solid job under less than great conditions since Bruce Marshall's illness was announced. If things fall apart the rest of the way, he won't be considered but if he has a solid second half I think he is the man to beat. I also think they might contact Pecknold, but I'm not sure he fits UConn's profile in his approach. Tehy will be looking for someone to build the program from a solid base and will be willing to struggle for a year or two to do that. I think Rand is a very good coach, but he'll want to bring in a whole team of 25 year old Canadians in year one.

 

[Ed Trefzger]

Re: UConn's Marshall Resigns

Who knows what will happen, but if I were a betting man as of today I'd bet the job goes to Berard. He has pretty deep Hockey East roots, played at PC, was the top assistant and recruiting coordinator for 15 years so he knows the league. He has done a solid job under less than great conditions since Bruce Marshall's illness was announced. If things fall apart the rest of the way, he won't be considered but if he has a solid second half I think he is the man to beat. I also think they might contact Pecknold, but I'm not sure he fits UConn's profile in his approach. Tehy will be looking for someone to build the program from a solid base and will be willing to struggle for a year or two to do that. I think Rand is a very good coach, but he'll want to bring in a whole team of 25 year old Canadians in year one.

We had Rand Pecknold on as a guest on USCHO Live last night. I don't think that a move to UConn would make sense for him. He's got a great arena, an AD and college president who support the program very well, and he's never had a losing season in 14 years since moving to D-I.

 

[MarkEagleUSA]

Re: UConn's Marshall Resigns

We had Rand Pecknold on as a guest on USCHO Live last night. I don't think that a move to UConn would make sense for him. He's got a great arena, an AD and college president who support the program very well, and he's never had a losing season in 14 years since moving to D-I.

And he turned down UMass. I don't think Pecknold is going anywhere anytime soon. The only exception I can think of would be an already established D-I power.

 

[kingdobbs]

Re: UConn's Marshall Resigns

Yeah, Pecknold taking an offer from UConn would be, in essence, taking a step down in the hopes that the step somehow lands itself in a rocket ship. He's sitting on a top ten team right now, and one that's become very competitive in its own league in a pretty short period of time, at a school that has made hockey its #1 sport. UConn, right now, is precisely zero of those things, and the third of those things is probably something that will *never* happen at UConn, upgrade or no.

Toot Cahoon I could see as a possibility, but I don't know if *he's* apt to get back in the coach's seat so soon, for a program that has exactly the same sport priorities as UMass-Amherst (if not further back in the pack because of the otherwise generally unheard of influence that women's hoop has in Storrs), when his major complaint with Amherst was that hockey wasn't a priority there.

Tim Whitehead would be a popular move for eleven out of twelve Hockey East fan bases on USCHO. I'm certain that UConn wouldn't be one of them.

I think Berard will be on any eventual short list that does arise, but the fact he's going to close out the season as the interim coach (and that UConn won't start the search until after the season) means I think he's basically getting a three month tryout as the heir apparent, and how UConn performs for the remainder of this season will be a key factor in whether he's retained. If they poop the bed down the stretch, yeah, I'd ice him (or hope to keep him on as an assistant at most). Otherwise, I think they give him a look, given that next year he'll have six more schollys and his first recruiting class.

 

[UncleRay]

Re: UConn's Marshall Resigns

Tim Whitehead would be a popular move for eleven out of twelve Hockey East fan bases on USCHO. I'm certain that UConn wouldn't be one of them.

The eleven took me a minute there to figure out. Maine fans would be over the moon to get rid of him, UConn fans don't want him anywhere near the home locker rooms in Storrs, and all other HE fans want to keep the stiff around, just NIMBY. Right?

 

[J.D.]

Re: UConn's Marshall Resigns

I don't want Whitehead going to UConn. I hate when likeable people are employed by them...

 

[Nick Papagiorgio]

Re: UConn's Marshall Resigns

We had Rand Pecknold on as a guest on USCHO Live last night. I don't think that a move to UConn would make sense for him. He's got a great arena, an AD and college president who support the program very well, and he's never had a losing season in 14 years since moving to D-I.

Pecknold's conversation with Uconn would probably begin or end in a small laugh and will be nothing more than "no thanks." Talk about a serious downgrade in programs if he left for Uconn and a terrible career move for a head coach of the current #2 PWR team in the country.

When you consider the timing of this move to HEA, it really couldn't be any worse for Uconn. Yale and QPac are on the upswing in Connecticut. The entire AD over at Uconn is in a mess as they are a misfit in the conference realignment puzzle and Jim Calhoun just retired. Women's hoops is still killing it though!!

And from a Hockey East perspective, what a horrendously bad move adding Uconn rather than QPac.

 

[kingdobbs]

Re: UConn's Marshall Resigns

The eleven took me a minute there to figure out. Maine fans would be over the moon to get rid of him, UConn fans don't want him anywhere near the home locker rooms in Storrs, and all other HE fans want to keep the stiff around, just NIMBY. Right?

Precisely. Or exactly. Pre-xactly.

 

[Jim]

Re: UConn's Marshall Resigns

I don't think Pecknold is interested either, but I think they would probably ask. Why might he consider it, though? A few reasons. My guess is that ultimately UConn can pay more. Not sure they will, but to land the guy they want they have the ability to do it. And the upside in Hockey East is much higher than the upside in the ECAC. Fact of the matter is that the last time an ECAC team made the NCAA Final was 1990. Last ECAC Champ was harvard in 1989. Almost a quarter of a century ago. Now I'm not saying UConn is going to the NCAA Final any time soon, but Quinnipiac isn't going ever based on the ECAC's record. The upside of being in Hockey East is much higher. Finally, despite the success, Quinnipiac hockey, to the extent it gets reported at all gets covered as other college news along with Wesleyan and Trinity results and Trinity Squash. That won't happen with UConn. There simply will be more and better coverage because UConn will make that happen. Example, UConn got to the NCAA baseball tourney a couple of years ago for the first time in a decade. great local coverage. Meanwhile Central Connecticut was making its 7th consecutive trip and probably 4 people in the state knew that. Coverage was all UConn all the time. CCSU baseball is actually quite good and has been for some time. Pecknold is a terrific coach. has done a great job and has a terrific setup at Quinnipiac. And while I don't think he'll ever leave, there are reasons why he might think about it.

 

[Patman]

Re: UConn's Marshall Resigns

Yeah, Pecknold taking an offer from UConn would be, in essence, taking a step down in the hopes that the step somehow lands itself in a rocket ship. He's sitting on a top ten team right now, and one that's become very competitive in its own league in a pretty short period of time, at a school that has made hockey its #1 sport. UConn, right now, is precisely zero of those things, and the third of those things is probably something that will *never* happen at UConn, upgrade or no.

Toot Cahoon I could see as a possibility, but I don't know if *he's* apt to get back in the coach's seat so soon, for a program that has exactly the same sport priorities as UMass-Amherst (if not further back in the pack because of the otherwise generally unheard of influence that women's hoop has in Storrs), when his major complaint with Amherst was that hockey wasn't a priority there.

Tim Whitehead would be a popular move for eleven out of twelve Hockey East fan bases on USCHO. I'm certain that UConn wouldn't be one of them.

I think Berard will be on any eventual short list that does arise, but the fact he's going to close out the season as the interim coach (and that UConn won't start the search until after the season) means I think he's basically getting a three month tryout as the heir apparent, and how UConn performs for the remainder of this season will be a key factor in whether he's retained. If they poop the bed down the stretch, yeah, I'd ice him (or hope to keep him on as an assistant at most). Otherwise, I think they give him a look, given that next year he'll have six more schollys and his first recruiting class.

Wait wait wait... who says we want Whitehead to leave maine?

 

[Greg Ambrose]

Re: UConn's Marshall Resigns

Toot Cahoon I could see as a possibility, but I don't know if *he's* apt to get back in the coach's seat so soon, for a program that has exactly the same sport priorities as UMass-Amherst (if not further back in the pack because of the otherwise generally unheard of influence that women's hoop has in Storrs), when his major complaint with Amherst was that hockey wasn't a priority there.

Toot is retired. He's ready to move back to his hometown of Marblehead MA where he is still a legend. I doubt very highly if, at 63 (or is it 64), he has ay interest in starting up again, even if it is UConn

 

[J.D.]

Re: UConn's Marshall Resigns

It being uconn is a reason to stay retired.

 

[RSTuthill]

Re: UConn's Marshall Resigns

Guessing that whomever is chosen will have to have played D-1. Pecknold has not. There is a clear question at the moment which league is stronger, the ECAC or the AHA, so accomplishment in the ECAC this year is suspect in my view. There is no question that HE is the strongest and would represent a step up.