I would substitute the word ‘anger’ for ‘alienate,’ for me anyway, as I am still following the team, the sucker that I am. For better or for worse, I live too far away from the Whitt to be a STH.
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UNH Hockey 2023 Off Season Thread Turn and Face the Strange
- Thread starter HockeyRef
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I would substitute the word ‘anger’ for ‘alienate,’ for me anyway, as I am still following the team, the sucker that I am. For better or for worse, I live too far away from the Whitt to be a STH.
Chuck Murray
WIS & Effingwoods Hockey Almanac
Captain Quisling will undoubtedly be missed at the Whitt. Not that MS7 is on solid footing in any way, shape or form ... but watching his captain walk out the door to play for a competitor in the same conference is not a good reflection on the boss. One final nail in the proverbial coffin, and maybe that should make me happy?? But it's hard not to feel a little sympathy for the outgoing boss while watching the rats desert the sinking ship. They (especially CQ) were guys who once bought the message, and CQ was one of the few who actually developed noticeably. If MS7 can't even count him as a rare "success story" during his otherwise barren reign ... who else is left??
As to what CQ will mean to Merrimack ... considering (1) they return a team that competed for the HEA Title AND earned an NCAA slot, and (2) Borek would be crazy to prioritize a one-year bonus "toy" over further developing his regular four year commits. He'll probably be a bottom six center/wing with some helpful experience on special teams to provide some added depth and value to an already-solid team. I'll bet my bottom teeth he won't come close to matching this year's scoring numbers. Remember how it went for BvR at NU? Same with CQ at MC. JMHO.
Chuck Murray
WIS & Effingwoods Hockey Almanac
Just to tie off this loose end from the '67 Sox discussion ...
Dave Morehead, Dan Osinski and (yes Felgie) Kemer "Ken" Brett finished the top of the 9th for the Sox in Game 7. Morehead was normally a starter, who had apparently been a top prospect in the Sox system earlier in the decade, and was most well-known for a 1965 late season no-hitter. He spent most of '66 injured, and spent the early part of '67 rehabbing at AAA Toronto before coming up to contribute 5 wins for the Sox down the stretch in what was probably the greatest pennant race in all of MLB's history. In the top of the 9th, Morehead got the first out and then walked the bases loaded, but escaped without a run due to the work of Osinski and Brett.
I did a little more digging on the Sox' final stretch drive in '67, and to further the discussion of Manager Williams' decision to start Lonborg on two days' rest in Game 7 ... he'd done the exact same thing just over a week earlier, with Lonborg pitching Sunday-2 days-Wednesday-3 days-Sunday on the final week of the regular season - starting 3 of the Sox' final 5 American League games. He lost on the two days' rest, and won on 3 days rest that time around. The Sox' other "go-to starter" down the stretch (Santiago) was mostly a relief pitcher in '67, and in fact had won a pair of back-to-back bullpen games against Detroit in the next to last week of the season, before Williams began to rely on him as a starter. Gary Bell had been a reliable starter, only got one start in the Series, and was often used as a reliver. Morehead dropped from the rotation in mid-September. Lee Stange also apparently entered witness protection. It's amazing to look back at the amount of juggling Williams did with his starting pitchers down the stretch in '67.
1967 Boston Red Sox Schedule | Baseball-Reference.com
Darius
Go 'cats!
Stevenson: no biggie. After four years as an undergraduate most students decide to go grad elsewhere.
Merrimack: we'll see. Maybe they are developing into a perennial national power. Maybe the older player portal is the new way. Maybe they caught lightning in a bottle in 2022 - '23.
AD Rich tweeted from the Final Four. Me thinks she is meeting with prospective head basketball coaches. Assuming she will be at the Frozen Four as well. ( ͝סּ ͜ʖ͡סּ)
Merrimack: we'll see. Maybe they are developing into a perennial national power. Maybe the older player portal is the new way. Maybe they caught lightning in a bottle in 2022 - '23.
AD Rich tweeted from the Final Four. Me thinks she is meeting with prospective head basketball coaches. Assuming she will be at the Frozen Four as well. ( ͝סּ ͜ʖ͡סּ)
Chuck Murray
WIS & Effingwoods Hockey Almanac
I'm picking up what you're laying down there, Darius!
Basement Bias
Member
Something to think about. Say 23-24 our beloved UNH Wildcats go on a run and make the tournament and perform well but do not win it all. Do you renew MS? Say you do, and then we get the last few seasons all over again. How do you solve that conundrum?
Chuck Murray
WIS & Effingwoods Hockey Almanac
You solve it by buying him out now. The only thing(s) a lame duck season benefits is UNH's general fund/AD's budget.
The only other reason to keep him is because you believe 30-ish days in January/February was "a thing". And of course, the team returned to their normal mediocrity shortly thereafter, AND then you lost your captain and your 1A goalie - and even if 1B turns out to be 1A, there isn't a 1B goalie on board now to replace him. Best case, I'd give MS7 30 days to work his magic in the portal, and if the outlook doesn't improve, then buy him out. Time's a wasting, every 30 days that ticks off the clock robs UNH of saving approx. $25,000/month on the 365 day notice piece.
If AD Rich or Dean Dean need the Gov's OK to override/reallocate the budget, let me know and I'll walk over to ask ;-)
Basement Bias
Member
I just don't see them buying him out. So not buying him out creates the dilemma of needing your team to underperform again for a fresh start or see them over perform and risk an extension that leaves the door for it being a fluke.
Robert Balin
New member
I'm still wondering if Stevenson left after UNH didn't offer him another year?. The portal still has a few good players and hopefully it's better than last years debacle.
I am not worried about the team finishing above the basement (BTW, good screen name, Basement Bias), with the only question being whether we break the 1985/86 loss record next season. A bunch of friends, family, and I held a pool (no cash prize, just glory) before last season began and a cousin won with the low prediction for wins at “a baker’s dozen” (his words). I was next most pessimistic at 15-17-2, and several had above 0.500 predictions, the forever optimists. I await in anxious anticipation for our next pool in September. Maybe MS7 will grab a couple Bentley malcontents (now at six; Brown and Providence have seven each) from the portal?
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Chuck Murray
WIS & Effingwoods Hockey Almanac
If MS7 wasn't willing to keep his Captain around - one of the few examples he can point to where a player steadily improved over the course of his UNH career, and scored some big goals while leading the way this season - then he deserves everything he has coming to him. He may not be a suitable D-1 head coach, but he'd have to be a complete muttonhead not to have offered him a chance to finish up another year in Durham.
When your program is sinking into the quicksand, you do not discard the few rocks you've scattered around the place ...
Chuck Murray
WIS & Effingwoods Hockey Almanac
So the offseason is officially here, at least for all but four teams. So I share the following, which blew my mind today ...
Very cool. Immediately brought to my mind Pat Metheny’s Orchestrion project during the late 2000’s. There is a 7:05 minute YouTube clip ‘Introducing Orchestrion’ from Nonesuch Records in which Pat walks us through his creative process, which included assistance from an electrical engineering friend in Boston who helped him to build his Orchestrion machines using solenoids to play the various instruments. I attended two of his Orchestrion shows, one at a large venue in downtown Boston with his full blown Orchestrion machine that filled the entire stage, the other at a small venue in Brownfield, Maine, the Stone Mountain Arts Center, at which Pat had a miniature version of his Orchestrion under wraps on the stage that he only revealed for his last set.
We need such creativity to rebuild the UNH hockey program.
Chuck Murray
WIS & Effingwoods Hockey Almanac
Brownfield ME - The Gateway to Fryeburg. Good stuff, Snives. I will have to check that Metheny stuff out.
HockeyRef
Well-known member
Speaking of Brownfield...was bummed that the pizza guys (we called them the hippy pizza gang) that would be at the Fryeburg Fair have stopped their
opps. We go to that fair just about every year and that was the first thing we'd do. Sigh...all good things come to an end I guess!
Anyway, carry on. Looking forward to the games this week. I should be in Tampa. oh well. I will be at the last reg season B's game at least, watching them
v the Caps. I've been reading this thread (minus the baseball nothing personal) regarding the 'what to do' if the 'Cats gee, have a semblance of a winning season. I cannot
imagine 'rooting for' the team to do poorly so a coach can be sacked. I know I'll be paying close attention to player development, that's for sure.
At the same time, I am not in the camp that its going to be a huge turn around either for our 'Cats next season; I mean, hopefully we don't lose 11 straight kind of thing either.
We won't be doing much of anything in the portal less a goal tender, that remains to be seen as things 'shake out' in the weeks ahead. Interesting to see that AD Rich was
at the Final Four. It's already been mentioned that maybe she goes to Tampa as well, we'll see.
Patrick Grasso info for anyone who follows...
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Robert Balin
New member
Yes i agree, and looking at the portal this morning most of the so called impact players on the list are gone. Maybe he's made some pitches but nothing yet. UCONNS goalie is in portal with stats comparable to Fessendons will be a junior.
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HockeyRef
Well-known member
Question...who do we actually 'need'?? It's not like we have a ton of players leaving that need replacement, save the goaltender. I realize things (roster) are not finalized
for prob a few months from now, but, we don't have a ton of 'openings'??? I think players who are leaving have said so....not like we need to replace 8 players. Maybe I am not
up on what's actually going on with the roster???
Maybe someone can update what we 'need'. If any of our 'impact' players were leaving, wouldn't they be gone by now?? Reading tweets from bloggers like
Mike M (Merrimack) he mentions confirmation of who's coming back etc...we don't normally see posts like this coming out of UNH, ever. Lots of assumptions...
Chuck Murray
WIS & Effingwoods Hockey Almanac
Did any of you long-time Sox fans have a "Willie McGee flashback" reading this portion of Ref's post? I forget if it was in the early '90's or what, but Willie McGee had been an MVP and two-time batting champion during the '80's in St. Louis, and was coming around to the end of a contract when he began being named in trade rumours. The notably objective (*ack*) Boston sports media and Sox fans were wondering where McGee would find a spot in the Sox regular line-up at the time, which consisted of non-MVP talents like Ellis Burks, Mike Greenwell, Tom Brunansky and Billy Hatcher, among other more mediocre players. In short, a healthy McGee would have immediately been Boston's best all-around player.
Same with UNH. Anyone of quality - if anyone of that level remains uncommitted - should walk into UNH's lineup. Just a quick reminder how a D-3 player walked into a bottom six forwards role last season. There is no overflow of talent at UNH that should allow any of MS7's staff to take things easy between now and next September. And if you find the talent, you make room for it. As the kids say these days ... simples. ;-)
Just because someone is an "impact player" at UNH, doesn't mean they are an "impact player" anywhere else.
Let's try this exercise then ... imagine you are Ben Barr, maker of champions, and current UMaine HC. Theoretically, someone offers you a choice of the following coaching options for a roster for an imaginary team next year:
(1) The entire remaining UNH roster, including all recruits, and excluding portal and grad students; OR
(2) A random draw of 25 (22 skaters/3 goalies) from the other 10 HEA schools combined, names out of a barrel
Do you go with Option 1 and its advantages of established "impact players", continuity, balance, and "chemistry"?
Or do you go with Option 2 and figure you can probably do better with random players from mostly better programs?
I'd bet you dollars to donuts that Barr takes Option 2. I know I would.
Moral of the story? When you have limited talent on your roster, it's never time to stop recruiting or exploring betterment options. Heck - even if you are on TOP of the mountain, you still keep your eyes open for betterment opportunities. Meaning, there should always be a "need" - and the further down the league you are, the more you "need" ...
HockeyRef
Well-known member
So...you are thinking 'lets just blow up the roster completely, what the H do we have to lose? Yeah, let's just kick them all out. And find 25 others, sure, we can do that. So many are knocking
down the door to get onto that Whittamore Center Ice. We have what we have...you can't tell me that is going to change. You can tell me that SHOULD change, but it isn't at least,
at this moment in time.
Maybe I didn't get your jist in this post...I'm afraid I don't have the baseball savvy/experience to compete with your above analogy. OR, this is just out of my league and
I really don't have anything of value to say...I don't operate on 'what ifs'...so speculating on the shoulds of a situation is not my forte.
Boy, Ben Barr, maker of champions...he'd certainly throw out his roster and roll the dice?
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