UNH Hockey Off Season Thread 2026

[Potluck]

What's fascinating about Elwood, Buford, TheDumbCat, Meathead, EmilyTheFlunky et al. is after accepting the real answer, about 2 years after the me and most of the rest of the posters or prolific DMers, they act like they knew the answer all along.

I was vilified on here until the past few months or so for suggesting that UNH hockey is a moribund program due to a lack of institutional support more than anything else. I've always said Souza is a symptom of the problem but not the problem. Understandably, Buford really couldn't follow along. Now that a consensus is forming around college hockey that institutional support is the key to success, the sun rises on Marblehead neck.

It took me, McMahon, the Adam Wodon story link, and the ESPN link for you all (except for Buford) to grudgingly accept the solution.

I accept your apologiies and grudging admiration.

You all back on track to graduate, albeit with a 2.0 only.

 

[JB]

What's fascinating about Elwood, Buford, TheDumbCat, Meathead, EmilyTheFlunky et al. is after accepting the real answer, about 2 years after the me and most of the rest of the posters or prolific DMers, they act like they knew the answer all along.

I was vilified on here until the past few months or so for suggesting that UNH hockey is a moribund program due to a lack of institutional support more than anything else. I've always said Souza is a symptom of the problem but not the problem. Understandably, Buford really couldn't follow along. Now that a consensus is forming around college hockey that institutional support is the key to success, the sun rises on Marblehead neck.

It took me, McMahon, the Adam Wodon story link, and the ESPN link for you all (except for Buford) to grudgingly accept the solution.

I accept your apologiies and grudging admiration.

You all back on track to graduate, albeit with a 2.0 only.

This started because you constantly say you need to give Souza the resources. Souza doesn't' have the resources. McMahon post that Souza doesn't have the investment. While a bunch of us say, Souza is the problem and history across multiple schools and multiple sports says you get the resources AFTER you turn the corner and start winning.

Souza is not a symptom of the problem. He is a bad hire. There are 18 schools over the last 10 years that have done more with less and a number of them are now getting a greater investment.

Dan says it and provides stories left and right.

Your solution has been to throw money at the problem. Enable victim thinking and allow poor performance.

Again I am happy that these teams didn't know what you and McMahon keep asserting, that you can't possibly win with the money UNH spends or in the case or all but Merrimack less.

Team	Hockey Expenses	# of App. (2017-26)
Merrimack	$2.41M	2
Cornell	$2.19M	6
Western Michigan	$2.17M	6
Princeton	$2.16M	1
St. Cloud State	$2.04M	7
Colgate	$2.01M	1
Bentley	$1.96M	2
Minnesota State	$1.96M	5
Clarkson	$1.92M	2
Harvard	$1.86M	4
Union (NY)	$1.86M	1
Bemidji State	$1.82M	2
Holy Cross	$1.72M	1
American Int'l	$1.62M	3
Lake Superior	$1.52M	1
RIT	$1.46M	1
Air Force	$1.42M	2
Canisius	$1.36M	1

 

[Robert Balin]

This started because you constantly say you need to give Souza the resources. Souza doesn't' have the resources. McMahon post that Souza doesn't have the investment. While a bunch of us say, Souza is the problem and history across multiple schools and multiple sports says you get the resources AFTER you turn the corner and start winning.

Souza is not a symptom of the problem. He is a bad hire. There are 18 schools over the last 10 years that have done more with less and a number of them are now getting a greater investment.

Dan says it and provides stories left and right.

Your solution has been to throw money at the problem. Enable victim thinking and allow poor performance.

Again I am happy that these teams didn't know what you and McMahon keep asserting, that you can't possibly win with the money UNH spends or in the case or all but Merrimack less.

Team	Hockey Expenses	# of App. (2017-26)
Merrimack	$2.41M	2
Cornell	$2.19M	6
Western Michigan	$2.17M	6
Princeton	$2.16M	1
St. Cloud State	$2.04M	7
Colgate	$2.01M	1
Bentley	$1.96M	2
Minnesota State	$1.96M	5
Clarkson	$1.92M	2
Harvard	$1.86M	4
Union (NY)	$1.86M	1
Bemidji State	$1.82M	2
Holy Cross	$1.72M	1
American Int'l	$1.62M	3
Lake Superior	$1.52M	1
RIT	$1.46M	1
Air Force	$1.42M	2
Canisius	$1.36M	1

Western Michigan University (WMU) has significantly increased its investment in the men's hockey program, with the budget for the 2025-26 season set at $2.53 million. This includes a 48% increase in operating expenses, a 60% increase in salaries, and a 43% increase in scholarships/financial awards, with coach Pat Ferschweiler earning $420,000 annually.
So Ferschweller put together a winning team with a small budget and is now being rewarded with more investment from the University. I'm sorry but it's not an all money issue at UNH.

 

[Jellsville USA]

Elwood:

You mean the people in charge of UNH are taking a look at a systemic problem in the athletic department that may be the cause of the poor performance of the entire department?

This can’t be true! I was told many, many times by you, Buford, Meathead, Dan and TheDumbCat that the problem with UNH hockey is Souza. Bad coaching. Nothing more. You folks need to tell the Trustees to stop wasting their time, just replace Souza and everything will be ok!

lol

Leadership should absolutely be examining systemic issues within the athletic department, but that effort shouldn’t preclude simultaneously evaluating alternate coaching options. Both can—and should—happen at the same time, because while the problems may be broader than one person, Souza is clearly an equal and undeniable part of the issue.

 

[Chuck Murray]

All I know for sure after reading the Wodon article is that I want Bentley's Andy Jones to be the next UNH Men's Hockey head coach.

He's got a plan, the plan is portable up and down the D-1 spectrum, and he offers no excuses. How totally refreshing.

 

[Potluck]

All I know for sure after reading the Wodon article is that I want Bentley's Andy Jones to be the next UNH Men's Hockey head coach.

He's got a plan, the plan is portable up and down the D-1 spectrum, and he offers no excuses. How totally refreshing.

Jones would not take the UNH job.

 

[JB]

Jones would not take the UNH job.

Why not?

In your world "investment" is everything and UNH is spending 15% more than Bentley. Now with UNH investing in building the long coveted hockey weight room and lounge.

I mean do you know him personally, do you have some real insight or are you just being an @ss about everything?

Sorry dumb question you are just an @ss you can't help yourself.

 

[Chuck Murray]

Oh, now it's a "string of catastrophic hires"? It's not losing one of the best soccer coaches (and and Oyster River grad) in the country due to low pay and a damn good football coach (and an alum) to an Ivy league school over low pay. But now you claim the new football coach is a catastrophic hire before he even coaches a game? We already know you hate the men's basketball coach because he's black. You went all MAGA - HIllbilly on him from the moment he was hired and replaced a white coach with a 43% career win percentage at UNH after 18 years on the job.

Just for the record ... I haven't classified Goodrich as a bad hire yet, how could I? He hasn't coached a game at UNH yet. Typical sleight of hand bullsh!t potty.

Catastrophic hires by the current AD include (1) our very own Mike "MS7" Souza and his over-the-top three year extension, earned on the back of a single (1) winning season in his lame duck year; (2) Rich Weinrebe, Men's Soccer, who was hastily brought in to replace the man who was arguably the greatest UNH coach of this generation, and has quickly restored that program from legitimate national D-1 contender to abject mediocrity in near record time; and yes (3) Nathan Davis of Men's Hoops, who has compiled a 36% career UNH win percentage on the back of a 33-60 record over his brief tenure. All 3, catastrophic, yes.

Davis, like Souza, has enjoyed one (1) barely winning season at UNH, and following the pattern of his previous tenure at Bucknell, except at an accelerated rate of decay compared to his predecessor Dave Paulsen who won 59% (134-94) of his games over 7 seasons, while Davis' Bucknell program began to crater once the teams that Paulsen had recruited graduated. Davis strung together four (4) straight losing seasons on the way out to finish at 53% (129-115) over eight seasons. Which means that whether he's replacing a guy who's won over 500 career games (Paulsen) OR just under 500 games while spending a huge chunk of that time becoming the winningest all time coach at UNH (Herrion), Coach Davis has established an ability to drag a program down by approx. 6-7 percentage points in the win column after his head start from his aforementioned predecessors wears off. Ouch.

As an aside, UNH Men's Hoops has an all-time winning percentage of 35%, so in fairness, Coach Davis seems right for the job. But it must be pointed out that Herrion did post a 43% winning percentage at UNH, and was only getting better at the end, when he posted an unprecedented 4-year run of non-losing UNH basketball, which he handed off to Davis in 2023 when Herrion was non-renewed. Davis got that run to 5 years before the bottom dropped out the last two seasons.

I suggest you trim your bowl cut hair, brush your tooth, wash your undies in your kitchen sink and immediately head to Durham. Please barge into the next meeting of the Trustees and yell "Everything is MIke Souza's fault!!!!!!!!"

I've seen your "hair" buddy ... I'll take the plenty that I have, almost 10 years your senior, over whatever is left of your airbrushed receding "hairline" if it even still exists?? You know what they say about folks who live in them gol' durned glass houses, potty ... wear a hat, remove the glare lol

 

[Chuck Murray]

Why not?

In your world "investment" is everything and UNH is spending 15% more than Bentley. Now with UNH investing in building the long coveted hockey weight room and lounge.

I mean do you know him personally, do you have some real insight or are you just being an @ss about everything?

Sorry dumb question you are just an @ss you can't help yourself.

Easy one, I can answer that one for the Great Imposter himself. Him and his imagined "consensus", all running interference for their coaching pals/sources.

I don't pretend to know Andy Jones' mind, but I do know someone who does have some insight, and is likely torn between Andy Jones at Bentley vs. UNH ...

 

[Robert Balin]

Jones would not take the UNH job.

If UNH was to make Jones an offer today i'm sure he'd take it. UNH for Jones would be a big upgrade even if you admit it or not. The salary would be higher and the thought of himself turning around a once winning program is a young coaches dream. JMHO.

 

[2013hockeyfan]

Western Michigan University (WMU) has significantly increased its investment in the men's hockey program, with the budget for the 2025-26 season set at $2.53 million. This includes a 48% increase in operating expenses, a 60% increase in salaries, and a 43% increase in scholarships/financial awards, with coach Pat Ferschweiler earning $420,000 annually.
So Ferschweller put together a winning team with a small budget and is now being rewarded with more investment from the University. I'm sorry but it's not an all money issue at UNH.

Did Marc Hubbard see similar level of investment from the university with his success in soccer here? Not apples to apples, of course, as soccer lacks the ability to generate revenue levels of hockey, but I'm just not sure the "build it and they will pay" attitude is true at UNH under this regime's leadership.

 

[Potluck]

As an aside, UNH Men's Hoops has an all-time winning percentage of 35%, so in fairness, Coach Davis seems right for the job. But it must be pointed out that Herrion did post a 43% winning percentage at UNH, and was only getting better

Getting better! He was on the job for 18 years!!!! Herrion was a good coach putting up massive losing numbers in an impossible situation. Herrion got the UNH job after getting fired at East Carolina with a 6 year 41% win percentage and zero NCAA bids.

Gerry Friel was the hoop coach for 20 years and has a 35% win percentage.

Jeff Jackson 1997-99 (3 years) has a 26% win percentage.

Phil Rowe was hoop coach for six years 2000-2005 and had 26% win percentage.

Nathan Davis came to UNH from Bucknell, where has coached 8 seasons and had a 52% win percentage literally in Amish country. He coached 2 teams into the NCAA tourney.

You claim Nathan Davis was a "social justice hire" without ANY evidence other than the color of his skin. That makes you a racist.

 

[Robert Balin]

Getting better! He was on the job for 18 years!!!! Herrion was a good coach putting up massive losing numbers in an impossible situation. Herrion got the UNH job after getting fired at East Carolina with a 6 year 41% win percentage and zero NCAA bids.

Gerry Friel was the hoop coach for 20 years and has a 35% win percentage.

Jeff Jackson 1997-99 (3 years) has a 26% win percentage.

Phil Rowe was hoop coach for six years 2000-2005 and had 26% win percentage.

Nathan Davis came to UNH from Bucknell, where has coached 8 seasons and had a 52% win percentage literally in Amish country. He coached 2 teams into the NCAA tourney.

You claim Nathan Davis was a "social justice hire" without ANY evidence other than the color of his skin. That makes you a racist.

Can we please keep this thread hockey? enough of the juvenile name calling and racist accusations,go to the cafe for crap like that.

 

[Jellsville USA]

Bracket predictions for fun-
Frozen four- Mich-Denver-Dartmouth (routing for NH)-N.Dak
Finals- Michigan vs N.Dak
Champ- Michigan

 

[Potluck]

If UNH was to make Jones an offer today i'm sure he'd take it. UNH for Jones would be a big upgrade even if you admit it or not. The salary would be higher and the thought of himself turning around a once winning program is a young coaches dream. JMHO.

Jones has one of the best jobs in the AHA. Excellent facility relative the league competition and better than UNH's, great internal support and respect in coaching circles. He's a comer, an excellent recruiter and very hot right now. No way he's taking the UNH job in its current state. UNH is moribund. Jones salary is not Souza's now but is in line for a new contract with a big raise that will put him over Souza's salary. What he's doing at Bentley is phenomenal. He's got a top 25 program in the NCAA tourney and there's no reason for Bentley to go backwards.

Only way UNH could get him is for $350K+ a manageable NIL budget and financial support that is competive in HE. He's in an excellent situation at Bentley. He's not going from Bentley to UNH and a non-competitive program that asks him to be Norman Dale at Hickory. No way. He's not going to get fired at UNH in 5-7 years by the "our way of life" knuckleheads that hamstring him with low end resources.

 

[HockeyRef]

Getting better! He was on the job for 18 years!!!! Herrion was a good coach putting up massive losing numbers in an impossible situation. Herrion got the UNH job after getting fired at East Carolina with a 6 year 41% win percentage and zero NCAA bids.

Gerry Friel was the hoop coach for 20 years and has a 35% win percentage.

Jeff Jackson 1997-99 (3 years) has a 26% win percentage.

Phil Rowe was hoop coach for six years 2000-2005 and had 26% win percentage.

Nathan Davis came to UNH from Bucknell, where has coached 8 seasons and had a 52% win percentage literally in Amish country. He coached 2 teams into the NCAA tourney.

You claim Nathan Davis was a "social justice hire" without ANY evidence other than the color of his skin. That makes you a racist.

One point you have proven regarding the above coaches you mention which I (and others) have noted is UNH doesnt fire coaches...regardless of how poorly they do i win/loose Well 2 things really is that the good ones leave for more $$ and support (Hubbard)
The fact that UNH went with another alum for football speaks volumes and I wish the new football coach well.
And your last point? Personally I detest any of these pathetic labels / stereotypes and name calling so freely attached these days.
Sigh.

Ps Go 'Mack!!!

 

[HockeyRef]

Bracket predictions for fun-
Frozen four- Mich-Denver-Dartmouth (routing for NH)-N.Dak
Finals- Michigan vs N.Dak
Champ- Michigan

Heading to Sin City! Anyone else going from here? I think Aerman mentioned it.

 

[HockeyRef]

Can we please keep this thread hockey? enough of the juvenile name calling and racist accusations,go to the cafe for crap like that.

Here here!! What you said...

 

[Beauty]

Thank goodness you got the score right, but the winner wrong

Why thank goodness?

 

[HockeyRef]

Why thank goodness?

Lol probably because for once I was on the right track as my predictions have been abysmal...ha!