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UNH- How Far West Do We Go?
- Thread starter norbert
- Start date
HockeyRef
Well-known member
Good luck!! You guys always seem to land on your feet. Will be watching and rooting for you!Thanks HockeyRef! You may have heard some "F Bombs" dropped when PC floated in that tying goal. Thought 'Mack might fold, but they pushed back hard. Terrific goal by Hoskin (not Hoskins) to win it in OT.
Borek has them locked in right now. 4-0-1 in their last 5, and Lundgren is playing very well in net. They have WAY more skill (all underclassmen) than they have had in a while.
UMass and Hrabel will be a tall task (literally, Hrabel is is 6'7") but I know that MC can hang with them.
Hey Potty, you may group Merrimack in the bottom tier of HE along with UVM, UNH and UMass Lowell, but MC certainly looks to be headed to the middle of the pack at the very least. Remember, they finished 2nd a couple of years ago. Not sure you can say the same for any of the other 3 (sorry UNH).
Formidable task ahead but the fact that you are there is awesome...while the rest of us continue to live vicariously through your efforts lol!!
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Sorry to keep you waiting, sweetie.
No question Barr has turned the trajectory. But how do you explain this season's regression to 18-14-3 from 24-8-6? An aberration? Your team won only 4 more games than lowly UNH.
I haven't tuned into the maine thread cuz I couldn't care less about the crying going on there, but I gotta imagine that BC stomping your early exit is kinda like sand in your jock, which means your off-season will be a lot like ours..."things need to be better next year". Difference is, your program has a better shot of making that happen. We just now sit back and expect more of the same crap
HockeyRef
Well-known member
TheGrouchyCat
Litter Box of Bad Ideas
Consistently bad...Welp at least we are consistent
2013hockeyfan
Active member
Yea, his take is wrong, which anyone who follows the program more closely can easily see. But referring to him as "the guy who got smoked on his own podcast by his own kid this past Fall" is the type of childish talk that elicits pearl clutching and gasps when its coming from Potluck. At least in those cases the person is around to defend themselves.
When you're in a public-facing role, criticism comes with the territory, especially when you've had years of chances, produced little, and offered a lot of excuses. I'll admit I'm not close to the program and haven't been to the Whitt in a while, so I'm relying on what season ticket holders here are sharing. But I'd have more grace for Souza if he were more present, speaking after losses, addressing the fanbase, showing up at season ticket holder events. By most accounts, he's none of those things. So yes, I think it's fair that he faces some criticism. He's a public figure, and frankly, I haven't seen anything on these boards that crosses a line into deeply personal or out-of-bounds territory.
On McMahon: JB pulled up the tweet where McMahon praised Souza's extension in 2024, calling it "tremendous work." I find that conclusion almost impossible to reconcile with his actual record. And the NIL argument doesn't hold up as a defense either. Yes, NIL doesn't work in UNH's favor given their budget, but Souza's record was already poor before NIL even existed, when the playing field was much closer to level. There hasn't been a drop-off under new circumstances; he's simply always struggled. Going 13-29-6 in Hockey East over the two years of his extension, barely finishing outside of last place in both seasons, and McMahon is still advocating for more time? That's not analysis, that's personal loyalty.
As for the harassment McMahon has apparently experienced on X, I'm not on that platform anymore, but from my previous experience with it, harassment is essentially baked into how that platform functions. When your analysis runs so obviously contrary to reality, you can't cry foul when disgruntled UNH fans take the bait.
On McMahon: JB pulled up the tweet where McMahon praised Souza's extension in 2024, calling it "tremendous work." I find that conclusion almost impossible to reconcile with his actual record. And the NIL argument doesn't hold up as a defense either. Yes, NIL doesn't work in UNH's favor given their budget, but Souza's record was already poor before NIL even existed, when the playing field was much closer to level. There hasn't been a drop-off under new circumstances; he's simply always struggled. Going 13-29-6 in Hockey East over the two years of his extension, barely finishing outside of last place in both seasons, and McMahon is still advocating for more time? That's not analysis, that's personal loyalty.
As for the harassment McMahon has apparently experienced on X, I'm not on that platform anymore, but from my previous experience with it, harassment is essentially baked into how that platform functions. When your analysis runs so obviously contrary to reality, you can't cry foul when disgruntled UNH fans take the bait.
Chuck Murray
WIS & Effingwoods Hockey Almanac
MS7 has been virtually absent from huge chunks of his job's responsibilities. That's inexcusable, and suggests he was never ready for the demands of the job.
Bingo.
Fantastic take on all three paragraphs, teez. For what it's worth, I've since ventured onto his page and asked him to account for many of the oversights he's ignored in arriving at the opinion that UNH has a "resources problem". Sincerely hoping he has a well-reasoned response to follow in the coming days ...
Chuck Murray
WIS & Effingwoods Hockey Almanac
In fairness, I may have crossed my wires between McMahon and Jim Connolly on the "own podcast" issue. Awaiting MM's response on Twitter/X or elsewhere.
HockeyRef
Well-known member
couldn't have said it better myself 
As for 'online harassment ' either I'm not looking at the right tweets I haven't seen anything..
Jellsville USA
Registered User
I found this very interesting... Chuck may actually be onto something. I get that the sports media shouldn't be negative towards coaches or players but advocating for losing is irresponsible. I was actually considering signing up for the pay version of his newsletter/podcast. Not so much. I did, however, renew my ST's.
The key thing is McMahon has information. His opinion, like most, is largely irrelevant. Buford, TheDumbCat, Meathead, Emily The Flunky, et al. has ZERO information.
To paraphrase Lenny Bruce, "In the land of the blind the one eyed man is king." Buford is dumb and doesn't have the necessities to understand what's going on. People inside the program think he's just a weirdo. TheDumbCat is delusional ("I'm delivering lectures in Japan and consulting with my K Street lawyers"). McMahon is a respected reporter that confirms UNH hockey is basically bottom of the barrel from a funding perspective.
Chuck Murray a/k/a Buford actually tweeted McMahon and raised his myriad of inane thoughts. McMahon wrote a detailed response, which I link here. McMahon said precisely what I've been saying for close to 2 years now. McMahon said the problems at UNH are insurmountable unless funding increases. No good coach would come to UNH because the situation is untenable. No good coach could win. The word is out all over college hockey. UNH is a disaster where careers go to die.
I just love how McMahon responded to Buford's logic:
"I don't think you understand how other coaches nationally view the UNH administration right now. You're not going to get anyone of significance that wants that job. You're going to get someone who just wants to be a head coach, like UMass in 2012 or Vermont in 2020. Most of the the top-tier candidates who could make a larger difference at the margins aren't going to be interest in UNH without a significant increase in the institutional support. That is a fact."
It's impossible to communicate directly with Buford, Meathead, TheDumbCat, Elwood or Emily The Flunky without starting a sentence with "I don't think you understand". That's not even dismissive language. He realizes he's talking to a truly dumb person.
"I don't think you understand how other coaches nationally view the UNH administration right now. You're not going to get anyone of significance that wants that job. You're going to get someone who just wants to be a head coach, like UMass in 2012 or Vermont in 2020. Most of the the top-tier candidates who could make a larger difference at the margins aren't going to be interest in UNH without a significant increase in the institutional support. That is a fact."
It's impossible to communicate directly with Buford, Meathead, TheDumbCat, Elwood or Emily The Flunky without starting a sentence with "I don't think you understand". That's not even dismissive language. He realizes he's talking to a truly dumb person.
McMahon makes it clear that Buford (Chuck Murray) is onto nothing. He even tells Buford that he doesn't know what he's talking about.
Jellsville USA
Registered User
If the bar is really that low, then you could also argue the opposite of what McMahon is saying: a tough situation can be a massive opportunity. Programs that look “insurmountable” from the outside are exactly the kinds of jobs where a hungry, ambitious coach can make their name. Turning around something everyone else had written off is career‑defining—and coaches know that.
Look at college hockey history: more than a few programs people once called “dead” or “irrelevant” were revived by someone who saw potential where others saw obstacles. Facilities and funding matter, sure, but culture, vision, and leadership do too. And sometimes the biggest advantage is simply being the person willing to step in when others won’t.
If UNH truly has a reputation as a place where “careers go to die,” then the moment someone does succeed here, it becomes the ultimate proof of coaching skill. That’s the kind of challenge that actually attracts the right type of coach—the builder, the rebuilder, the one who wants their fingerprints all over a program’s resurgence.
So if the bar is on the floor? That just means the next coach has a clearer runway to surprise people and rewrite the storyline everyone assumes is already set.
I appreciate what you're saying, but in the unlikely event UNH found a miracle worker, the coach would leave on short order and head to one of the dozens of D1 programs that will pay him and give him resources.
You should take McMahon's views very seriously. He literally can reach on D1 hockey coach in short order. He is telling us what he's being told from D1 coaches. I got my info re: UNH from inside the program, an AHA coach and an ECAC assistant that does a ton of recruiting. UNH is a dumpster fire.
Chuck Murray
WIS & Effingwoods Hockey Almanac
Well stated. FWIW the discussion with McMahon - where I point out the parts he is unwilling to admit to - is up on Twitter/X as of a few moments ago, we'll see what he has to say there. But as you point out, there is no shortage of capable and ambitious assistants looking for the very opportunity present now at UNH.
TheGrouchyCat
Litter Box of Bad Ideas
Pray tell, outside your consistently broad and intentionally contrarian statements, why do you have any more authority (or credibility) on the current state of UNH Hockey than any other poster?
1. Are you a UNH employee?
2. Do you work for a State funded oversight body?
3. Are you a current or past player?
4. Do you maintain any personal or professional relationships with state government officials, the UNH administration, current or past Hockey staff, inclusive of current/former players?
5. Are you a STH?
6. When was the last time you attend a game in person, inclusive but not limited to dropping a puck at center ice?
7. Are you an accredited investor with a track record of making a five, six or seven figure donations which would make you privy to inside info not usually available to the general public?
If not, you're purely speculating in a grandiose and grossly uninformed way.
GrouchyUNHer
Member
Geezus, effin' KeeeeeeRIST!!!!! The answer is so gal-durned SIMPLE that you lunkheads wouldn't know it until smacked ya in the face. 
1. SOOOUUUZA, A.D. SUGARBRITCHES, ET.AL......PULL OFF THE FRIGGIN BANDAID AND GET THE HELL OUT OF HOCKEY EAST!! EITHER MOVE BACK TO THE ECAC OR BECOME AN INDEPENDENT TEAM.
2. GIVE SOOOUUUZA THREE MORE YEARS TO TURN THE TEAM AROUND.
3. IF THIS DAMN TEAM IS STILL A DUMPSTER FIRE IN 2030, DROP THE DAMN SPORT, FIRE EVERYONE, AND CALL IT A DAY!!!!!!
Let's face it, all you long-time fans, and even the youngins.......THE GLORY DAYS OF UNH HOCKEY ARE OVER. FINI. KAPUT. It was a fun ride 25-30 years ago but it ain't comin' back!
Go to the games, renew your season tix if you want, hell, some the games can be damn exciting! BUT DO NOT EVER EXPECT THINGS TO CHANGE ANY TIME SOON IN DURHAM!!!!
NOW MOVE THE F--- ALONG, AND STAY THE HELL OFF OF MY LAWN!!!!!!!!
1. SOOOUUUZA, A.D. SUGARBRITCHES, ET.AL......PULL OFF THE FRIGGIN BANDAID AND GET THE HELL OUT OF HOCKEY EAST!! EITHER MOVE BACK TO THE ECAC OR BECOME AN INDEPENDENT TEAM.
2. GIVE SOOOUUUZA THREE MORE YEARS TO TURN THE TEAM AROUND.
3. IF THIS DAMN TEAM IS STILL A DUMPSTER FIRE IN 2030, DROP THE DAMN SPORT, FIRE EVERYONE, AND CALL IT A DAY!!!!!!
Let's face it, all you long-time fans, and even the youngins.......THE GLORY DAYS OF UNH HOCKEY ARE OVER. FINI. KAPUT. It was a fun ride 25-30 years ago but it ain't comin' back!
Go to the games, renew your season tix if you want, hell, some the games can be damn exciting! BUT DO NOT EVER EXPECT THINGS TO CHANGE ANY TIME SOON IN DURHAM!!!!
NOW MOVE THE F--- ALONG, AND STAY THE HELL OFF OF MY LAWN!!!!!!!!