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UNH- How Far West Do We Go?

JB said:
I hear you on this one

UNH had the will - see Lavins and LeClerc playing hurt, guys blocking shots and the stretches of the season where they played a hard game

UNH had some.skill - the problem was not have traditional "UNH" scoring talent.

What they didn't have was the strategy. They did what they did all season didn't really change and the league teams knew it. They didn't "manufacture goals" to go with the talent they did have. The weren't setup for the situational little things... 5 forward on the PP there are things the guys on the point need to be coached to do to limit SHG. In essence better coaching in this league might have had UNH in the Championship game, would have taken a strategy of grinding out wins 2-1 with very disciplined play
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I would add onto this there were minimal (if any) in-game adjustments between periods. I think this is one of the biggest things that separates the good/great coaches vs the bad/mediocre ones. Can you diagnose how a team is coming out and attacking you, and make some adjustments to try and combat that? Jerry York was incredible at this in his hey day. Belichick in football as well.

It’s how you can come back when you’re down in a game, and really help build confidence moving forward. How many come from behind wins did UNH have this year? The UConn win in Storrs in November(ish) is one of the only ones that comes to mind, and they rode that to a subsequent shutout at Bentley, a sweep at Maine, and an OT win against the (at the time) #1 NPI Dartmouth.

Goes to show they had the talent to do some damage. It just wasn’t channeled correctly 85-90% of the time…

One also has to wonder if we didn’t go on that mini-run at the end of 2025, would we have even reached 10 wins this year?! Perhaps that would have spelled a buyout for Souza…
 
FlagUp17 said:
I would add onto this there were minimal (if any) in-game adjustments between periods. I think this is one of the biggest things that separates the good/great coaches vs the bad/mediocre ones. Can you diagnose how a team is coming out and attacking you, and make some adjustments to try and combat that? Jerry York was incredible at this in his hey day. Belichick in football as well.

It’s how you can come back when you’re down in a game, and really help build confidence moving forward. How many come from behind wins did UNH have this year? The UConn win in Storrs in November(ish) is one of the only ones that comes to mind, and they rode that to a subsequent shutout at Bentley, a sweep at Maine, and an OT win against the (at the time) #1 NPI Dartmouth.

Goes to show they had the talent to do some damage. It just wasn’t channeled correctly 85-90% of the time…

One also has to wonder if we didn’t go on that mini-run at the end of 2025, would we have even reached 10 wins this year?! Perhaps that would have spelled a buyout for Souza…
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Agree with all except the last sentence as a buyout of MS7’s contract was never going to happen, no way, no how.
 
Snively65 said:
Agree with all except the last sentence as a buyout of MS7’s contract was never going to happen, no way, no how.
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Sadly, I've come to accept this as (a very harsh) reality, and a clear indication that most of us fans care far more about UNH Hockey than UNH itself does.

What we need is an athletic director who demands excellence from those running their programs, not just compliance (and mediocrity by extension).

In assessing the performance of our (soon to be out of contract?) AD, consider that all four of the major Men's programs OTHER THAN HOCKEY have seen replacements and downgrades of the folks in charge since she arrived in Titletown ... and holding steady at abysmal with Hockey isn't a feather in her cap:

Hockey: Souza out of contract, Souza extended ... 3 year extension was a lazy, candy-@$$ AND unnecessary decision, allowing the losing to calcify
Football: Santos out, Goodrich in ... TBD but I'll be pleasantly surprised if the new guy keeps UNH in the mix as a perennial playoff contender
Hoops: Herrion out, Davis in ... Herrion had somehow gotten UNH from abysmal to mediocre, Davis has restored normal (abysmal) service
Soccer: Hubbard out, Weinrebe in ... this is your prototypical "from the penthouse to the outhouse" scenario, catastrophic

So, if you're keeping score at home, that's one catastrophic loss, another one driven at least in part due to social justice issues, one being a hit-and-hope pick from that program's recent past, praying to maintain status quo in what now stands as the department's most successful team ...

... and the continued presence of MS7, Big Mike Souza.

Quite clearly at least an 0 for 3, with #4 being somewhat of a hopeful selection by someone with no credible history with that sport. Ugh ...
 
Chuck Murray said:
Sadly, I've come to accept this as (a very harsh) reality, and a clear indication that most of us fans care far more about UNH Hockey than UNH itself does.

What we need is an athletic director who demands excellence from those running their programs, not just compliance (and mediocrity by extension).

In assessing the performance of our (soon to be out of contract?) AD, consider that all four of the major Men's programs OTHER THAN HOCKEY have seen replacements and downgrades of the folks in charge since she arrived in Titletown ... and holding steady at abysmal with Hockey isn't a feather in her cap:

Hockey: Souza out of contract, Souza extended ... 3 year extension was a lazy, candy-@$$ AND unnecessary decision, allowing the losing to calcify
Football: Santos out, Goodrich in ... TBD but I'll be pleasantly surprised if the new guy keeps UNH in the mix as a perennial playoff contender
Hoops: Herrion out, Davis in ... Herrion had somehow gotten UNH from abysmal to mediocre, Davis has restored normal (abysmal) service
Soccer: Hubbard out, Weinrebe in ... this is your prototypical "from the penthouse to the outhouse" scenario, catastrophic

So, if you're keeping score at home, that's one catastrophic loss, another one driven at least in part due to social justice issues, one being a hit-and-hope pick from that program's recent past, praying to maintain status quo in what now stands as the department's most successful team ...

... and the continued presence of MS7, Big Mike Souza.

Quite clearly at least an 0 for 3, with #4 being somewhat of a hopeful selection by someone with no credible history with that sport. Ugh ...
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If I was the president I think I would put a fair number of “needs improvement” on her report card during her performance review.

Alas, I don’t know how she is graded, and if certain weightage is put on compliance and not breaking any rules etc. if that is the only bar she needs to reach I think that is a VERY low bar to achieve.

I agree I had some hope after the sad loss to NU in the opening round that maybe (just maybe) there would be some thought of moving on. I bought into reading too much on social media and the student section chants at the Whitt. Obviously they didn’t put too much weightage on that.

I imagine the decision would have already been made by now if they wanted to move on. The only future thing I could think of, is when they review the STH renewals (Jellsville mentioned prices go up today) that perhaps they would look at the (I presume) continued major drop off in renewals and maybe they would rethink things. I’d give them another week to have that discussion.

As for her own fate, I imagine we won’t hear anything until spring seasons start to wrap up by late May/early June. With the new fiscal year starting in July, i imagine we will hear an announcement one way or the other soon after Memorial Day.

We will see though. Rooting for MC to bring it home tonight. Beating the 1, 2, and 3 seeds to get the hardware is nothing short of extremely remarkable.
 
FlagUp17 said:
If I was the president I think I would put a fair number of “needs improvement” on her report card during her performance review.

Alas, I don’t know how she is graded, and if certain weightage is put on compliance and not breaking any rules etc. if that is the only bar she needs to reach I think that is a VERY low bar to achieve.

I agree I had some hope after the sad loss to NU in the opening round that maybe (just maybe) there would be some thought of moving on. I bought into reading too much on social media and the student section chants at the Whitt. Obviously they didn’t put too much weightage on that.

I imagine the decision would have already been made by now if they wanted to move on. The only future thing I could think of, is when they review the STH renewals (Jellsville mentioned prices go up today) that perhaps they would look at the (I presume) continued major drop off in renewals and maybe they would rethink things. I’d give them another week to have that discussion.

As for her own fate, I imagine we won’t hear anything until spring seasons start to wrap up by late May/early June. With the new fiscal year starting in July, i imagine we will hear an announcement one way or the other soon after Memorial Day.

We will see though. Rooting for MC to bring it home tonight. Beating the 1, 2, and 3 seeds to get the hardware is nothing short of extremely remarkable.
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Technically, I do believe there is time remaining for the school to act on the Men's Hockey HC. Realistically, with the AD in lame duck status (as we believe she is) there's no reason to think the T-Hall folks would allow her to make any "premature" termination decisions (i.e. buyouts) if her own status is not solidified.

That's something you'd want to let the new AD (if there were to be one) to decide. Otherwise, an object at rest tends to stay at rest, etc. ad nauseum.
 
Chuck Murray said:
Hockey: Souza out of contract, Souza extended ... 3 year extension was a lazy, candy-@$$ AND unnecessary decision, allowing the losing to calcify
Football: Santos out, Goodrich in ... TBD but I'll be pleasantly surprised if the new guy keeps UNH in the mix as a perennial playoff contender
Hoops: Herrion out, Davis in ... Herrion had somehow gotten UNH from abysmal to mediocre, Davis has restored normal (abysmal) service
Soccer: Hubbard out, Weinrebe in ... this is your prototypical "from the penthouse to the outhouse" scenario, catastrophic
Click to expand...
It’s very simple to figure. Souza agreed to short money and he got a new contract. Santos and Hubbard left for more money. Performancehas close to nothing to do with it.

As for Herron, well, hoops at UNH has always been a mistake. You have no evidence that the Davis hire had anything to do with social justice. But you are a single toothed, inbred, bowl haired hillbilly racist, so I can understand why you think that’s the case.
 
Chuck Murray said:
Technically, I do believe there is time remaining for the school to act on the Men's Hockey HC. Realistically, with the AD in lame duck status (as we believe she is) there's no reason to think the T-Hall folks would allow her to make any "premature" termination decisions (i.e. buyouts) if her own status is not solidified.

That's something you'd want to let the new AD (if there were to be one) to decide. Otherwise, an object at rest tends to stay at rest, etc. ad nauseum.
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Well if I remember correctly I believe a former AD left office with a “parting gift” for a certain HC as one of his last big acts. He was around for quite awhile and maybe he had more authority for handing out such things on his way out the door. I’m not sure of the finer details of this though.

Perhaps a new AD would look at the record for the mens program over the last 10+ years and decide to make a big “splash” as their first move. I would be a bit concerned though because that decision wouldn’t come until July/August at the earliest. Only a couple months out from the start of the new season. I assume all of the good coaches available from this cycle may have already found their new homes, and others may not want to leave their program on such short notice before the new season etc.

Not that the results from the first year matter much - I think most people would be ok with an absolutely dismal first season (think first year for Carvel at UMA, Barr at ME, etc.). The Whitt would still be packed, Season ticket sales way up, etc. People would have hope for the first time in a long time for the program.

We will see what happens. Gonna be an interesting next few months for sure.
 
FlagUp17 said:
Well if I remember correctly I believe a former AD left office with a “parting gift” for a certain HC as one of his last big acts. He was around for quite awhile and maybe he had more authority for handing out such things on his way out the door. I’m not sure of the finer details of this though.

Perhaps a new AD would look at the record for the mens program over the last 10+ years and decide to make a big “splash” as their first move. I would be a bit concerned though because that decision wouldn’t come until July/August at the earliest. Only a couple months out from the start of the new season. I assume all of the good coaches available from this cycle may have already found their new homes, and others may not want to leave their program on such short notice before the new season etc.

Not that the results from the first year matter much - I think most people would be ok with an absolutely dismal first season (think first year for Carvel at UMA, Barr at ME, etc.). The Whitt would still be packed, Season ticket sales way up, etc. People would have hope for the first time in a long time for the program.

We will see what happens. Gonna be an interesting next few months for sure.
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Why do you think that there is going to be a new AD come July/August?
 
Snively65 said:
Why do you think that there is going to be a new AD come July/August?
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The ADs contract expires this year - presumably at the end of the fiscal year (end of June). I don’t have any evidence to say they would move on from her, but as I was saying earlier the various programs performances this year/last few years leaves a lot to be desired. There have been a few bright spots but I feel these are relatively few and far between. If they are only interested in her compliance record tham perhaps she stays, but again that is a very low bar…

Either way, they would need to extend her contract if they want her to stay, and I imagine there would be an announcement on this.

If they move on from her, the new AD would presumably start July 1st, and I imagine any coaching changes would take a few weeks/month until the new AD settles into the role and gets a lay of the land etc.

Not sure if anyone has heard rumors if the President is leaning towards retaining Rich or not… We will find out soon enough I guess.
 
FlagUp17 said:
The ADs contract expires this year - presumably at the end of the fiscal year (end of June). I don’t have any evidence to say they would move on from her, but as I was saying earlier the various programs performances this year/last few years leaves a lot to be desired. There have been a few bright spots but I feel these are relatively few and far between. If they are only interested in her compliance record tham perhaps she stays, but again that is a very low bar…

Either way, they would need to extend her contract if they want her to stay, and I imagine there would be an announcement on this.

If they move on from her, the new AD would presumably start July 1st, and I imagine any coaching changes would take a few weeks/month until the new AD settles into the role and gets a lay of the land etc.

Not sure if anyone has heard rumors if the President is leaning towards retaining Rich or not… We will find out soon enough I guess.
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I don't think an extension of the AD is going to require a public announcement. Maybe just a brief Friday afternoon press release. FWIW I do expect her to stay, unless something opens up at Princeton in the near future.

As far as our libelous pal potty .... he seems happy to throw out accusatory posts if anyone (namely myself) raises the issue as to whether the Hoops coach is a hiring fail for the current AD. He's failed twice previously in jobs at the same post in other schools, following the same pattern - picking up decent programs with meh records, improving or maintaining it for a year or two tops, then watching results crater when he had to deal with coaching his own recruits. That pattern is happening all over again across the street, at even a more alarming rate actually ... but no way you can raise any questions in good faith as to why he was hired, and why it so happens that he's failing (again, 3rd time's the charm I guess?). Shocker, right (lol)? But less questions to answer, one extra box to checked, right Mr. Swamp-town?!?
 
FlagUp17 said:
The ADs contract expires this year - presumably at the end of the fiscal year (end of June). I don’t have any evidence to say they would move on from her, but as I was saying earlier the various programs performances this year/last few years leaves a lot to be desired. There have been a few bright spots but I feel these are relatively few and far between. If they are only interested in her compliance record tham perhaps she stays, but again that is a very low bar…

Either way, they would need to extend her contract if they want her to stay, and I imagine there would be an announcement on this.

If they move on from her, the new AD would presumably start July 1st, and I imagine any coaching changes would take a few weeks/month until the new AD settles into the role and gets a lay of the land etc.

Not sure if anyone has heard rumors if the President is leaning towards retaining Rich or not… We will find out soon enough I guess.
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I think that if the AD were not staying, there would have been an announcement and national search initiated for a new AD over a year ago.

On paper, AD Rich is credited with tripling fundraising for the Athletic Dept during her first three years, most likely attributed to Anthony Lorenzo’s renaming gift of the complex that includes the Whitt.
 
FlagUp17 said:
I would add onto this there were minimal (if any) in-game adjustments between periods. I think this is one of the biggest things that separates the good/great coaches vs the bad/mediocre ones. Can you diagnose how a team is coming out and attacking you, and make some adjustments to try and combat that? Jerry York was incredible at this in his hey day. Belichick in football as well.

It’s how you can come back when you’re down in a game, and really help build confidence moving forward. How many come from behind wins did UNH have this year? The UConn win in Storrs in November(ish) is one of the only ones that comes to mind, and they rode that to a subsequent shutout at Bentley, a sweep at Maine, and an OT win against the (at the time) #1 NPI Dartmouth.

Goes to show they had the talent to do some damage. It just wasn’t channeled correctly 85-90% of the time…

One also has to wonder if we didn’t go on that mini-run at the end of 2025, would we have even reached 10 wins this year?! Perhaps that would have spelled a
Click to expand...
 
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