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UNH Men's Hockey 2022 Off Season Thread- Goodbye Lake Whitt!

Was listening to Mike Machnik's podcast and in the course of it he happened to mention the HE coaching seniority with York retiring. Souza now is the 5th most senior coach (not counting his three years as coach in waiting).

UML - Norm Bazin (2011)
PC - Nate Leaman (2011)
U.Conn - Mike Cavanaugh (2014)
UMass- Greg Carvel (2016)
UNH - Mike Souza (2018)
Merrimack - Scott Borek (2018)
UVM - Todd Woodcroft (2020)
NU - Jerry Keefe (2021)
Maine - Ben Barr (2021)
BU - Jay Pandolfo (2022)
BC- Greg Brown (2022)

As for Sardarian, yes, his production last year did not match my hopes, but it was his first in the US, and he also was banged up a bit.
 
NCAA watcher said:
Was listening to Mike Machnik's podcast and in the course of it he happened to mention the HE coaching seniority with York retiring. Souza now is the 5th most senior coach (not counting his three years as coach in waiting).

UML - Norm Bazin (2011)
PC - Nate Leaman (2011)
U.Conn - Mike Cavanaugh (2014)
UMass- Greg Carvel (2016)
UNH - Mike Souza (2018)
Merrimack - Scott Borek (2018)
UVM - Todd Woodcroft (2020)
NU - Jerry Keefe (2021)
Maine - Ben Barr (2021)
BU - Jay Pandolfo (2022)
BC- Greg Brown (2022)
Click to expand...

Interesting list. Two of the guys who've got longer HC tenure than MS7 have won D1 Championships at their schools, and another has made it to one Frozen Four, three Regional Finals, and won two HEA Championships. The fourth hasn't won anything. Let's guess which one was MS7's mentor ...
 
5th is the highest that Coach Mike has ever been, but I think Souza should certainly move up the list in front of Carvel. Wouldn't 3 years of "Coach in Waiting" count for something? Maybe 50% credit? 70% would get him into 4th.
 
Whalers said:
5th is the highest that Coach Mike has ever been, but I think Souza should certainly move up the list in front of Carvel. Wouldn't 3 years of "Coach in Waiting" count for something? Maybe 50% credit? 70% would get him into 4th.
Click to expand...

I'm sure he'd tell his supervisors "no" ;)
 
In an alternate universe, New Hampshire thanks Coach Umile for all his hard work and accomplishment, but must insist on an immediate retirement/transition and hires Coach Carvel...
 
Dan said:
In an alternate universe, New Hampshire thanks Coach Umile for all his hard work and accomplishment, but must insist on an immediate retirement/transition and hires Coach Carvel...
Click to expand...

Dan, please dont take this the wrong way, but I would be loving your universe. :-)
 
Liam Blackburn signs with the Fayetteville Marksmen of the Southern Professional Hockey League. This looks like a step below the ECHL, yes?
 
Whalers said:
5th is the highest that Coach Mike has ever been, but I think Souza should certainly move up the list in front of Carvel. Wouldn't 3 years of "Coach in Waiting" count for something? Maybe 50% credit? 70% would get him into 4th.
Click to expand...

There's often a certain "right place/right time" element to being an assistant coach, so I'm not in favor of giving credit/blame to MS7 (or anyone else) for time served as an assistant coach, coach-in-waiting, associate head coach, or chief bottle washer. You are either in charge, or you're not. Let's not forget, there's one or two UConn fans who come on here once in awhile to, make the argument that Luce is like the Dean of HEA Head Coaches since he was an assistant on all of York's title teams (P.S. he wasn't the only one). Undercover WIS agents have determined there's a 75% likelihood said poster(s) is/are blood relatives of Luce, if not the Mediocre One himself.

MS7's time as Umile's apprentice was just that - nothing else. Umile owns what those teams did, from the long pattern that his teams had established up through those final seasons. As for Souza, he's somehow managed to take a no-lose situation ("no way but up") and arguably make it even worse.

"The Umile 600 Show" may have ended badly, but it only happened because he could point to a solid 20 or so year run, which even an accomplished guy like Coach Bazin at UML still can't claim to match yet. Putting aside guys who didn't coach at least 30 games, or Coach Kullen whose revitalization of the final years of the Holt Era was partially responsible for setting up what Coach Umile was able to accomplish ... MS7 is currently on record as the least successful head coach in almost one hundred (100) years of Men's Ice Hockey at UNH. "Mediocre" would be a big step forward ...
 
While kind of on the subject, let's open this up to everyone. Here's the simple question of the day:

* What does Mike "MS7" Souza need to accomplish this season to retain his job for '23/'24?

(1) Winning record and (at least contending for?) a slot in the 2023 NCAA Tourney;
(2) Winning record and winning first round of HEA playoffs (PBMBEGAM or otherwise);
(3) Winning record and respectable showing in the HEA "playoffs";
(4) Another losing record but surprising deep run in the HEA Tourney;
(5) Another losing record, short run in the HEA "playoffs", but all his kids graduate;
(6) Another losing record, but new UNH AD too cheap to buy out what's left of his contract;
(7) Should have been cut loose already, so no last-minute Ron Anderson-style heroics at all

Lots of other potential variations there, so feel free to pick more than one, or feel free go off the board with your own criteria. I think many of us are looking at this season as make-or-break for MS7 The Coach, so let's get the baseline set, and see how it plays out over the coming Winter.
 
Chuck Murray said:
While kind of on the subject, let's open this up to everyone. Here's the simple question of the day:

* What does Mike "MS7" Souza need to accomplish this season to retain his job for '23/'24?

(1) Winning record and (at least contending for?) a slot in the 2023 NCAA Tourney;
(2) Winning record and winning first round of HEA playoffs (PBMBEGAM or otherwise);
(3) Winning record and respectable showing in the HEA "playoffs";
(4) Another losing record but surprising deep run in the HEA Tourney;
(5) Another losing record, short run in the HEA "playoffs", but all his kids graduate;
(6) Another losing record, but new UNH AD too cheap to buy out what's left of his contract;
(7) Should have been cut loose already, so no last-minute Ron Anderson-style heroics at all

Lots of other potential variations there, so feel free to pick more than one, or feel free go off the board with your own criteria. I think many of us are looking at this season as make-or-break for MS7 The Coach, so let's get the baseline set, and see how it plays out over the coming Winter.
Click to expand...

I'm wavering between 2 and 3, but will go with 3. MS7 has had more than ample time to shape the team to his liking (especially given his tenure as assistant coach) and so far has shown nothing, nada, zilch in his ability to move the needle in the right direction. What positives we can point to, simple answer, none. The program has continued its spiral to irrelevance. In a "what have you done for me lately" recruiting world there is no incentive for a top tier prospect to take a chance on UNH, evidenced by the level of recruits coming on board during his tenure. Bottom line, it's do or die time.
 
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d.gerry said:
I'm wavering between 2 and 3, but will go with 3. MS7 has had more than ample time to shape the team to his liking (especially given his tenure as assistant coach) and so far has shown nothing, nada, zilch in his ability to move the needle in the right direction. What positives we can point to, simple answer, none. The program has continued its spiral to irrelevance. In a "what have you done for me lately" recruiting world there is no incentive for a top tier prospect to take a chance on UNH, evidenced by the level of recruits coming on board during his tenure. Bottom line, it's do or die time.
Click to expand...

+1 :-)
 
A winning record is the minimum. Tournament success can be hard to come by if they draw a tough first round match - so I'd prefer to see a full season of progress. Progress is wins. If he can't hang up a winning record then it is time to go.

That is where things get real. If the new AD doesn't do that, then I think any goodwill she has been given as a new hire is gone. How many more of these backwards seasons can they possibly expect the community to just accept?
 
HR throws her hat on the ice with #3...After this season it will be 10 years that we hitched our wagon to this team and despite it all, still happy to do so...BUT...getting harder to go to the HE playoffs at the Garden and not see a team in Blue and White, not to mention a regional. I am very intrigued by this team this season. I think they will gel and could surprise. Yep, do or die time for sure. Go 'Cats!!
 
Snively65 said:
I think that if UNH loses the long awaited grudge match with the New Hampshire College of Accounting and Commerce Penmen, then MS7 and his staff should be dismissed immediately.
Click to expand...

Lookie what the cat dragged in!! ;-) Seriously though, good to see you back on here, Snives!!

You folks already know where I stand on developing more quality in-state hockey competition.
 
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