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UNH Men’s Hockey 22-23: the start of something new, or more of the same?

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I'd be all for hiring Umile as interim coach and making him have to sit through the rest of the season ;smiley: He may even get that elusive one win for the NRN.
No, seriously, there is absolutely no reason to fire Souza today. This is not pro sports where winning now matters. Come March, Coach Souza will announce that he and UNH are mutually parting, that he has a suitable landing spot that, unrecognized by him now, will make him a lot happier. Maybe HC as a prep school, pro scout, somewhere to rehab himself for act 3 of his career. Hopefully with lessons learned the hard way, not with the same money, but with much greater happiness.
 
NCAA watcher said:
I'd be all for hiring Umile as interim coach and making him have to sit through the rest of the season ;smiley: He may even get that elusive one win for the NRN.
No, seriously, there is absolutely no reason to fire Souza today. This is not pro sports where winning now matters. Come March, Coach Souza will announce that he and UNH are mutually parting, that he has a suitable landing spot that, unrecognized by him now, will make him a lot happier. Maybe HC as a prep school, pro scout, somewhere to rehab himself for act 3 of his career. Hopefully with lessons learned the hard way, not with the same money, but with much greater happiness.
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Exactly, there is nowhere to run to in the middle of the season. We are stuck with what we have, the problem is a lot of us don't have faith that March is the end of the line for this staff.
 
Tell me where you think Souza stands contractually, and how that remaining period was attained. I think that assumption governs much of our assumed results.
 
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NCAA watcher said:
I'd be all for hiring Umile as interim coach and making him have to sit through the rest of the season ;smiley: He may even get that elusive one win for the NRN.
No, seriously, there is absolutely no reason to fire Souza today. This is not pro sports where winning now matters. Come March, Coach Souza will announce that he and UNH are mutually parting, that he has a suitable landing spot that, unrecognized by him now, will make him a lot happier. Maybe HC as a prep school, pro scout, somewhere to rehab himself for act 3 of his career. Hopefully with lessons learned the hard way, not with the same money, but with much greater happiness.
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Seems to me he's (Umile) "always been the HC" .like in The Shining when Jack Torrance tells Grady 'you're the caretaker'. Kind of weird analogy but... When FOH used to have meetings he said he called him daily and we know he came to practices. I don't think those apron strings have ever been cut...even now, which is not to say you can't have a connection with your past coach.

Agree firing the HC right now is not going to happen and could make the situation worse. So I for one do not entertain that....but to be clear and in all due respect...Im doubtful come March there will be such an epiphany between UNH Athletics and Mike Souza. Though I would agree his talents would be better served elsewhere and that he might just feel good about it.
 
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I'll ask you, too. Does Souza have a contract for 23-24? And if you think so, when did he get it?
There's probably a perception difference and a financial difference if you believe the answer is yes.
But I have a hard time coming to a timeline in which he received such an extension.
It's a lot easier to part ways by not extending him rather than firing him.
 
I get that the likelihood of him being fired mid-season is extremely low. However, I don't think it would be much worse. Honestly...how much worse can they be? They peaked in early October.
 
HockeyRef said:
I heard from what I believe is a reliable source, that he is up at the end of this season...
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That would match what I can only conclude. If so, the choice for AD Rich is whether to take an affirmative step to keep him -- not an affirmative choice to fire him (at a financial cost, too).
 
As per getting a coaching contract and having it publicized, and I have mentioned this before, that when Marc "The Genius" Hubbard was renewed, it made Twitter news. If Mike Souza is renewed....will it make Twitter news? What's the over/under on that fellow pundits?

PS. SNHUPenman just kidding around using your 'genius' comment...and wish the men's soccer team the best going into their ncaa post season run...
 
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If you can find it (I can’t) NESN aired a between periods interview with Greg Brown last night. Impressive human being. The man exudes class, confidence and respect. God how it pains me to type anything positive about BC lol. Of note, he said he wasn’t sure about coaching as a career until he became an assistant at BC, which was somewhat fortuitous, and he realized how great it was. He also said something to the effect of coach York distancing himself from the team to give Brown room to find his way, define the program under his leadership. Brown said that he would welcome seeing more of York.

From Brown pre season: “I don’t have to create a culture because the culture under Jerry was always world class,” Brown said at Tuesday’s Hockey East media day at TD Garden. “We do have to just be excited to play the way we’re going to play. Figure out how detailed we’re going to be, how thorough we’re going to be. So, like I said, we haven’t set goals first. Just getting better for this training camp and excited to get started Oct. 1.”

Not sure what I am saying, if anything, with this post other than respect for BC hockey doing it right and wondering what BC Heffes Family Associate Head Coach Mike Ayers has on his mind.
 
NCAA watcher said:
I'd be all for hiring Umile as interim coach and making him have to sit through the rest of the season ;smiley: He may even get that elusive one win for the NRN.
No, seriously, there is absolutely no reason to fire Souza today. This is not pro sports where winning now matters. Come March, Coach Souza will announce that he and UNH are mutually parting, that he has a suitable landing spot that, unrecognized by him now, will make him a lot happier. Maybe HC as a prep school, pro scout, somewhere to rehab himself for act 3 of his career. Hopefully with lessons learned the hard way, not with the same money, but with much greater happiness.
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I thought that Whistling Dick ended his head coaching career with 596 wins? Not sure that even he could propel UNH to four more wins this season for that elusive NRN.

Agree that MS7 should not be fired, but if indeed his contract is up in March 2023, he should not be extended, and should have no say in choosing his successor. Such a decision should be a no brainer for a new AD who had nothing to do with the horrible unprecedented(?) successor decision made seven years ago.
 
Snively65 said:
who had nothing to do with the horrible unprecedented(?) successor decision made seven years ago.
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Eight, but who is counting. (smile). It makes offering a competent replacement an 8 year guaranteed contract seem pain-free. If you are going to keep an unsuccessful coach for 8 year, you can certainly guarantee the next guy that. So 8 years at 375 per = $3 mil guaranteed, and bonuses for success, all State tax free and low cost of living, should put you in a bigger pool of candidates. (Of course, they may want capital improvements to facilities, like Leaman wanted the Dunk center painted, etc., adding to the full cost. But if the U can fund 240 per while losing tons of revenues, you think maybe they can get a sponsor to foot 100k per for the Waste Management Coaching Endowment, and make up the rest with new ticket sales.)


Snively65 said:
I thought that Whistling Dick ended his head coaching career with 596 wins? Not sure that even he could propel UNH to four more wins this season for that elusive NRN.
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Who said the plan was for him to get the NRN? More like sticking a dog's nose in it to show him what he did wrong.
 
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Darius said:
A version of this happened to Miami’s Enrico Blasi a few years ago. I recall he didn’t talk his way into it, but was told to get new assistants or be replaced. He did so and was eventually replaced anyway. Dan?
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Yes - Blasi had to dump his assistants and hire replacements for the 2018-19 season. Nothing changed on the ice and the whole staff was dumped following the year. The interesting scenario played out OFF the ice, with recruiting taking a giant leap forward under Peter Mannino and Joel Beal. When both were canned, those prospects all ended up elsewhere and Miami is still looking to find its footing under Bergeron...

Beal has been very good at Providence ever since, while Mannino coached the Chicago Steel (USHL) before moving on to Colorado College. I'd love to see what Mannino could do recruiting to UNH under a new HC...
 
NCAA watcher said:
Eight, but who is counting. (smile). It makes offering a competent replacement an 8 year guaranteed contract seem pain-free. If you are going to keep an unsuccessful coach for 8 year, you can certainly guarantee the next guy that. So 8 years at 375 per = $3 mil guaranteed, and bonuses for success, all State tax free and low cost of living, should put you in a bigger pool of candidates. (Of course, they may want capital improvements to facilities, like Leaman wanted the Dunk center painted, etc., adding to the full cost. But if the U can fund 240 per while losing tons of revenues, you think maybe they can get a sponsor to foot 100k per for the Waste Management Coaching Endowment, and make up the rest with new ticket sales.)
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If things go poorly, the dumpster fire jokes will write themselves. Bonus.
 
Dan said:
Yes - Blasi had to dump his assistants and hire replacements for the 2018-19 season. Nothing changed on the ice and the whole staff was dumped following the year. The interesting scenario played out OFF the ice, with recruiting taking a giant leap forward under Peter Mannino and Joel Beal. When both were canned, those prospects all ended up elsewhere and Miami is still looking to find its footing under Bergeron...

Beal has been very good at Providence ever since, while Mannino coached the Chicago Steel (USHL) before moving on to Colorado College. I'd love to see what Mannino could do recruiting to UNH under a new HC...
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Speaking of Peter Mannino, I did not attend the FF in Columbus for DU freshman goalie Mannino’s 4-1 NC win over Nodak, but DU senior Adam Berkhoel’s 1-0 NC win over Maine the year before at da Garden will likely remain the most exciting hockey game that I will ever have watched.

Edit: maybe consider Mannino as next UNH HC, as he has a NC ring whereas Mike Ayers does not.
 
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HockeyRef said:
Chuck, you mention having a coach like Herrion as HC hockey coach would fare much better than a MS7 in the bball position. I don't know anything about Coach H. Can you expound on that thinking for me, thanks. I know he's a fiery guy; I also know his program isn't successful but, they seem to be doing ok so far this season (early I know at 2-1 and no idea about their competition)....
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I guess my point in comparing guys like Coach Herrion and MS7 is that there has to be some sort of context in measuring success. Herrion is still the greatest coach in Drexel (D-1) history, and largely thanks to a future NBA depth player named Malik Rose, they qualified for a string of NCAA Tourney appearances in the mid-'90's. Rose left, the program slowly slid from its America East auto-bid status, and a couple of moves later on down the road, Herrion popped up at UNH, and to no small fanfare BTW.

UNH gets its man: Herrion (seacoastonline.com)

Arkansas assistant was Drexel, East Carolina coach (espn.com)

Drexel's Bill Herrion now frontrunner for Rutgers job | AP News

E. Carolina Hires Herrion As Coach | AP News

Herrion attended Merrimack, and coached under Mike Jarvis at BU and GWU. As a head coach, he's found a niche in running three programs with literally zero history of success before he got there (Drexel, East Carolina and now UNH) and has done a passable (ECU) to decent (UNH) to very good (Drexel) jobs at getting these nowhere programs to somewhat overachieve. Herrion isn't going to be a HOF coach anytime soon, but he's carved a successful career out of slightly (but consistently) making modest improvements with the programs he's walked into. And if you talk to people in that universe who know what they're talking about, the sense you get is that he's a respected guy who has never embarrassed any of his employers. UNH Hoops still may not be world-beaters (hardly), but save for a couple of years in the '90's when Gib Chapman recruited two generational NH-born talents (Scott Drapeau and Matt Alosa) to transfer in from UMass and Providence, respectively, he's done the most with the least. And even when Chapman had those guys at their UNH heights, it was Herrion's Drexel (with Rose) who beat them in the AE semifinals.

Modest as his accomplishments have been, Herrion is a professional coach with a positive resume, and unanimous respect in his little corner of the world. He has not inflicted damage upon UNH Hoops; rather, he has slightly improved the program's respectability, and probably has his job basically as the caretaker of this nondescript mediocre program for as long as he wants it, and can manage to keep it respectably mediocre.

Compare that to MS7, who has taken a downward-trending D-1 school with a prior recent history of playing in big games regionally in their conference, and even nationally, and accelerated that downward trend. There was no list of prior accomplishments as an (assistant) coach with two nondescript programs, and the only respect he enjoys outside of Durham is of the crony variety. His inability to coach at this level has hurt the program, and while I know 'Watcher comes down hard on Coach Umile for being the driving force behind this disaster, in the end, Blue Skies fell for it, AND MS7 was a willing participant. It wasn't the old-style scoreboard ... it isn't the so-called outdated off-ice facilities ... and it won't be the size of the ice sheet that caused this catastrophic downfall of the program.

It's lack of competency. Herrion has it; MS7 doesn't. End of.
 
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Snively65 said:
I thought that Whistling Dick ended his head coaching career with 596 wins? Not sure that even he could propel UNH to four more wins this season for that elusive NRN.
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In the words of well-known UNH Hockey superfan Arthur Fonzarelli ... correctamundo!

Snively65 said:
Agree that MS7 should not be fired, but if indeed his contract is up in March 2023, he should not be extended, and should have no say in choosing his successor. Such a decision should be a no brainer for a new AD who had nothing to do with the horrible unprecedented(?) successor decision made seven years ago.
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If MS7's contract is indeed coming up at the end of this season, the passive aggressive solution would be to non-renew him. Personally, if I were in charge, and I were new to the job (as AD Rich is), I'd separate from MS7 early - say, during the December break - and put Stewart in charge for the rest of the season, maybe just to see if he can "coach up" the current roster and get more out of them than his boss did. The recruiting for next season and beyond would be an obvious issue, but even as things now stand, I don't see UNH would be in a worse position. Someone like Stewart - if given a 90 day window, with the possibility of a one year extension - could try to jump start the program with a one-time heavy hit at the transfer portal this offseason. And if it works out and the program starts to turn around, keep him on a short one-year rolling contract at a modest increase in his assistant's pay, at the bottom of the HEA HC payroll. And if UNH and Stewart hits the jackpot, then give him a real contract (3-4 years). If the one year is just more of the same, well, maybe it was worth the shot, and THEN we do the national search.

It's admittedly a hunch on my part, but I don't see what there is to lose at this point. I said at the beginning of the season that this was a last place team unless the frosh goalie made them otherwise, and to say that Muszelik has underachieved so far is an understatement. Since we can't blow the whole thing up at midseason, a partial blow-up might do, and watching Stewart (the overlooked assistant) potentially succeed where Umile's golden child MS7 has so badly failed, would be almost as much fun as 'Watcher's idea of asking Umile to step in on an interim basis.

And let's face it, the resurrection of the "Slog to the NRN" would liven up the place for the rest of a dreary season, no?
 
Tonight should be a stern test of the hardiness of UNH Soccer fans, chilly with possible flurries. See ya there!! *:-)
 
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