With some down time over the weekend during halftime of the UNH-SE LA quarterfinal FCS playoff game, I checked out some details on Coach McDonnell's current staff. And I'll tell you, it was an eye-opener. Granted that things are different between the two sports and all, but if you take a look at what they've put together across the street from The Whitt ... I'd suggest you start at the staff that Coach McDonnell has assembled. I think it goes a long way towards answering the basic question as to "Why would anyone want to come to UNH to play football with their sub-HS level facilities?" In summary - lots of relatively young guys, no doubt looking to make a mark in coaching in the future (be it at UNH or elsewhere) being trusted to spread their wings in a program where a few of them played not that long ago. Young, no-doubt ambitious coaches who can talk with their players and establish an immediate connection as older brother/mentor types.
I'll qualify this by saying that there are many different coaching/managing styles out there, and there is no one right way to do things. This is also not necessarily meant to dump on Coach Umile's staffing choices, as there is no doubt that his staff is very experienced and knowledgeable in their own right. But you can't help but wonder if Hockey is missing a trick here, and as pointed out by other posters elsewhere in this thread and beyond, it's interesting to see other very successful HE/D-1 coaches who also embrace younger assistants.
Somewhere out there in cyberspace, I know 'Watcher will appreciate this one ...