Utica University 2023-24: The Rebuild????

[llama]

It's amazing how you can become the most hated poster on the D3 boards. You just don't know when to call it a day. Fishman is 10 times smarter than you. And for me to say that ....

You're the only *** in the world who can make me ally with every single Utica fan. Think about that. On second thought don't. You can't think.

+1

Sir Nubs, enough already. Just go away.

 

[JSicedog]

Honest question for Utica fans. I’ll take heat for this on from all the Utica faithful. At what point do you look at the head coach. Has the best setup for d3, a town behind the team, a national brand yet comes up small in every big game. Dont get me wrong I don’t think anyone beats Hobart this year at FF. But heenan has done a great job but he gets out coached every time he doesn’t have the best players. In no way shape or form they should even think about moving d1 and keep that coaching staff in place. They would get picked apart.

Just so we are all on the same page Heenan has an automatic lifetime contract at Utica.

Heenan could generate more money in Utica than the rest of the top 15 school coaches combined. He is a rainmaker and you are a clown.

 

[Dolphin1717]

Just so we are all on the same page Heenan has an automatic lifetime contract at Utica.

Heenan could generate more money in Utica than the rest of the top 15 school coaches combined. He is a rainmaker and you are a clown.

Again, you didn’t even answer the question. It’s a hypothetical question. Sorry do you know what that means?

glad he can make Utica a lot of money. Not hard to produce revenue in that town with that rink. He can’t coach when it matters.

 

[JSicedog]

Again, you didn’t even answer the question. It’s a hypothetical question. Sorry do you know what that means?

glad he can make Utica a lot of money. Not hard to produce revenue in that town with that rink. He can’t coach when it matters.

Utica could go 0-25 and hestill wouldn’t be canned. There’s your answer.

 

[CUgradUUfan]

Again, you didn’t even answer the question. It’s a hypothetical question. Sorry do you know what that means?

glad he can make Utica a lot of money. Not hard to produce revenue in that town with that rink. He can’t coach when it matters.

Yea, this was a conversation that was had, I believe it was in the offseason. JSlice is correct above. Heenan is seen as a local celebrity in Utica. You will never see him fired, the only way he doesn’t coach Utica is he leaves on his own terms. Whether this is a good or bad thing I would say is up for debate.

I for one am very critical of his coaching. It’s been the same thing since forever with this team. Same plays, same power play, same everything. I don’t think Heenan is able to evolve his coaching style. The only reason the team evolved from a sub .500 team in the early years, to a consistently top 5 team now (whether we should be as ranked as high as we are each year is also up for debate) is purely recruiting, not coaching evolution, in my opinion.

All that said, Heenan isn’t going anywhere.

 

[jerrynu26]

Utica could go 0-25 and hestill wouldn’t be canned. There’s your answer.

But 0-25 would cause a lot of recruits to look elsewhere, so the program starts a decline that might not be stoppable. And that can cause a change at the top.

 

[Sir Nubs]

It's amazing how you can become the most hated poster on the D3 boards. You just don't know when to call it a day. Fishman is 10 times smarter than you. And for me to say that ....

You're the only *** in the world who can make me ally with every single Utica fan. Think about that. On second thought don't. You can't think.

Selective memory is an amazing thing. Or did you forget the final four was on a Friday and Sunday last year.

 

[Sir Nubs]

I had to un-block you on here just to send this, so this is where we're at

Calling Ray's dedication and work ethic into question is just one of the most asinine things I've ever heard. He's one of the best we have in Division 3 and you truly have no idea what goes on behind the scenes in anything

I think I can speak for everyone here when I say: take your no-life Wisconsin *** and your crybaby head coach and **** right off

No.

 

[Lord_Zubin]

People who didn't watch the game are gonna look at the final and come say some nonsense, but you really cannot fault the effort there

They looked solid for long stretches of that game, but you can't spot a team like that 2 goals in the first, they're just too good

Onto next season with essentially the same team, so nothing but good things on the horizon. And to the haters, you have to remember something: this was the re-building season, and Utica was right there. The sky is the limit with this group it seems

Trust me as an Oz fan just because everyone is returning does not mean things get better. Plus now that the MAC is forming next year Utica can actually have a tough schedule for next year (if they choose to) Im sure theyll keep Oswego, Skidmore and Cortland seems like no brainers. and you might as well throw in Elmira since theyre both joining the new Empire 8 in 2025-2026. Also cant believe that was the 1st Hobart Utica game since 2017 thats got to resume next year. Theyre most likely gonna play genny 3x anyway. Heck throw in platty and thats all the big boys in NY taken care of.

 

[JSicedog]

But 0-25 would cause a lot of recruits to look elsewhere, so the program starts a decline that might not be stoppable. And that can cause a change at the top.

They can go 0-25 for 10 straight years and there would be no change at the top. Conspire all you want.

 

[JSicedog]

Trust me as an Oz fan just because everyone is returning does not mean things get better. Plus now that the MAC is forming next year Utica can actually have a tough schedule for next year (if they choose to) Im sure theyll keep Oswego, Skidmore and Cortland seems like no brainers. and you might as well throw in Elmira since theyre both joining the new Empire 8 in 2025-2026. Also cant believe that was the 1st Hobart Utica game since 2017 thats got to resume next year. Theyre most likely gonna play genny 3x anyway. Heck throw in platty and thats all the big boys in NY taken care of.

Oswego returned everybody from a middle of the pack team. That is quite the difference from Utica returning everybody from a final four team. Also the scheduling dig is rich considering Utica had a more difficult schedule than anyone in the SUNY.

 

[Pioneer247]

Trust me as an Oz fan just because everyone is returning does not mean things get better. Plus now that the MAC is forming next year Utica can actually have a tough schedule for next year (if they choose to) Im sure theyll keep Oswego, Skidmore and Cortland seems like no brainers. and you might as well throw in Elmira since theyre both joining the new Empire 8 in 2025-2026. Also cant believe that was the 1st Hobart Utica game since 2017 thats got to resume next year. Theyre most likely gonna play genny 3x anyway. Heck throw in platty and thats all the big boys in NY taken care of.

This is not confirmed, but the source I have is pretty reliable: non-conference slate is Adrian x2 in Michigan, Oswego at home, and the Thanksgiving tournament w/ Utica, Oswego, Stevenson and UNE, the rest is conference games

Regarding scheduling the rest of the NY teams, there needs to be mutual want to schedule a NC game, and a lot of teams don't want to play Utica. We should be playing Hamilton every year, they're right down the road, but their coach refuses to schedule Utica, it is what it is

 

[PrezdeJohnson09]

Trust me as an Oz fan just because everyone is returning does not mean things get better. Plus now that the MAC is forming next year Utica can actually have a tough schedule for next year (if they choose to) Im sure theyll keep Oswego, Skidmore and Cortland seems like no brainers. and you might as well throw in Elmira since theyre both joining the new Empire 8 in 2025-2026. Also cant believe that was the 1st Hobart Utica game since 2017 thats got to resume next year. Theyre most likely gonna play genny 3x anyway. Heck throw in platty and thats all the big boys in NY taken care of.

Not saying you’re wrong with what might be happening but it’s still just that at this point.

The Empire 8 is not official and even if it becomes official, there is no guarantee that Hobart, Skidmore and Elmira all end up in the same league.

It’s wild out there and remember Geneseo and Brockport LEFT the SUNYAC, which I thought was probably the most ironclad conference that existed outside of the NESCAC.

Hobart and Skidmore will have plenty of courters should the NEHC dissolve and they look to join an established conference.

 

[jerrynu26]

They can go 0-25 for 10 straight years and there would be no change at the top. Conspire all you want.

No conspiracy here, but be realistic- 10 straight years you have an empty arena money began to be an issue 2 years in at most. But you do you...........

 

[Lord_Zubin]

This is not confirmed, but the source I have is pretty reliable: non-conference slate is Adrian x2 in Michigan, Oswego at home, and the Thanksgiving tournament w/ Utica, Oswego, Stevenson and UNE, the rest is conference games

Regarding scheduling the rest of the NY teams, there needs to be mutual want to schedule a NC game, and a lot of teams don't want to play Utica. We should be playing Hamilton every year, they're right down the road, but their coach refuses to schedule Utica, it is what it is

Aint the UCHC 6 teams next year? No way they decided to all play each other 4 times I think they do what the WIAC does play everyone 3x for 15 conference which leave 10 NC games

 

[Russell Jaslow]

Selective memory is an amazing thing. Or did you forget the final four was on a Friday and Sunday last year.

Of course I remember it was on a Friday and Sunday last year. What's your point? Ray's job last year could not take him away for three days, whatever those days were.

 

[Russell Jaslow]

Aint the UCHC 6 teams next year? No way they decided to all play each other 4 times I think they do what the WIAC does play everyone 3x for 15 conference which leave 10 NC games

I hate to break it to you, but from what I heard, from the coaches themselves (and they're not happy), they plan on playing each other four times.

 

[Russell Jaslow]

This is not confirmed, but the source I have is pretty reliable: non-conference slate is Adrian x2 in Michigan, Oswego at home, and the Thanksgiving tournament w/ Utica, Oswego, Stevenson and UNE, the rest is conference games

I like that field. Usually always a solid tournament (except I think two years ago, but you can't always nail it), it's usually the one time I make a trip out to Utica.

I wish the Oswego tournament was as good as it always used to be. But, quite frankly, it's been fairly lame the past few years. I skipped it this past season.

 

[dhammond]

Not saying you’re wrong with what might be happening but it’s still just that at this point.

The Empire 8 is not official and even if it becomes official, there is no guarantee that Hobart, Skidmore and Elmira all end up in the same league.

It’s wild out there and remember Geneseo and Brockport LEFT the SUNYAC, which I thought was probably the most ironclad conference that existed outside of the NESCAC.

Hobart and Skidmore will have plenty of courters should the NEHC dissolve and they look to join an established conference.

Also, if Empire 8 hockey starts up, there is a question as to what Manhattanville and Chatham do.

 

[CARDS_rule_the_Burgh]

Also, if Empire 8 hockey starts up, there is a question as to what Manhattanville and Chatham do.

So I was just looking through DIII Championships Committee reports the other day to confirm my recollection that they approved a pilot of doing pre-determined sites for the women's hockey tournament, and I stumbled across this from when they were approving the NEWHL AQ transferring immediately to the SUNYAC (which is obvious since it's literally the same teams), and found this interesting:

The committee reviewed and approved a request from the State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) to allow the Northeast Women’s Hockey League, a single-sport conference that is dissolving, to transition into the multisport SUNYAC and maintain its automatic qualification. The Championships Committee agreed that the request meets the standards of the waiver guideline the committee adopted in 2019, which states that a single-sport conference may transition into a multisport conference and maintain its automatic qualification so long as it satisfies all conditions of a multisport conference, and so long as each member of the single-sport conference joins the multisport conference to maintain the automatic qualification. (Note: Renee Bostic from the State University of New York at New Paltz, a member of the SUNYAC, abstained during the committee’s vote.)

In addition, the committee agreed to authorize staff to adjudicate subsequent waiver requests of this nature. (In other words, if a request satisfies the waiver guideline, staff has the authority to approve. If the request does not satisfy all components of the guideline, it will be submitted for the Championships Committee to review.)

I could be wrong, but my interpretation of this wording is that the transfer of an AQ from the UCHC to the Empire 8 would only be "automatic" if they brought ALL teams with them, which would include Manhattanville and Chatham (but if they don't, it simply means the committee would have to review it).