I have to agree on that point. Cav didn't have a on campus facility as represented by the administration. UMass did commit to bricks and mortar and followed through. Jez, I just would have been thrilled to see one trip to Boston in 7 years... "Wait til next year!"
NCAA to proceed with 2021 national men’s college hockey tournament April 8-10 in Pittsburgh (USCHO)
- Thread starter huskymedic
- Start date
Another great point of view! Keep them coming! I have always loved UConn sports - from the days of listening to UConn BB games on WTIC radio (What's TV?) in the 60's with Fred Shabel coaching and Toby Kimball playing! Hockey though is special to me!UMass has FULL institutional buy-in for men's hockey. Its the opposite of what they have for football. UConn had an AD who was all-in on hockey, made the move, and he was replaced by a guy who has no hockey background. Which is fine! And he's a good AD! But hockey is a blind spot.
What is UConn hockey? Is it just us complaining about the arena situation and getting Russian kids because getting top US recruits is "too hard"? I'd identify "complaining about our own bad fortune" as our MO more than anything.
UMass is just starting to climb the mountain
How did it happen? And how on earth did it happen so quickly?www.collegehockeyinsider.com
After that amazing win in HE game one over the then and still dreaded Eagles on 11/5/14 before 8000 college hockey fans, I thought the sky was the limit! Seems like ages ago... Just want to get back to that....
Yes, and I know that consistency is the hobgoblin of a small mind... Oh well, my lot in life I guess...
But, damn it, I just want them to win consistently!
It took Merrimack over 20 years to have a winning season in Hockey East, and 22 seasons to get to the tourney after joining HEA (their 1988 birth is sort of an anomaly, they were playing a barely D1 schedule but played enough games to qualify as an independent). It took Mass-Amherst 9, and 13 seasons to get their first tourney birth.
Miami in the CCHA took 12 and 12.
UConn had a winning record in Hockey East in their sixth year, and was reasonably close to an at large bid this year. You can’t just compare us to one team with significant structural and financial advantages and say we aren’t doing well enough.
Not to mention that UConn has been playing in Hockey East with a way below standard on campus ice hockey facility, so much so that they did not play games there before the pandemic. Very little has been mentioned of that in this thread. On campus facilities matter, even if they are only going to be used for practice, when the object of everyone's desire is to get to the post season and win games, including potentially a national championship.
zls44
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After the last 14 months, I just want to be back in a rink, safely. That's all.
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I’ve said this elsewhere but it bears repeating I think that Cav took over a middle of the road Atlantic Hockey Program with zero scholarships. None. And he didn’t have the full 18 until his 4th season. So you do need to take that into consideration. We have recruited Eastern Europe for the same reason Pecknold recruited guys who were aging out of juniors. The joke used to be that QU doesn’t need scholarships because their players all collect social security. Both schools did it because it was a way to bring in really good talent that didn’t grow up dreaming of going to BC or BU or Minnesota. I sat at a dinner with another HEA coach who said he had the same issues but not the same recruiting budget Cav has but he was pretty complimentary of Cavs plan.
I do worry though that UConn is not going to go all in on Hockey. Peck old mentioned that not every school even in Hockey East thinks in terms of winning a national championship. I’m not sure we do. This was a point I was making about the New Big East too. I am concerned the UConn isn’t committed in anything now. But I especially worry that the hockey team will face headwinds if it gets too successful.
We've been playing D1 hockey for over 20 years and zero tournament berths. We're doing very well.
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What?
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If the basketball program hits another rough patch and Hockey is going well it will catch some blame for taking resources away from hoops. I’ve heard that undercurrent already.
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From who. Sounds like an incredible reach
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That sounds absurd. As it stands, at least from the outside, it looks like UConn gets almost zero "extra" support from the athletics department. They don't have their own facility for fawk's sake.
UConn will not be a top-level hockey program until they permanently move out of XL and into their own on-campus facility.
UConn will not be a top-level hockey program until they permanently move out of XL and into their own on-campus facility.
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CL82
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The voices in his head.