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"Others receiving votes..."

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I saw the final insult about our season on the USCHO board. In their poll dated today, UConn has been demoted to the "Others receiving votes" category.
We debuted at #20 in the 10/3/22 USCHO poll after sweeping VT on the road and stayed ranked until today. It was a long and steady decline since the 11/21/22 poll when we were ranked 6th. Then after Thanksgiving we headed south.

While you want to keep things positive, the trend since November has been terrible. 10 years in for Cavanaugh and we have one trip to Boston and zero trips to the NCAA tournament. Also, this is not a guy we got on "the cheap". He makes about $75-100k more per year than UMass' Greg Carvel, who won a NC, $100k+ more than Norm Bazin from UML, whose team just sent us packing on Saturday and nearly $300k+ more than Mike Souza at UNH whose team put two more nails in our coffin in early February.

Cavanaugh has pluses. I think he is a good recruiter and a quality person. But 10 years in with a 6 year, $600k/yr contract, have we really received the benefit one should expect for that kind of money? What troubles me most is the trend line this year. A 9-10 record (including 4 wins over LIU, Alaska and Yale) after Thanksgiving just speaks volumes...
 
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Next season is a huge year for Cavanaugh and the most pressure he’s probably had going into a season during his tenure.

No excuses not to make the tournament next season. None.
 
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To me the NCAA tournament for hockey is not that big of a deal. Do get me wrong, it would nice to make the NCAA tournament, but It’s not the end all be all. I just want to see UConn play entertaining hockey ( which they do), and be competitive ( which they are). Cavanaugh is doing a fantastic job with this program. Every year the team has gotten progressively better. Can’t ask for much more than that.
 
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To me the NCAA tournament for hockey is not that big of a deal. Do get me wrong, it would nice to make the NCAA tournament, but It’s not the end all be all. I just want to see UConn play entertaining hockey ( which they do), and be competitive ( which they are). Cavanaugh is doing a fantastic job with this program. Every year the team has gotten progressively better. Can’t ask for much more than that.
I respect your opinion - but the facts are against you and they're stubborn. Without a doubt, there have been some great moments during this year. However, it's been more like 1 step forward, 2 steps back.. etc. "Entertaining" hockey is great, but I find winning hockey is more entertaining... The trouble, as I see it, is that we regressed this year.

The mark of good coach is having your players and team improve and develop during the year. We did not. It's really that simple. If you're doing your job as a coach, the team should improve from November to March. We went in the opposite direction. 9-10 after Thanksgiving is evidence of this.

At some point, Cavanaugh needs to have his feet put to the fire. I hope he reacts positively. We need a little "hair on fire" attitude by our coach. It's an opportunity to excel for Cavanaugh. He can seize that opportunity to the benefit of the program. I hope he does. If he doesn't, change will be necessary...
 
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To me the NCAA tournament for hockey is not that big of a deal. Do get me wrong, it would nice to make the NCAA tournament, but It’s not the end all be all. I just want to see UConn play entertaining hockey ( which they do), and be competitive ( which they are). Cavanaugh is doing a fantastic job with this program. Every year the team has gotten progressively better. Can’t ask for much more than that.
 
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I respect your opinion - but the facts are against you and they're stubborn. Without a doubt, there have been some great moments during this year. However, it's been more like 1 step forward, 2 steps back.. etc. "Entertaining" hockey is great, but I find winning hockey is more entertaining... The trouble, as I see it, is that we regressed this year.

The mark of good coach is having your players and team improve and develop during the year. We did not. It's really that simple. If you're doing your job as a coach, the team should improve from November to March. We went in the opposite direction. 9-10 after Thanksgiving is evidence of this.

At some point, Cavanaugh needs to have his feet put to the fire. I hope he reacts positively. We need a little "hair on fire" attitude by our coach. It's an opportunity to excel for Cavanaugh. He can seize that opportunity to the benefit of the program. I hope he does. If he doesn't, change will be necessary...

In general, no argument here. Historically Cav has led teams that have improved and played well in March - well except for the HE playoffs of course. To his credit a hallmark of his tenure at UConn has been that his teams met or exceeded regular season expectations related to pre-season polls, but of course those expectations have been rather low. This season is an exception and anomaly in terms of that development. Perhaps losing associate coach Joe Pererira has hurt more than we thought, though we hope Michael can ramp up can follow or exceed where his brother left off after a year behind the bench.

And even though improvement didn’t occur I’d take Cav’s season over Carvels. UMass isn’t much younger than UConn in total and we’re a complete train wreck.

Next year is a big one for sure. Cav finally has the barn and amenities he’s been waiting for so let’s see if he can cash in on that. If he’s smart he can use the additional games at the XL as another sweetener to the recruiting pot - a second home that if played right with UConn’s ticket office and group sales potential for limited games, to be a large raucous home environment with 5-7k fans or more with its own vibe that can be even more electric than Tuscano.
 
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And even though improvement didn’t occur I’d take Cav’s season over Carvels. UMass isn’t much younger than UConn in total and we’re a complete train wreck.
Whoops. "were" not "we're" That's totally different lol. Edit window had expired...
 
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As we wrap up the season and recap the whole year, I can't help but look at these results below specifically and wonder how the team/ program as a whole is able to overcome these obstacles of big games moving forward.
  • MSG vs Cornell blown out 6-0
  • Frozen Fenway vs NE lost 1-4
  • Opening night of Toscano vs NE lost 3-4 after taking lead into a third period
  • CT Ice final vs QU lost 3-4 after taking a lead into the third
  • First round He champ vs UML lost 1-2

Now I'm not going to sit here and say Cav/ UConn MHOC can't win big games after they made it to the HE championship game at the Garden last year but we can't ignore these big game blunders this year. Need to see wins next year in these big games, especially with the fact that they're going to be hosting the CT Ice. Now the MSG & Fenway games are one-offs and maybe we'll do those again in the future but you gotta put out a better showing in bigger venues/arenas it's important for recruitment as well as alumni engagement. These one-goal games are killers even though you were in them and were competitive they're games you can hang your hat on later in the season.
 
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In general, no argument here. Historically Cav has led teams that have improved and played well in March - well except for the HE playoffs of course. To his credit a hallmark of his tenure at UConn has been that his teams met or exceeded regular season expectations related to pre-season polls, but of course those expectations have been rather low. This season is an exception and anomaly in terms of that development. Perhaps losing associate coach Joe Pererira has hurt more than we thought, though we hope Michael can ramp up can follow or exceed where his brother left off after a year behind the bench.

And even though improvement didn’t occur I’d take Cav’s season over Carvels. UMass isn’t much younger than UConn in total and we’re a complete train wreck.

Next year is a big one for sure. Cav finally has the barn and amenities he’s been waiting for so let’s see if he can cash in on that. If he’s smart he can use the additional games at the XL as another sweetener to the recruiting pot - a second home that if played right with UConn’s ticket office and group sales potential for limited games, to be a large raucous home environment with 5-7k fans or more with its own vibe that can be even more electric than Tuscano.
Watch Carvel next year - he'll make positive changes. I appreciate you perspective. We don't agree on everything, but I think we are on the same wavelength. Incidentally, my "hair on fire" reference, considering that Cav is follicly challenged , was a poor choice...
 
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Watch Carvel next year - he'll make positive changes. I appreciate you perspective. We don't agree on everything, but I think we are on the same wavelength. Incidentally, my "hair on fire" reference, considering that Cav is follicly challenged , was a poor choice...

We'll see about Carvel - maybe you're right or maybe he's a one hit wonder.

I'm certainly with you on Car and the big games though. I would love to celebrate this team winning something. The conversation is always about trophies and the shelf is empty in decade #1. And I've been to them all. CT Ice, Friendship Four in Belfast, Ledyard Classic at Dartmouth, and all Hockey East Playoff games, and the first Fenway game vs Maine - did not go this year because it's legit the worst hockey experience I've ever witnessed due to the configuration of the place. Was ready to go to Milwaukee for the tournament there prior to its cancellation due to covid. Have I forgot any :p ?. Anyway, zero trophies, so in that regard they play like the team that originally blasted Brass Bonanza. It would be a boon to get one and into the NCAA field a few times over the next decade. They keep knocking on the door before it gets slammed in their face.

My gut is that they'll get over the hump next year. Other than defense they have many solid pieces in place and can be special if Wood has a breakout year and Sergeev improves his composure in net. Along with freshmen, hoping for a grad stud on D from the portal a la Jarrod Gourley last year.
 

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We'll see about Carvel - maybe you're right or maybe he's a one hit wonder.

I'm certainly with you on Car and the big games though. I would love to celebrate this team winning something. The conversation is always about trophies and the shelf is empty in decade #1. And I've been to them all. CT Ice, Friendship Four in Belfast, Ledyard Classic at Dartmouth, and all Hockey East Playoff games, and the first Fenway game vs Maine - did not go this year because it's legit the worst hockey experience I've ever witnessed due to the configuration of the place. Was ready to go to Milwaukee for the tournament there prior to its cancellation due to covid. Have I forgot any :p ?. Anyway, zero trophies, so in that regard they play like the team that originally blasted Brass Bonanza. It would be a boon to get one and into the NCAA field a few times over the next decade. They keep knocking on the door before it gets slammed in their face.

They won the Desert Hockey Classic in 2016. Guess you weren't at that one.
 
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I’d say Dan Connolly’s assessment of the team, the year and the coach was a lot more balanced and fair, especially when compared to Sea Goat’s dystopian view of the same subject.
Next year’s team, with a blend of returners and transfers should be one with legitimacy higher expectations. Time will tell…..
 
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They won the Desert Hockey Classic in 2016. Guess you weren't at that one.

Ah, I knew I missed at least one. I should be careful and wary of using the world "all" lol . Come to think of it I also missed the Ice Vegas tournament in which they took the consolation game in 2019. Will be interesting to see if they play anything else beyond CT Ice in 23-24.
 

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I saw the final insult about our season on the USCHO board. In their poll dated today, UConn has been demoted to the "Others receiving votes" category.
We debuted at #20 in the 10/3/22 USCHO poll after sweeping VT on the road and stayed ranked until today. It was a long and steady decline since the 11/21/22 poll when we were ranked 6th. Then after Thanksgiving we headed south.

While you want to keep things positive, the trend since November has been terrible. 10 years in for Cavanaugh and we have one trip to Boston and zero trips to the NCAA tournament. Also, this is not a guy we got on "the cheap". He makes about $75-100k more per year than UMass' Greg Carvel, who won a NC, $100k+ more than Norm Bazin from UML, whose team just sent us packing on Saturday and nearly $300k+ more than Mike Souza at UNH whose team put two more nails in our coffin in early February.

Cavanaugh has pluses. I think he is a good recruiter and a quality person. But 10 years in with a 6 year, $600k/yr contract, have we really received the benefit one should expect for that kind of money? What troubles me most is the trend line this year. A 9-10 record (including 4 wins over LIU, Alaska and Yale) after Thanksgiving just speaks volumes...
He is a bargain in comparative to some other coaches who have yet to do much on the biggest stage:rolleyes:
 
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I’d say Dan Connolly’s assessment of the team, the year and the coach was a lot more balanced and fair, especially when compared to Sea Goat’s dystopian view of the same subject.
Next year’s team, with a blend of returners and transfers should be one with legitimacy higher expectations. Time will tell…..
Dystopian? Ouch! Trouble is that facts are a sticky commodity...
There is nothing imaginary about the facts I presented. Unfortunately, it is what it is...
 
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We'll see about Carvel - maybe you're right or maybe he's a one hit wonder.

I'm certainly with you on Car and the big games though. I would love to celebrate this team winning something. The conversation is always about trophies and the shelf is empty in decade #1. And I've been to them all. CT Ice, Friendship Four in Belfast, Ledyard Classic at Dartmouth, and all Hockey East Playoff games, and the first Fenway game vs Maine - did not go this year because it's legit the worst hockey experience I've ever witnessed due to the configuration of the place. Was ready to go to Milwaukee for the tournament there prior to its cancellation due to covid. Have I forgot any :p ?. Anyway, zero trophies, so in that regard they play like the team that originally blasted Brass Bonanza. It would be a boon to get one and into the NCAA field a few times over the next decade. They keep knocking on the door before it gets slammed in their face.

My gut is that they'll get over the hump next year. Other than defense they have many solid pieces in place and can be special if Wood has a breakout year and Sergeev improves his composure in net. Along with freshmen, hoping for a grad stud on D from the portal a la Jarrod Gourley last year.
I hope you're right about next year! You might also be right about the "Brass Bonanza". It is not like we are channeling our inner Montreal Canadian with that song. To me, it is more like a funeral dirge for professional hockey in Hartford. Unfortunately, I remember the Whaler Era very well. The Whalers won the Adams Division only once and won only 1 playoff series in 18 years. Pathetically, after our lone playoff victory in 1986, we had a parade for them!

Cav is undoubtedly a quality guy, who knows how to recruit. Clearly, I thought we had the horses this year to get to Boston. In retrospect, I was impressed with Norm Bazin's game plan for us last week. UML started on fire and we were on our heels and got down quickly in the first. Once Bazin had that two goal lead, UML laid back with an effective and disciplined neutral zone trap. When we pressed the play into their zone, he was content to let us take a bunch of perimeter shots, leaving us little room to move in the slot.

Except at goalie (obviously), we had superior talent and we played with an sense of urgency for the final 40 minutes. But, Bazin played the hand he had pretty effectively and we came up short.

That all said, anytime you start a season strong and then slowly decline from the late fall on is about coaching. (Importantly, we really didn't have any significant injuries to deal with.) Maybe, Cav get find some help in that regard. But something has to give because we are 10 years in on the Cavanaugh Era and have little to show for it. Our early season performance was not a fluke! But,simply put, in HE you can't start 9-2 and finish 6-8 and expect to go anywhere fast...
 
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He is a bargain in comparative to some other coaches who have yet to do much on the biggest stage:rolleyes:
Where do you get your information for NCAA D-I Hockey coaches' salaries?

The only one I found higher than Cav was the Minnesota Gophers (USCHO #1 in the poll and pairwise) head coach who makes about $650k (or $50k more than Cav). Ohio State's (#8 poll and pairwise) coach makes about $100k less than Cav and Michigan's (#4 poll and pairwise) interim head coach makes $300k or about half of what Cav makes.

Minnesota is far crazier about hockey than CT and has the cash cow Big-10 conference money to play with. But, I think you'll find that Cav is extremely well paid in Hockey East and the rest of D-I hockey in general. You won't find information on what private universities pay, but Cav is very well compensated among public university D-I hockey coaches. Now if you're comparing him to BB or FB coaches, I agree with you.
But, in his peer group of specifically college hockey coaches, he does very well. I submit that it is the only group he should be compared with.
 
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I hope you're right about next year! You might also be right about the "Brass Bonanza". It is not like we are channeling our inner Montreal Canadian with that song. To me, it is more like a funeral dirge for professional hockey in Hartford. Unfortunately, I remember the Whaler Era very well. The Whalers won the Adams Division only once and won only 1 playoff series in 18 years. Pathetically, after our lone playoff victory in 1986, we had a parade for them!
I totally grew up with the Whalers, followed them closely and shed tears when they left, but other than the Winter Clasaic games, the NHL totally sucks in the Bettman era. I don’t miss it anymore. UConn has filled that void nicely with the right number if games in a season. The NHL is a big headache to follow.

Brass Bonanza belongs in Hartford. I’m ok with it played at XL or Dillon Stadium with Hartford Athletic, my opposite season passion. It shouldn’t be played in Storrs, but if it continues then students should adapt it in the same way UNH or Northeastern does woth Gary Glitter’s Rock N Roll pt 2 with a HEY! YOU SUCK at the end. It’s all your fault blah blah blah. Make Brass Bonanza work the same way lol.

Again, Cavs has a year or two with the new facilities and the transfer portal to see if he has the wherewithal to take the team to that next level. I’m hopeful bit mixed on whether or not he can do it but now there’s a legit chance if he plays his cards well…
 
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Ah, I knew I missed at least one. I should be careful and wary of using the world "all" lol . Come to think of it I also missed the Ice Vegas tournament in which they took the consolation game in 2019. Will be interesting to see if they play anything else beyond CT Ice in 23-24.
I’m hoping for Ireland next year. Not sure the vegas tournament is still alive.
 

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