NCAA to proceed with 2021 national men’s college hockey tournament April 8-10 in Pittsburgh (USCHO)

[Sea Goat]

This is a ridiculous take.

Just address the facts. Before you do, learn them...

This is a ridiculous take.

This is a ridiculous take.

 

[Adios]

Talking about having making the NCAA tournament as a standard is taboo amongst some of this fanbase.

Penn State already made the postseason twice, won the conference tournament once and regular season once. We have one MAAC title of some sort in 2000. That's it. About 15 years before Penn State went D1.

 

[CTBballfan243]

It should put pressure on Cavanaugh. (Btw, did you know he makes more than Carvel?)

Consider this - Carvel started at 22-49-4 in his first two years and and then totally remade UMass hockey. We, however, have been stuck in mediocrity for Cavanaugh's entire tenure.

No more apologists for Cavanaugh, please. He hasn't advanced UConn hockey very much at all. Now we have a stark example an hour up the road of what a quality coach can do with a moribund program.

21-22 has to be make or break for Cavanaugh.

UConn Hockey had a fantastic season. Cavanaugh has the team on the right path. UConn hockey and coach Cavanaugh have a bright future. The on campus rink and facilities will be a great addition. All signs are positive for UConn hockey.

 

[Sea Goat]

UConn Hockey had a fantastic season. Cavanaugh has the team on the right path. UConn hockey and coach Cavanaugh have a bright future. The on campus rink and facilities will be a great addition. All signs are positive for UConn hockey.

Love your optimism - but unfortunately facts get in the way... 8 years in and we just haven't made the progress we should have. Imo, here's the difference. Ño slam on Cavanaugh, but we need to build a program, not be maintain one. Carvel played D - 1, had a cup of coffee in the pros, coached in NHL and was a D - 1 head coach. Cavanaugh played low end D - 3 and was an assistant to micromanager, Jerry York. Carvel gets it across the board - talent, matchups, motivation. As great a guy as Cavanaugh may be, he lacks the intangible to get kids to perform beyond their capabilities and to mesh with in a system that maximizes success with what you got not with what you would like to have...

 

[LoyalFanCT]

congrats to umass hockey. superb job

 

[The Viking]

It should put pressure on Cavanaugh. (Btw, did you know he makes more than Carvel?)

Consider this - Carvel started at 22-49-4 in his first two years and and then totally remade UMass hockey. We, however, have been stuck in mediocrity for Cavanaugh's entire tenure.

No more apologists for Cavanaugh, please. He hasn't advanced UConn hockey very much at all. Now we have a stark example an hour up the road of what a quality coach can do with a moribund program.

21-22 has to be make or break for Cavanaugh.

My question to you is do you not know the recent history of the program under Cavanaugh or do you simply choose to ignore it to fit your narrative?
I'm not saying that Cavanaugh is the best coach in the conference of course but he's certainly one of the top 4 or 5 while still coaching at a high school rink.
I will agree with the premise that UMass winning a championship doesn't do Cavanaugh any favors...considering the high standards we place on our teams.

 

[Sea Goat]

My question to you is do you not know the history of the program under Cavanaugh or do you simply choose to ignore it to fit your narrative?

I don't project a narrative. Do you?

I've been there for the whole slog. Btw, since I love the game and the Huskies, I won't give up.

And you - what's your deal? What's your history with the game and the UConn experience with it?

Understand one thing - I am sure we both want the same for Husky hockey. I just see UMass, a program that since 16-17 has gone from 5-29-2 to NCAA Champs, and I want a piece of that... Cavanaugh has been here since 13-14 - and it has been forward 2, back 1 or forward 1, back 2 ever since. My provocative thought is UConn should and can be better.. I hope you agree.

 

[The Viking]

I'm a season ticket holder who goes to almost every game.

It has not been 1 step forward 2 back. It's been 2 forward, one back. Take a look at the last 4 years.

What the hell are you watching?

I'm thinking he's gonna be there thru the opening of the new arena at least - maybe 1-2 years into the new arena. After a couple of years if we still aren't making progress regarding the regular season standings or winning playoff games, he may be dead man walking. I think that's fair.

 

[Sea Goat]

I'm a season ticket holder who goes to almost every game.

It has not been 1 step forward 2 back. It's been 2 forward, one back. Take a look at the last 4 years.

What the hell are you watching?

I'm not saying fans should give Cavanaugh another 5 years to get us to a final 4 in TD Garden, but at the same time, lets not act like this team has not been trending upward recently.

I have been playing, coaching and loving hockey for 60 years. Yes, I'm an old bastard... But 40-47-8 for the last 4 years is positive? Hey, Vike, you have to lay off the Akvavit!

I would have been thrilled with one trip to Boston since 14-15. I was generous with my description of Cavanaugh's tenure as being mediocrity.

Like you I'm a a season tix holder too. I am sure that we will agree on far more than we disagree on. But, Cavanaugh has to produce now. Imo,21-22 is his pivotal year. Let's see what happens…

 

[huskymedic]

Cavanaugh has been here since 13-14

... and you’ve been calling for Cavanaugh to win or be gone since the 2016-2017 season.

At least you’re consistent. ?

 

[The Viking]

5th
9th
5th
4th

Those are our final rankings in the Hockey East over the last 4 years. That's positive. That's two steps forward (2017, 2019, 2020), one step back (2018).
We are not Boston College....although I'd love to be someday and when it comes to UConn, that should always be our ultimate goal in the end. However, I'm not sure you fire a coach with those results in many places outside the city of Boston.

Cavanaugh is going to be tied to this arena for at least a year or two. I don't know what to tell you. And you know what? He's earned it. He's had to coach and recruit from a crappy rink that is the laughingstock of the Hockey East. .

It would be nice to win a damn playoff game! And I think we were robbed of that last year due to Covid. But I do think it's coming. Patience is a virtue. Of course on a fan message board, that is often the last place it can be found.

I will give you credit for the akvavit reference, though.

 

[Sea Goat]

Look , I am now sure we agree on more than you may think. The Akvavit reference is courtesy of my Scandinavian wife.

I want the Huskies to thrive and I don't want to be like B--C. I want to be a hockey equivalent of a Calhoun team or a Geno team. Classic organic UConn growth! It can be done and I would be fine with Cavanaugh, if he will do it! Let's see.

Carvel is clearly a transformative coach - like a Geno and Calhoun. Can Cavanaugh be one? I think we have to know by next year. Love the back and forth- hope we can calibrate soon.

 

[zls44]

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

 

[Viet Vet]

Season ticketholder since joining HE. Minimum achievement for 21-22: top four in regular season, win an HE tourney series to progress to Boston. Short of that......................Cav will be on the hot seat.

However, if no "spades in the ground" for the new arena by the end of April (which, sad to say, I predicted months ago would not happen; please let me be wrong)................then I can't hold Cav accountable due to the broken promises made by the administration. Remember, construction on the new arena was to have begun in 2017, minimum seating of 4,000 to comply with our agreement for admission to Hockey East.

And I mean "spades in the ground", not a photo-op ribbon cutting ceremony featuring Da Nang Dickie.

 

[Adios]

Love your optimism - but unfortunately facts get in the way... 8 years in and we just haven't made the progress we should have. Imo, here's the difference. Ño slam on Cavanaugh, but we need to build a program, not be maintain one. Carvel played D - 1, had a cup of coffee in the pros, coached in NHL and was a D - 1 head coach. Cavanaugh played low end D - 3 and was an assistant to micromanager, Jerry York. Carvel gets it across the board - talent, matchups, motivation. As great a guy as Cavanaugh may be, he lacks the intangible to get kids to perform beyond their capabilities and to mesh with in a system that maximizes success with what you got not with what you would like to have...

And Cavanaugh has the look on his face these days as if he's finally getting somewhere and he knows it.

 

[Sea Goat]

Season ticketholder since joining HE. Minimum achievement for 21-22: top four in regular season, win an HE tourney series to progress to Boston. Short of that......................Cav will be on the hot seat.

However, if no "spades in the ground" for the new arena by the end of April (which, sad to say, I predicted months ago would not happen; please let me be wrong)................then I can't hold Cav accountable due to the broken promises made by the administration. Remember, construction on the new arena was to have begun in 2017, minimum seating of 4,000 to comply with our agreement for admission to Hockey East.

And I mean "spades in the ground", not a photo-op ribbon cutting ceremony featuring Da Nang Dickie.

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!"

 

[Sea Goat]

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

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!

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....

 

[Sea Goat]

... and you’ve been calling for Cavanaugh to win or be gone since the 2016-2017 season.

At least you’re consistent. ?

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!

 

[kingdobbs]

Talking about having making the NCAA tournament as a standard is taboo amongst some of this fanbase.

Penn State already made the postseason twice, won the conference tournament once and regular season once. We have one MAAC title of some sort in 2000. That's it. About 15 years before Penn State went D1.

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.

 

[dbmill]

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]

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!

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....

After the last 14 months, I just want to be back in a rink, safely. That's all.

 

[freescooter]

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!"

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.

 

[Adios]

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.

We've been playing D1 hockey for over 20 years and zero tournament berths. We're doing very well.

 

[The Viking]

But I especially worry that the hockey team will face headwinds if it gets too successful.

What?

 

[freescooter]

What?

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.