Hockey East: A New Big 4?

[Patman]

Well coached, pipeline to British Columbia, develop good players into great ones, multiple Frozen Four trips...sounds like a certain Hockey East team in the early 2000s...

Everybody was farming the BCHL before the CHL changed their rules to feed the CHL and shut out college hockey to a large degree. It just seems Pecknold has maintained stronger ties through his personal work and action.

There are still Canadians but clearly the numbers are smaller than it used to be.

[walrus]

Of course they did, they just never got caught.

Just like bc

[Aerman]

Did they cheat in '99? I mean, they got to play UNH in the finals, but that's not cheating, that's just lucky.

tCBG IS ALIVE! Who knew? Next thing you know there will be a Darcy sighting.

[Aerman]

Don't know much about Quinnipiac since they weren't an ECAC member when we played, but does anyone have a Reader's Digest explanation for how they got so good, so fast, and appear poised to maintain it?

The other responses are not wrong, however, there was nothing fast about it. Pecknold has been at it for 22 years. When one of my daughters started at QU they were still playing games at a local dump at which another daughter played occasional U14 travel games. They could accommodate less than 1000. The new rink on campus - 2007 maybe - really seemed to accelerate things.

[QUAlum2004]

The other responses are not wrong, however, there was nothing fast about it. Pecknold has been at it for 22 years. When one of my daughters started at QU they were still playing games at a local dump at which another daughter played occasional U14 travel games. They could accommodate less than 1000. The new rink on campus - 2007 maybe - really seemed to accelerate things.

The NIP held maybe more than 1000 if they packed it in but the place was a total dump. Once the new arena came it still took 4-5 years to get some better recruits. A lot of the better recruiting can be contributed to assistant Bill Riga. Once he replaced Ben Syer things have got a better.

[Aerman]

The NIP held maybe more than 1000 if they packed it in but the place was a total dump. Once the new arena came it still took 4-5 years to get some better recruits. A lot of the better recruiting can be contributed to assistant Bill Riga. Once he replaced Ben Syer things have got a better.

Maybe Riga would like to move to NH?

[QUAlum2004]

Re: Hockey East: A New Big 4?

Maybe Riga would like to move to NH?

His next step is a head coach somewhere down the road.

[boblav1]

Re: Hockey East: A New Big 4?

Well coached, pipeline to British Columbia, develop good players into great ones, multiple Frozen Four trips...sounds like a certain Hockey East team in the early 2000s...

Welcome back.

[Chuck Murray]

Re: Hockey East: A New Big 4?

His next step is a head coach somewhere down the road.

Precisely. Like Aerman said ...

[Chuck Murray]

Re: Hockey East: A New Big 4?

If you throw out Quinn's first year and Eichel year as a wash, this year's team proved throughout the year that they could be a very good team. So I'd say he absolutely deserves heat for the total collapse in the postseason. They have killed it on the recruiting trail but to me, his coaching is certainly up for debate. And even if he isn't that great of a coach, the talent alone coming in should keep BU as a top 4 member. With ND leaving the league soon, if you think BU could fall out of the "big 4"...someone has to replace them. Northeastern??? Ya, I'm not going there just yet.

Winner.

[HockeyRef]

Re: Hockey East: A New Big 4?

The other responses are not wrong, however, there was nothing fast about it. Pecknold has been at it for 22 years. When one of my daughters started at QU they were still playing games at a local dump at which another daughter played occasional U14 travel games. They could accommodate less than 1000. The new rink on campus - 2007 maybe - really seemed to accelerate things.

Annnddd I bet it has a 'tron (couldn't help myself...) UNH inside joke

[sterlippo1]

Re: Hockey East: A New Big 4?

Sean, page 6 and 100+ posts on a thread where "stupid thread" was one of the early posts. Nice job Terrier

[jcarter7669]

Re: Hockey East: A New Big 4?

Sean, page 6 and 100+ posts on a thread where "stupid thread" was one of the early posts. Nice job Terrier

I think we can do better then that... especially considering UMass is a sleeping giant ready to be awoken. JD asks " if not BU then who?" We now have our answer. A new coach at UMass wakes the sleeping giant to know BU and Coach Quinn out of the "Big 4."

And as a shout out to Hokey... you heard it here first.

[Sean Pickett]

Re: Hockey East: A New Big 4?

So, it is now 2 years later and I thought I would revisit this thread. I have also compiled every Hockey East team's overall, regular season, league, non-conference, HEA tournament and NCAA tournament records for each season they have been in Hockey East into a workbook. I have further compiled standings for the past 5, 10 and all seasons for each team in each category, as well as a combined HEA and NCAA postseason records. I also have the compiled records of every Hockey East Coach that took over after the league formed (i.e., Coaches Ceglarski (BC), Parker (BU), Riley (UL), Anderson (MC), Holt (UNH), Flaman (NU) and Sterling (PC) are not included) through their first 8 seasons (if they lasted that long). One sheet shows each coach's cumulative record by team and the other sheet shows each coach's cumulative record against all other coaches.

Maine and New Hampshire are still in the top 4 overall since the league was formed, despite not being in the top 4 the past 10 seasons, with Providence the only other team with a winning record. In the past five and ten seasons the top 4 are BU, BC, PC and UML, with NU knocking on the door, with Vermont also having a winning record the past 5 seasons. In league play only, only BU, BC, Maine and UNH having winning records since 1984, with UML replacing Maine in the past 10 seasons and Providence replacing New Hampshire in the past 5 seasons. Northeastern has been able to have a winning record the past 10 seasons as well, but has been unable to crack the top 4. In the Hockey East Tournament BU, BC, Maine and UNH are the top 4 and only teams with winning records since 1984, with UML and NU replacing Maine and UNH over the past 10 seasons, with PC fifth, and in the past 5 seasons PC moved into the top 4 as BC dropped to fifth.

Looking at the coaching records, Coach Whitehead has the best winning percentage in 4 out of his first five seasons (Coach Mallen's first season was not on Hockey East) and was no lower than second in his first eight seasons, with just one HEA Tournament title, but 6 NCAA appearances, including 4 Frozen Fours and 2 championship game appearances. Coach Bazin has the third best first season record and has been first or second in his second through seventh seasons, with 3 HEA Tournament titles, 2 regular season titles and 6 NCAA appearances, but just one Frozen Four. Coach Umile is no lower than third through his first 8 seasons, with 2 regular season titles, including 5 NCAA appearances and one Frozen Four. Coach Leaman didn't have the same immediate success, but now has 5 straight NCAA tournament appearances, one Frozen Four and one national championship, but has only one Hockey East regular season title. Coach Quinn had a poor first season, but is fourth his second, third and fourth seasons, before dropping to fifth after this, his fifth season. He has 2 Hockey East regular season and two tournament titles, four straight NCAA appearances, one Frozen Four appearance and a championship game appearance. The question is whether Coaches Bazin, Leaman and Quinn can continue to build on what they have already accomplished, like Coach York has done, or if they hew closer to what Coaches Umile and Whitehead (at Maine) did.

Sean

[UVM Cat in Texas]

Re: Hockey East: A New Big 4?

Timmay's lookin pretty good now!