Re: UAA `16-17 Let's end this thing with a BANG
I’ve been going to Seawolf games since they turned D1 in 1985 and only missed a handful of WCHA home games between 1993 and 2013, when we moved Outside. So, haven’t seen Thomas’ teams play in person. And WCHA.TV isn’t worth it… Home ice might get me on a plane back to Anchorage, but no need to book my seats just yet… So here is my two cents worth...
You always get a bump with a new coach – everyone is excited and it translates to effort and enthusiasm on the ice. Lucia’s results after arriving at CC is an extreme example. But changing coaches every 5-8 years isn’t and hasn’t been the answer. We’ve tried that… We’ve finished at (but never above) .500 in league play exactly once since joining the WCHA and that was Thomas’ first year, so by that measure he is our most successful coach. Way too early to start dragging him through the mud… Each of our coaches have been above .400 only once during their tenure (except twice for Talafous!) but not one has cracked the .500 ceiling yet. Under the current playoff configuration, you will need to be comfortably above .500 to host playoffs.
UAA’s problem goes way deeper than who is behind the bench – the hockey team is a Division 1 program struggling to operate with, at best, a Division 2 level of support. We’ve never had a D1 level of commitment to the program - never had a D1 caliber Athletic Director or athletic department, never had a D1 level of financial commitment from the University or the State. Since joining the WCHA, the hockey team has never had the resources necessary to be truly competitive with the big guns in the old WCHA. So far the same is true in the new league. The travel subsidies we have had to provide other teams obviously hurt, too. Given the current financial situation of the University and State of Alaska, and the fact that the majority of the sports at UAA are D2, I don’t see this changing.
We have been and always will be at a recruiting disadvantage simply because of our location. The Strategic Pathways debacle will impact recruiting beyond just a couple of years. There is long-term uncertainty around the program and the best recruits from Alaska or wherever will continue to go elsewhere. A Beagle or a Glencross may pop up here or there, but it’s tough to build a team around one guy that only stays for a year or two.
Not putting ice in the Alaska Airlines center was a travesty – that would have been a sign of a D1 level of commitment, but the D2 mentality struck again. It would have given the team a real home arena with easy student access - a big morale booster. When Cobb & Company promised there would be a separate ice arena on campus at a later date, it was a total snow job to placate the angry hordes - it won’t ever happen now. The right thing to do was build the facility with ice. Duh…
This doesn’t necessarily mean that we can’t be successful, but I believe that it will take a perfect storm of recruits, coaching and chemistry for UAA to achieve hockey success. By success I mean home ice for the playoffs, to start with. Getting excited about the possibility of making 8th place and the last playoff spot doesn’t cut it… Sustained success – competing for home ice year after year – doesn’t look very likely in the near future.
I gave up on blind optimism at the beginning of the season a long time ago – too many years of disappointment. But I was still there almost every night cheering them on because I love college hockey and the home team. I’ve also come to appreciate that these are kids in their early 20s – their priorities should be getting an education and having fun playing hockey. For the most part, they are doing the best they can. Fans shouldn’t be too hard on them just because the team doesn’t meet the fan’s expectations… Save that for the pro teams…
Hope all that is worth two cents…
I’ve been going to Seawolf games since they turned D1 in 1985 and only missed a handful of WCHA home games between 1993 and 2013, when we moved Outside. So, haven’t seen Thomas’ teams play in person. And WCHA.TV isn’t worth it… Home ice might get me on a plane back to Anchorage, but no need to book my seats just yet… So here is my two cents worth...
You always get a bump with a new coach – everyone is excited and it translates to effort and enthusiasm on the ice. Lucia’s results after arriving at CC is an extreme example. But changing coaches every 5-8 years isn’t and hasn’t been the answer. We’ve tried that… We’ve finished at (but never above) .500 in league play exactly once since joining the WCHA and that was Thomas’ first year, so by that measure he is our most successful coach. Way too early to start dragging him through the mud… Each of our coaches have been above .400 only once during their tenure (except twice for Talafous!) but not one has cracked the .500 ceiling yet. Under the current playoff configuration, you will need to be comfortably above .500 to host playoffs.
UAA’s problem goes way deeper than who is behind the bench – the hockey team is a Division 1 program struggling to operate with, at best, a Division 2 level of support. We’ve never had a D1 level of commitment to the program - never had a D1 caliber Athletic Director or athletic department, never had a D1 level of financial commitment from the University or the State. Since joining the WCHA, the hockey team has never had the resources necessary to be truly competitive with the big guns in the old WCHA. So far the same is true in the new league. The travel subsidies we have had to provide other teams obviously hurt, too. Given the current financial situation of the University and State of Alaska, and the fact that the majority of the sports at UAA are D2, I don’t see this changing.
We have been and always will be at a recruiting disadvantage simply because of our location. The Strategic Pathways debacle will impact recruiting beyond just a couple of years. There is long-term uncertainty around the program and the best recruits from Alaska or wherever will continue to go elsewhere. A Beagle or a Glencross may pop up here or there, but it’s tough to build a team around one guy that only stays for a year or two.
Not putting ice in the Alaska Airlines center was a travesty – that would have been a sign of a D1 level of commitment, but the D2 mentality struck again. It would have given the team a real home arena with easy student access - a big morale booster. When Cobb & Company promised there would be a separate ice arena on campus at a later date, it was a total snow job to placate the angry hordes - it won’t ever happen now. The right thing to do was build the facility with ice. Duh…
This doesn’t necessarily mean that we can’t be successful, but I believe that it will take a perfect storm of recruits, coaching and chemistry for UAA to achieve hockey success. By success I mean home ice for the playoffs, to start with. Getting excited about the possibility of making 8th place and the last playoff spot doesn’t cut it… Sustained success – competing for home ice year after year – doesn’t look very likely in the near future.
I gave up on blind optimism at the beginning of the season a long time ago – too many years of disappointment. But I was still there almost every night cheering them on because I love college hockey and the home team. I’ve also come to appreciate that these are kids in their early 20s – their priorities should be getting an education and having fun playing hockey. For the most part, they are doing the best they can. Fans shouldn’t be too hard on them just because the team doesn’t meet the fan’s expectations… Save that for the pro teams…
Hope all that is worth two cents…
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