2018-19 Division III Games, Updates, News Thread

[Scott_TG]

Re: 2018-19 Division III Games, Updates, News Thread

Is this a bit of a reset/reload year for Plattsburgh? Seems they may be a little young to challenge Norwich.

It's definitely a reloading year but they will still be in the mix. The return their top goal scorer, their top 3 defenders and an experienced goalie who's notched wins over Middlebury and Norwich last season. Some of the freshman forwards have very impressive bodies of work from HS/prep/juniors and both freshman defenders looked good in the videos I've seen of them playing for Northwood. Maybe it's not enough to get past a Norwich squad returning a lot of very talented players, but I'm hoping they can still keep their record-setting semifinals streak going.

[shelfit]

Wilkes and Nazareth, the remaining two programs making their debuts, have published their rosters.

It looks like Wilkes is indeed going forward with 9 players, seven skaters and two goalies. I'm hoping they can survive the season with that squad and build up next season.

This is completely irresponsible of Wilkes to let these 9 students play hockey this year. The coach should have asked his AD to delay the start of the program one more year so he could recruit enough players to actually form a team. You need AT LEAST 9-10 skaters and 2 goalies to even think of trying to compete. Having fewer than 11-12 players is unsafe because obviously the more exhausted they become the more their chances of injury. Player safety has to be the top priority. I don't blame the coach who so clearly failed in his job of recruiting enough players. I blame the AD for giving them permission to try to play this season. Anyone who knows anything about women's hockey knows what happened at Daniel Webster. Wilkes is on track to repeat history. I feel bad for these 9 players and their parents who were probably promised certain things during the recruiting process by this coach. I guess the only positive is there won't be any complaints about icetime. They must be banking on getting a bunch of transfers from other programs at the Christmas break. Those will only be the scraps from other teams but at least it will be more bodies to add to the roster. This team is set up for failure because of this decision and won't win a game for at least 2 years. What a great way to start a new program! I believe this program is destined to fail just like Daniel Webster. Very sad. Our sport deserves better than this! Wilkes AD should be ashamed of this very bad decision to let these 9 girls potentially endanger themselves.

[GTOWN]

Re: 2018-19 Division III Games, Updates, News Thread

This is completely irresponsible of Wilkes to let these 9 students play hockey this year. The coach should have asked his AD to delay the start of the program one more year so he could recruit enough players to actually form a team. You need AT LEAST 9-10 skaters and 2 goalies to even think of trying to compete. Having fewer than 11-12 players is unsafe because obviously the more exhausted they become the more their chances of injury. Player safety has to be the top priority. I don't blame the coach who so clearly failed in his job of recruiting enough players. I blame the AD for giving them permission to try to play this season. Anyone who knows anything about women's hockey knows what happened at Daniel Webster. Wilkes is on track to repeat history. I feel bad for these 9 players and their parents who were probably promised certain things during the recruiting process by this coach. I guess the only positive is there won't be any complaints about icetime. They must be banking on getting a bunch of transfers from other programs at the Christmas break. Those will only be the scraps from other teams but at least it will be more bodies to add to the roster. This team is set up for failure because of this decision and won't win a game for at least 2 years. What a great way to start a new program! I believe this program is destined to fail just like Daniel Webster. Very sad. Our sport deserves better than this! Wilkes AD should be ashamed of this very bad decision to let these 9 girls potentially endanger themselves.

completely agree with you. I would be surprised if the program makes it past this year.

[shelfit]

Re: 2018-19 Division III Games, Updates, News Thread

completely agree with you. I would be surprised if the program makes it past this year.

Here's their team photo:

https://gowilkesu.com/roster.aspx?path=whockey&

This is absolutely ludicrous. I don't think these poor girls have any idea what they're getting into! I really just hope none of them get hurt before the powers that be decide to do the right thing and pull the plug on this season for the sake of their safety!

If you're the parents and one of these 9 players gets seriously injured, do you have legitimate grounds for a lawsuit against the coach, the AD, and the school?

If you're an opposing team do you really want to play against a team like this?! What a waste of money to travel to play against 9 players.

[Scott_TG]

Re: 2018-19 Division III Games, Updates, News Thread

They must be banking on getting a bunch of transfers from other programs at the Christmas break. Those will only be the scraps from other teams but at least it will be more bodies to add to the roster.

That's a very bad gamble if that's what they're counting on. There's typically not a lot of midseason D3 to D3 movement with the women as there are with men's programs. It usually happens at the start of a new year. And even if there are players looking to go to where there's ice time, there's slots at places that aren't obviously troubled programs like Wilkes. Morrisville only has 10 forwards, King's which is in the same area has room at both defense and forward.

[arenalife]

Re: 2018-19 Division III Games, Updates, News Thread

Here's their team photo:

https://gowilkesu.com/roster.aspx?path=whockey&

This is absolutely ludicrous. I don't think these poor girls have any idea what they're getting into! I really just hope none of them get hurt before the powers that be decide to do the right thing and pull the plug on this season for the sake of their safety!

If you're an opposing team do you really want to play against a team like this?! What a waste of money to travel to play against 9 players.

I don't disagree with the previous posters and safety concerns.
Just a few notes to consider (and maybe they did when they decided to go forward with this season):
They have 18 scheduled games this season including 2 exhibition, no post season - so a lighter schedule than the typical D3 (unless their schedule isn't complete?)
They play mostly new programs or very weak ones: Nazareth, Kings, Chatham, Post, Lebanon Valley, Delaware (club)
They play one against Oswego - probably their strongest opponent.

[shelfit]

I don't disagree with the previous posters and safety concerns.
Just a few notes to consider (and maybe they did when they decided to go forward with this season):
They have 18 scheduled games this season including 2 exhibition, no post season - so a lighter schedule than the typical D3 (unless their schedule isn't complete?)
They play mostly new programs or very weak ones: Nazareth, Kings, Chatham, Post, Lebanon Valley, Delaware (club)
They play one against Oswego - probably their strongest opponent.

They also are scheduled to play Neumann, Canton, Morrisville, Stevenson, and Utica! They're going to get killed in all those games too. They might even lose to the Delaware Club team.

With no offense to these 9 brave players, we don't know if any of them are any good. They might all be very average players that weren't being recruited anywhere else.

Let's not forget the frustration factor. When these 9 players start to feel humiliated when the lopsided scores start to pile up, how many of them will decide it's not worth it anymore and quit the team during the season?! What's the rule for the minimum number of players before you have to forfeit? Is it 6?

[Scott_TG]

Re: 2018-19 Division III Games, Updates, News Thread

I don't disagree with the previous posters and safety concerns.
Just a few notes to consider (and maybe they did when they decided to go forward with this season):
They have 18 scheduled games this season including 2 exhibition, no post season - so a lighter schedule than the typical D3 (unless their schedule isn't complete?)
They play mostly new programs or very weak ones: Nazareth, Kings, Chatham, Post, Lebanon Valley, Delaware (club)
They play one against Oswego - probably their strongest opponent.

I'm almost ready to rank Stevenson above Oswego. It's a shame they don't play each other head to head this season.

[Russell Jaslow]

Re: 2018-19 Division III Games, Updates, News Thread

This school is known for having some of the lowest salaries in D3 hockey which means their applicant pool was probably very shallow. This is another way for them to save more money by not having to pay a full salary to someone else.

That still doesn't explain why Fowler would take the job. If anything, it makes it even more puzzling...

[Russell Jaslow]

Re: 2018-19 Division III Games, Updates, News Thread

Here's their team photo:

https://gowilkesu.com/roster.aspx?path=whockey&

This is absolutely ludicrous. I don't think these poor girls have any idea what they're getting into! I really just hope none of them get hurt before the powers that be decide to do the right thing and pull the plug on this season for the sake of their safety!

If you're the parents and one of these 9 players gets seriously injured, do you have legitimate grounds for a lawsuit against the coach, the AD, and the school?

If you're an opposing team do you really want to play against a team like this?! What a waste of money to travel to play against 9 players.

Note, one of the goalies is not smiling. I think she knows full well what they are in for...

Everyone else is smiling obliviously. LOL

[shelfit]

That still doesn't explain why Fowler would take the job. If anything, it makes it even more puzzling...

They probably threw him a bone by adding a few dollars to his paycheck but I really don't think they added the full coaching salary to his regular one. He probably still owes the AD for keeping him on in some capacity after firing him as the men's hockey coach.

[shelfit]

Note, one of the goalies is not smiling. I think she knows full well what they are in for...

Everyone else is smiling obliviously. LOL

Lol. Too funny!

[Scott_TG]

Re: 2018-19 Division III Games, Updates, News Thread

Lol. Too funny!

At least she has the shell-shocked look down for when she break's Sirena Enright's single-game saves record (101 against Plattsburgh in 2005)

[shelfit]

At least she has the shell-shocked look down for when she break's Sirena Enright's single-game saves record (101 against Plattsburgh in 2005)

It's very sad that the program is already a joke before they've ever played a single game. Fault goes to the coach for not recruiting at least 12 players in the 11 months since they announced he was hired and to the AD for letting them play this semester in this state of incompleteness (we'll see if they make it to the next semester).

[Scott_TG]

Re: 2018-19 Division III Games, Updates, News Thread

I didn't see this until digging around for rosters: Jennifer Wilson is no longer at Buffalo State because she was hired to replace Coach Wahlig at Lake Forest. (Did anyone see this when it happened? Can't find anything about it outside of Lake Forest's athletic site)

Buffalo to the Chicagoland area is a nice upgrade for Coach Wilson. But for Buffalo State it makes turning to their rink manager as an interim coach look even worse since this release is from late June. They certainly had time to try and lure someone with more experience in the women's game.