Union Hockey 2011 Off Season Thread-"Union, We've Paid Our Dues"

[Ralph Baer]

Re: Union Hockey 2011 Off Season Thread-"Union, We've Paid Our Dues"

Would you please explain to me why Union moved up to Division I hockey, then?

Because RPI is there.

[REDaero91]

Re: Union Hockey 2011 Off Season Thread-"Union, We've Paid Our Dues"

Why no USCHO coverage of him leaving ??

http://www.uscho.com/2011/04/22/spen...to-providence/

http://www.uscho.com/2011/04/22/unio...eplace-leaman/

[Union93]

Would you please explain to me why Union moved up to Division I hockey, then?

A good question. Roger Hull can only answer that.

[CornwallAce]

Re: Union Hockey 2011 Off Season Thread-"Union, We've Paid Our Dues"

I say Kudos to Union.
Save the $$ and spend it in the classroom.
Like most students, I went to Union for
it's academics, not it's hockey team.
While I am a huge fan of Union pucks,
I am glad Union isn't spending huge $$
on it's coach and am pumped that Bennett
is getting the nod.

Yes Union, teach English. it's and its have two seperate meanings.

[Goaliefan]

Re: Union Hockey 2011 Off Season Thread-"Union, We've Paid Our Dues"

I say Kudos to Union.
Save the $$ and spend it in the classroom.
Like most students, I went to Union for
it's academics, not it's hockey team.
While I am a huge fan of Union pucks,
I am glad Union isn't spending huge $$
on it's coach and am pumped that Bennett
is getting the nod.

Re "it's and its," apparently not enough $$ in the classroom.

[Wholin1]

Re: Union Hockey 2011 Off Season Thread-"Union, We've Paid Our Dues"

Because RPI is there.

There's probably more than a little truth in that. However, Union has never been as committed to hockey as RPI. As an example, RPI has a coach who in all candor hasn't yet matched what Nate Leaman accomplished in his tenure, with far more resources at his disposal, but the powers that be know that they have a good one who they wanted to hang on to and preemptively extended SA's contract for multiple years. Yes, those contracts can be worked around if a coach wants to leave, as we just saw with Nate, but I have to believe that a similar gesture and commitment by Union's AD would have left Nate Leaman as Union's coach for next season and many more to come and it WOULD NOT have cost a fortune. I think we'll be fine with Rick Bennett at least in the short run, but the glass ceiling may fast close in on him and Union hockey unless there is a marked turnaround with the powers that be.

[Union93]

Yes Union, teach English. it's and its have two seperate meanings.

My point exactly. Spend less coin on a
hockey coach and dedicate more resources
to educating the 99% of the students that
have nothing to do with playing hockey. :-)

[ADK11]

Re: Union Hockey 2011 Off Season Thread-"Union, We've Paid Our Dues"

There's probably more than a little truth in that. However, Union has never been as committed to hockey as RPI. As an example, RPI has a coach who in all candor hasn't yet matched what Nate Leaman accomplished in his tenure, with far more resources at his disposal, but the powers that be know that they have a good one who they wanted to hang on to and preemptively extended SA's contract for multiple years. Yes, those contracts can be worked around if a coach wants to leave, as we just saw with Nate, but I have to believe that a similar gesture and commitment by Union's AD would have left Nate Leaman as Union's coach for next season and many more to come and it WOULD NOT have cost a fortune. I think we'll be fine with Rick Bennett at least in the short run, but the glass ceiling may fast close in on him and Union hockey unless there is a marked turnaround with the powers that be.

Union went D-1 because of the egos of Hull and Delventhal who both thought they could be successful.. and, yes, I'm sure they thought if Colgate, SLU, RPI, etc. could do it, why not Union. Of course Hull, under pressure from faculty, tied both hands behind the coach's back by making sure it would be treated no differently than the women's field hockey team which led to 15 years of mostly embarrassment.. but that is thankfully history.

As for Union committing to Leaman, they gave him a 5 year extension that was to start in 2013 and, from what I heard, McLaughlin told Leaman he could essentially have a lifetime contract if he wanted it. That sure sounds like a decent commitment to me. As for money, I don't doubt that Providence offered more, and maybe U could have ponied up a little more and convinced him to stay.. this time.. but I think that would just be putting off the inevitable. Nate is young and ambitious and wants a bigger challenge. Eventually another "big fish" would have come along with an offer that Union could never match. I mean let's face it, even in the ECAC Union is in the lower echelon of financial means.. compared to the Ivies with endowments the size of the GDP of Europe and more established programs like RPI & Clarkson.

While I don't agree with the TU article that speculates that Union will forever be a "mid-major" like Siena in basketball (..nice how the TU always has to bring up Siena in any local sports article ) and that they can expect to lose their coach every time they make the NCAAs, I see this more like Union's football team that sucked for most of the 70s and was brought back to prominence by Al Bagnoli, who promptly left for U Penn. A top assistant took over and football has remained a strong program (for the most part) ever since. I see no reason the Bennett era won't be the same.

[FlagDUDE08]

Re: Union Hockey 2011 Off Season Thread-"Union, We've Paid Our Dues"

My point exactly. Spend less coin on a
hockey coach and dedicate more resources
to educating the 99% of the students that
have nothing to do with playing hockey. :-)

I recommend going back to Division III, then. By moving up to this level, spending on academics is definitely important, but you're going to have to put some coin into your highest athletic programs if you want to be competitive. I realize your school can't offer athletic scholarships, but do whatever you can to keep the resources you have in your house, unless you would like the other schools to return to the jokes we made in the 90's and early 2000's.

[Hokydad]

Re: Union Hockey 2011 Off Season Thread-"Union, We've Paid Our Dues"

I recommend going back to Division III, then. By moving up to this level, spending on academics is definitely important, but you're going to have to put some coin into your highest athletic programs if you want to be competitive. I realize your school can't offer athletic scholarships, but do whatever you can to keep the resources you have in your house, unless you would like the other schools to return to the jokes we made in the 90's and early 2000's.

Your an RPI fan , go back there and mind your business. You were the guy on the live game blog shi**** on Union and the team and now you want to come over here and tell them to go D 3. I will bet you anything you want that they will finish ahead of RPI more than behind them over the next 5 seasons.

Union's recruits and trend is better than RPI's and Rick Bennett is a great young coach. Will keep the trend in place and the high end recruits coming in. Nate leaman was a given, either now or when Harvard etc ever opened up.

Paying a huge salary, which as a rule of thumb, doesnt happen in the ECAC has nothing to do with supporting the program. Good luck to Nate Leaman, great guy and always a huge plus because he turned this program around and made it a winner. That will not change and I can assure you it will only get better.

Union has 11 of their top 13 scorers coming back and 5 of their top 6 D, a great yound D core. They have a superb recruiting class coming in.

RPI lost their top 2 scorers and 5 of their top 10. Also lost 3 of their top 6 d and no on coming in close to replace them

Union is in much better shape than RPI and has a far superior pipeline.

[Wholin1]

Re: Union Hockey 2011 Off Season Thread-"Union, We've Paid Our Dues"

I'm (almost) ready to move on...sigh. In any event, nothing we say or do is going to make things any different. So in that vein, and I know there are plenty of reasons that it would not or could not happen but in the way out there department, how about Rick hiring George Roll as his associate head coach?

[Hokydad]

Re: Union Hockey 2011 Off Season Thread-"Union, We've Paid Our Dues"

You should be happy... Better that he went to PC over Harvard, which is the rumor floating around for a few months.

Your program is in great shape. Your roster is very strong, top to bottom and your recruit pipeline is as well. Union is in great shape and your new coach will continue that trend, upward, not sideways or backwards.

Nate Leaman is a rising star and is so young to have had the us and intl experience and the success he has had. He was not going to be there long term. ECAC just doesnt pay that much and he clearly wanted a raise, (what family man doesnt) and the challenge. If he pulled a John Calipari and ruined the program and snuck out, be upset. The program has never been deeper and is set for the next 2 or 3 years+.

[Goaliefan]

Re: Union Hockey 2011 Off Season Thread-"Union, We've Paid Our Dues"

I'm (almost) ready to move on...sigh. In any event, nothing we say or do is going to make things any different. So in that vein, and I know there are plenty of reasons that it would not or could not happen but in the way out there department, how about Rick hiring George Roll as his associate head coach?

Judging from the chemistry of the Clarkson teams over the past few years, are you sure?

[Wholin1]

Re: Union Hockey 2011 Off Season Thread-"Union, We've Paid Our Dues"

Judging from the chemistry of the Clarkson teams over the past few years, are you sure?

After this month, I'm not sure of anything.

[Wholin1]

Re: Union Hockey 2011 Off Season Thread-"Union, We've Paid Our Dues"

Looks like we have our third goalie according to Heisenberg. Dillon Pieri. http://www.pointstreak.com/players/p...&seasonid=5689