Fire Dave shyiak

[Seawolf Fan]

Re: Fire Dave shyiak

Rumor has it Kurts leaving for an AHL club. Any update on that rumor?

[Suze]

Re: Fire Dave shyiak

Rumor has it Kurts leaving for an AHL club. Any update on that rumor?

I heard a rumor that it was just a rumor. I don't think we have anything to worry about.

[Suze]

Re: Fire Dave shyiak

I think you guys should give him a year or two in a like-minded conference. He has never been dealt a hand he can play and with the playing field leveled much more for next year I think he could surprise some people

I don't agree and I don't know any passionate UAA fan who feels that way. When a coach loses the respect of his players - year after year - it's time to replace him.

[uaafanblog]

Re: Fire Dave shyiak

well done...this is the most passion we had over the Seawolves hockey in sometime. I can only think of one other thread that could be better.

Cobb isn't going to go. Get over it. Quit wasting electrons on ADN bashing the guy. The past few years have seen a steady climb of all UAA Sports. The measures the UAA Administration uses to evaluate Cobb are things like the D-II Directors Cup standings and UAA has been sailing up those standings. With as few sports as they sponsor and as well as they are ranked in those standings there is no way they'll get rid of Cobb. If anything, it would be reason for some D-1 school that needs an Athletic Director to take a look at hiring Cobb.

Yes, he should bear some responsibility for Hockey's continuing malaise. In his favor, he fired Talafous when it was time. He hired "the guy" that EVERYBODY wanted him to hire (John Hill) and then he hired Shyiak whom every college hockey person said was right for the job immediately after Hill bolted. All those were good decisions. He hasn't fought enough for more resources (or at least he hasn't won those fights) for hockey. The failure to have an on campus arena lies above him.

What Euro says is correct. I assume that next year (if nobody leaves early) that UAA will have a pretty competitive team in the new league. But that's IF nobody leaves. And over the past few seasons just enough talent has left to strand the team where it is now. Bruijsten, Spencer, Mellor and Schied would have made quite a bit of difference had they not left after last season. That is on Shyiak. That's four pretty offensive minded players that I would think probably would have scored 30 goals between them. None of that is on Cobb.

As for thinking that there is some amount of passion being shown here compared to the past. You are also wrong. The person that posts the most here writes the same thing week in and week out ... "we suck we'll lose". So there's that.

[SCSU Euro]

I don't agree and I don't know any passionate UAA fan who feels that way. When a coach loses the respect of his players - year after year - it's time to replace him.

I will take your word, you guys know better than I, but from my outside perspective they seem like the type of team that when you're trying to run the coach out they put up a big year. The cards I think are there for you guys to have a Top 3 finish in the first two years of the new WCHA

[Suze]

Re: Fire Dave shyiak

I will take your word, you guys know better than I, but from my outside perspective they seem like the type of team that when you're trying to run the coach out they put up a big year. The cards I think are there for you guys to have a Top 3 finish in the first two years of the new WCHA

And just what do you base that on? When your best freshmen leave year after year it's very difficult to built a cohesive team that can win on a consistent basis. The departures under Shyiak are starting to look like the Talafous years ... and he was allowed to stay WAY longer than he should have.

[SCSU Euro]

And just what do you base that on? When your best freshmen leave year after year it's very difficult to built a cohesive team that can win on a consistent basis. The departures under Shyiak are starting to look like the Talafous years ... and he was allowed to stay WAY longer than he should have.

I think the early season departures are odd and I would bet against them happening again.

[Suze]

Re: Fire Dave shyiak

I think the early season departures are odd and I would bet against them happening again.

I wouldn't. In fact, I'd bet my life they are gonna happen again.

[uaafanblog]

Re: Fire Dave shyiak

Scheid and Mellor both left for essentially the same reason. They wanted to play for teams that would give them more visibility. It's a bit of a mistake for parents/players to make that choice because not playing college hockey for a year doesn't do them any good and it's true that if you're good enough for "the show" that they'll find you no matter where you are playing. I think that Shyiak also under-utilized them both and failed by not convincing them/parents that staying was in their best interests. Scheid had more minutes than Mellor but neither one were treated like a stud would be treated at another school. And I'm betting they'll both produce very nicely for their new teams. Spencer was a junior and left as a direct result of a conflict with the coach. He was told at the beginning of the season he needed to produce. And by mid-season he did have 7 goals ... though he also was producing "selifsh" shifts. A failed relationship between a coach and a player is on the coach in my book whether or not the player has a good attitude. The coach should find a way. Bruijsten was a junior and left purely because he thought he was ready to move onto pro-hockey. Shyiak should have been aware that Bruijsten had stopped going to classes during that semester. So again, that failure is on him.

There are players on this years squad who are in similar situations. If there is a scout out there who is high on Matt Bailey then he could be a flight risk. He would be mistaken if he left for anything less than an AHL contract where I believe he might thrive in the right situation. He has the tools. And like Mellor and Scheid, Blake Tatchell could bolt to another D1 team though like I said it would be a bad choice by him and his parents. Chris Williams might be a future potential loss to the pros because I'll just say here that he is as good a freshman defensive prospect at the D1 level as anyone I've seen in all my years watching the game. He's got all the tools. His stats won't bring him much attention but he's really solid on the back-end and has a clear knack for carrying the puck. He makes good choices whether to pass or skate on breakouts and either usually turn out nicely. Seasoning at this level will develop him.

[seawolfpunk]

Re: Fire Dave shyiak

Scheid and Mellor both left for essentially the same reason. They wanted to play for teams that would give them more visibility. It's a bit of a mistake for parents/players to make that choice because not playing college hockey for a year doesn't do them any good and it's true that if you're good enough for "the show" that they'll find you no matter where you are playing. I think that Shyiak also under-utilized them both and failed by not convincing them/parents that staying was in their best interests. Scheid had more minutes than Mellor but neither one were treated like a stud would be treated at another school. And I'm betting they'll both produce very nicely for their new teams. Spencer was a junior and left as a direct result of a conflict with the coach. He was told at the beginning of the season he needed to produce. And by mid-season he did have 7 goals ... though he also was producing "selifsh" shifts. A failed relationship between a coach and a player is on the coach in my book whether or not the player has a good attitude. The coach should find a way. Bruijsten was a junior and left purely because he thought he was ready to move onto pro-hockey. Shyiak should have been aware that Bruijsten had stopped going to classes during that semester. So again, that failure is on him.

There are players on this years squad who are in similar situations. If there is a scout out there who is high on Matt Bailey then he could be a flight risk. He would be mistaken if he left for anything less than an AHL contract where I believe he might thrive in the right situation. He has the tools. And like Mellor and Scheid, Blake Tatchell could bolt to another D1 team though like I said it would be a bad choice by him and his parents. Chris Williams might be a future potential loss to the pros because I'll just say here that he is as good a freshman defensive prospect at the D1 level as anyone I've seen in all my years watching the game. He's got all the tools. His stats won't bring him much attention but he's really solid on the back-end and has a clear knack for carrying the puck. He makes good choices whether to pass or skate on breakouts and either usually turn out nicely. Seasoning at this level will develop him.

I agree that Scheid & espcially Mellor were underutilitized (He will be a stud for Western Michigan). I won't be suprised if Matt Bailey is gone, since he has gone to Washington's Development Camp the past 2 years. I honestly don't see tatchell transferring anywhere, but i could be wrong. I could see williams going early though.

[birdman]

Re: Fire Dave shyiak

Rumor has it Kurts leaving for an AHL club. Any update on that rumor?

Hope not he's on my softball team.

[Suze]

Re: Fire Dave shyiak

Scheid and Mellor both left for essentially the same reason. They wanted to play for teams that would give them more visibility. It's a bit of a mistake for parents/players to make that choice because not playing college hockey for a year doesn't do them any good and it's true that if you're good enough for "the show" that they'll find you no matter where you are playing. I think that Shyiak also under-utilized them both and failed by not convincing them/parents that staying was in their best interests. Scheid had more minutes than Mellor but neither one were treated like a stud would be treated at another school. And I'm betting they'll both produce very nicely for their new teams. Spencer was a junior and left as a direct result of a conflict with the coach. He was told at the beginning of the season he needed to produce. And by mid-season he did have 7 goals ... though he also was producing "selifsh" shifts. A failed relationship between a coach and a player is on the coach in my book whether or not the player has a good attitude. The coach should find a way. Bruijsten was a junior and left purely because he thought he was ready to move onto pro-hockey. Shyiak should have been aware that Bruijsten had stopped going to classes during that semester. So again, that failure is on him.

There are players on this years squad who are in similar situations. If there is a scout out there who is high on Matt Bailey then he could be a flight risk. He would be mistaken if he left for anything less than an AHL contract where I believe he might thrive in the right situation. He has the tools. And like Mellor and Scheid, Blake Tatchell could bolt to another D1 team though like I said it would be a bad choice by him and his parents. Chris Williams might be a future potential loss to the pros because I'll just say here that he is as good a freshman defensive prospect at the D1 level as anyone I've seen in all my years watching the game. He's got all the tools. His stats won't bring him much attention but he's really solid on the back-end and has a clear knack for carrying the puck. He makes good choices whether to pass or skate on breakouts and either usually turn out nicely. Seasoning at this level will develop him.

But then we have McLeod, Kirchhevel, Pustin, Haddad, Darwitz, Lafranchise, Baldwin, Christianson, Moir, Crowder, Aiken, Bales, Carlson, DayChief, Lawson, Hamilton, Smith, and Jolly. Are there others? The only player from that group that has been successful since leaving UAA is, who? Lawson? Crowder maybe? Despite the reasons for their leaving, that is way too many players. Granted not the 40 players that left under Tally, but too many.

Kirchhevel left for greener pastures and ended up transferring to Penn State. He's only played half of their games and has 2 goals and 4 assists. I guess it didn't work out so well for him to transfer, did it? Mellor also made a mistake by leaving and going back to juniors, in my opinion. He's gone backward. Two years ago he was tearing up the BCHL with 33 goals. He's now two years older and has 16 goals.

If any of the players on UAA's currrent roster leave for the SLUT league, they may be shooting themselves in the foot. Sure, that new league is made up of teams that have all had a ton of success, but half of those teams with winning traditions will be cellar dwellers starting next season. UAA has a chance to turn it around in their new league, but I really feel they need a new coach in order to be successful. There needs to be a new mindset.

[uaafanblog]

Re: Fire Dave shyiak

McLeod - not a student is why he left
Kirchhevel - wouldn't train hard to get the fitness the coaches wanted probably has same issues at PSU
Pustin - NAHL player that didn't really pan out and make the coaches play him by scoring
Darwitz - Wasn't a D1 player
Lafranchise - school problems because of events in personal life ... nobody to blame
Baldwin - Thought more of himself as a player than he was. After not cutting it in the AHL is now "developing" in the ECHL
Christianson - That's a player/coach issue and without offending Todd who I know there's some parent/coach issues there too
Moir - Chose real life
Crowder - Probably a career ECHL player at this point. Could go up and down to the A sometimes if he keeps playing.
Aiken - Not a D1 player really even though he showed nice flashes here and there.
Bales - Thought more of himself than he delivered on the ice. There seems to have been some relationship issues between him and coach. Should have been given scholarship money but staff didn't do that because he was a local kid. That hurt the local recruiting.
Carlson - Wasn't a student from what I hear.
The others left after Hill left. They were Hill guys and didn't adjust to Shyiak. Can't really "blame" the coach for that and none of them were really impactful players while they were at UAA or after they left.

None of that means I don't support replacing Shyiak after this season. I do. And yes ... a new direction/mindset will be best. Additionally, the administration is going to have to simply throw more money at the program than they are now. Recruiting has been and will continue to be the life and death of any college hockey program. There are a few ways to improve that ... either you find a coach that is golden at spotting talent that other coaches miss or you get a coach with a golden tongue that can talk kids out of going to "more attractive" schools or you get a coach that is so renowned and revered that players absolutely are dying to come play for him. And all of that includes absolutely locking down 90% of local studs. The only local players that Shyiak has been able to attract are 2nd tier players. These guys are important to have and help build a solid team. But well .. ya know.

[drcobbmustgonow]

Re: Fire Dave shyiak

Cobb isn't going to go. Get over it. Quit wasting electrons on ADN bashing the guy. The past few years have seen a steady climb of all UAA Sports. The measures the UAA Administration uses to evaluate Cobb are things like the D-II Directors Cup standings and UAA has been sailing up those standings. With as few sports as they sponsor and as well as they are ranked in those standings there is no way they'll get rid of Cobb. If anything, it would be reason for some D-1 school that needs an Athletic Director to take a look at hiring Cobb.

Yes, he should bear some responsibility for Hockey's continuing malaise. In his favor, he fired Talafous when it was time. He hired "the guy" that EVERYBODY wanted him to hire (John Hill) and then he hired Shyiak whom every college hockey person said was right for the job immediately after Hill bolted. All those were good decisions. He hasn't fought enough for more resources (or at least he hasn't won those fights) for hockey. The failure to have an on campus arena lies above him.

What Euro says is correct. I assume that next year (if nobody leaves early) that UAA will have a pretty competitive team in the new league. But that's IF nobody leaves. And over the past few seasons just enough talent has left to strand the team where it is now. Bruijsten, Spencer, Mellor and Schied would have made quite a bit of difference had they not left after last season. That is on Shyiak. That's four pretty offensive minded players that I would think probably would have scored 30 goals between them. None of that is on Cobb.

As for thinking that there is some amount of passion being shown here compared to the past. You are also wrong. The person that posts the most here writes the same thing week in and week out ... "we suck we'll lose". So there's that.

...and your effing electrons are golden. Sorry...I didn't think you were low enough to read the ADN. You see D...you're not the only one who seeks therapy through their posts. I feel strongly that The Almighty Cobb is the main reason we're in this death spiral and quite frankly, the UAA Hockey Alumni have similar feelings.

"He hasn't fought enough for more resources (or at least he hasn't won those fights) for hockey. The failure to have an on campus arena lies above him." is reason enough to toss the bozo out of the state. His stand-alone arena vision...is out there only to appease the masses. It won't happen! If you think so..you are wrong. He's dead-set on staying at the Sully and waiting for them to remodel.

I'm glad the other sports are doing great! I hope to see you at the next cross-country meet...they could sure use your support. The hockey program was the only sports program that brought money into the school. A new on campus arena (even a shared one) could have rekindled enthusiasm/recruiting for the program.

In 15 years of attending nearly every home game, I'm at a freaking breaking point. I can't even get my kids excited to attend the games anymore. If you want to blame Shyiak for everything...that's your opinion. I see only one constant over the last 15 years...and he needs to move on.

[uaafanblog]

Re: Fire Dave shyiak

...and your effing electrons are golden. Sorry...I didn't think you were low enough to read the ADN. You see D...you're not the only one who seeks therapy through their posts. I feel strongly that The Almighty Cobb is the main reason we're in this death spiral and quite frankly, the UAA Hockey Alumni have similar feelings.

"He hasn't fought enough for more resources (or at least he hasn't won those fights) for hockey. The failure to have an on campus arena lies above him." is reason enough to toss the bozo out of the state. His stand-alone arena vision...is out there only to appease the masses. It won't happen! If you think so..you are wrong. He's dead-set on staying at the Sully and waiting for them to remodel.

I'm glad the other sports are doing great! I hope to see you at the next cross-country meet...they could sure use your support. The hockey program was the only sports program that brought money into the school. A new on campus arena (even a shared one) could have rekindled enthusiasm/recruiting for the program.

In 15 years of attending nearly every home game, I'm at a freaking breaking point. I can't even get my kids excited to attend the games anymore. If you want to blame Shyiak for everything...that's your opinion. I see only one constant over the last 15 years...and he needs to move on.

Bill Spindle is the problem if you must know. He is the responsible person on the ladder. He and every President of the University. They are the purse string holders. They all went to bat for a sweet 110 million dollar arena to be located on Northern Lights and Bragaw. Was that 2006/07? In any case, it was a solid proposal that included separate facilities for hockey and bball/vball etc ... as well as central access for the entire city while still being on-campus. Sarah Palin vetoed it during in her first budget cuts as governess. And everyone on UAA's campus promptly put their tails between their legs and ran away from it like they'd been beaten down. It was that brutal loss that led to them coming back with the insufficient and ridiculous crap they are having built now.

Want to fix the administrative side of the UAA Hockey program? Put the Athletic Director job directly under the President instead of under Bill Spindle and the Dept of Administration. Until that happens no AD will have any real control. Want that to be someone other than Cobb? Hey, that's fine with me. But it's the ineffectualness of the way the position is structured that is the problem. Replace Cobb now if you want and you'll just get someone in there that has the same restrictions.

This is the institutional problem that the UAA program faces. Replacing Shyiak or Cobb won't fix it. Replacing Shyiak however (with the right person obviously) can fix some of the non-institutional problems that hold back hockey from success. So my point is ... that when you just point fingers at Cobb you aren't helping anything.