(03-09-2015 10:50 AM)DudeReally Wrote:  Working through the summers will also serve us well in the long run, so I'm pleased to hear that we're one of the few schools to offer this perk. Let's put it in the recruiting brochure and hope it weeds out the unmotivated. Cardio-wise, I personally wouldn't be pushing the pace too hard in these summer practices until maybe August, and would instead use them to develop hands, muscle, speed, agility, and to have some fun with. Put it in the literature; This is how we do it here in K-zoo.

McKee's made a ton of progress this season and is a new man out there, especially in terms of skating, hands, and awareness. When he finally gets paired with Danny in Detroit he'll probably look back on this season as being the most difficult of his career. He's been called upon and challenged in ways that DeKeyser and Witkowski never were and has risen admirably.

Commitment to our program and time will tell us if going to the best conference in the country was the right call. FYI, it definitely was. In a down year during spring break, we packed Lawson well tonight and were treated to a solid victory over the #6 team in the country. What a great farewell for our seniors' last game here. The lion's share of our talent returns next year, along with high expectations.

I'll double down on Murray.

(03-09-2015 11:05 AM)DudeReally Wrote:  

(03-09-2015 10:50 AM)DudeReally Wrote:  Working through the summers will also serve us well in the long run, so I'm pleased to hear that we're one of the few schools to offer this perk. Let's put it in the recruiting brochure and hope it weeds out the unmotivated. Cardio-wise, I personally wouldn't be pushing the pace too hard in these summer practices until maybe August, and would instead use them to develop hands, muscle, speed, agility, and to have some fun with. Put it in the literature; This is how we do it here in K-zoo.

McKee's made a ton of progress this season and is a new man out there, especially in terms of skating, hands, and awareness. When he finally gets paired with Danny in Detroit he'll probably look back on this season as being the most difficult of his career. He's been called upon and challenged in ways that DeKeyser and Witkowski never were and has risen admirably.

Commitment to our program and time will tell us if going to the best conference in the country was the right call. FYI, it definitely was. In a down year during spring break, we packed Lawson well tonight and were treated to a solid victory over the #6 team in the country. What a great farewell for our seniors' last game here. The lion's share of our talent returns next year, along with high expectations.

I'll double down on Murray.

Agree with your assesment of Saturday night. Awesome win for the Seniors, and for added confidence going into the playoffs.

Also 100% agree about Big Mike. Great improvement over last year!

Still disagree with the summer workout program. Give the kids a break. Give them time to get away from it, see thier family and friends, get a break from the micro-managing coach. Even the NHL'ers get a break. Now, that does't mean the players should sit on the couch and play Xbox all day and drink beer. Give them a written workout plan and clear expectations on what is expected. If they can't or won't meet the expectation, then sit them or get rid of them! They need to come in ready to go. Maybe take May and June off, come in after July 4th and get ready for next year.

(03-10-2015 11:47 AM)brovol Wrote:  We are looking up at the Nebraska-Omaha’s, Bowling Green's, Ferris St’s, Michigan Tech’s, and Minnesota States of the world right now. Who would have thunk it three years ago?

(03-10-2015 11:47 AM)brovol Wrote:  I know you will think I am a negative Nanny, but I don’t feel good about the program right now. When the preseason conference predictions come out before the start of next season, I doubt we will be projected in the top half, and perhaps very low. I know those projections mean nothing, but they are an assessment by people who follow and understand college hockey. Those assessments are as valuable as ours anyway.
Regardless, we don’t seem to be able to put together a real solid stretch of wins over the past few years. I think the quality of competition, along with a lot of travel, has a lot to do with that, but those factors won’t change. I can say this; another losing season will be tough to digest as a program; particularly in this conference. We are looking up at the Nebraska-Omaha’s, Bowling Green's, Ferris St’s, Michigan Tech’s, and Minnesota States of the world right now. Who would have thunk it three years ago?

(03-10-2015 06:43 PM)BroncoFever Wrote:  

(03-10-2015 11:47 AM)brovol Wrote:  I know you will think I am a negative Nanny, but I don’t feel good about the program right now. When the preseason conference predictions come out before the start of next season, I doubt we will be projected in the top half, and perhaps very low. I know those projections mean nothing, but they are an assessment by people who follow and understand college hockey. Those assessments are as valuable as ours anyway.
Regardless, we don’t seem to be able to put together a real solid stretch of wins over the past few years. I think the quality of competition, along with a lot of travel, has a lot to do with that, but those factors won’t change. I can say this; another losing season will be tough to digest as a program; particularly in this conference. We are looking up at the Nebraska-Omaha’s, Bowling Green's, Ferris St’s, Michigan Tech’s, and Minnesota States of the world right now. Who would have thunk it three years ago?

Brovol

You just can't see past the nose on your face, can you? Or in this particular case, our win/loss record...

I suppose you would be the pied-piper for the program if they were competing in the Atlantic and racking up all kind of wins vs the sister of the poor.

Hope to see you in South Bend later this month....

(03-11-2015 10:05 AM)Chipdip2 Wrote:  I'm not a hockey guy, but I tend to agree with Brav.

I don't see this affiliation ever panning out. Nor do I see Big Ten Hockey ever having the same appeal as the CCHA unless more Pig10 schools add hockey.

I'd like to see Minn. Duluth, BG, MI TECH, FERRIS, MIAMI, WMU, NMU, LSS, and possibly get CMU and GVSU to add programs. Ten team bus league with regional ties. Fan base could travel. Build a streaming network, SEREVE BEER, hold the league tourney in GR.

(03-11-2015 07:59 PM)MileHighBronco Wrote:  Going to the WCHA or starting another league would be the equivalent of 'scheduling down.'

(03-12-2015 02:34 PM)bronconick Wrote:  Heck, we play Sparty, Ferris and Notre Dame noncon next year. There's your local games.

(03-12-2015 03:00 PM)The Colonel Wrote:  

(03-12-2015 02:34 PM)bronconick Wrote:  Heck, we play Sparty, Ferris and Notre Dame noncon next year. There's your local games.

And BG, too...

(03-13-2015 06:54 AM)brovol Wrote:  Well, as I said a couple years ago, time will tell who is right; and I hope my prognostications are inaccurate. Unfortunately, the past two seasons have suggested otherwise. We were very much an upwardly mobile hockey program two or three years ago, with high optimism that we would even be challenging for a national championship by now if we stayed on the same course. I was worried that, despite the great optimism and excitement of being in the new elite conference, the very high level of competition each week, without any patsies, as well as the more difficult travel (which it is regardless of what others may suggest), we would find the sledding much tougher, and real solid won/loss records would be hard to come by. I said this would take its toll. It seems so far what has happened has not been too inconsistent with those predictions.

We shall see what happens next year and beyond. I hope fever is right, and we will be great next year because of all the terrific players we will have. If you all want, I will even hold my breath. I just have never liked the situation, conditions or circumstances of this conference. If it works out and we challenge for championships, then my smile will grow large. If we stagnate though, I may say I told you so again.