I think this Warriors team would benefit from a new coach with a different approach. We've been attending MC men's hockey games since Dennehey took over the team from Chris Serino. Those teams didn't have the skill levels of the teams under Borek but had drive and attitude that seems lacking in MC teams of more recent years. Sure, there are many factors that can play into how a team gels and plays but the style of play these days seems to show a lack of confidence and strength. We leave the rink bewildered more often than we'd like.
Respectfully, I disagree (strongly). Merrimack has a lot of obstacles in HEA, including resources and facilities. In many ways, they're playing with one arm tied behind their back. Yet, these teams have been as competitive (nationally) as they've ever been.
An NHL agent said to me last week, "It's a miracle [Merrimack] isn't last in HEA every year."
Be careful what you wish for ... in today's college hockey, a coaching change means blowing things up and completely starting over. Maine revamped quickly, but Merrimack doesn't have the facilities or resources Maine has at its disposal.
This year's team is objectively better than last year's team. Win total might be the same, but this year's team faced a significantly harder schedule. They're doing it with mostly freshmen and sophomores and key positions. That's significant progress, and blowing that up at this time would be crippling and not a wise move. Look at Dennehy's first two seasons, or Borek's first two seasons. That's what happens after a coaching change at Merrimack, but that's what happened when players DID NOT have the ability to leave immediately in the transfer portal.
Not only is a coaching change not what's needed at Merrimack, but if they did pull that trigger, it could be catastrophic for the program, at least in the short term.
At some point, you have to look historically at the program and ask why they've consistently been in the bottom half of the league standings year after year. That's been the case with four different head coaches. They've finished above .500 just four times since 1989. Is it really just the coaching?
The rebuilding programs -- Maine, UMass, UMass Lowell in the 2010s, Providence -- there's a common thread in all of those stories. It wasn't just a new coach. It was a new coach plus a complete and total overhaul of how those schools supported their programs.
Sorry, long answer haha. But I'll be honest, I don't think a coaching change is warranted or deserved. And, I don't think it would solve their issues.
Been a hockey for the last 10+ years, when my kids sharting playing, but new follower to Merrimack hockey this season and have become a huge fan. Mike, it’s been an absolute pleasure to follow you and listen to your insights. I agree 100% with what you are saying. My question is how do you get Merrimack to wake up and start investing in this program? What resources and facilities do they need to take next step and do you think it will ever happen? Lawler seems to have gotten a facelift, which is nice, but at the end of the day it still is what it is. The school is growing and expanding and seems to be doing some amazing things. I feel like this program isn't far away and really want to see it get there. Thoughts?
I don't think it's just a lack of "want" necessarily. They have competitive people there who want to win. I think it's more a lack of "have" than anything else.
Endowments aren't the best way to compare financials, but it’s a good reference point.
Boston College: $3.8 billion
Boston University: $3.5 billion
Northeastern: $1.9 billion
UMass: $1.5 billion
Vermont: $896 million
UConn: $577 million
UNH: $475 million
Maine: $436 million
Providence: $317 million
UMass Lowell: $149 million
Merrimack: $65.7 million
Using EADA filings (2019-20 was the last time I could get filings for all HEA schools), there is huge gap in budget.
Merrimack spent $2,466,819 on men’s hockey that season, which was 9th out of 11 schools. At the time, Vermont and Maine were below the Warriors slightly (although I bet that’s not the case anymore, at least at Maine).
Here was the full list:
1. Providence $4.7 million
2. Boston College $4.5 million
3. UMass $3.4 million
4. Boston University $3.3 million
5. UConn $3.3 million
6. Northeastern $3.1 million
7. UMass Lowell $3.1 million
8. UNH $2.8 million
9. Merrimack $2.5 million
10. Vermont $2.4 million
11. Maine $2.2 million
Again, I think they’d love to pump more resources into hockey, they just don’t have the resources other schools have.
The in-arena facility at Lawler is fine. But the under-the-hood facilities need to be upgraded. I’ve written this before, but I’d pump a lot of money into development facilities. Weight room, shooting room, VR training, etc.
I think there needs to be a deeper understanding of what other schools in HEA (and the country) are doing to become successful. I’m in a situation, covering the sport nationally, where I talk to different people/coaches in different leagues (and HEA) all the time.
Merrimack should be asking itself what has made Minnesota State sustainable? Quinnipiac? Clarkson? None of those schools have big pockets but they’ve invested in key areas over a span of years that has helped sustain them as top-20 programs annually.
What I see right now at Merrimack is a program that has had two top-10 recruiting classes in the last 4 years. Those are the ONLY top 10 recruiting classes in the history of the program, and there are more projected out into the future.
That's not ME saying top 10. That's Neutral Zone, an independent firm that covers recruiting.
Right now, I'd say 7 out of their 9 best players are freshmen or sophomores. That's a good start. This current group can be the next group that contends for a spot at the Garden when they are juniors/seniors (my opinion).
Last year was a disappointing. That's the one season where I thought "they should have been better." This season was going to be a rebuilding year, and they've improved over last year despite their youth. That's a great sign moving forward.
Blowing that up makes zero hockey sense. At least not to me, and I think anyone else who objectively looks at Merrimack and the rest of college hockey.
Again, they've been above .500 four times in 35 years, with four different head coaches. The only two coaches who have managed winning seasons are Dennehy (2/13) and Borek (2/6, throwing out COVID).
Thanks for all this. Wow, a lot of information here to digest. It all makes sense though. You would know better than me, but it does seem like Merrimack itself is at a bit of a crossroads. Overall it does seem like a lot of buzz and excitement with the school itself as a whole. Maybe more so than ever before in Merrimack's history? Football seems to be gaining momentum - haven't been to a game, but they seem to become somewhat of an "event" with tailgates and a party atmosphere, etc. New academic buildings and dorms going up and student population rapidly increasing. Acceptance to the MAAC conference seems to be big as well. It appears as if they are trying to take the next step and align themselves overall as a school with some solid places like Quinnipiac, SHU, Marist, Fairfield, etc.? Hopefully all this can infuse more cash in and they can invest more in the sports programs. Thoughts?
I think this Warriors team would benefit from a new coach with a different approach. We've been attending MC men's hockey games since Dennehey took over the team from Chris Serino. Those teams didn't have the skill levels of the teams under Borek but had drive and attitude that seems lacking in MC teams of more recent years. Sure, there are many factors that can play into how a team gels and plays but the style of play these days seems to show a lack of confidence and strength. We leave the rink bewildered more often than we'd like.
Respectfully, I disagree (strongly). Merrimack has a lot of obstacles in HEA, including resources and facilities. In many ways, they're playing with one arm tied behind their back. Yet, these teams have been as competitive (nationally) as they've ever been.
An NHL agent said to me last week, "It's a miracle [Merrimack] isn't last in HEA every year."
Be careful what you wish for ... in today's college hockey, a coaching change means blowing things up and completely starting over. Maine revamped quickly, but Merrimack doesn't have the facilities or resources Maine has at its disposal.
This year's team is objectively better than last year's team. Win total might be the same, but this year's team faced a significantly harder schedule. They're doing it with mostly freshmen and sophomores and key positions. That's significant progress, and blowing that up at this time would be crippling and not a wise move. Look at Dennehy's first two seasons, or Borek's first two seasons. That's what happens after a coaching change at Merrimack, but that's what happened when players DID NOT have the ability to leave immediately in the transfer portal.
Not only is a coaching change not what's needed at Merrimack, but if they did pull that trigger, it could be catastrophic for the program, at least in the short term.
At some point, you have to look historically at the program and ask why they've consistently been in the bottom half of the league standings year after year. That's been the case with four different head coaches. They've finished above .500 just four times since 1989. Is it really just the coaching?
The rebuilding programs -- Maine, UMass, UMass Lowell in the 2010s, Providence -- there's a common thread in all of those stories. It wasn't just a new coach. It was a new coach plus a complete and total overhaul of how those schools supported their programs.
Sorry, long answer haha. But I'll be honest, I don't think a coaching change is warranted or deserved. And, I don't think it would solve their issues.
Been a hockey for the last 10+ years, when my kids sharting playing, but new follower to Merrimack hockey this season and have become a huge fan. Mike, it’s been an absolute pleasure to follow you and listen to your insights. I agree 100% with what you are saying. My question is how do you get Merrimack to wake up and start investing in this program? What resources and facilities do they need to take next step and do you think it will ever happen? Lawler seems to have gotten a facelift, which is nice, but at the end of the day it still is what it is. The school is growing and expanding and seems to be doing some amazing things. I feel like this program isn't far away and really want to see it get there. Thoughts?
I don't think it's just a lack of "want" necessarily. They have competitive people there who want to win. I think it's more a lack of "have" than anything else.
Endowments aren't the best way to compare financials, but it’s a good reference point.
Boston College: $3.8 billion
Boston University: $3.5 billion
Northeastern: $1.9 billion
UMass: $1.5 billion
Vermont: $896 million
UConn: $577 million
UNH: $475 million
Maine: $436 million
Providence: $317 million
UMass Lowell: $149 million
Merrimack: $65.7 million
Using EADA filings (2019-20 was the last time I could get filings for all HEA schools), there is huge gap in budget.
Merrimack spent $2,466,819 on men’s hockey that season, which was 9th out of 11 schools. At the time, Vermont and Maine were below the Warriors slightly (although I bet that’s not the case anymore, at least at Maine).
Here was the full list:
1. Providence $4.7 million
2. Boston College $4.5 million
3. UMass $3.4 million
4. Boston University $3.3 million
5. UConn $3.3 million
6. Northeastern $3.1 million
7. UMass Lowell $3.1 million
8. UNH $2.8 million
9. Merrimack $2.5 million
10. Vermont $2.4 million
11. Maine $2.2 million
Again, I think they’d love to pump more resources into hockey, they just don’t have the resources other schools have.
The in-arena facility at Lawler is fine. But the under-the-hood facilities need to be upgraded. I’ve written this before, but I’d pump a lot of money into development facilities. Weight room, shooting room, VR training, etc.
I think there needs to be a deeper understanding of what other schools in HEA (and the country) are doing to become successful. I’m in a situation, covering the sport nationally, where I talk to different people/coaches in different leagues (and HEA) all the time.
Merrimack should be asking itself what has made Minnesota State sustainable? Quinnipiac? Clarkson? None of those schools have big pockets but they’ve invested in key areas over a span of years that has helped sustain them as top-20 programs annually.
What I see right now at Merrimack is a program that has had two top-10 recruiting classes in the last 4 years. Those are the ONLY top 10 recruiting classes in the history of the program, and there are more projected out into the future.
That's not ME saying top 10. That's Neutral Zone, an independent firm that covers recruiting.
Right now, I'd say 7 out of their 9 best players are freshmen or sophomores. That's a good start. This current group can be the next group that contends for a spot at the Garden when they are juniors/seniors (my opinion).
Last year was a disappointing. That's the one season where I thought "they should have been better." This season was going to be a rebuilding year, and they've improved over last year despite their youth. That's a great sign moving forward.
Blowing that up makes zero hockey sense. At least not to me, and I think anyone else who objectively looks at Merrimack and the rest of college hockey.
Again, they've been above .500 four times in 35 years, with four different head coaches. The only two coaches who have managed winning seasons are Dennehy (2/13) and Borek (2/6, throwing out COVID).
Hi Mike,
Thanks for all this. Wow, a lot of information here to digest. It all makes sense though. You would know better than me, but it does seem like Merrimack itself is at a bit of a crossroads. Overall it does seem like a lot of buzz and excitement with the school itself as a whole. Maybe more so than ever before in Merrimack's history? Football seems to be gaining momentum - haven't been to a game, but they seem to become somewhat of an "event" with tailgates and a party atmosphere, etc. New academic buildings and dorms going up and student population rapidly increasing. Acceptance to the MAAC conference seems to be big as well. It appears as if they are trying to take the next step and align themselves overall as a school with some solid places like Quinnipiac, SHU, Marist, Fairfield, etc.? Hopefully all this can infuse more cash in and they can invest more in the sports programs. Thoughts?