Matt,

Thanks for the update on what's going on...a few thought of my own

Carl Hamilton via Bill Dewkett

 

I'm not a statistics zealot, so accept the challenge if forthcoming if I am
off somewhat on specifics, but I have had season tickets since 1981, been to
every HE playoff in Boston, most NCAA quarter finals and all NCAA finals
from our fist in Lake Placid, except LA and I do not know how one cannot
refute the FACT that ME Hockey has gone from a premier program to a an also
ran under Mr. Whitehead's tenure. 

 

Tim's first year with Shawn's team we lost the national championship game in
OT to Minnesota in St. Paul, the next year same thing in Boston to Denver,
after that with Tim's recruits learning and buying into his system it's been
down hill. Home ice for the HE playoffs is now a grand prize where it was an
automatic choice to include the home ice tickets in the season ticket
package, as was block out vacation days for Boston and the final before it
became the frozen four. I've seen it almost all and it ain't pretty!  Shawn
built the program to national prominence and under Mr. Whitehead it has
become a mediocre used to be great with six-eight years of failure int
re-establishing it as a premier program. While one expects off years, how
can one ignore the emergence of schools, like Vermont, Lowell, and this year
Merrimack - -perennial success at our arch rivals, BC, BU, - three national
championships -  and even always competitive UNH while UMaine flounders in
the bottom half of HE. SOMETHING IS WRONG! And, it doesn't take a genius to
see it.  

 

If one has hope, wait until ND joins HE, we'll be one more notch down one
the HE ladder. A few years back Mr. Whitehead was publicly voicing not to
expect too much because he had a young team. The same year Notre Dame was in
the NCAA finals with 17 freshmen playing - COME ON! All programs challenges
in recruiting, but the emerging and stead fast favorites face the same.
We've had setbacks in goal, but numerous others have somehow found freshmen
who could excel in HE and after four years were legacies of their programs.
Again SOMETHING IS WRONG! 

 

Jack Parker said many years ago at a regular season home game on senior
night when asked by I think Larry Mahonney what his opinion was for Maine's
prospects the next year given that they were loosing so and so and so forth.
I'll always remember Jack's response saying that he expected "Maine would be
just fine as Shawn had enough guys red shirted who could have started that
year on any team in HE" and sure enough Jack was right on, it was like we
didn't miss a rush, check, or save..Now that was Maine HOCKEY that Shawn
built.

 

Mr. Whitehead is a nice enough guy, personable, and all, BUT as in all
sports programs, the ultimate measure is WINNING and he gets a failing
grade. The ultimate insult is our recent back to back home series loss to
Lowell who hadn't won two at Alfond since the mid - 1980's. I suspect this
is maybe the last to fall of so many records that made Alfond famous for an
intimidating place for away teams to play. Put that thought up against Mr.
Whitehead's comments a couple years ago trying to explain Maine's dismal
record at home by pointing out that his young team was intimidated by the
tradition and expectations of the home crowd to WIN at home! COME ON -
SOMETHING"S WRONG HERE! And it isn't just no more Stanbrook. After eight
years of progressive decline and no hint of rebounding, let alone confidence
from past performance that he's capable of turning it around, if Maine wants
a competitive, premier hockey program instead odf accepting the status quo,
it's time for Mr. Whitehead to Go!

 

Section L Dude