>How do you figure Jack Semler gets credit for building this winning division
>program.  The team was not very good when he was there.  Shawn Walsh is the
>man who built this program into a force.  He deserves the credit.
 
Shawn deserves the "modern day" credit of bringing a struggling D-I
performer to the elite of D-I.
 
But Jack Semler, his assistants and players and the Friends of Maine
Hockey, *created* Maine hockey.  Not only did Semler start the program,
but his D-II teams were very successful and wildly popular.  Once Maine
switched to D-I (third year), a downhill slide showed itself in terms of
recruiting and performance.  IMHO, Semler was uncomfortable in his now
"new" position of D-I head coach, and the results came from that.
 
I have many fond memories of those players and coaches, from pizza and
beer at Pats, to volunteering with some for Special Olympics, to my
learning to skate from one of the early assistants, to helping smooth
the way for Alfond-use by both the team and youth hockey community ...
they're the best in my book.
 
Fwiw, the referenced article was an interview with Bill Demianiuk (sp),
as a "where are they now"-type of article.  Bill was a leader from our
Freshman season and was captain of the team for his 3rd and 4th years.
 
Cheers and best regards to Jack, Bill, Gary, Jay, Andre and many others
that built the house that Shawn Walsh and recent others have decorated!
 
Wayne T. Smith
[log in to unmask]                          Old Town Landing
Co-owner of the College Hockey lists - Hockey-L/Info-Hockey-L/Hockey3