At 04:11 PM 3/24/97 EST, Steve Weisfeldt wrote:
 
>I have never seen a team
>so uninspired in a big game as UNH was _since_ I saw UNH look equally
>uninspired in the East Regionals two years ago.  Coincidence?  Perhaps.  A
>coach who can't get his players up for a big game?  More likely.  At the
>Centrum Centre Friday, I did wonder if was just my (often cynical) way of
>thinking until I overheard two groups of older UNH alums, who were sitting
>near us, calling for Umile's head.
>
>With all the talent that was on that team, being co-HE champs doesn't
>impress me at all.  I would be very upset if I was a UNH supporter.....
 
 
Two things to comment on here:
 
The first is a debate we've had many, many times here on Hockey-L: is it
the responsibility of the coaching staff to make sure the team is "up for
the big game?" I've often wondered about Parker's ability to keep his team
motivated and focused in big games -- see last year's semi loss to Michigan
and the 9-1 embarassment to Lake State in 1993, not to mention countless
regular-season letdowns -- but even Parker himself admits that he doesn't
feel it's his job to motivate the team. If there's any one person who holds
that responsibility, it's the captain.
 
I tend to agree with that statement, as I feel that the job of the coaching
staff is to teach their players the skills and strategies required to
compete at a successful level. Come game time, many coaches will tell you
that their job is nothing more than ordering line changes, and that aside
from picking which shift/player to hit the ice there is little else a coach
can control when the puck is on the ice.
 
I competed on a professional level (ice and roller speedskating) and had a
great coach. I can't accurately express the value that the coach brought to
my skating, in every level from technique to fitness to strategy. However,
when it came time to race and I was toeing my blade into the ice at the
line, there was only one person who would control my focus -- ME. No matter
what my coach said or did during the days leading up to a big race, if I
wasn't focused or otherwise mentally prepared to compete at my best level,
I would not win.
 
Thus I think that UNH's performance against a very skilled, experienced
Colorado College squad can't be blamed on any one factor -- especially not
Coach Umile.
 
 
Secondly, "with all the talent that was on that team," I would think that
being swept by BU (or any team, for that matter) would be disappointing
enough.
 
 
 
greenie
 
S P O O N ! !
 
GO BU!    (hockey)
GO BU!    (basketball)
GO 'BOWS! (20-6 and no tourney bid? Bull!)
GO BU!    (did I mention hockey?)
 
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