>Chuck had one of the two most difficult jobs in Division 1 college
>hockey. (Mike Riley at Army has the other)
>
>The NC$$ forces the service academies to play at the Division 1 level.
>Unfortunately, the service academies can not recruit on an even basis
>with the remaining Division 1 Programs.
>1) They can not even look at Canadian Players
>2) They are typically restricted to recruiting "straight out of
>   high school" athletes
>3) Coming to the academy practically shuts the door on a future in
>   professional hockey
>4) The academy can apparently no longer guarantee pilot training as
>   an inducement.
==============Reply=============
And, despite these truly insurmountable problems, Delich was able to
upgrade to a true Division I schedule and be very competitive. USAFA lost a
hell of a lot of games this year, but didn't lose many by a lot of goals.
His teams hustled, kept their heads up, and played good defense, even
though they were virtually always outmanned.
 
Delich is a good hockey guy and a good guy period. He understood the
limitations of the system USAFA plays within and realized that there was
little likelihood that the Academy will ever be a force in Division I
hockey.
 
One wonders what will be expected of his successor. I don't think that
there is a coach in the country who could win there consistently, unless
they manage to cut back to a D-II or D-III schedule. Not Shawn Walsh, not
Ron Mason, not Crowder or Lucia or Parker.
 
It's as if Doug Woog were restricted to players from Sri Lanka.
 
--Jeff Partnow ([log in to unmask])
UAF-- Getting great in '98!
 
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