Hi -
 
On Sat, 13 Jul 1996, Steve Weisfeldt wrote:
> According to sources, UMass-Lowell's search committee has narrowed the
> number of candidates for the head coaching position to two finalists:
>
> Tim Whitehead, 35, an assistant at UML for the past 5 years.  Tim was an
> assistant at Maine in 1990-91 and at Middlebury College from 1988-90.
>
> Blaise MacDonald, 33, head coach at Niagara University.  Blaise is a
> native of Billerica, MA (where UML's rink is), and was an assistant at BU
> from 1990-95.  He was also an assistant at Lowell under Billy Riley from
> 1988-90.
 
  Hmmm, *IF* MacDonald, Lowell, and Niagara agree to this, MacDonald will
have "represented" Niagara as head coach (without a team) even less time
(barely long enough to entice the NC$$s to hold the Phrozen Phour in
Buffalo) than Ben Smith did at Dartmouth before *he* bolted after only a
short time there to become head coach at N'Eastern.  Of course, he's now
resigned *that* position to become the US Woman's National Team coach, and
Bruce Crowder, formerly the head coach at UML, has now moved on to take
over for Ben Smith at N'Eastern.  My head's spinning ....  I wonder if
MacDonald has an "out" clause in his contract the way Lou Holtz did at
Minnesota (although, if Steve W. and Dave H. will forgive me, UML ain't
the Notre Dame of college hockey ... Besides - there already *is* a Notre
Dame of college hockey, skating in South Bend too :-)
 
   The revolving door amongst DivI college hockey head coaching ranks just
keeps on spinning it seems, although you'd think someone would notice that
many (if not most) of the recent NC$$ Championships have been won by
programs whose coachs have been at the helm long enough to run a tab at
their local coffee shop: Jeff Jackson at LSSU (since departed, but he did
his job well); Jack Parker at BU, Red Berenson at Michigan, Shawn Walsh at
Maine (at least until the NC$$ strips them of their title); Bill Cleary at
Harvard; etc., etc.  There's obviously something to this loyalty/longevity
thing after all ....
 
  Jim
  Go Blue!! (or as Joe L. would say - someday we'll win :-)
 
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