Thanks, Sid, for posting the Monahan article. I just saw it myself. Saves me the time of typing it in. :-) It's true that the original ad specified an need for a person with head coaching experience, but it didn't specify that the person hired had to have been a head coach at the DivI level. The ad read, in part (dug this out from my archives): "QUALIFICATIONS: Bachelor's degree from accredited institution required, Master's degree preferred. Successful Ice Hockey coaching experience required as well as demonstrated ability to develop and administer a Division I program." There can be no doubt that Mallen has met all of these qualifications; he doesn't have a master's according to the BC media guide, but note that this was only preferred. Sid may be right in theorizing that a fear that Jackson would not recruit Americans played a part, although I showed that this was probably unfounded. We can't know. But I also think that the fact that Mallen is intimately familiar with New England recruiting weighed heavily, and he does have success in prior head coaching (though not in DivI) as well as administering a DivI program (BC); developing a DivI program is one criteria that Mallen may or may not have met. BC has been established for a long time, although Mallen did serve as an assistant at USIU for a year. My guess is that a variety of factors influenced the decision, and the fact that Mallen has experience in nearly all facets of being involved with a DivI program along with being familiar with NE recruiting was what led to him being selected. Even if Jackson got the job, I have to doubt Mallen would leave his position as top assistant at BC to take a similar position at UMass. I don't actually know much about Mallen, so I'm not in a position to give a valid opinion on the choice. From what I have heard, it seems that he'll likely do a good job. I wish him the best and look forward to seeing his teams. As Merrimack will be opening up at home against UMass in October, I should be able to get a first-hand look at how the Minutemen are shaping up. --- Mike Machnik [log in to unmask] Color Voice of the Merrimack Warriors alternate address days: [log in to unmask] *HMN* 11/13/93 (Any opinions expressed above are strictly those of the poster.)