Patrick Moore writes: --------- As a loyal Badger fan, I would have a tough time voting for Sauer as WCHA coach of the year. Why? 1) He inherited one of the top programs in the country. I expect no less than a top three finish in the WCHA every year. This may seem unreasonable, but look at Wisconsin's history and note that Wisconsin is one of the few schools that doesn't have to recruit (in the real sense). Top notch players are knocking down the doors to play at Wisconsin. --------- Umm...er...Yes, he did inherit a great program...about 13 years ago! How long does he have to coach at WI before it becomes his program? As far as players knocking down the door...Wisconsin suffers somewhat by not having a great high school hockey base to recruit from. Most high schoolers in MN want to play for a Minnesota college. The same for Mass. and Mich. high schoolers too I'd imagine. Look where Wisconsin gets it's talent. Most of the players come from Canada, MN, and the east where the competition for these players is high. How many players on the Badgers are from WI? And look at the talent that we've lost to other schools. The Ferraro brothers were considering WI, but they chose to go elsewhere. Reggie Berg just signed a letter with MN, but was considering WI. And now the younger Kariya is considering WI (I think). But I don't see any doors being knocked down. --------- 2) He has recruited the 'head cases' of the last few years. Given, he may have learned how to coach these 'head cases' now, but that's still not enough for COTY honors. --------- It's a little difficult to tell if a guy is going to be a "head case" when he's 17 or 18. --------- 3) Under Sauer, the Badgers have been one of the most inconsistent teams in past years. With all the talent that has been at Wisconsin, it shouldn't be hard to be more consistent. I do admire his ability to get the team up for the big games (I wouldn't want to coach or play against Wisconsin in the NCAA tournament). --------- I wouldn't call 7 straight NC$$ tourny apearances inconsistant. --------- 4) The Badgers have suffered from penalties throughout Sauer's career. In watching the games, almost every turning point in a major game that Wisconsin has lost has been due to penalties. I think it is the coaches job to recruit, coach and play players who do not constantly sit in the penalty box. Sauer seems to like to have goons on his teams. --------- I think that this is true with just about any team. Many games turn on a crucial penalty, not just Wisconsin games. And I think that you'll find many teams have so called "goons" on their teams. Usually these guys are physical players and they play with intensity, but that doesn't make them goons. Some guys amass penalty minutes because opposing teams go after the guy. Look at Minnesota's Crowley. He seems to have quite a few penalty minutes as does Landon Wilson of NODak. but these are big physical guys, and I wouldn't label them as goons. Hey, I was glad to see Zent, Moore, and Shirer's penalty minutes gone this year, but I also miss their abilty to put the puck in the net. I'm not on the "Sauer for COTY" bandwagon, I just thought these remarks were a bit critical. End of speech. Rob Holmes UW-Madison Meteorologist at large