>Date: Wed, 20 Nov 1996 09:56:35 CST >From: Ken Pavelle <[log in to unmask]> >Subject: Re: Harvard Men 2 - Brown 1 > >As a Cornell fan, this scenario makes me think of one name: Brian >McCutcheon. He recruited some great talent, but nonetheless almost >killed the Cornell hockey tradition. A new coach comes in, and POOF - >the players are playing at, if not beyond their abilities. I don't necessarily think there was anything magical about Cornell's success last year, nor do I think that it can be solely attributed to new coaches. I think that the players' maturity, experience, dedication and motivation, along with the talent, had much to do with their success (yes, obviously the coaches do play a role in this). In speaking with some of the upperclassmen, they themselves understood that there might be a couple of rocky years at first and it would take some fortitude to get through it, but that they could expect better things during their junior/senior years (this would have been last year). This was discussed BEFORE McCutcheon ever left and Schafer started. I'm not defending McCutcheon, nor am I discounting what Schafer has done (I don't know either of them); I'm just saying that I think there's a lot more to a team's success than just a change in coaches. Just my two cents... Kim HOCKEY-L is for discussion of college ice hockey; send information to [log in to unmask], The College Hockey Information List.