http://www.ahcahockey.com/news/0405/0331m1cy.html
The criteria for being considered seem silly. Just because your squad didn't reach the Frozen Four and your fellow coaches didn't select you as the COTY in your conference doesn't mean you shouldn't be a finalist. Even Schafer agrees that Sneddon should have won the league award. The All-America teams don't have the same criteria; why should the Penrose award?
OTOH, it provides a straight forward way to narrow the field of 58 down to 6-10 finalists. And to be honest if you're not the "best" coach in your conference how can you really be the "best" in the country? Of course, I say the same with teams and the national championship, so take that opinion with a grain or three of salt.
BTW - I still kind of think Sneddon would have won if he wasn't on his way to Hockey East next year.
Interesting point. I figured he should have won, but had not thought of that. I have lived in VT for 8 years and have seen how far their program had declined. Since Sneddon turned Union around recently, I figured he could do the job, but I had no idea he could do it so quickly.
At some point the hockey coaches have to recognize what Schafer has done at Cornell.
BU's Jackie Parker deserves one more COTY award before he signs off. The guy has outlasted more Cornell coaches that Castro has U.S. presidents.
[Q]billhoward Wrote:
At some point the hockey coaches have to recognize what Schafer has done at Cornell. [/q]
Like COTY 2 of the previous 3 years?
I also agree Sneddon deserved it more this year, but the politics of leaving the conference must have played in, so they fell back on their ol' standby :)
It would have been plain wrong for UVM to win the whitelaw or COTY and then go to hockey east in the fall. I'm impressed with Sneddon in terms of turning around the catamounts, but his team is leaving the conference. Goodluck to them next year, but I don't really care. I'm an ECACHL man.
Ben, I can see how you think it might be wrong for Sneddon to win COTY (although I respectfully disagree, its not his fault UVM is leaving) but I don't know how it could be "plain wrong" for them to win the Whitelaw. If they had won it, they would have earned it, far and square. Although its all moot, because once again, the Whitelaw comes home to Ithaca
[Q]gobigred24 Wrote:
I don't know how it could be "plain wrong" for them [UVM] to win the Whitelaw. If they had won it, they would have earned it, far and square.[/q]
But what would have happened to the ECAC Championship Belt???
::nut::
[Q]jtwcornell91 Wrote:
[Q2]gobigred24 Wrote:
I don't know how it could be "plain wrong" for them to win the Whitelaw. If they had won it, they would have earned it, far and square.[/Q]
But what would have happened to the ECAC Championship Belt???[/q]
They would have had to put it on the line the next time they took on an ECAC team, even if it would then be an OOC game for Vermont.
[Q]billhoward Wrote:
BU's Jackie Parker deserves one more COTY award before he signs off. The guy has outlasted more Cornell coaches that Castro has U.S. presidents. [/q]
Parker is more ruthless.
The criteria is braindead on purpose -- the auto-generation of nominations is designed to avoid controversy. The NCAA's considerable and expanding butt is covered. I wonder if this criteria is used for all COTY in all D-I sports.
This way, all the backbiting is transferred to the friendly confines of the league awards.
[q]Ben, I can see how you think it might be wrong for Sneddon to win COTY (although I respectfully disagree, its not his fault UVM is leaving) but I don't know how it could be "plain wrong" for them to win the Whitelaw. If they had won it, they would have earned it, far and square.[/q]It would be "just plain wrong" for UVM to have won the Whitelaw in the sense of injustice, which has nothing to do with whether or not they "earned" it.
I find it extremely hard to believe that Sneddon is guiltless in the HE move. I hardly think he was begging the UVM president to stay in the ECAC.
Who has "the" championship belt these days. I can't bring myself to search USCHO to learn the exciting ::snore:: truth.
I think I looked through this a few weeks ago and I came up with Colorado College who would certainly still have it
[Q]I think I looked through this a few weeks ago and I came up with Colorado College who would certainly still have it [/q]If CC had the belt a few weeks ago then Denver has it now. Unless you're saying that Denver won the belt from Colgate or Michigan.
If we accept our standard reference ( http://www.elynah.com/?champbelt ), up to the last listing, Miami University won the belt from University of Nebraska Omaha on 1/22/05. The next loss I see for Miami is to Western Michigan on 2/5/05. Northern Michigan took it from them 2/12/05. Western Michigan regained it 3/11/05, but turned it right back to Northern Michigan the next night, 3/12/05. Alaska-Fairbanks took it from them 3/17/05, then coughed it up to Michigan the next night, 3/18/05. The CCHA site ( http://ccha.collegesports.com/sports/m-hockey/sched/ccha-m-hockey-sched.html ) claims to have all the games, in and out of conference, so it's a convenient reference. This bears checking.
I still haven't done the box scores from Minny so I definitely haven't gotten to the champ belt for a while. It's correct to its last listing though.
WMU did not take The Belt from NMU on 3/12. It was ruled a while back that in multi-game playoff series, The Belt would not be awarded until the series ended. This was done to preclude having a losing team of a series get The Belt as could happen in a two-game, total-goal series (remember them?). You are correct that Michigan won The Belt on 3/18. Colorado College won it on 3/26 which is where it is now.
Does anyone else find it wrong that The Belt can bounce around the CCHA for two months, held by teams sometimes good but mostly mediocre or worse, and the ECAC (not to mention its best team this year, Cornell) can't get the belt FOR ONE FRICKIN' NIGHT?! Sigh. Such is the nature of conference schedules, I guess. I know The Belt is fictional and of course no coaches give it heed, but still, it's frustrating.
[Q]Will Wrote:
Does anyone else find it wrong that The Belt can bounce around the CCHA for two months, held by teams sometimes good but mostly mediocre or worse, and the ECAC (not to mention its best team this year, Cornell) can't get the belt FOR ONE FRICKIN' NIGHT?! Sigh. Such is the nature of conference schedules, I guess. I know The Belt is fictional and of course no coaches give it heed, but still, it's frustrating.[/q]
Clarkson had it from 12/11/04 until 12/31/04, but didn't have the courtesy to lose it to another ECAC school.
[Q]ursaminor Wrote:
[Q2]Will Wrote:
Does anyone else find it wrong that The Belt can bounce around the CCHA for two months, held by teams sometimes good but mostly mediocre or worse, and the ECAC (not to mention its best team this year, Cornell) can't get the belt FOR ONE FRICKIN' NIGHT?! Sigh. Such is the nature of conference schedules, I guess. I know The Belt is fictional and of course no coaches give it heed, but still, it's frustrating.[/Q]
Clarkson had it from 12/11/04 until 12/31/04, but didn't have the courtesy to lose it to another ECAC school.
[/q]
In that case, I'll amend my statement to say...thanks a lot Clarkson for relieving the CCHA of The Belt for all of one game's time this season. Merry Christmas. ::rolleyes:: Not that this matters, of course, but like I said, it's frustrating.
Well, it could just as easily bounce around the ECAC for months with no chance for the CCHA if the timing is right. Or it could even head to AH conceivably. It would definitely be helpful to have an eastern team win the national title though, because that would ensure the belt starts the year in the east.
According to INCH...Gwozdecky won
http://insidecollegehockey.com/7Archives/News/gwozdecky_0331.htm
Denver's site says that Hakstol, Owens and Schafer were the runners-up
http://denverpioneers.collegesports.com/sports/m-hockey/spec-rel/041205aaa.html
Oh cmon, his team didnt improve at all from last year! :-( :-( :-(
[Q]French Rage Wrote:
Oh cmon, his team didnt improve at all from last year! [/q]
Post of the week.