By Meredith Perri/DFP Staff
As a young assistant coach with the University of Nebraska-Omaha, David Quinn and the rest of the team’s coaching staff dressed only 10 forwards and five defensemen in the tail end of a two-game series with Merrimack College.
After seeing Nebraska-Omaha’s lines, the late Chris Serino, who coached Merrimack at the time, came up to the Mavericks’ coaching staff and asked if the team had the flu. The team was healthy, the group responded. They just wanted to play the people who deserved ice time.
“I’m not saying we’re there yet. Maybe we are. Maybe complacency has set in. We were in a position to build on some of the things we were doing well against [the University of] North Dakota and Cornell [University] and we dropped the ball. And when I say we, I mean me included, apparently. I’m sick to my stomach that I don’t think I held on to my end of the bargain, and I’m going to make sure I do.”
With his team limping into the new year, Quinn’s post-game press conference, as well as the final game of the first half, aptly described the theme of the Terriers’ season under the first-year head coach – inconsistent.
While BU found success early in the season, going 3-1 in its first two weeks of play, a trip to Michigan that featured leads blown in the third period derailed the predominantly young Terrier squad. For the next three weeks, the team struggled to score, averaging a mere 1.33 goals per game as it went 1-5 from mid-October to mid-November.
After suffering a 7-0 defeat at the University of Maine on Nov. 15, though, the Terriers began to turn it around, going 3-0-1, including a big win over Cornell University during the fourth installment of Red Hot Hockey. Despite an on-going issue with what Quinn called the team’s shooting mentality, and managing only 11 shots on goal to the Big Red’s 39, BU took the game 3-2.
The next three games gave BU an opportunity to end the 2013 portion of the season four games over .500, and fully recover from its mid-semester slump. When the Terriers came out of the first weekend with only one point and a game where they were “out-everything-ed,” though, the onus went to the contest against Bentley to determine whether the team would finish out the first half above or below the .500 mark.
“We get the goal and we have another chance to make it 3-2, which really would have changed the complexion of the game and we couldn’t do it and they get the empty netter,” Quinn said. “We got more pucks to the net, but I thought we were very perimeter the first two periods.
“To me, it meant more to [Bentley], the first two periods than it did to us. And for what reason I do not know.”
For Quinn, the final three games of 2013 were humiliating.
“We can’t be giving up these chances we’re giving up,” Quinn said. “I’m embarrassed as a coach for what’s happened the last few weeks, and it’s unacceptable.
“I apparently have to be more demanding. That doesn’t mean put them on the goal line and skate them for 45 minutes, but I’m trying to figure out how to push their buttons and how to put them in the mindset to play to the best of their abilities.”
DQ speaks like he has no clue on how to coach.
And you speak like you have no clue about hockey. The fact is, he’s trying to figure out a way to get this pathetic group, sans a FEW, of VERY poorly recruited players, to win. Be grateful they have 7
So a DQ family member wants us to be grateful that DQ has taken us to 7 wins? Hey ho, DQ must go!
ALL the BU people that matter are!
I have followed BU hockey since I was an undergrad in the 60’s. The last few weeks represent a new low.
Naturally, BU didn’t win all of their games over a 50 year period, but its teams were always in the game and NEVER made it easy for the opposition.
DQ was and is still my choice. He has inherited a much larger mess than many realized. Those who blame the recruiting may have a valid concern: we don’t seem to have many kids who can put the puck in the net. There aren’t any Sterlings, Meaghars, Cullens, Amontes, or Drurys in the offing.
Let’s hope the second half sees an awakening and we get back to playing BU hockey.
60s BU hockey alum-
You do remember the end of the 1997-98 season (losing to Merrimack in the playoffs at WBA) and the 1998-99 season, especially the beginning, right? Or the recent year they barely qualified for the playoffs in a 9 team league?
Or you’re not a 1960s BU alum.
RELAX people…..FACT: This group of kids is just not quality Division 1/ Hockey East material, aside from MAYBE a couple. New players are coming with far more talent than they have now, which in turn will make Quinn’s job much easier. I’m amazed they even have 7 wins with what her has to work with. Quinn has got great hockey sense, an uncanny eye for recruiting, (2009 shows that) and obviously can squeeze talent out of mediocre players, at bes, since he is only 1 game under 500. I’m very excited to see him transform this program back into the powerhouse it once was. The angry comments about Quinn’s coaching ability are either out of frustration or from someone who is just immature and trying to stir the pot. All the posters here, who know about hockey and the process it takes for a new coach (i.e.Nate Leman, first season 7-6-3 at end of semester and ended up 14-20-4 overall and 8-7-1 at this time, ended up 17-14-7) I can’t wait to see the process and the rebuilding and watching all the new recruits come in under Quinn. It’s going to be exciting!
Yet Parker somehow managed to take this same group of “losers” all the way to the HE championship game and NOT get blown out by BC along the way.
One word….FRESHMEN!
BC, Michigan, and Northeastern have more freshman and they are doing fine. In fact, BC is the youngest team in college hockey. DQ is just a failure no matter how much his family members defend his incompetence.
Freshmen was correcting the nitwit above, which in fact is YOU, the only loser on here, claiming this is the same bunch of kids from last year. EVERYONE knows the freshmen on the above mentioned teams are far superior than BU’s. Just check their draft positions. . You’re a joke and guess what??? I AM a friend of Quinn’s so for once, you’re right! Keep up with the defamatory ( this will help you out…
defamatory (dɪˈfæmətərɪ, -trɪ)
— adj
injurious to someone’s name or reputation)
comments about his family and your’re going to find yourself in some hot water. EVERYTHING on the internet leaves a fingerprint…
Wow – DQ family members and supporters have really gone over the edge in their futile attempt to defend DQ’s destruction of our hockey program.
He doesn’t need defending since no one cares what you think. End of story.
Interesting to see DQ finally admit that he can’t motivate the players. How much longer will it be before he admits that he can’t coach?
He’s coached at much higher levels than this before. And he has a history of doing an excellent job working with college players. When there’s a coaching change, there’s gonna be an adjustment period. That’s how it works.
PATIENCE.
ignore the comments above yours…the poster basically cuts and pastes the same comments regardless of the game’s outcome. He doesn’t know what a freshman is as he continues to say Parker led this “same” group. He will blame this comment on the coach’s family/friends although I am neither.
DQ has a history of coming in to established teams and leaving before getting axed. He was about to get axed at Colorado before he got a lifeline.
LOLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL that’s is hilarious. Maybe one of the best ones you’ve come up with thus far…..HAHAHAHA
DQ’s job is to rebuild, which he will do. You cannot rebuild in half a season. As stated above, with the exception of a few, the players he inherited are just not D 1 Hockey East players. Whether they are young or not, those forwards who played 30 – 40 games between last year and this year and only scored 3 or so goals are not D 1 players. It is apparent that since 2009, recruiting mistakes were made. O’Reagan, Dillon Lawrence, Roberto and Bailargeon hang tough. In two years you’ll be going to a Frozen Four.
DQ was not suppose to rebuild. He was suppose to expand on a team that made it to the HE championship game last year. The coach that comes after DQ will be tasked with rebuilding.
uh, YES it is to rebuild….you can’t “expand” on a team when HALF of them are new.
Expand! With the personnel losses BU had at the end of last year and a freshman class of forwards which, with the exception of O’Reagan, are 3 and 4 goals per year scorers. Look at it objectively and not through eyes filtered by your agenda. Quinn has to be given the opportunity to recruit and mold his own team. Just so you know, I am neither family nor aquaintance of David Quinn.
BC has more freshmen than we do yet they are doing fine. York could take this bunch and easily mold into a top HE team.
Not a personal attack on the man, but you could dress 4 players and beat most of Serino’s MC teams.. (Saying that as an 05 MC Alum)
You forget that quarterfinal series at Walter Brown when Merrimack took out top seeded BU, led by Chris Drury & Tom Poti in three games – it was Serino’s last year on the bench. I was there for all three games.
Please, R.I.P., Chris Serino . . .
have patience terrier fans in two years you will see
Totally agree. The new coach will inherit a huge mess from DQ but I’m confident we will learn from our mistakes and hire a worthy successor to Parker.
“Our mistakes”??? Wow, I never knew how crazy you were until just now.
No one could possibly skate in and fill Jack’s shoes in half a season. Give Quinn time to put HIS team together. DQ’s history proves that he is a development coach and that does not create an overnight sensation. Once he gets the dedicated players he deserves, everyone will want to be his best friend!
DQ’s history also proves that he has no leadership or motivational skills. Let DQ recruit. Let someone competent coach the team.
A voice of reason. Thank you.
You think someone calling DQ incompetent is the voice or reason?
Dq is incompetent? Lacks leadership skills? No motivational skills? Now you just sound plain idiotic. If you’re such a BU fan, all those insults you come up with are also directed at mike lynch, 2011_12 AD of the year, parker_no need for description there, eruzione…Again, no need to get into his background….since they all hired him. Now do you see how foolish you sound? Just be honest and put it out there…what’s the REAL reason you hate DQ? All the comments you have made this far are soley opinion, no factual content at all. As a matter of fact, you have posted blatant lies about Quinn (the most outrageous one that comes to mind was that he was about to get fired from Colorado). So stop YOUR whining and crying…..its very unbecoming of a grown man. I’ll sign this as “dq ghost friend” since you’ll make that standard claim that this is from a dq family member or friend. And the only reason you do that is because you can’t come up with an intelligent response.
So much anger in a post. Following a DQ led team will push the most loyal BU fans over the ledge.
the Voice of Reason comment is a reply to Anonymous December 17, 2013 at 12:42 AM not to the reply that posted one minute ahead of the Voice of Reason reply.
I think that was for the comment above that but then the loser who always posts the negative comments butt in.
That’s him calling himself “the voice of reason” and expecting blog readers to be stupid enough to believe it’s someone else agreeing with him.
Oops. Thanks for that clarification.
I have a feeling that O’Regan, Grzlcyk, and Eichel will represent BU Hockey (at the World Junior Championships) in a very favorable way.
Will Grzelcyk lead that team in a negative +/- like he does with our team? Hope Grzelcyk never comes back.
I have a feeling that O’Rega and Grzlcyk will finally be motivated to play now that they are no longer coached by the incompetent DQ.
Merry Christmas to you!! I figured since it was just you and your mom, it would be the Christian thing to do, wish a leper merry Christmas.
Grzelcyk – LOL…
People referring to the National Championship team need to remember the amazing array of mature talent on that team; Colin Wilson, Kevin Shattenkirk, John McCarthy, Matt Gilroy, Nick Bonino, Brian Strait, Kieran Millan and bunch of veteran support players. This team has a couple of grade A players (Hohmann, O’Connor and O’Regan) and a lot of inexperienced players, a couple of whom show great promise (Roberto, Baillergeon). Give it time.
Hohmann, O’Connor and O’Regan are not Grade A players. They might be Grade C at best. Parker just managed to maximize their talents. What have they done this year? And Maguire is way better than O’Conner.
With all the playing time Roberto and Baillergeon get, their production has been poor.
Exactly, it will take a little time, but BUT HOCKEY HAS WON ABSOLUTELY NOTHING SINCE 09′.Not even a single Bean pot title. I Think things will change next season and continue to improve. A little patience people, it is VERY obvious to me that Bavis did a poor job recruiting. Probably why he is OUT of coaching after 15 years at a program like BU. (to the troll in his mom’s basement, I am not a DQ family member, or friend)
We will definitely start wining next year…if we have a new head coach.
You need a life, I hope you get one from Santa…..tell mom we all said hello!!!-complete loser.
Interesting comment from DQ about dressing less than 18 skaters. Is he dropping a hint that the rumors of a mass exodus of our top players leaving before the end of the season are true?
If we lose players this year, DQ should be fired on the spot since this expose that players have no respect for him and do not want to play for him.
If DQ didn’t dress 18 skaters then he would have a new excuse for why he lost another game.