Following a 7-2 loss to the University of Denver in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on March 26, Boston University men’s hockey head coach David Quinn told reporters in St. Paul, Minnesota: “It seems like our season ended at [the University of] Notre Dame. I don’t know what happened to us mentally. We were playing good hockey, and we became a fragile group mentally.”
Had BU won or tied in that game against Notre Dame on Feb. 27, it would have been guaranteed a top-four spot in the league standings and a first-round bye in the Hockey East Tournament. Instead, it ran into a spotless, 39-save shutout from Fighting Irish goaltender Cal Petersen and dropped into fifth place in the league, prompting a first-round appearance in the conference tournament.
Quinn, even three and a half weeks following the season-ending loss to Denver, still viewed that 1-0 loss in South Bend, Indiana as the singular moment where things stopped clicking for the Terriers mentally and where the issues “snowballed” as the season tumbled to its conclusion.
More rationalization than explanation. The season ended with more questions than answers. It is hard to believe that a loss at Notre Dame would have such a negative impact on the team. Especially since they had two weeks after the Lowell melt down to regroup. The road to redemption turned into the road to nowhere.
What exactly are you looking for him to say Larry?
I’m honestly interested in your answer. I’m not sure what more he could say….HOW does one explain an Ahti or Lane tanking in the end of the season? IS there even an explanation?
Or are you just basically looking for him to shoulder the blame for the team’s demise?
Sean,
I am not looking to bash or accuse anyone of tanking. However I do believe in
accountability. When a team falls below expectations then I think an explanation is a reasonable request.
Personally, I made more mistakes in business than I want to remember. I felt obligated to my employees to be as truthful as possible. I would discuss went wrong and then my solutions so that this error in my judgement would not be repeated.
So I guess I am looking for more transparency from the man in charge without him giving away state secrets. I assume this information will not be forthcoming which again is his prerogative.
i think it is time for everyone to move on. this season has been analyzed to death both pro and con. let it be
i support DQ public comments in front of players, family, and alums.the banquet is no place to be casting blame on anyone, including himself. i feel confident what he and his staff say and think privately about how to improve the team is another matter
heard fortunato might be switched to wing. I support that move because he is too small to defend in HE
dropping like flies at the Heights. love it. more to come hopefully
vinnie,
I agree it si time to move on. However I was hoping for some sort of closure to the season. It is obvious it is not going to happen.
I disagree with the notion that DQ could not have been more transparent at the brunch. You do not have to cast blame or name names to get your point across. After his explanation I honestly do not know what to think.
i do not know why my comments do not get posted. this is the third time i have tried this. if they all suddenly pop up, i apologize
i think it is time for everyone to move on. this season has been analyzed to death both pro and con. let it be
i support DQ public comments in front of players, family, and alums.the banquet is no place to be casting blame on anyone, including himself. i feel confident what he and his staff say and think privately about how to improve the team is another matter
heard fortunato might be switched to wing. I support that move because he is too small to defend in HE
dropping like flies at the Heights. love it. more to come hopefully
Vinnie same thing happens to me…sometimes they post immediately and other it takes days, Weird, Anyway, I like the Fortunado move to wing if true. I agree too small for D but he’s a skilled skater and puck handler, Not so much of a goal scorer, but neither was Ahti on D so we’ll see.
Larry, I wasn’t being confrontational. I understand where you’re coming from but I don’t think Quinn is ever going to be as transparent as you want him to be. From what I understand and know about him, he keeps things in house. But who knows.
Sean,
No problem. I have the same issues with the posting. It is time to move on to next year. I hope that every team member and the entire coaching staff learned lessons from this years experience that will be translated into an improvement in the results next season.
Sean, Larry — I think one aspect of DQ that some long-time BU fans have struggled to accept is that he’s not going to be as open/forthright as JP. I think DQ comes from more of the Bill Belichick school of communication and keeps things in house.
I know some fans criticized JP at times for being too transparent and now some fans (not necessarily the same fans) wish DQ was more open like JP was. The bottom line is that as long as the coaching staff and players are consistently on the same page, it will hopefully produce desired results.
Friend_of_BU Hockey
As I have stated numerous times, It is the Coaches prerogative to run the program as he see fit. Just because I disagree does not mean I am correct. My observation was that I am not so sure that the coaching staff and players were consistently on the same page. Especially the final two games.