BG vs. Alaska Weekend!

[BGFan]

one HUGE thing Bergeron had going for him as a recruiting tool in miami to draw players in was a new muilti-million dollar hockey factility. I'm sure he is great recruiter but having that to show players is a nice asset. He doesn't have that card to play in BG so his recruiting will be have to be that much better.

Miami became a national power long before their new facility was built or even rumored to be. That facility was put up because they became a national power not to help them become a national power. It will help them maintain that status, yes, but it isn't the reason for their success.

[pdt1081]

one HUGE thing Bergeron had going for him as a recruiting tool in miami to draw players in was a new muilti-million dollar hockey factility. I'm sure he is great recruiter but having that to show players is a nice asset. He doesn't have that card to play in BG so his recruiting will be have to be that much better.

Miami became a national power long before their new facility was built or even rumored to be. That facility was put up because they became a national power not to help them become a national power. It will help them maintain that status, yes, but it isn't the reason for their success.

More importantly, Miami has an entire institution backing them. That has yet to happen here.

[BGFan]

one HUGE thing Bergeron had going for him as a recruiting tool in miami to draw players in was a new muilti-million dollar hockey factility. I'm sure he is great recruiter but having that to show players is a nice asset. He doesn't have that card to play in BG so his recruiting will be have to be that much better.

Miami became a national power long before their new facility was built or even rumored to be. That facility was put up because they became a national power not to help them become a national power. It will help them maintain that status, yes, but it isn't the reason for their success.

More importantly, Miami has an entire institution backing them. That has yet to happen here.

Yeah....I miss Olscamp.

[musicman2343]

After all this program has seen over the last 20+ years, if anyone's going to stop supporting the team after a weekend of getting swept, well then "C-YA!!! BYE-BYE!! JACK....oops...sorry, got carried away....

+ 1,000! Glad somebody said this. Withdrawing support after a bad weekend is ridiculous. This program has seen MUCH WORSE in the 5 short years I've been around BGSU. If you're going to withdraw your support after a bad weekend, I'm not sure what to call you (but I like FF's post up there), but I do know that you aren't a true supporter of this team, and more importantly, this university. Support the team through the ups and the downs. The wins will come - but it's going to take some time. Regardless of how this team does, a true fan will always stick with them - win or lose.

[bgsufalcon24]

It never ceases to amaze me the amount of spin that goes on this board.

We just got beat 2 straight at home by a team that had to travel 3000 miles to get here, on a holiday weekend no less, and we didn't even score a goal in the 2 losses.

And yet all I'm seeing here are people trying to sugar-coat it, and make every excuse under the sun for why we can't win, or can't even score 1 friggin goal against friggin Alaska-Fairbanks at home. That to me just boggles my mind.

Just imagine if the basketball and football forums were like that. Gregg Brandon would be the most popular man in BGSU history on account of his 4-over .500 seasons, 2 bowl wins, and just one season under .500. He'd be a freaking legend. Instead he is largely reviled. Heck, even Dave Clawson's exploits would be lauded, and the 2-10 season we had in 2010 would have been dismissed largely because the team changed coaches/is very young/doesn't have great financial or institutional backing/some other bs excuse. And don't even get me started on Dan Dakich...saying anything negative about him after our super-amazing seasons in 2000 and 2002 would be downright heresy. Instead, it is generally acknowledged that his second tenure here in BG was a miserable failure.

Are people's expectations of this program so low that losing like this is acceptable? Evidently so...and people here are happy about losing too, unlike being miserable about it which would be normal human nature. I'll never understand it.

EDIT: And oh by the way, this weekend showed us definitively that this team is going nowhere this season. We'll be lucky to win 3 more games in the CCHA this year.

[BGFan]

It never ceases to amaze me the amount of spin that goes on this board.

We just got beat 2 straight at home by a team that had to travel 3000 miles to get here, on a holiday weekend no less, and we didn't even score a goal in the 2 losses.

And yet all I'm seeing here are people trying to sugar-coat it, and make every excuse under the sun for why we can't win, or can't even score 1 friggin goal against friggin Alaska-Fairbanks at home. That to me just boggles my mind.

Just imagine if the basketball and football forums were like that. Gregg Brandon would be the most popular man in BGSU history on account of his 4-over .500 seasons, 2 bowl wins, and just one season under .500. He'd be a freaking legend. Instead he is largely reviled. Heck, even Dave Clawson's exploits would be lauded, and the 2-10 season we had in 2010 would have been dismissed largely because the team changed coaches/is very young/doesn't have great financial or institutional backing/some other bs excuse. And don't even get me started on Dan Dakich...saying anything negative about him after our super-amazing seasons in 2000 and 2002 would be downright heresy. Instead, it is generally acknowledged that his second tenure here in BG was a miserable failure.

Are people's expectations of this program so low that losing like this is acceptable? Evidently so...and people here are happy about losing too, unlike being miserable about it which would be normal human nature. I'll never understand it.

Trust me, no one is happy about this past weekend. The realists among us, however, realize that rebuilding takes TIME. Bergeron is working with only his first full recruiting class and he only brought in one of his own recruits last year. On top of that, two of the recruits expected to make an impact right away could not play this year due to an academic qualification that wasn't met. Given the way this team was decimated by the fear of the program going under do all of you nay sayers really think that a new coach can come in here, wave a magic wand, and all will be right with the world of BG Hockey? Get real and give him a chance! A little over one year at the healm isn't long enough to turn around a program that has literally been ignored by the athletic department for the last decade.

[musicman2343]

Are people's expectations of this program so low that losing like this is acceptable? Evidently so...and people here are happy about losing too, unlike being miserable about it which would be normal human nature. I'll never understand it.

EDIT: And oh by the way, this weekend showed us definitively that this team is going nowhere this season. We'll be lucky to win 3 more games in the CCHA this year.

It's called being supportive of our team, something you obviously know nothing about. You know what never ceases to amaze me on this board? The amount of pessimism that people have. I'm sick and tired of people who do nothing but complain about a bad game, a bad weekend, a bad season, a bad AD, about how we're not going anywhere as a program, etc., etc.
You think that any true fan is happy about losing? You think the players are happy about losing? You think Bergeron and the coaches are happy about losing? No! This weekend was frustrating to watch - and I was there only to see Saturday night. I, for one, am not happy about getting swept at home, but that doesn't mean I'm withdrawing my support for the program because it happened. Someone blatantly said they're withdrawing support; and you know what - fine. They can do that - it's their choice and their loss.
I, however, will support this university until the day I die, win or lose. It does no good to come on this board and whine and complain about losing. I'd rather be optimistic about where this program is headed. This program is still in a rebuilding stage (and for someone to not acknowledge that fact is being completely ignorant). They aren't going to come out and go from last place to first place in one season. That is unrealistic.
There is still a lot of hockey to be played this season - 20 games to be exact (of which 16 are CCHA contests). There are plenty of wins left this season and they will get them, and definitely more than 3.

[Falcon Fanatic]

Are people's expectations of this program so low that losing like this is acceptable? Evidently so...and people here are happy about losing too, unlike being miserable about it which would be normal human nature. I'll never understand it.

EDIT: And oh by the way, this weekend showed us definitively that this team is going nowhere this season. We'll be lucky to win 3 more games in the CCHA this year.

Did I say anywhere that it was acceptable for them to get swept at home? No, I did not. It is not acceptable, not at all!! Not to me, not to any fan, and definitely NOT to the players or the coaching staff!!! I was irritated as hell after this weekend!! I hated seeing them go backward when they had made some good strides forward (Notre Dame series, overcoming a lackluster effort on Friday and an exciting OT shoot-out win against Miami on Saturday). But I'm not jumping off the bandwagon either. Hell, I've been riding it since the fall of 1983 and I'm not going anywhere, EVER! I was merely refuting a lot of stuff people were saying that see nothing but gloom and doom every time we lose.

I will say this once again: Success is not going to happen over night. We're headed in the right direction DESPITE a few craptastic games and weekends that we'd all like to forget. If the coaching staff wasn't trying to make adjustments, if they weren't trying to improve all aspects of our game, and if they weren't looking at what they are doing as a staff, THEN I'd have concerns.

unfalconbelievable, if you REALLY want to give up your season tickets, PM me and I'd be happy to take them!!!

GO FALCONS!!
SWEEP Sparty!!

[unfalconbelievable]

Falcon Fanatic I think we agree on alot of the same points and have a similar belief about the program. We both have been around this program a while and have seen highs and lows. Giving up tickets was an emotional reactional to last weekend, evidently started a fire storm on this thread for the mere thought of it. Haven't missed a home game yet this year. I guess people haven't read to many of the football posts over the years about how many people stop going because they don't put a quality product on the field. I'll be at the Western game in a few weeks. Knowing where we once were and are now I as a fan hate lowering the bar of expectations. When some on here accept that as OK, its not ok in my book. I'm sure its not ok in the coaches or players book either.

[Falcon Fanatic]

Falcon Fanatic I think we agree on alot of the same points and have a similar belief about the program. We both have been around this program a while and have seen highs and lows. Giving up tickets was an emotional reactional to last weekend, evidently started a fire storm on this thread for the mere thought of it. Haven't missed a home game yet this year. I guess people haven't read to many of the football posts over the years about how many people stop going because they don't put a quality product on the field. I'll be at the Western game in a few weeks. Knowing where we once were and are now I as a fan hate lowering the bar of expectations. When some on here accept that as OK, its not ok in my book. I'm sure its not ok in the coaches or players book either.

Glad to hear it!! Regarding "lowering expectations," I didn't have overly high expectations for this year (hopeful, as always, but also realistic, given our situation), as I honestly felt we still had a ways to go. I expect them to win more games than last year, though. I expect to see a much better team in February than I saw in October. I Do expect them to compete for national championships (play like a winner...EVERY game) eventually. I DO expect them to improve to the point that they are going to compete at a high level each and every game, that it becomes a part of what they do and what they believe in. Stuff like that takes time to build. It takes several years of the players going through the system and hearing the same message over and over ("We compete at a high level. It's what we do at Bowling Green!"), to the point these players are modeling what is expected to the incoming players and the incoming players know they have a responsibility to meet those expectations when they put on that Falcon jersey. It creates an atmosphere of success breeding success, and it is what Bergeron and his staff are working to create.

Glad you're keeping your tickets!!!

[pdt1081]

Falcon Fanatic I think we agree on alot of the same points and have a similar belief about the program. We both have been around this program a while and have seen highs and lows. Giving up tickets was an emotional reactional to last weekend, evidently started a fire storm on this thread for the mere thought of it. Haven't missed a home game yet this year. I guess people haven't read to many of the football posts over the years about how many people stop going because they don't put a quality product on the field. I'll be at the Western game in a few weeks. Knowing where we once were and are now I as a fan hate lowering the bar of expectations. When some on here accept that as OK, its not ok in my book. I'm sure its not ok in the coaches or players book either.

EVERYBODY was frustrated Saturday night. Hell, even Piatrowski (head of CCHA officiating, for those that don't know) facepalmed after the checking from behind call on Ruehl in the third period.

There are promising signs. Despite killing 20 minutes of penalties and missing 3 of our top forwards, we were still able to generate more shots 5 on 5. Losing 2 forwards during the game meant the lines had to be shuffled. Guys were playing with some unfamiliar faces. Hammond was phenomenal in net.

I liked the gameplan. Even though we may be lacking speed, we can't just battle along the boards an expect success. We still need some more creativity AND SHOTS on the powerplay. At times it seems like the play is too structured and guys are waiting for everything to be exactly perfect, like when it worked in practice.

[joehockey]

The fact people are even getting frustrated and venting their opinions is a good sign to me....at least it shows people are still out there that care and support this program through thick and thin. I'm not going to argue that Coach B isn't doing a good job or wasn't the right man for the job because I love what he has to say 99.9% of the time and I think his first real recruiting class is showing serious potential. Don't forget that two of his recruits had to sit out this year(I hope that's correct) and who knows how that would have impacted our roster? I will say one thing tho, that maybe we had the right guy for the job in Dennis Williams and let him go? I know hindsight is 20/20 but once again Dennis has his NAHL team leading the league in wins and pts and has shown his abilities to turn programs around and make them viable. First he did it at Neumann, turning around the worst program in all of NCAA hockey in 2/3 years to National Champs with a roster loaded full of his recruits and then he took a relocated last place NAHL team which was essentially an expansion team to the finals in his first season as head coach. From what I heard through the grapevine when Dennis was at BGSU he had some very talented recruits lined up to committ but couldn't close the deal because of his interim tag and other programs negative recruiting against him. Who knows where this team could be if GAC had given him more time? We'll never know now.
Point is, that was another set back, so give Coach B another season to recruit his own players and if next year the team doesn't show major improvements then it will be time to look at possibly replacing an assistant coach who hopefully could bring in better recruits? Let's hope that doesn't happen but either way, it is way to early to be throwing in the towel on this season. Weirder things have happened in hockey and all the guys need to do is catch a little lightning in the bottle...it's amazing what confidence can do for a group of players.
IMO tho, the guys are playing for next year already. The better they can finish off this season, the better the odds are of attracting talented recruits who see a program evolving and want to join in!

[jpfalcon09]

It never ceases to amaze me the amount of spin that goes on this board.

We just got beat 2 straight at home by a team that had to travel 3000 miles to get here, on a holiday weekend no less, and we didn't even score a goal in the 2 losses.

And yet all I'm seeing here are people trying to sugar-coat it, and make every excuse under the sun for why we can't win, or can't even score 1 friggin goal against friggin Alaska-Fairbanks at home. That to me just boggles my mind.

Just imagine if the basketball and football forums were like that. Gregg Brandon would be the most popular man in BGSU history on account of his 4-over .500 seasons, 2 bowl wins, and just one season under .500. He'd be a freaking legend. Instead he is largely reviled. Heck, even Dave Clawson's exploits would be lauded, and the 2-10 season we had in 2010 would have been dismissed largely because the team changed coaches/is very young/doesn't have great financial or institutional backing/some other bs excuse. And don't even get me started on Dan Dakich...saying anything negative about him after our super-amazing seasons in 2000 and 2002 would be downright heresy. Instead, it is generally acknowledged that his second tenure here in BG was a miserable failure.

Are people's expectations of this program so low that losing like this is acceptable? Evidently so...and people here are happy about losing too, unlike being miserable about it which would be normal human nature. I'll never understand it.

EDIT: And oh by the way, this weekend showed us definitively that this team is going nowhere this season. We'll be lucky to win 3 more games in the CCHA this year.

I don't think many people are spinning anything, just trying to remain positive. Hockey teams take a long time to rebuild, this isn't football or basketball where getting a few skilled individuals puts you over the top, its the ultimate team sport and if you don't have a few kids that can play at this level, or who haven't reached that point yet, you will struggle. That being said, this past weekend was indeed beyond atrocious, and I think everyone associated with the hockey program would admit that if you asked them. But, I think people who root for this program are probably more patient to see results than say with the football and basketball just because of the circumstances the program was in three years ago. That doesn't mean it upsets us when the team loses, of course it does.