Ay-Ziggy-Zoomba.com

As a BG hockey supporter I can't continue to watch the decline of this
program. I thought Scott Paluch was a great hire especially with his
recruiting background but it hasn't worked out. Mediocrity and getting
by isn't good enough especially with the coaching talent we now have in the CCHA. Greg Christopher will be looking for a hockey coach at the end of this season.

I'd really be surprised to see Paluch gone at the end of the year. I'm not saying that I think he should or shouldn't be canned, because I really don't have an opinion. Greg Christopher won't face the same type of pressure to fire a hockey coach that has exhibited mediocre performance as he would with a football coach that has been mediocre. That's just my opinion.

It is something to think about though - what an excellent coach could do for the program. I just look at what Jeff Jackson has done with the turnaround at ND and think how awesome it would be to see that here.

Christopher is on the warpath, and I think it'll be just as easy to find the money among Hockey-interested alums as it was for Football.

Paluch's done unless we make some serious noise this year.

Can the athletic department afford to buy out his contract after Brandon's buyout? Doesn't Paluch have one more year left on his contract? If so, it would be a lot cheaper to let him have one last year and then jsut not renew it again. The hockey team doesn't have the off-ice issues that the football team had, do they?

Yes, Paluch has one more year left on this contract of $110.000. a year. With a record of 57-W, 132-L, 21-T it's time.

57 wins / 210 games = .271 winning %

There are off ice issues. Not as bad as football, but they are there.
There is more discontent (hatred) in this hockey program, (player, fans, alumni, and parents) than I have ever seen in any group.

Buy out money is not a problem, it can be arranged, and the AD know this.

Allow Coach Paluch to go on medical leave ( you make up the condition)
at the end of the Clarkson series.

Have Todd Reirden take over as Interim Coach, with a 5 year contract starting April 2009 . Yes he would come back.

Then start fund raising for the renovations on the arena.

Sorry that's 133 L's after Sat. nights loss for Paluch. Some people are saying BG will probably finish in the middle of the pack (5-8th place) but it's looking more like 10-12th place finish in the league. Time for a change!

Do you think Todd Reardon would really come back? That would be great.

Would Christopher want him after Reirden left so abruptly right before the start of the season?

George Roll or Wayne Wilson would/could be options also.

Roll has made back-to-back NCAA appearances and is a thereat for a 3rd, although his team is struggling and decimated with injuries currently.

Wilson has done a more than respectable job getting RIT on the DI map.

I only started dialing back into what was going on with hockey this year after a couple years on hiatus. I don't know yet what the grass-roots feeling is, but Hockey has its share of monied fans. With renovation projects in development, and so much other cash flowing through athletics, I can see a buy-out happening. I don't yet think it likely, but it is possible. The old school of thought was Brandon wouldn't get fired because of the dollar amounts and old assumptions about how BGSU does business.

But I also know the coaches in hockey have much tighter circles of friends and support which can often be much more inclined to blame anything but the coaches for success or failure.

Forgive me because I don't know a ton about what it takes to be an effective hockey HC, but would Ron Fogarty also be an option if this hypothetical situation were to become real life?

He has done a great job at Adrian as far as I've been able to tell. They're 8-1-1 thus far in their schedule, outscoring opponents 40-13 in their wins and 48-23 overall. I know it's a different level of hockey, but still.

Absolutely not. Ron Fogarty would be a bad option for BG. He was a bad ass. coach and would be an even worse head coach.

Rierden would be the best option for BG. The players absolutely loved playing for him.

freddiethefalconBG wrote:Absolutely not. Ron Fogarty would be a bad option for BG. He was a bad ass. coach and would be an even worse head coach.

Rierden would be the best option for BG. The players absolutely loved playing for him.

But is a players coach what BGSU wants or needs? Sure they are popular, but is that what will produce a winning program?