Hockey East owns the top two spots in the weekly USCHO poll with Merrimack strengthening their grip on the top spot and Boston College moving up to #2. Boston University is also ranked, coming in at #13. This week’s opponent, Harvard, received one vote. Future Hockey East team Notre Dame claims the runner-up spot on the USA Hockey/USA Today poll.
No weekly awards to the Minutemen, no Top Performers, not even any milestones or who’s hot. Instead the Hockey East release just gives us this gem; “After averaging nearly 3.5 goals per game in the first 11 games, UMass has averaged just one per game in the last three.”
Player of the Month honors will go out this month and Steven Guzzo will likely compete with Lowell’s Scott Wilson and Northeastern’s Ludwig Karlsson among others for Rookie of the Month. Guzzo has 4 goals, including the game winner against Holy Cross, and two assists on the month. On the season the team is .500 when he registers a point.
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The Collegian takes a look at the weekend that was.
Dick Baker has a blog post where he says that the team was not ready for Quinnipiac’s strong first period, despite the fact that the coaching staff specifically warned them of such. How? How does that happen? It’s bad enough that the team was flat after losing two straight against conference foes. But the fact that the Bobcats get off to a quick start is referenced but still not addressed? I don’t understand how that happens. I hate to say it, but it’s beginning to sound like the players are starting to tune out the coaching staff, something rumored to be a problem with past UMass squads. I really hope the team gets its act together soon because, as you can see from the comments here on FTT and other places where UMass fans gather, the frustration level among the fandom is reaching epic proportions. Even among those not named Mel.
Fear The Triangle - UMass Hockey Blog 
Mel
/ November 28, 2011Thanks for the ink – bwahahaha.
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George
/ November 28, 2011Hmmm. the Bobcats were 0-4-2 in the last 6 going into Saturday and had a history of good first periods. I would’ve NEVER guessed they would’ve come out hungry.
Hmmm as stated on the radio broadcast @ Vermont last Tuesday, UMass is the only team in the nation undefeated at home and winless on the road.
They feed off the emotion of enthusiastic home crowds but haven’t won a road game since just after Martin Luther King Day.
“I hate to say it, but it’s beginning to sound like the players are starting to tune out the coaching staff, something rumored to be a problem with past UMass squads.”
Yep.
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Ed
/ November 29, 2011Toot has lost his ability to grow this program. Time for the athletic department to get some guts and-at the end of this season- buy out Toot’s contract and hire a new coach who can move this program forward. How can UMass fans stick by a coach who consistently loses and proves he is unable to get his team mentally prepared for games?
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