Inside the UMass Coaching Opening

Who Are the Candidates?

by Mike McMahon/Staff Writer

When Massachusetts “relieved the duties” of head coach John Micheletto, which is just the politically correct way of firing someone, less than 12 hours after the Minutemen ended their season in a playoff loss at Boston University almost two weeks ago, it was apparent that this move was set in motion some time ago.

According to several sources, the braintrust within the UMass athletic department, led by first-year athletic director Ryan Bamford, had decided to let Micheletto go at the conclusion of the season weeks before it actually ended. The final straw, some said, was an 8-0 loss at home to Boston College on Jan. 22.

In some respects, Bamford began his search then as well. At the very least, it’s safe to assume that Bamford had a shortlist of candidates typed into some computer, or scribbled on some notepad, somewhere in his Amherst office.

Several sources have indicated over the last 10 days that UMass is looking to “make a splash” with this hire, and Bamford is heading the committee himself. On the same day that UMass fired Micheletto, the university also fired women’s basketball coach Sharon Dawley.

"I'll look at who's the best fit for the University of Massachusetts and who will be able to take us to the next level," Bamford told reporters last week. "There are candidate profiles who might be head coaches, might be assistant coaches that I think can do that. I don't get hung up so much on if we have to hire a head coach because we're at that life cycle of our program. I want to hire the best person for UMass hockey and the best person for our organization.”

Bamford was an exceptional hire for UMass last March, and has infused immediate energy into an athletic department that, under previous leadership, seemed to be asleep at the wheel. Previous athletic director John McCutcheon botched the last coaching search, with several candidates turning the Minutemen down before Micheletto was hired.

Bamford has an infectious energy and has done wonders for the department in 12 months, most notably injecting some life into UMass' new FBS football program, helping lead a charge to add some big-name home games after many questioned the move to the FBS level.

As important as he was for the department as a whole, this hire that he's spearheading is critical for the health of the UMass hockey program. This is their shot to get it right, and back on the right track.

Bamford may say otherwise, but most within the hockey community still believe that UMass is hiring either someone with head-coaching experience, or a current head coach.

On Wednesday, sources said that UMass has a desire to talk to at least one current Hockey East head coach, with some even going as far as to say the conversations had already taken place at the end of last week.

Luckily for Bamford, after there were no openings last season aside from David Hakstol moving to the Philadelphia Flyers and UND then promoting Brad Berry, there are plenty of candidates who could appear on his shortlist.

Rick Bennett, Union head coach

Bennett might be Bamford’s top choice. How could he not be? He has ties to the Springfield area, he coached and played in Hockey East, and just two years ago he guided a small college to its first national championship. Bennett also has a workmanlike approach that most UMass fans would welcome, and UMass could almost certainly blow his current salary out of the water.

The question is whether or not UMass can pry Bennett away from Union. Earlier this season, Union announced plans to invest $10 million into Messa Rink, and losing its head coach in the middle of raising those funds would definitely be a blow. If Bennett isn’t hired at UMass, it’s certainly possible that he gets an extension from Union out of this situation, and a hefty raise, if they can afford it.

There's also the added wrinkle of Mike Vecchione announcing earlier this week that he would return for his senior season. Most within the coaching community believe that this is a sign Bennett doesn't have interest in the UMass job, or has passed on their interest in him. Why would Vecchione return to Union for one year under a new head coach? Some of speculated that Vecchione's return is a sign that Bennett is sure to return behind the Union bench as well.

Mike Cavanaugh, Connecticut head coach

This would certainly be interesting. Cavanaugh is in his third year at Connecticut, helping lead that program into Hockey East from Atlantic Hockey, and despite not having a rink on campus, has been able to attract top talent, including Max Letunov and Tage Thompson this season.

The question is whether or not UMass is more attractive than UConn? In some ways, it probably is. Marty Meehan is now in charge of the Amherst campus and after being the Chancellor at Mass.-Lowell during its rise under Norm Bazin, he knows how important hockey can be to a campus in New England and wants to see that replicated on UMass’ “flagship campus,” as it’s called. Bamford alluded to the same thing in comments with the media last week, noting how important hockey can be to a campus in this region.

Can UMass offer more money UConn? Perhaps. Under Meehan, it’s also possible that UMass offers more upside, should the right circumstances come together. As funny as this might appear, given the instability surrounding the program the last time it had an opening, UMass might be a more stable place than UConn at the present moment. That’s not to suggest that UConn is in disarray, it’s not, but at the very least, Bamford is solidly behind hockey, whereas UConn is going to be going through a transition to a new athletic director soon.

Hockey is, at worst, the third most important sport at UMass behind basketball and football. A good hockey program would certainly reach the same level of importance the other two have around campus.

Hockey at UConn is theoretically behind football and both men’s and women’s basketball. Even a good hockey program likely isn’t going to get the same attention from donors — and hence, the administration — as football and both basketball programs, which are annually among the nation’s best.

Mark Dennehy, Merrimack head coach

Dennehy has ties to the UMass program, serving as an assistant under Don Cahoon before taking the head coaching job at Merrimack in 2005.

He had things cooking with the Warriors the last time the UMass job was open in 2012, just one year removed from a run to the Hockey East Championship game against Boston College and an eventual No. 2 seed in the NCAA tournament, losing to Notre Dame in overtime.

Since then the Warriors have taken a dip in terms of wins and losses — they finished seventh this season after a last-place finish two years ago and placing 11th last season — but Dennehy once again has the Warriors on the right track. After some admitted missteps in recruiting, the Warriors have gone back to basics and this season, with a team made up of mostly underclassmen — 17 of them — finished strong, won a first-round playoff series and played essentially two one-goal games with Providence (empty netters both nights) in the quarterfinals last weekend.

So with Dennehy believing Merrimack’s best days are ahead, is UMass enticing enough? Even with resources put behind it, rebuilding that program will be a project, and Dennehy is already well into his at Merrimack. Leaving that situation to start from scratch might not be that appealing. At the same time, with Merrimack’s struggles the previous two seasons, it’s unclear whether or not UMass has him near the top of their list or not.

David Berard, Holy Cross head coach

Berard has long-time experience as an assistant coach and has succeeded both times he’s been given the opportunity to lead a collegiate program, albeit both were in Atlantic Hockey.

After taking over a UConn team midseason when Bruce Marshall resigned suddenly, he turned around a team that was winless in six games to start the year, and went 19-9-4 the rest of the way, making a run to the AHA semifinals.

After a stint at Providence when Cavanaugh was hired at UConn, Berard was named the head coach at Holy Cross two years ago. After 14 wins in his first season, Berard led the Crusaders to an 18-13-5 record this season and finished tied for second in the league.

Greg Carvel, St. Lawrence head coach

Carvel earned a graduate degree at UMass in 1996 and coached as an assistant at neighboring Amherst College while there.

Carvel has an impressive resume, serving as a head coach in the AHL and an assistant coach in the NHL with the Ottawa Senators prior to joining his alma matter in 2011.

Last season, Carvel was named the ECAC’s Coach of the Year, and he’s turned that St. Lawrence program into a regular contender within the league, despite competing with some high-powered programs like Quinnipiac, Yale, Cornell and more recently, Harvard. Of course, Union also won a national title just two years ago. Odds are probably low he'll leave his alma mater, but UMass would be foolish to not at least kick the tires.

Carvel also just signed a new extension in December, which could make a buyout difficult, and he's a Saint Lawrence alum, making the Saints a dream job.

Derek Schooley, Robert Morris head coach

Schooley has been at the helm of the Robert Morris program since it went Division I in 2004, guiding the Colonials to their first NCAA tournament appearance two years ago. The Colonials could make a return trip this season, headed to Rochester this weekend for the Atlantic Hockey semifinals.

Over the last two seasons, Robert Morris is 47-18-9, and since joining Atlantic Hockey in 2010, the Colonials have been at or above .500 in every season.

Red Gendron, Maine head coach

Like Dennehy, Gendron has ties to UMass as a former assistant under Cahoon. If the Minutemen are interested in another Hockey East head coach, along with Dennehy and Cavanaugh, he’s the only one that makes much sense.

However, he also just signed a two-year extension with the Black Bears, and negotiating a buyout there could prove difficult.

But if Bamford is looking for someone with a wealth of experience, there might not be a better candidate than Gendron. The struggles at Maine are due to a variety of factors, the least of which have been Gendron’s coaching.

But wait, there’s more …

Rand Pecknold turned the Minutemen down in 2012, and there’s no reason to believe he’s interested this time around. Quinnipiac is one of the top programs in the country and he has a sparkling new building, one of the best in that league. It was nothing more pipe dream expecting Pecknold.

Some have speculated that Meehan could try to entice Norm Bazin to move to the "flagship campus," but that's another dream. Bazin is paid well at Lowell and he's an alum who has built that program from scratch. If your'e a UMass fan dreaming about Bazin moving UMass affiliations, keep dreaming.

Dean Stork is going to be a candidate, according to sources. He’s a former UMass captain and is currently a head coach in the ECHL. Other minor-league names to keep an eye on are Mark Morris and Ron Rolston. Morris had great success at Clarkson and is currently the head coach with the Charlotte Checkers (AHL). Princeton wanted to interview Rolston three years ago, but he told College Hockey News at the time that he had no interest in returning to the college game, instead looking for pro options. There’s no reason to believe that has changed, as Rolston is the current head coach at Springfield in the AHL.

Paul Pearl was also reportedly a candidate back in 2012, instead opting to stay at Holy Cross at the time. He’s now the associate head coach at Harvard. Bill Riga, a Quinnipiac assistant coach, would certainly be worthy of an interview as would Albie O’Connell, an assistant at Boston University. Merrimack associate head coach Curtis Carr also has head coaching experience as the former GM and head coach with Youngstown in the USHL. BC assistant Greg Brown also deserves an interview, as does Western Michigan assistant Ben Barr, who knows the league well after recruiting at Providence under Nate Leaman.

Former Denver head coach George Gwozdecky is coaching high school hockey in Colorado, and many expect him to make a play to get back into college coaching at some point, but many believe he's waiting for a spot in the midwest, where he's more familiar.

There are other NHL options as well. Steve Greeley helped build last year’s Boston University team; he’s now in the front office of the New York Rangers and was previously with the Los Angeles Kings. Darren Yopyk has ties to Massachusetts, coaching there as a graduate assistant. He was a finalist at Princeton three years ago and was also reportedly interested in the Northeastern job when the Huskies hired Madigan; he’s currently a scout with the Minnesota Wild. He also has head coaching experience in the BCHL.

If Meehan gets involved, and wants to go the same route Lowell did when it hired Bazin from Division III Hamilton, Matthew Greason is a good coach to look at. The head coach at Division III Trinity won a national championship last season with a 25-3-1 record and Trinity went 21-6-1 this season. Unlike Bazin, though, Greason does not have the experience as a Division I assistant.