The first three months of the winter season produced dismal results for the University of Maine’s hockey and basketball teams.
The most troubling is the men’s hockey situation.
Coach Tim Whitehead’s Black Bears (4-11-2) ended 2012 on an upbeat note when they doubled their previous win total by capturing the championship at the Florida College Classic.
But the stumbling start, which includes an unprecedented 0-6-2 record at Alfond Arena, is worrisome for not only Whitehead and his program, but UMaine athletics as a whole.
If the Black Bears continue to be anemic on offense and keep losing, there will be ramifications.
The problem isn’t simply the school’s dwindling reputation as a national hockey power. If UMaine doesn’t start winning games, fans will continue jumping off the proverbial bandwagon.
That would mean lost revenue for UMaine, which builds its budget around near-capacity crowds at Alfond Arena. In this economy, as the athletic department struggles to make ends meet, there are no easy ways to overcome a substantial hit at the ticket office.
That doesn’t appear to have been a major issue yet. Men’s hockey is averaging 4,385 tickets issued which, if the figure represents paid admissions, is an average decrease of only 52 fans per game since last season.
Anecdotal evidence suggests many fewer seats have been occupied at Alfond Arena.
This year’s UMaine squad, hit hard by graduation and pro signings and hampered by youth and a lack of proven, elite-level players, does not appear to be a Hockey East title contender, nor a candidate for the NCAA tournament.
Even so, Whitehead’s teams have shown a propensity for strong second-half play the last two seasons, so a resurgence isn’t out of the question.
But if the Black Bears finish 2012-13 the way they started, athletic director Steve Abbott and his higher-ups likely will take a serious look at Whitehead’s future.
It would cost UMaine approximately $190,000 — one year’s salary — to buy him out. With 18 months remaining on Whitehead’s contract, it makes fiscal sense he should keep his job.
At the “mid-major” level of Division I athletics, one bad season seldom results in a coaching change without other significant, extenuating circumstances. The soft-spoken Whitehead has consistently handled himself with class both on and off the ice.
His fiercest critics, who have grumbled about the direction of the program — UMaine has an 89-94-22 record since the start of the 2007-08 season — will clamor for his ouster.
They will point out that there is a precedent, as Abbott fired former women’s basketball head coach Cindy Blodgett in 2011. It required UMaine to buy out her $109,772 contract, using one of then-UMaine President Robert Kennedy’s “discretionary funds.”
That move came after Blodgett’s teams won only 24 games in four years, a protracted period of poor performance.
Whitehead’s team has always been competitive. UMaine has won 58 games in the last 3 1/2 seasons, has an overall record above .500 (58-54-15), and reached the NCAA tournament last season.
It’s not the kind of success to which UMaine fans became accustomed but, under the circumstances, it doesn’t warrant a $190,000-plus coaching change.
However, barring an amazing turnaround, the Black Bears are poised to finish this season with one of the worst records in program history. Only three times previously has UMaine failed to win at least 11 games.
Whitehead is skating on thin ice. If he doesn’t get his team back in the upper echelon of Hockey East and into the NCAA discussion during the next 15 months, he’ll likely be gone.
Hey, Pete, newsflash. The ONLY way hockey can get into the NCAA Tourney is if they win the conf tourney AQ. Outside of that there is no “NCAA Tourney Discussion” to be had. Stick to WBB ;)
….and BTW, Abbott stated that Blodgett was not fired for losing (he cited her losing her players in the lockeroom) so there still is no precedent set for firing a coach because of lack of success.
The only way Tim gets fired is if it’s over lack of revenue, which is a direct result of consistent losing, so therefore he would be the first coach to be fired at UMZ for LOSING.
Will it happen? Of course not. In fact, I’m not even certain why Pete bothered with this “Bridge” piece in the first place, other than Abbott ordered it, and MaHomey suddenly came down with the mysterious McLemore Influenza :)
Actually, a team doesn’t have to win it’s conference tournament to get into the NCAA tournament (in hockey). That’s why Maine, BC, and BU all made it last year…
Reading it again, I think you might have been referring to the only way Maine can make the NCAA tourney this year.. in which case, you’re absolutely right. I’m not getting my hopes up.
Clearly there were no Economic Majors putting together
the contracts for these losing coaches.
$ 190,000 plus bennies isnt bad pay in this economy.
Win or lose !
The Dubuque Fighting Saints are 22-5-2 this week.
Pete, the program has been tanking for a number of years — every indicator says so — junior team players? Olympians? All Americans? blue chip recruits? Nope. Three excellent coaches — Blair, Standbrook and Perron jump ship? Yup. More holes in the Alfond seats than you can count? Oh, yes! The cash cow is drying up and that has to hurt BIG TIME! Donor seats which cost plenty of bucks are empty. Season ticket holders of many years have left. How many more leading indicators are needed? It’s not just 12-13 …
Nice save, Pete, by editing the last few lines of your article. Hope u learned something from your original misinformation regarding the NCAA Tourney “discussion” :)
Not much different than Cosgroves football. Belcher did make national news . Time to cut spending on sports . $10 million more spent than they brought in. People in college should focus on learning. Waste of tax payer money . tuition cost when student are over thier heads in debt. Want to play sports than have a fund raiser . They are not kids and should not be treated as such.
Fundraiser ? Good idea.
Bake sale.
I’ll take a couple cupcakes.
You say $10 million more then they brought in PLUS the free education they get from scholarships………I bet its closer to 15 million with all the athletic scholarships they give out too! The taxpayers pay for those freebies and how many student athletes on scholarships are actually from MAINE? More taxpayer money being used to pay for outsiders just like welfare and food stamps.
I agree . I could not afford to go to college . I hope to do better for my son . But with the price it dose not look good that being said SOME of those sports players will never be able to read or do math as well as my son can in middle school . But they can toss a ball. Way to spend money. I guess I would not have an issue if those jocks spent an extra 20 hours or so a week working on school work . Pass them along even the ones who do not try if they can play sports well.
Maine’s student-atheletes have a higher average gpa than the rest of the students.
they also get support in academics that is not available to regular students though, don’t they?
I feel bad for coach Whitehead. He seems to be a nice guy, but the team performance needs a jump start. I don’t know the ins and outs of hockey, but I am guessing that coaching is part and recruitment is part. It is a vicious cycle, and it will take some fresh coaching blood to change it. I think we will be waiting out the contract. I would be grouchy as a tax payer to see $190k spent when he only has 18 months left.
Ask Jeff Marshall what a nice guy he is.
not just Marshall.
at least 80 of his players and their families know him as completely arrogant and unwilling to discuss anything with anyone.
He killed what was once a strong summer camp with a wait list a mile long because of his arrogance as well. Nobody can tell him anything, he knows it all.
He comes across at first blush like a nice guy, but he is not a nice guy, plain and simple.
I know several players that have played for him in the past. And they all say he is the worst coach they have ever had !
The State of Maine and its fans, deserve Better!!!!
Be careful not to say too much Derogatory here or the BDN will pull it. The censors are hard at work.
You got that right.
BOYCOTT…Till they give the fans what they pay for.
Check out how many empty seats there are in the middle of the arena lower bowl. Why? The powers to be at Umaine think those seats are worth 50 bucks a game, Has anyone seen Maine win at home this season? yet they want 50 bucks to watch a team underachieve, It isn’t rocket science.
All those seating numbers include complimentary tickets that are never used and season ticket holder empty seats. When I go I usually sit in the boxes and I think they count those as 12 even though mine usually has about 5 to 7. Empty seats are all over that place.
The time for analysis is over. All that is left is for Coach Whitehead to leave.
Leave it to Pete Warner to proclaim the obvious as a revelation! Having recanted his mildly critical story back in September about the funding of UME Athletics once the powers that be pressured him, he’ll recant this rather silly story too if Whitehead has any backers left. Warner is an embarrassment when he goes beyond statistics.
UMaine’s reputation is not dwindling. It’s gone. A National Championship win will only carry you for so long. And it’s been a long time.
How long did he take to come up with this revelation. This is not news. He should have been fired long ago.
The biggest reason people don’t show up is that they haven’t won at home all year (0-6-2). The product at home is the lasting impression. Are they worth the money? No.
In comparison, with the win over BU tonight (63-58), UM basketball is 4-1 at home and have very reasonably prices tickets. Past results aside, if basketball can continue winning in conference and at home, they can draw more of the hockey crowd. I said it in the beginning of the year: this is the biggest year for Maine Basketball to draw a solid fanbase. With hockey sucking, maybe it’s time to see what has more value at UM.
Maine is not a “mid-major” DI program in men’s hockey, even though they coach/play like they are. If they are no longer committed to playing at the highest levels, which appears to be the case given their hanging onto Whitehead, perhaps they should step down to Atlantic Hockey where there are no scholarships because the kids they have now don’t deserve scholarships, not for athletics anyways. Good grief what a mess Timmay has made of the once-mighty Blacks Bears program.
Its kind of harsh to say the these kids do not deserve scholarships. How is their fault. There are talented kids on this team and almost all of them are D1 talent. There is a huge jump from D3 to D1 so these kids no matter what Maine’s record is were always elite players at every level they ever played coming into college. Absurd comment! Does Whitehead need to go? Of course he does but the whole thing stinks but I can guarantee you that no person in the program doesn’t care if they win! Anyone who plays or coaches sports,especially at this level is competitive and wants to win! Mr. Abbott, that may be a different story but his job isn’t to just win games he has revenue and other things to consider (which clearly is a potential problem and is trending down) but the coach doesn’t give two craps about the bottom line, that isn’t what his job is.
This has been a downhill slide for many years and it is time to set the program straight.
If we don’t, you will get a free men’s hockey game ticket with the purchase of a men’s basketball game ticket.
Abbott needs to wake up and make some dramatic changes.
WOW $190,000 per year! Crazy money to get!
We seem to pump an awful lot of money into college sports. It looks more like a business than college athletics of yesteryear. Our academic ratings in the world standings are much worse than our athletic standings yet we keep throwing money into them. When are we going to “learn” that maybe our emphasis should be on academics first and then if there is time athletics can come into play.
“Nice guys finish last” Pete…. just ask Lombardie, Herbie Brooks or Shawn Walsh. Time for change @ Alfond. At least, with the 3 coaches previously named, what you saw was what you got…. in your Jackie Parker face grit, grind and, ultimately, results. Bring back Jimmy Montgomery. Now there’s a thought……
Sports are too expensive in this time of austerity.
i’m not even there, but reading the comments and the article makes it seem like the feeling around the rink is the same as at the end of Jack Semler’s career; loses piling up, people just going through the motions, mediocre recruits, missing the tourney, empty seats, the Maine fight song replaced with a funeral dirge….