Cornell-Western Michigan Revolving Door

With Western Michigan's announcement that Coach Jim Culhane will not be returning after this season, people have begun to speculate on replacements for Culhane.

Current Cornell assistant coach Scott Garrow and former Cornell assistant coach Brent Brekke, both of whom played for Mike Schafer at WMU before joining him as assistants, seem like strong candidates. The whole alma mater thing seems to work well in college hockey, and they've certainly had a good amount of coaching experience (if only as assistants). The question, of course, would be whether they'd be willing to leave highly successful (Miami) or somewhat successful (Cornell) programs to take charge the struggling Broncos. They would also need to be offered the job, obviously.

Blurbs compiled from CHN, MLive.com and the Bronco hockey blog.

Scott Garrow, Cornell assistant — Western Michigan alum, he played under Wilkinson and Mike Schafer, then later coached with Culhane. Schafer is now his head coach at Cornell. Garrow went to Cornell after Jamie Russell left to take the Michigan Tech top spot.

Scott Garrow - Assistant Coach - Cornell: A WMU alum, and the best assistant coach the Broncos have had since his current boss Mike Schafer in the early 90s. He runs a tight practice, has a strong work ethic, wants to win, and loves WMU. He's coaching on a winning program that has many of the attributes a WMU team should have. On the downside he has no head coaching experience, isn't a "big name" candidate, and there may be questions of whether he is far enough removed from the Culhane era.

Scott Garrow: In his 11th season as an assistant at Cornell, Garrow works with the Big Red’s forwards and coordinates the power-play. Set a WMU record by playing in 161 straight games. Coached for four seasons at WMU (1999-2003), where he was recruiting coordinator and helped land 2002 CCHA Rookie of the Year Pat Dwyer.

Brent Brekke, Miami assistant — Another alum with a Wilkinson/Schafer/Cornell connection as well. He was Cornell's assistant until leaving for Miami before last season, and did a great job there coaxing a lot out of a very young defensive group.

Brent Brekke - Assistant Coach - Miami: The third WMU alum to make this list Brekke is a younger coach like Garrow and Schooley. He spent most of his coaching career as an assistant at Cornell before making the move to Miami last year in time to be a part of their run to the national championship game. Brekke is a fantastic defensive coach and a solid recruiter. He doesn't, however, have any head coaching experience at any level.

Brent Brekke: In his second season as an assistant at Miami-Ohio, Brekke is responsible for a RedHawks defense that’s ranked No. 1 in the nation. Joined coach Enrico Blasi last season, one that ended with a loss in the NCAA championship game. Spent nine previous seasons at Cornell, helping Big Reds to four NCAA appearances. Played four seasons at WMU and in 1993-94 became the first player in Broncos history to be unanimously voted captain by his teammates. His wife, Stacey, is a former WMU track and field athlete.