IronFist
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Posts posted by IronFist
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From a Niagara board, sounds like Terry Pegula may match up $15 -20 mill in Canisus donations. The Lake Sup State and even Ferris fans may moan about the potential new teams in the CCHA, but in the end the CCHA has a chance to prosper with new teams in Erie, Pittsburgh, and Buffalo.
How would RIT respond to four Atlantic Hockey teams moving over to the CCHA? RIT is a huge school to be in the DIII ranks. Any chance it would move to DI?
NU/CC/MC/RMU switching conferences would have its pros and its cons from an RIT standpoint. The biggest advantage, obviously, would be having a much better shot at winning an auto-bid to the NCAA tournament. As we are unable to offer scholarships, we are currently at an inherent disadvantage vis-a-vis those four "AHA West" schools. Among the downsides would be: the loss of nearby conference rivals, an even crappier league schedule, and an increased possibility of the AHA moving its championship game and semifinals away from Rochester. For now, RIT's administrators seem to be waiting it out until Notre Dame reveals its hand. The best-case scenario would be for Notre Dame to head to Hockey East and take an ECAC team with them (RPI? QU?). This would open up a spot in the ECAC, which is RIT's dream destination. We would be a great fit in the ECAC, both institutionally and on the ice. We have a lot in common with the other non-Ivy, NYS-based members. Most of our sports will be playing in the Liberty League with St. Lawrence, Clarkson, RPI, and Union......so there's already some common ground between RIT and a few ECAC members. Also, our inability to offer scholarships wouldn't be much of an impediment because we wouldn't be the only school with this disadvantage. Personally, I could live with RIT playing in the ECAC or AHA. In the latter case, we would be a big fish in a small pond (along with Air Force). The CCHA wouldn't be our best option because of scholarship and travel concerns (especially if UAF discontinues providing travel subsidies).
There have been talks about RIT moving up to D1 in all sports, though I haven't heard anything lately. This move, if it were to happen, would likely coincide with the completion of our new arena. RIT at the very least wants to move its women's hockey program up to D1 (if the NCAA allows for it). The Lady Tigers played for the D3 national championship last season. Personally, I would love to see RIT go D1 in all sports and take on the best of the best in men's lacrosse. That is another sport in which we could be competitive from the get-go. Our D3 team was ranked #1 for a good part of last season and was one win away from playing at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore.
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Buffalo Sabre's owner Terry Pegula may have started Penn State's program, but also is considering donating a new arena for Canisius, which would help gain them and Niagara gain admission to the CCHA:
Buffalo News: Canisius and Niagara need to make power play for CCHA
This is going to be huge. As we all know by now, Pegula doesn't mess around when it comes to getting things done. He got the ball rolling at Penn State and has single-handedly erased the "small-market mindset" of the Buffalo Sabres.
Canisius' campus is located in midtown Buffalo, right next to one of Buffalo's Metrorail stations. If done right, this arena could become a hub of activity........and host hockey games, basketball games, concerts, conferences, trade shows, and other popular events (in other words, become a smaller-scale version of BU's Agganis Arena). A state-of-the-art venue, backed by Pegula dollars, could inject life into Midtown Main Street, which is mostly devoid of activity compared to the thriving Elmwood Strip. It should also boost local interest in college hockey, in a city where the college brand has been largely an afterthought. As much as I hate to say it, Canisius could be a sleeping giant in college hockey. I never thought I'd ever utter those words in my lifetime, but with Pegula providing financial backing for facility upgrades, anything is possible.
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My bracket is FUBAR, but I'll take consolation in the fact that I'm still beating Goon.
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Nice work......it took me a while to decide on North Dakota / Boston College in the semifinals.....but I ended up going with the Sioux.
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10,556 people packed Blue Cross Arena for RIT's "home" opener against UMass-Lowell.
http://www.uscho.com/box/mens-hockey/2010/10/16/umass-lowell-vs-rit/
I'd love to see a powerhouse team like North Dakota, Minnesota, Michigan, BU, or BC play RIT at either Blue Cross or HSBC Arena sometime in the future.
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Theoretically, the idea of a Big East hockey conference could open the potential for a number of schools to start hockey: Syracuse, DePaul, Marquette, Pitt and entice Connecticut to start offering men's scholarships. To get started, a "Big East" conference would first need hockey power schools: like UND, Miami, Denver to go with Notre Dame. Granted, a Big East hockey conference is probably way out there in speculation: but a Big East Network is being worked on right now, and, just like the BTN, it will want a wide variety or programming.
As much as I would like this to happen, I am not getting my hopes up. Because I don't have much time this morning, I'll re-post something I wrote on another forum:
"As for Syracuse adding a men's hockey program, there have been rumors, but I'm not getting my hopes up about PSU being the impetus that will get the ball rolling at SU. The women's hockey team was started to fulfill Title IX requirements. Adding a men's squad would require scholarships (unless they wanted to half-ass it like UConn has been doing), adding another women's sport, and having an adequate arena (the Tennety Ice Skating Pavilion is too small for D1 men's hockey, and the dumpy War Memorial is too far off-campus and wouldn't have scheduling priority). SU has been spending money on upgrading facilities like the Manley Field House, and in another decade or two, they will likely need to replace the Carrier Dome. With these capital expenditures, SU probably won't have the funds to build a state-of-the-art hockey arena suitable for big-time men's hockey. They decided to drop their swimming and diving programs after concluding that these programs would require a new complex that the university did not want to spend $30+ million on. Based on UConn's lack of success, hockey at a "name brand" school isn't automatically a smashing hit. In UConn's case, it has been an utter disaster on and off the ice. They are one of the worst programs in D1, have no fan support, and between their men's and women's programs have been operating deep in the red. As with UConn, a hockey team at SU would be competing with the most successful sport on campus, men's basketball. Everything considered, I don't see SU adding D1 hockey unless they a) receive a massive donation similar to the one that PSU is rumored to receive from one of its billionaire alums, and b) were guaranteed immediate inclusion into the Hockey East. And even then, it wouldn't be a tap-in putt. Otherwise, the best they can do is hope for the construction of a new on-campus basketball arena in the future, that would double as a hockey arena similar to the Mullins Center at UMass."
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That is an impressive collection of teams.
Add defending national champion Boston College (and Merrimack) to my confirmed list. I'll be in Beantown for BC's banner night on 10/30.
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The Idaho-BG game was arguably the most exciting game of the entire bowl season last year. Neither team knew how to play much defense. I honestly don't know a thing about North Dakota football, but I reckon even FCS schools could put up some points on the Vandal defense which surrendered 433 yards and 36 points per game last year. On the other side of the ball, the Sioux should try to generate a good pass rush because Idaho's offensive line will be largely inexperienced this season. Don't give Enderle much time to make something happen or he'll burn you.
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Likely: RIT @ Canisius and Niagara
Possibly: RIT @ Cornell, RPI, Union, Mercyhurst
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With the Big Ten in the middle of expansion talks, apparently the schools being considered for addition are all being asked what the potential is for each of them to add college hockey and become part of a Big Ten hockey conference. It's possible that the Big Ten may require their new schools to add hockey as a condition of acceptance, thereby giving the Big Ten more content for it's Big Ten Network.
A new arena has been approved by the city of Lincoln and Nebraska will be playing all its BB games there. The arena will be hockey capable.
Lincoln (NE) new Haymarket Arena
In Columbia, Missouri, all of the sudden, possibly coincidental to the Mizzou/Big Ten talks, but possibly not, there is talk of building an ice arena.
Possible Columbia (Mo) ice rink
Pittsburgh, Rutgers, and Syracuse all have off-campus arenas they can access for games.
I don't think hockey will play any role in the Big Ten's decision. It'll come down to football, academics, TV revenues, new markets, and maybe basketball. As much as I, a Syracuse fan in most sports, would like lacrosse to be part of the equation, I don't think it will be.
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Actually, this video is a little better because it shows what a cheapshot artist Carl Hudson is. He came out of the penalty box to attack one of our players.
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Ok, I'll bite. Why Canisius?
1. They are RIT's arch-rival
2. Their team is full of dirty players (e.g. Carl Hudson, David Cianfrini)
3. Their fans have a superiority complex when their team......
- has never amounted to !@#$ in college hockey
- gets handled by RIT on a consistent basis
- have to use another school's D3 rink because they don't even have their own
4. Their mascot flips off other team's fans
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Canisius
Boston College
Denver
Michigan
I couldn't see myself rooting for any of those teams.
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When is the selection show and what channel?
ESPN2 @ 10:30 AM your time.
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well, DU showed up for about 1 1/2 periods today...Wisco wins easily 6-3.
Now they get to face a red-hot RIT team in Albany.
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I agree that the area is very underrated. I have been fortunate to see almost all of this country and was actually stunned at the natural beauty. Had I known, I probably would have tried to schedule a couple of extra days into my trip. I will definitely go back some time, and wouldn't mind catching a Big Red game. I would guess Harvard tickets are almost impossible. Any other good rivalries that might have similar atmosphere, perhaps RPI or the North Country teams?
Nothing short of BU coming to the Lynah would be quite like CU-Harvard games.......any game against another ECAC team should be good, though. Hopefully the Cornell-BU games at MSG continue in the 2010s because those games are legendary.
And without a doubt, the most scenic part of the continental U.S. is anywhere west of your state.
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I thought Paul Bunyon created the Great Plains.
Al Gore disagrees.
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There are a handful of Eastern schools who've really committed to be competitive year in and year out, and Cornell is at the top of that list. (Maine, BC, BU, UNH...) So, yes I like any school who takes the game seriously, and would like to see them on the schedule more often (not that there's much room).
Thanks for the compliments regarding Cornell's program. Coming from a fan of a perennial powerhouse like North Dakota, those words mean something.
RIT, despite being a relative newcomer and playing in an inferior conference, also meets your criteria albeit to a lesser degree. We've been competitive every year since making the transition to D-1 and have a fanbase/student section that rivals Cornell's. RIT games are a hot ticket in Rochester and we'd surely pack at least 10,000 fans into the Blue Cross Arena for a game or two against the Sioux.
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^Well.
That's the way some people think it all happened.
Is someone trying to spark an "evolution vs. creationism" debate here?
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Funny, you got waterfalls and escarpments when the glaciers receded and we got the flattest section of land in the world. I guess it just depended on what kind of land or rock was underneath the glacier.
Exactly......the difference is the result of our contrasting geological histories. This area was once a shallow sea from which sedimentary rock developed. The sea eventually receded, leaving several river valleys in the region. During the last Ice Age, the impact of the glaciers formed escarpments and canyons. When the glaciers last retreated a little under 10,000 years ago, vast amounts of water were left behind. Where the flow of this water was impeded by the aforementioned escarpments, waterfalls were formed. The Onondaga Escarpment, one of the three major escarpments in the WNY/CNY region, is responsible for the Ithaca-area waterfalls.
I'm probably biased, but the Finger Lakes region is a very underrated travel destination in my opinion.......it offers great scenery along with some of the world's finest wine. It's a nice place to visit all four seasons: in the spring to see the waterfalls at their peak, in the summer for activities on the Finger Lakes, in the autumn to check out the fall foliage and go hunting, and in the winter for Cornell hockey!
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I also give my thumbs up to the Lynah experience. It is definitely an old school rink.
What I liked ...
Cornell pep band was very strong - gotta love a repertoire that includes the theme from Rockford Files and What Would Brian Boitano do
Playing both US and Canadian national anthems - with that UND would do this
The fans in general - had a great conversation both nights with the usher for Section O
The Ithaca area - WOW! Very scenic and tons of stuff to do. Made it up to Taughannock Falls Saturday which was very impressive.
The Olymbia driver - genie on Friday night and Minuteman on Saturday night - good stuff
The alma mater (I think that's what it was) during the 2nd Intermission with all the students singing and swaying.
Not so much ...
From my seats deep at the end of the rink, it could be difficult to see the single scoreboard on the end - also shots are not updated except between periods
Way too many banners - A team of Cornell's statue doesn't need a banner for every single NCAA appearance - also the NCAA title banners should be more prominant (obviously just a personal preference, but it's my opinion)
I may have expected too much, but the "intimidation" factor wasn't what I was expecting, other than the band it was never deafening (admittedly Cornell only led 18 minutes all weekend) and the purported "clever" cheers of the student section still consisted primarilly of variations of "you suck" chants.
Concur about the banners. They're very similar to those at The Ritter (RIT), which is essentially a D-3 rink. At the very least, Cornell's two national championship banners should be white so that they stand out amongst the others.
Both anthems are played at many hockey rinks in this part of the country, even when two American teams are playing. I'm surprised they don't do the same in North Dakota given its proximity to Canada.
As for the intimidation factor, it's a shame that you couldn't get to see a game at the Lynah when school is in session. Rivalry games against Harvard are especially intense.
WNY and CNY are blessed with countless waterfalls and escarpments which formed when the glaciers receded following the last Ice Age. In addition Taughannock, there are quite a few spectacular ones in Ithaca's immediate vicinity: Ithaca Falls, Buttermilk Falls, Cascadilla Falls (located right on Cornell's campus), Lucifer Falls (and others in Robert Treman S.P.), Hector Falls, Aunt Sarah's Falls, Shequaga Falls, Eagle Cliff Falls, Ludlowville Falls, and many others in Watkins Glen and Letchworth......hope you got to see a few of the others on your trip.
Well, back to watching the SU-Georgetown hoops game.
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From Brad Schlossman's blog:
Does anybody happen to know any websites that list future college hockey schedules for all teams? There are a few for college football, but none for college hockey that I am aware of. It's never too early to start planning road trips for next fall.
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I appreciate the fact that UND is willing to travel, especially out east, to play other top tier teams. It's good for our program and great for college hockey. Would be nice to see other WCHA teams follow suit.
Hear hear!
/wishes this forum had a "cheers" emoticon
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Dude, with all due respect...we (UND for those following along at home) are equivalent to a 6th place squad in the WCHA.
LOL.......you beat me to it.
UND's New Hockey Conference
in Men's Hockey
Posted
Regarding Syracuse, I'll repost what I wrote on Niagara's forum a while back.......
"As for Syracuse adding a men's hockey program, there have been rumors, but I'm not getting my hopes up about PSU being the impetus that will get the ball rolling at SU. The women's hockey program was started to fulfill Title IX requirements......no more, no less. Adding a men's squad would require scholarships (unless they wanted to half-ass it like UConn has been doing), adding another women's sport, and having an adequate arena. The 350-seat Tennety Ice Skating Pavilion is too small for D1 men's hockey, even per AHA standards, and the dumpy War Memorial is too far off-campus and wouldn't have scheduling priority. SU has been spending money on upgrading facilities like the Manley Field House, and in another decade or two, they will likely need to replace the aging Carrier Dome. With these upcoming capital expenditures, they probably won't have the funds to build a state-of-the-art arena suitable for big-time men's ice hockey. They decided to drop their swimming and diving programs after concluding that these programs would require a new complex that the university did not want to spend $30+ million on. For comparison's sake, $30 million is roughly how much RIT's new hockey arena is projected to cost. Based on UConn's lack of success, hockey at a "name brand" school isn't automatically a smashing hit. In UConn's case, it has been an utter disaster both on and off the ice. They are one of the worst programs in D1, have no fan support, and between their men's and women's programs have been operating deep in the red. As with UConn, a hockey team at SU would be competing with the most popular sport on campus, men's basketball. Everything considered, I don't see SU adding D1 hockey unless they a) receive a massive donation similar to the one that PSU received from Terry Pegula, and b) were guaranteed immediate inclusion into the Hockey East. And even then, it wouldn't be a tap-in putt. The best they can hope for is the construction of an on-campus basketball arena in the future, that would double as a hockey arena similar to the Mullins Center at UMass."
"I don't see SU even considering men's ice hockey unless Notre Dame and Providence helped create a Big East Hockey Conference.......and even then, it wouldn't be a slam dunk. At this time, I don't see BC agreeing to play in a Big East Hockey Conference that would presumably include UConn. However, a few years from now, BC's opinion may change. Let me explain. The Big East's current television contract, which is a joke, expires in 2013. From what I've read, there is a good chance that the BE will secure better terms than the ACC did last year. When the ACC and ESPN reached a 12-year deal that netted each school $13M/yr., everyone thought that the ACC got a really good deal. This isn't the case anymore. If the Big East were to top the ACC's deal (or if they established a lucrative network of their own, using the Big Ten's model), one of BC's primary incentives for playing in the ACC is removed. At that point, I could very well see them heading back to the Big East, in spite of there being leftover grudges from the 2003 raid. With BC in the fold, a BEHC would have enough sex appeal as a secondary sport, a la Big East lax. But like I said, the very earliest I could see a BEHC forming is 2013-14. And SU won't even consider men's ice hockey until then, if they consider it at all. There's just not enough money to be made when you consider the costs. That's the bottom line, and Doc Gross knows this."
As you can see, I tend to write long-winded posts over there
I haven't heard much about Navy or URI. From what I understand, Navy does have an on-campus rink in which their club hockey team plays. It holds about 1,000 and is expandable according to one poster on USCHO's forum. They would be a great addition to the AHA, despite being a bit of a geographical outlier. Air Force, Army, and Navy all playing in the same conference would be an awesome setup. Based on Frank Serratore's recent interview, it appears as though Air Force is committed to Atlantic Hockey for the time being.