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2019 DI Mens Ice Hockey Championship


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On 4/14/2019 at 8:46 AM, Godsmack said:

I was hoping there would be an article on this.  Never been to Buffalo, so I can't speak from experience, but as a seasoned traveler, going to Buffalo in April just doesn't seem like much fun.  I think going forward, the NCAA needs to eliminate "stale" cities like Buffalo, and start incorporating "destination" cities like Nashville, Phoenix, and NYC, as well as returning to Tampa, Denver, Chicago, and DC.  Cities with historic college hockey fan bases like St. Paul, Detroit, and Boston should be kept in the mix as well, since they've earned it, even if they don't conjure images of "destinations."  Any cities (either good or bad) that I am missing?

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2 minutes ago, Dustin said:

I was hoping there would be an article on this.  Never been to Buffalo, so I can't speak from experience, but as a seasoned traveler, going to Buffalo in April just doesn't seem like much fun.  I think going forward, the NCAA needs to eliminate "stale" cities like Buffalo, and start incorporating "destination" cities like Nashville, Phoenix, and NYC, as well as returning to Tampa and DC.  Cities with historic college hockey fan bases like St. Paul, Detroit, and Boston should be kept in the mix as well, since they've earned it, even if they don't conjure images of "destinations."

About the only draw to Buffalo would be taking in Niagara Falls which would help sway mama into another sports trip, if you're like me you need all the brownie points you can get.

I guess my thinking is keep the traditional hockey cities you mentioned plus the destination cities including Vegas which always works because it's cheap flights and, you know,  Vegas.

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14 minutes ago, Dustin said:

I was hoping there would be an article on this.  Never been to Buffalo, so I can't speak from experience, but as a seasoned traveler, going to Buffalo in April just doesn't seem like much fun.  I think going forward, the NCAA needs to eliminate "stale" cities like Buffalo, and start incorporating "destination" cities like Nashville, Phoenix, and NYC, as well as returning to Tampa and DC.  Cities with historic college hockey fan bases like St. Paul, Detroit, and Boston should be kept in the mix as well, since they've earned it, even if they don't conjure images of "destinations."

It seems to me the NCAA opted overwhelmingly  for newer venues (Buffalo, Detroit, Pittsburgh) for the Frozen Four sites the last round  instead of destination cities. Hopefully when the next round of host cities are announced we’ll have more of a mix, preferably with them not all in the Eastern time zone. 

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2 hours ago, MafiaMan said:

I dunno...judging by how he’s played so far tonight, UMass did a pretty good job preparing him...

I went to the Avs game tonight and Makar looked very comfortable out there on the ice. It helped that the coaches put him in some safe, comfortable positions. He made a lot of safe plays, didn’t get himself caught out of position, kept his shifts very short, and yes-he even managed to score his first NHL goal proving that Duluth has a better defense than Calgary! :) 

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Just now, ksl_sioux4ever said:

Calgary did not have a defense last night. Smith kept that game from getting further out of hand. Calgary was lucky to leave with only 6 scored against

To quote the coach of the Hamilton Mustangs, “they (the Avs) could’ve skated around with a carton of eggs and not broken any.” 

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10 hours ago, MafiaMan said:

I dunno...judging by how he’s played so far tonight, I’d say UMass did a pretty good job preparing him...

he is an outstanding player, a natty would have been a nice addition, would picking an NCHC team have helped that dream...   doesn't really matter if his dream was to take a bottom dweller to near the top, he sure did that...

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22 hours ago, Dustin said:

I was hoping there would be an article on this.  Never been to Buffalo, so I can't speak from experience, but as a seasoned traveler, going to Buffalo in April just doesn't seem like much fun.  I think going forward, the NCAA needs to eliminate "stale" cities like Buffalo, and start incorporating "destination" cities like Nashville, Phoenix, and NYC, as well as returning to Tampa, Denver, Chicago, and DC.  Cities with historic college hockey fan bases like St. Paul, Detroit, and Boston should be kept in the mix as well, since they've earned it, even if they don't conjure images of "destinations."  Any cities (either good or bad) that I am missing?

So, we go to the FF every year.  Buffalo was the least appealing in a while, but a lot of those empty seats were in the corner where all of the Providence fans quickly and quietly left Thursday evening.  I wish they'd have all sold their title game tickets to the scalpers - I don't support the practice, but at least someone might have been sitting there for the Saturday game.  

We used our off day to tour around much of the area - Finger Lakes, waterfalls, etc., and NY really does have a lot to offer.  I left thinking it would look much better in a month than the grey and brown landscapes of April. Talking to a lot of the familiar faces from other fan bases, the overwhelming sentiment was that we'd all be very happy to have Tampa host every year, but Nashville came up a few times as well.  A large chunk of the fans (most?) at these games aren't from the fan bases of the teams playing - or would be there regardless - so we're traveling no matter what.  Giving us a more desirable place to go can do nothing but expand this group. Just my $0.02.

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Great to read post Frozen Four wraps in  Herald...must be written mostly by Duluth Trib reporters (also a Forum Communications paper)... For better than reading about an 8th grader from Pisscreek, Saskatchewan who committed to UND...which has relevance to about 12 people..

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3 hours ago, siouxforcefans said:

Heard a nice story on him last night.  Apparently he committed to UMass before the bigger names came calling, then stood by his commitment to the school that wanted him early.  When Canada wanted him to play in the Olympics, he said no, as he owed it to his team to play the season with them.  Seems to have a loyalty score way off the charts - 

I believe Bucci and Melrose mentioned multiple times that he committed prior to the coaching change and still stuck with it. In a time where it seems recruits flip flop all too often, it's nice to see someone stick to their word.

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13 hours ago, John W. said:

Great to read post Frozen Four wraps in  Herald...must be written mostly by Duluth Trib reporters (also a Forum Communications paper)... For better than reading about an 8th grader from Pisscreek, Saskatchewan who committed to UND...which has relevance to about 12 people..

Wow!  Had not heard that we got the kid from Pisscreek!  Thanks for the update.

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