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  • #91
    Re: Atlantic Hockey Future

    Originally posted by Jim View Post
    People think of Holy Cross as BC's "sister school"
    Rosemary to BC's Eunice.
    bigmrg74: "You can't drink the day away if you don't start early!"
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    • #92
      Re: Atlantic Hockey Future

      Originally posted by BC/HE View Post
      Holy Cross is 2 miles away(walkable from campus or an easy shuttle bus ride that could be established for games) from the DCU Center, the site of numerous NCAA tournament games(almost every other year) compared to a 25 mile drive from Storrs to Hartford. There could be a case for Holy Cross that is far better than UConn's in that respect.
      As a similar point, isn't Colorado College about 4 miles away from World Arena? I'm sure that wouldn't have been an issue.

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      • #93
        Re: Atlantic Hockey Future

        Originally posted by FlagDUDE08 View Post
        As a similar point, isn't Colorado College about 4 miles away from World Arena? I'm sure that wouldn't have been an issue.
        CC also has better relations within the community than HC. I agree with the point being made that Holy Cross doesn't have the same interaction with the community that other schools, including UConn have. But the people who go to HC games also aren't from Worcester.

        I think the statement about the minor league baseball team is overstated; they're far too gimmicky to be sustainable for the long term at that field, unless Jose Canseco stays there fora 10 year stay. And an independent minor league team is far different than short-season single A (like Lowell has with the Spinners).

        Town/gown for Worcester/HC isn't great, but then again, the Holy Cross core isn't from Worcester. It's the same reason UMass is going to play their home games at Gillette Stadium even though it's 90 miles away. Their core fans aren't from Amherst anyways, or at least that's the perception from the people upstairs.
        Clear eyes, full hearts, can't lose.

        STAY UP #94 #58

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        • #94
          Re: Atlantic Hockey Future

          Originally posted by Humanoid View Post
          CC also has better relations within the community than HC. I agree with the point being made that Holy Cross doesn't have the same interaction with the community that other schools, including UConn have. But the people who go to HC games also aren't from Worcester.

          I think the statement about the minor league baseball team is overstated; they're far too gimmicky to be sustainable for the long term at that field, unless Jose Canseco stays there fora 10 year stay. And an independent minor league team is far different than short-season single A (like Lowell has with the Spinners).

          Town/gown for Worcester/HC isn't great, but then again, the Holy Cross core isn't from Worcester. It's the same reason UMass is going to play their home games at Gillette Stadium even though it's 90 miles away. Their core fans aren't from Amherst anyways, or at least that's the perception from the people upstairs.
          As another example, could that be a reason that Maine plays a game in Portland each year, or why Cornell started doing a yearly (or at least bi-yearly) game at Madison Square Garden? Where is the Holy Cross core? Are they all on campus?

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          • #95
            Re: Atlantic Hockey Future

            Originally posted by FlagDUDE08 View Post
            As another example, could that be a reason that Maine plays a game in Portland each year, or why Cornell started doing a yearly (or at least bi-yearly) game at Madison Square Garden? Where is the Holy Cross core? Are they all on campus?
            From my experience as a Boston guy, the HC core is spread mainly throughout western and eastern Mass. The western mass folks are out past Springfield into the nether regions of Massachusetts that might as well be ceded to Vermont and upstate New York. The eastern Mass people are predominantly Boston, but there's no way HC will ever be able to touch the market in this part of the state simply because its monopolized by the Beanpot.

            I was shocked Holy Cross wasn't the team sent to the Cape Cod Classic, but then again, the seating at the JFK Jr. rink in Hyannis is less than the Hart Center, and Army has a larger base down there because of the Kennedy name (no pun intended). West Point has a large Cape Cod following, much larger than metropolitan Boston. Most of it is due to Jack Riley's residence and being seen throughout the community at semi-pro and low level minor league games.
            Clear eyes, full hearts, can't lose.

            STAY UP #94 #58

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            • #96
              Re: Atlantic Hockey Future

              Originally posted by rpi82 View Post
              The distance is only a small part of the issue. Holy Cross is a small private school with a limited local fan base or interaction with community. HC students rarely venture downtown for anything that doesn't involve alcohol. Similarly, community members rarely have reason to venture onto the HC campus.. Although having the minor league baseball team may have reduced somewhat the perceived isolation and increased community connection to HC's campus on the hill, it's far different from the connection that comes from being State U with an open campus and frequent large crowds for big-time college sports. UConn soccer probably outdraws any Holy Cross team outside of football. Also, there is an established tradition for UConn athletics in the Hartford area that doesn't exist for HC at the DCU Center.

              Frankly, I don't think the XL Center is an appropriate long term choice for an entire hockey schedule either. Ideally they'd have an on-campus rink for most games and might play a handful of top opponents in Hartford, but it is a far better choice than having HC play in downtown Worcester. To the extent that HC could draw, it's most likely that it would be for a few popular opponents (BC, BU, UNH, etc.) with the majority rooting for the road team.
              Most UCONN fans don't think the XL is a long term solution, nor I think do the UCONN administration. I get the sense that there is an expectation that there will be at least an expansion if not a new Frietas Forum in the next 5 years. In the interim UCONN will play the Hockey East opponents in hartford and non-conference opponents on campus. UCONN already has a long tradition of playing football, mens and womens basketball all in Hartford (well, Rentschler field is in East Hartford, maybe 10 minutes away from Downtown) so this isn't all that illogical, and they have figured out the systems for getting students from campus to those venues. Those are also more accepssible to the bulk of UCONN's fans. I'm not sure a school like Holy Cross really has the same fan potential. BC, BU, Northeastern, Harvard all to the east, but not that far away. Providence and Brown 40 minutes south catching the Rhode Island and southeastern Mass fans, UMASS_Amherst a much bigger entity to the west and Lowell and Merrimack 40 minutes north...there are just a lot of options so the Crusaders need to rely on local, alumni and student support. It simply isn'tthe same as the market UCONN draws on. Over 100,000 alumni in Connecticut, no real competion until you get to New Haven...basically they have the whole northern and eastern half of the state to draw on. I'm not usggesting that means they'll sell out the XL. Of course they won't. just that they are in a better position than Holy Cross to be successful.

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              • #97
                Re: Atlantic Hockey Future

                I'm pretty sure we'd take a scholarship reduction if we had to. As with our desire to be in the nWCHA, travel is a concern, but the key thing is getting together and talking about it. It's easy for people to put together spreadsheets [which I agree with] and talk about anecdotes [which I partially agree with], but the fact is that member schools from each conference have made the trip to Huntsville, and some of them have done it quite recently. They can vouch for the benefits and drawbacks of the situation. As an example, if you go ask one of the coaches at one of the UP teams, he'll tell you that the trip just isn't a problem. [I'm not giving you a name.]

                I can learn to say mean things about your goalies just as well as I can mean things about theirs. RMU boss Derek Schooley and I chirp each other on Twitter. It's all good.

                GFM <-- just wants a home to be found this summer, because otherwise it's almost a given that this is our last year.
                Geof F. Morris
                UAH BSE MAE 2002
                UAHHockey.com

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                • #98
                  Re: Atlantic Hockey Future

                  Originally posted by joecct View Post
                  The only issue I am aware of was upgrading the women's team to Division I. If they had done that, they were in as their academics blew Q's out of the forest.
                  I'm stunned, then, that they didn't. There's no good reason for a D-I school to be playing a D-III schedule in any sport. They're really doing their men's program a disservice if they're not investing in their women's program.


                  Powers &8^]

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                  • #99
                    Re: Atlantic Hockey Future

                    Originally posted by LtPowers View Post
                    I'm stunned, then, that they didn't. There's no good reason for a D-I school to be playing a D-III schedule in any sport. They're really doing their men's program a disservice if they're not investing in their women's program.


                    Powers &8^]
                    I'm not sure I ever bought that entirely, by the way. I always had a sense that Holy Cross wasn't really prepared to make the investment in its program that would have been required. They applied to the ECAC more to test the waters. Had they been accepted, great, but they were always behind Quinipiac in terms of how aggressivly they were going after that slot.

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                    • Re: Atlantic Hockey Future

                      Don't forget that QU had labeld hockey as a "Sport of Emphasis".
                      Bentley University Hockey
                      On-campus arena: Build it, and they will come...

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                      • Re: Atlantic Hockey Future

                        Originally posted by Jim View Post
                        I'm not sure I ever bought that entirely, by the way. I always had a sense that Holy Cross wasn't really prepared to make the investment in its program that would have been required. They applied to the ECAC more to test the waters. Had they been accepted, great, but they were always behind Quinipiac in terms of how aggressivly they were going after that slot.
                        Interesting. I'm also surprised that 'Hurst, RIT, and RoMo haven't started putting some pressure on HC to get their women's team into the CHA. Or maybe they have, I don't know.


                        Powers &8^]

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                        • Re: Atlantic Hockey Future

                          Originally posted by LtPowers View Post
                          Interesting. I'm also surprised that 'Hurst, RIT, and RoMo haven't started putting some pressure on HC to get their women's team into the CHA. Or maybe they have, I don't know.


                          Powers &8^]
                          Or maybe, if the Holy Cross women's team would end up playing about as well as Sacred Heart's women's team, they'd rather stay down at D-III.

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                          • Re: Atlantic Hockey Future

                            FWIW: If you believe BGSU AD Greg Christopher, UAH is offering a travel subsidy to the WCHA. I would be very surprised if a UAH bid to AH didn't come with something.

                            GFM
                            Geof F. Morris
                            UAH BSE MAE 2002
                            UAHHockey.com

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                            • Re: Atlantic Hockey Future

                              Originally posted by gfmorris View Post
                              FWIW: If you believe BGSU AD Greg Christopher, UAH is offering a travel subsidy to the WCHA. I would be very surprised if a UAH bid to AH didn't come with something.

                              GFM
                              While I understand the economics of such an offer, I wonder about its sustainability. That sounds very expensive in the long run, unless UAH has some deeper pockets than most. (Although compared to most AHA programs, amything of substance seems deep.)
                              Bentley University Hockey
                              On-campus arena: Build it, and they will come...

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                              • Re: Atlantic Hockey Future

                                Originally posted by schiegs View Post
                                While I understand the economics of such an offer, I wonder about its sustainability. That sounds very expensive in the long run, unless UAH has some deeper pockets than most. (Although compared to most AHA programs, amything of substance seems deep.)
                                The CCHA was offered $70k/yr to the league office for distribution as it saw fit. I think that's the high end of the range of what we'd offer.

                                GFM
                                Geof F. Morris
                                UAH BSE MAE 2002
                                UAHHockey.com

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