The NCHC Year Two: Haters Please Form A Queue to the Right

[Freddie]

Re: The NCHC Year Two: Haters Please Form A Queue to the Right

I say the NCHC drops WMU and Miami and takes on Bemidji and Mankato.

If NDak and Denver had WANTED Mankato and Bemidji in their new "super-conference" Miami and WMU never would have been invited in the first place.

Your signature line is spot-on.

[Red Cows]

Re: The NCHC Year Two: Haters Please Form A Queue to the Right

You are correct sir, a few teams had less than stellar records against their non-conference opponents. Last season, the NCHC came in fourth in OOC record of 40-34-16 (.533). A few NCHC teams lost to some really bad teams . Counting NCHC playoff games, here's some of the reasons the NCHC's PWR was so low last season... C.C. went 1-11-1 in NC games. UNO was 4-10.

Nope.

UNO was 3-7-0 in non-conference play last season. Or, 4-7-0 if you want to count their exhibition game with NAIT to start last season.

In order, a split at home with Bentley. A split on the road with Northern Michigan. Swept at home by Cornell. A split at home with Michigan. And, swept on the road at New Hampshire.

That said, of all these games, UNO only really played well in the home win against Michigan. I saw or was all these games except two of them and they played poorly, even in the other two wins.

[Red Cows]

Re: The NCHC Year Two: Haters Please Form A Queue to the Right

Trust me when I say that Miami and WMU are second guessing their decision to join. The exorbitant cost of travel has hardly been offset by playing teams that nobody outside of hockey knows anything about. Attendance at home games has been anything but stellar. In a few years when the CCHA reforms (and it will) don't be surprised if those two say C-Ya! to the NCHC.

I don't hate the NCHC but I won't feel the least bit sorry for you when your league comes crashing down because it is unsustainable.

"..........the cost of travel has hardly been offset by playing teams that nobody outside of hockey knows anything about".

Who are these teams inside of college hockey that Miami and Western Michigan really want to be playing, then?

The NCHC conference teams collectively have 17 NCAA titles between them. Only 3 teams in the history of college hockey have ever won 6 or more titles and two of them are members of the NCHC. Since 2000, conference members have made eighteen Frozen Four appearances. Since there have only been 13 Frozen Fours played in that time frame, that means there have been multiple participants from the NCHC some of those years. If they want, need, desire--whatever, better name opponents to play, please tell me just who, exactly, those teams night be.

UNO was a member of the CCHA along with Miami and Western Michigan for 11 of the 17 seasons of its existence. I have never heard a member of the program, the media here, or a fan ever lament the fact that we are no longer a member of the CCHA, and that we, somehow, made an error in joining the WCHA and, subsequently, becoming a charter member of the NCHC. It's had no adverse impact attendance and the quality of opponents I get to see, overall, is certainly better than it ever was in the CCHA. In fact, once UNO left the CCHA, home attendance spiked up the first season by over 1000 fans per game average and has stayed at that level, since. And, of the 10 largest crowds to ever see UNO play at home in the history of the program, 7 of those dates on that list have come since UNO left the CCHA.

UNO did essentially the same thing Miami and Western Michigan did. UNO just had a 3-seasons-before-they-did-it pitstop along the way in the WCHA.

[blackswampboy]

Re: The NCHC Year Two: Haters Please Form A Queue to the Right

[I]"
Who are these teams inside of college hockey that Miami and Western Michigan really want to be playing, then?

nice spin, but attendance for both Western and Miami dropped by joining the NCHC.

Last year Miami drew a weak 2,076 and 2,311 hosting UNO.
Final season of the CCHA, Miami drew 2,911 and 3,335 vs. BGSU.

Western pulled in more vs. BGSU in 2012-13 than they did last year vs. UNO too.

UNO was a redheaded stepchild in the CCHA, and few were surprised (or upset) when they bailed.
sorry, but UNO is not a big draw in Michigan and Ohio, and never will be. Geography matters, and so do historic rivalries.
The good news is, the BGSU vs. Miami rivalry resumes this year (which BG leads 60-44-8). Coach expects to soon be playing Miami and Western again every year, regardless of this conference mess.

[Dirty]

Re: The NCHC Year Two: Haters Please Form A Queue to the Right

An obvious statistical error was made. Miami and WMU must have forgotten to carry the one when calculating attendance. It's the only explanation.

[SJHovey]

Re: The NCHC Year Two: Haters Please Form A Queue to the Right

The NCHC conference teams collectively have 17 NCAA titles between them. Only 3 teams in the history of college hockey have ever won 6 or more titles and two of them are members of the NCHC.

That's not true. Wisconsin has 6 as well. It is true only 3 teams have 7 or more titles and 2 reside in the NCHC.

As for attendance, it doesn't surprise me in the least that both Miami and WMU were down last year. First, I think attendance will be an issue, at least until some rivalries get developed with teams in the NCHC. It's obviously not as easy for someone to come to Miami for a game from Denver as it was from say Columbus, Ohio.

Second, look at WMU's and Miami's historical attendance figures, don't just compare last year with the year before.

WMU's attendance last year was their third best in the last 10 seasons, and that's playing a bunch of teams hundreds of miles away with no tradition attached whatsoever. The only time they had better attendance was in 2012, which was Andy Murray's first season (and followed the Broncos first NCAA appearance in years.) Obviously a lot of excitement for the team that year. Then they go out and win the conference tourney and make the NCAA's again in 2012, so they see another nice spike in 2013. But the team falls flat in 2013, so naturally some of the interest will wane come 2013-14, especially when the team was again a mid-level team. Happens with pretty much every team.

Miami is the same way. In the first half of last decade Miami was drawing in the 2000-2600 range. They win their first conference title and boom, attendance the next year shoots to 3300. But it dropped back a little as the excitement faded. It even went back to 2500 in 2009. They were a team drawing 3000 a game for the past few seasons, when they were very good. Last year, playing teams largely unknown to their fans, they drew 2850, and they sucked last year. Dead last in the conference and a terrible record. People expected attendance to be high?

[Tipsy McStagger]

Re: The NCHC Year Two: Haters Please Form A Queue to the Right

nice spin, but attendance for both Western and Miami dropped by joining the NCHC.

Last year Miami drew a weak 2,076 and 2,311 hosting UNO.
Final season of the CCHA, Miami drew 2,911 and 3,335 vs. BGSU.

Western pulled in more vs. BGSU in 2012-13 than they did last year vs. UNO too.

UNO was a redheaded stepchild in the CCHA, and few were surprised (or upset) when they bailed.
sorry, but UNO is not a big draw in Michigan and Ohio, and never will be. Geography matters, and so do historic rivalries.
The good news is, the BGSU vs. Miami rivalry resumes this year (which BG leads 60-44-8). Coach expects to soon be playing Miami and Western again every year, regardless of this conference mess.

Bowling Green: "Don't just schedule us for the easy win, but for the 900 fans we will bring with."

[blackswampboy]

Re: The NCHC Year Two: Haters Please Form A Queue to the Right

As for attendance, it doesn't surprise me in the least that both Miami and WMU were down last year. First, I think attendance will be an issue,

yep, it's an issue that will never go away.

NCHC business model: "Draw less, but spend more!"

[SJHovey]

Re: The NCHC Year Two: Haters Please Form A Queue to the Right

Bowling Green: "Don't just schedule us for the easy win, but for the 900 fans we will bring with."

It is a little odd that we have a fan of a team that struggles to draw even 2000 fans to a game worried about the attendance figures of schools no longer in the same conference with his team.

[Red Cows]

Re: The NCHC Year Two: Haters Please Form A Queue to the Right

nice spin, but attendance for both Western and Miami dropped by joining the NCHC.

Last year Miami drew a weak 2,076 and 2,311 hosting UNO.
Final season of the CCHA, Miami drew 2,911 and 3,335 vs. BGSU.

Western pulled in more vs. BGSU in 2012-13 than they did last year vs. UNO too.

UNO was a redheaded stepchild in the CCHA, and few were surprised (or upset) when they bailed.
sorry, but UNO is not a big draw in Michigan and Ohio, and never will be. Geography matters, and so do historic rivalries.
The good news is, the BGSU vs. Miami rivalry resumes this year (which BG leads 60-44-8). Coach expects to soon be playing Miami and Western again every year, regardless of this conference mess.

I certainly wasn't holding UNO up as some sort of "draw" in any league we have been in. I was taking up for the other teams we have been conference-mates with.

I guarantee you there are plenty of fans around the country that wonder why UNO is even in the NCHC, given that there is little hockey legacy (read: success) associated with the program and that the program is just entering its 17th season of existence.

My guess as to why fewer people than average saw UNO and Miami play in Oxford last season is because:

1. That series was well into the 2nd half of the season and it was apparent Miami wasn't "going anywhere" at that point.

2. UNO isn't a "draw" in the first place.

3. Miami stunk last year, at least, in-conference they did. Even UNO came within a shootout loss (at Miami) of sweeping them for the season and to say UNO had a checkered season last year is understating things a tad.


And, Western Michigan and BGSU are long time rivals. The two teams have played 122 times. No surprise Western Michigan fans might be more interested in seeing BGSU than UNO.

I'm just saying that there is no lack of marquee' teams in the NCHC that one could point to as a reason for lousy home attendance.

Western Michigan fans are pining to play home games with Bowling Green, instead of, say, North Dakota? From a competition standpoint, maybe, but, I guarantee you their ticket manager doesn't.

[NatAttack]

Re: The NCHC Year Two: Haters Please Form A Queue to the Right

In the first year of a new league why is anyone surprised that attendance figures go down? Especially since Miami fell on hard luck last year during the regular season...

[First Time, Long Time]

Re: The NCHC Year Two: Haters Please Form A Queue to the Right

In the first year of a new league why is anyone surprised that attendance figures go down? Especially since Miami fell on hard luck last year during the regular season...

Clearly since it happened that way in year one, that's how it's always going to be...

[scsutommyboy]

Re: The NCHC Year Two: Haters Please Form A Queue to the Right

nice spin, but attendance for both Western and Miami dropped by joining the NCHC.

Last year Miami drew a weak 2,076 and 2,311 hosting UNO.
Final season of the CCHA, Miami drew 2,911 and 3,335 vs. BGSU.

Western pulled in more vs. BGSU in 2012-13 than they did last year vs. UNO too.

UNO was a redheaded stepchild in the CCHA, and few were surprised (or upset) when they bailed.
sorry, but UNO is not a big draw in Michigan and Ohio, and never will be. Geography matters, and so do historic rivalries.
The good news is, the BGSU vs. Miami rivalry resumes this year (which BG leads 60-44-8). Coach expects to soon be playing Miami and Western again every year, regardless of this conference mess.

So then why would they want to leave the NCHC if they can play the mighty BGSU every year none conference?

[Not So Sober Hockey Guy]

Re: The NCHC Year Two: Haters Please Form A Queue to the Right

Hi

[Not So Sober Hockey Guy]

Holy crap, rabid is till posting under his wife's name and SCSU is still stealing others material. Good to see life never changes around here!