Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

AIC, 2016 and beyond.

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • AIC, 2016 and beyond.

    AIC has two recruits before the season ends. First time I've seen this in all my years of following them. And now this news!
    Coach Wright has retired.

    http://aicyellowjackets.com/news/201...key-coach.aspx

    Anyone know how to get in touch with Alex Todd who got let go by Omaha? I'd love to see him in this spot.

  • #2
    Re: AIC, 2016 and beyond.

    03/11/16 STEPHAN, Kyle C American International College Wenatchee Wild (BCHL)
    http://bchl.ca/stephan-commits-to-aic

    01/18/16 VIZZO, Billy RW American International College P.A.L. Junior Islanders (USPHL)
    http://www.juniorhockey.com/news/new...?news_id=89691

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: AIC, 2016 and beyond.

      Originally posted by CornwallAce View Post
      AIC has two recruits before the season ends. First time I've seen this in all my years of following them. And now this news!
      Coach Wright has retired.

      http://aicyellowjackets.com/news/201...key-coach.aspx

      Anyone know how to get in touch with Alex Todd who got let go by Omaha? I'd love to see him in this spot.
      Good luck guys. I'm pretty sure you will continue to get better as time goes by. I assume the new AD is going to spend more money on Hockey now.
      MTU: Three time NCAA champions.

      It never get's easier, you just go faster. -Greg Lemond

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: AIC, 2016 and beyond.

        Originally posted by CornwallAce View Post
        AIC has two recruits before the season ends. First time I've seen this in all my years of following them. And now this news!
        Coach Wright has retired.

        http://aicyellowjackets.com/news/201...key-coach.aspx

        Anyone know how to get in touch with Alex Todd who got let go by Omaha? I'd love to see him in this spot.
        Originally posted by manurespreader View Post
        Good luck guys. I'm pretty sure you will continue to get better as time goes by. I assume the new AD is going to spend more money on Hockey now.
        I second the good luck. AIC has always sort of baffled me in how they go through the effort of maintaining a DI hockey program, but never seemed to have any interest in winning. I have the utmost respect for any coach who sticks with the same program for such a long time, and I'm sure he was a big influence on AIC in keeping the program running, but seriously, it was time for a change. Hopefully they can turn things around to at least get to the point where they're taken seriously in Atlantic Hockey.
        Frozen Four: 1998, 2018

        NCAA Tournament: 1998, 1999, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2009, 2017, 2018, 2019

        The Ohio State University '18
        University of Western Ontario '19

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: AIC, 2016 and beyond.

          AIC = Washington Generals

          Comment


          • #6
            Re: AIC, 2016 and beyond.

            So any idea of who the new assistants will be and how does the fan base feel about the hire.?
            MTU: Three time NCAA champions.

            It never get's easier, you just go faster. -Greg Lemond

            Comment


            • #7
              Re: AIC, 2016 and beyond.

              I have not heard if Stephen Wiedler will be retained or not. I would have to assume he would. Mike Towns is a graduate assistant, so unless they hired a second assistant(for the first time in my memory) he would be moving on. I thought Towns did a good job.

              I would have to believe that AIC fans who went to AIC are very happy with this hire. I do not remember Lang either coaching or playing, so I don't have an opinion. I have to be honest, I was hoping for Alex Todd. I thought he could also keep the excellence in the classroom that Coach Wright brought to the team, while upping the hockey level. I think I have been shunned for having such opinions.

              Comment


              • #8
                Re: AIC, 2016 and beyond.

                Thirds commitment:

                Jared Pike, F from Sandy, Utah
                http://nahl.com/news/story.cfm?id=17885

                Comment


                • #9
                  Re: AIC, 2016 and beyond.

                  Originally posted by manurespreader View Post
                  So any idea of who the new assistants will be and how does the fan base feel about the hire.?
                  As a UM hockey season ticket holder..... my-self and a few others attend A.I.C. games when UM is on the road. We love college hockey and it's D-I hockey so we may as well go, and living in the Greater Springfield area, their games are close by us. Regarding their "Fan Base," in all honesty I'd have to say ....what fan base? A.I.C. has the poorest fan following of all the D-I hockey schools. Of the 60 D-I teams this past season they are dead last in D-I hockey attendance averaging 217 fans per game. The local high school hockey teams that play at the Olympia Ice Center consistently out draw the A.I.C. crowds. Were UM fans but three of us last season actually drove to Niagara for the A.I.C. series there which AIC actually swept, and we also went to Dartmouth to watch them there. We saw almost NO AIC fans except for some parents.
                  I don't say this as a knock on the AIC hockey team, we actually like them. Having fewer high skilled players over the years has led to yearly losing teams. Some other draw backs for them are the Olympia Ice Center it self. Fans that do go there FREEZE their butts off. Its like going to a pond hockey game. It's definitely one of the worst, if not the worst D-I rink around. In talking to parents of players from some of the visiting teams they say the Olympia is the worst place they visit to watch a game during the season. It's just to cold and uncomfortable to enjoy watching a two hour game there. Unless your a diehard like us. But that will keep the average fan away. The College it self isn't in the greatest spot of the city of Springfield either. Springfield is one of the unsafest cities in Massachusetts per capita. To often you hear reports of gun shots in the vicinity of the AIC college.
                  So for whom ever is coaching this team recruiting must be a real challenge. Taking into consideration the teams annual history of losing, the location of the college it self, and the conditions of where they will play their home games, and even being in Atlantic Hockey.... which isn't the conference being eyed by the more proficient players ......all are huge obstacles when it comes to making A.I.C. a winner. But as every year, we do wish them the best.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Re: AIC, 2016 and beyond.

                    As a Bentley fan, Olympia Ice Palace is on my list to visit this coming season. I can sympathize with AIC fans, as Bentley probably has the second worst home ice venue in D1 hockey behind AIC (some overhead heating ducts were added to the JAR a few years, nudging it ahead of the Olympia).

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Re: AIC, 2016 and beyond.

                      I know it's bad. My sister lives in Springfield and we talk about AIC a good bit. And I know the rink is bad, but you know, it's not the only D1 unheated rink. I really hope the school starts spending more money and makes the team something you want to watch. I try to go see HC when they come there.
                      MTU: Three time NCAA champions.

                      It never get's easier, you just go faster. -Greg Lemond

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Re: AIC, 2016 and beyond.

                        Originally posted by Snively65 View Post
                        As a Bentley fan, Olympia Ice Palace is on my list to visit this coming season. I can sympathize with AIC fans, as Bentley probably has the second worst home ice venue in D1 hockey behind AIC (some overhead heating ducts were added to the JAR a few years, nudging it ahead of the Olympia).
                        I have read where Bentley is trying to get the okay to build a new arena on campus. That would be awesome for the Falcons. I think like in the case of R.I.T., if you build it they will come. Four of us went out to R.I.T. two season ago for their opening night against St. Lawrence and it is a great place to watch a game. Very comfortable. Attendance wise R.I.T. is the exception to the rule. The Gene Polisseni Center is the class of Atlantic Hockey. It seats 4300 and they're averaging 3359 a game. A far cry from all the other Atlantic Hockey teams. They actually are out drawing (9) ECAC teams as well as (4) HE Teams. Having a venue such as that only helps recruitment.

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Re: AIC, 2016 and beyond.

                          Originally posted by UMATTACK View Post
                          I have read where Bentley is trying to get the okay to build a new arena on campus. That would be awesome for the Falcons. I think like in the case of R.I.T., if you build it they will come. Four of us went out to R.I.T. two season ago for their opening night against St. Lawrence and it is a great place to watch a game. Very comfortable. Attendance wise R.I.T. is the exception to the rule. The Gene Polisseni Center is the class of Atlantic Hockey. It seats 4300 and they're averaging 3359 a game. A far cry from all the other Atlantic Hockey teams. They actually are out drawing (9) ECAC teams as well as (4) HE Teams. Having a venue such as that only helps recruitment.
                          Touching on the Bentley rink situation... I can confirm after conversations with the several Bentley administrators that this is a priority for the school. I've seen the blueprints and spoken with the architects. It's close. Just a few more hurdles. I think it would be a huge step for the program, especially with conferences potentially shifting. As far as Atlantic Hockey goes, RIT is the cream of the crop. I think they're a natural fit for the ECAC if QU does leave HE. It's been refreshing to see a commitment for growth conference wide these past few years... with the one exception being AIC. Does AIC have any plans for steps to help grow the program?

                          @BentleyTopShelf

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Re: AIC, 2016 and beyond.

                            The Olympia is definitely not the only un-heated rink in D-I, they all just happen to mostly be in Atlantic hockey. And the attendance results for all of them are the same, (BAD). AIC-217, Sacred Heart-243, Bentley-619, Robert Morris-861, Niagara-892, HC-1060, Canisius-1092 and they have a new rink, Mercyhurst-1283. Those are lousy numbers for D-I hockey. And I realize many of these schools may not have the resources to do what R.I.T. did. But it's these things that make it hard for the Atlantic hockey teams to be more competitive. They are not good for recruitment. and so they don't get the fans coming out to watch decent, but some times so-so hockey inside an uncomfortable venue. Even Niagara and Holy Cross have similar rinks to A.I.C. and even there's are more comfortable.

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Re: AIC, 2016 and beyond.

                              I think a big problem for these schools is the fact that many of the rinks are off campus. It makes all the difference in the world. Bentley will draw 2000 to its D-II football games no problem. But only draws 600 to D-I hockey. Why? They play fifteen minutes away in Watertown. It's a lot easier for students to have a few drinks, pregame/tailgate with friends and then walk 5 minutes to a game than it is to have to plan out an entire night around getting to/from a game. "if you build it, we will come" That's the motto we've adopted in the fight for a rink at Bentley. If you build a rink on campus, you'll see a spike in attendance, no doubt. And it compounds from there. More fans + a nicer rink = more desirable from a potential recruits point of view. Better recruits = better hockey. Better hockey = more fans. But it all starts with a solid foundation... which most AHA teams lack.

                              @BentleyTopShelf

                              Comment

                              Working...
                              X