Atlantic Hockey Summer News

[BeloBrasil]

Re: Atlantic Hockey Summer News

Great direction in this thread; I love the trash talking. Let's hold an AHA post-season tourney at John A. Ryan Rink in Watertown (Mass., not N.Y.).

I'M ALL FOR THAT! Watertown is but five minutes from the City of Boston what with all its hotels, restaurants, clubs, museums, historic sites, etc. Sounds like a fine place to stage the tournament. I'd go!

I think all they would need do is work out ice time schedules with the athletic director at Trinity Catholic High School in Newton, MA (the J.A.R. is their home ice as well) and be sure to post signs prohibiting parking in the parking lot of the Italian-American Club next door to the rink for they take dim view of patrons of the rink taking up spaces in their parking area.

[BeloBrasil]

Re: Atlantic Hockey Summer News

Now it makes sense. Merrimack, the only school that has come to RMU that I hope we never invite back..........

Not for anything, but I had to Wikipedia Robert Morris to determine where the school was located.

Perhaps the fans of a refugee program from the now-defunct C.H.A. should pay a little more deference to Merrimack given that the Warriors slug it out night after night against the likes of Maine, UNH, BU, and BC as opposed to Robert Morris who heretofor played something like 16 games a season against Alabama-Huntsville.

[jtwcornell91]

Re: Atlantic Hockey Summer News

I guess what it comes down to, is this: I see your point, I think you have a fair argument, and I think I could like you - if you ever stop being such a pompous, condescending jack*****. I hope that's possible; but seeing as you only list Cornell as your team, I can only assume that you went to Cornell for undergrad, and unfortunately, that means your arrogant self-righteous demeanor has probably been beaten into you from birth.

Hey now, no need to stereotype. It's also not a particularly accurate stereotype; Cornell is arguably the least aristocratic Ivy, and plenty of my fellow Cornellians have an appreciation for Central/Western NY, including, incidentally, Dinosaur BBQ. (Although many of us discovered the original Syracuse branch first.)

Obviously, I like having the tourney within walking distance of my house (although I'm often away at the ECACs at the time), but there are a few practical issues when thinking about where it "should" be:

First, what is the footprint of the teams that have made it to the semifinals the past few years? My recollection is that a typical AHA phinal phour is Air Force, RIT, Mercyhurst and Bentley. I'd expect Niagara to be a frequent participant going forward, so it seems likely that two or three teams in a typical year will be from the Western NY/PA area, plus one for which anywhere in the Northeast is a long trip.

Second, the current AHA (not counting Air Force) has two clusters, with a big gap between RIT and Army. Rochester is at the Eastern end of the Western cluster, so there's not much room to compromise by moving farther East. E.g., holding the tournament in Syracuse would save the NE schools an hour of driving, but take away the draw of a home team. (Also, the War Memorial in Syracuse is a horrible place for a hockey tournament, but that's another story.) It doesn't help much to aim for the geographic center--which might be Utica if you exclude AFA and somewhere in Ohio or Indiana if you include them--if no one is there.

[Capernicus]

Re: Atlantic Hockey Summer News

If the people running the league had any guts, the tournament would be in Buffalo AND someplace out East. That's right, split the league. Make it a part of the bylaws of each conference that if the other one is in danger of folding they would rejoin. There is enough teams in each conference for an autobid. The higher chance at an NCAA berth would make for better recruiting. Most of the teams that want to build programs are in the west, most that want to cost contain are in the east. It's a win for everyone except the slightly above .500 team from a Big 4 Conference that doesn't get an at large bid. Heck there could even be an interlock in schedules if anyone really felt the rivalry between any of those schools was that high.

But no, we're stuck with an unbalanced schedule and groups of schools with drastically different views of where they would like the league to be in the future. At least the conference tournament will make money (so long as RIT's involved), right?

[Spydey629]

Re: Atlantic Hockey Summer News

Not for anything, but I had to Wikipedia Robert Morris to determine where the school was located.

Perhaps the fans of a refugee program from the now-defunct C.H.A. should pay a little more deference to Merrimack given that the Warriors slug it out night after night against the likes of Maine, UNH, BU, and BC as opposed to Robert Morris who heretofor played something like 16 games a season against Alabama-Huntsville.

Blah, blah, blah. That the best ya got? Really? Did you find the right one, incidentally? There is another school with the same name in Illinois, too.

Go ahead and brag up your middle-of-nowhere getting beat by BC and BU every year. I'll keep talking about my major-city suburban school beating a #2 ranked school in their barn, and sweeping a #1 ranked school.

[RITProf]

Re: Atlantic Hockey Summer News

Amen, Brother!! The team wasn't bad to deal with, their FANS on the other hand...

Hmmm... looks like New Years' Day might be interesting in Rochester. But probably their fans won't drive that far (and might not be able to on Jan. 1).

[nanotiger]

Re: Atlantic Hockey Summer News

Hey now, no need to stereotype. It's also not a particularly accurate stereotype; Cornell is arguably the least aristocratic Ivy, and plenty of my fellow Cornellians have an appreciation for Central/Western NY, including, incidentally, Dinosaur BBQ. (Although many of us discovered the original Syracuse branch first.)

Hey, I did say has probably. I know not everyone at these schools is like that, nor the families they were raised in. But there's certainly that element at these schools that you don't often get otherwise.

[RMUColonials]

Re: Atlantic Hockey Summer News

Hmmm... looks like New Years' Day might be interesting in Rochester. But probably their fans won't drive that far (and might not be able to on Jan. 1).

They were just ****ed that they took a grand total of 1 point against a lowly CHA team in a weekend series and needed to find any excuse to blame it on.....

[mar7967]

Re: Atlantic Hockey Summer News

"INCH's A to Z profiles someone you ought to know" on each team on D1.

Here are the AHA players featured so far:

Matt Clune (Holy Cross): http://insidecollegehockey.com/inch/...08/matt-clune/
Ron Cramer (Robert Morris): http://insidecollegehockey.com/inch/...08/ron-cramer/
Andrew Favot (RIT): http://insidecollegehockey.com/inch/...-andrew-favot/

[LtPowers]

Re: Atlantic Hockey Summer News

It doesn't help much to aim for the geographic center--which might be Utica if you exclude AFA and somewhere in Ohio or Indiana if you include them--if no one is there.

The geographic center of the league (including Niagara and Robert Morris) is near Coudersport, PA, almost due south of Rochester. Someone on another thread did the calculation. Don't know what it'd be without Air Force, but I'd guess it'd be around Binghamton. Utica is far too north.


Powers &8^]

[LtPowers]

Re: Atlantic Hockey Summer News

That's right, split the league. Make it a part of the bylaws of each conference that if the other one is in danger of folding they would rejoin. There is enough teams in each conference for an autobid.

THIS.

It's clearly the best solution for everyone, although Canisius and possibly Robert Morris might complain a bit. And an interlock would keep Army and Air Force happy, since they only want to play each other twice a season anyway.


Powers &8^]

[RITProf]

Re: Atlantic Hockey Summer News

The geographic center of the league is near Coudersport, PA.

Looks like a great choice, but they don't appear to have an arena ... maybe a frozen pond nearby if the league moves the tourney up to Feb.???

They do have 6 bars though ...

http://www.coudersportpa.com/entertainment.htm


Since Binghamton looks like the center without the big pull of AFA, why not just move it a little north to Ithaca and have the tourney in Lynah?

[Spydey629]

Re: Atlantic Hockey Summer News

THIS.

It's clearly the best solution for everyone, although Canisius and possibly Robert Morris might complain a bit. And an interlock would keep Army and Air Force happy, since they only want to play each other twice a season anyway.


Powers &8^]

Ummm... this was pretty much tried. The proposal worked that Mercyhurst and Canisius would join the CHA... they just wanted the assurance that if a CHA that included them failed, they could come back to AHA.

They never got that insurance policy, and now we have a 12-team conference

[BeloBrasil]

Re: Atlantic Hockey Summer News

Since Binghamton looks like the center without the big pull of AFA, why not just move it a little north to Ithaca and have the tourney in Lynah?

What a scathingly brilliant idea moving the AHA Championship Tournament to Lynah Rink! Of course this would be akin to the staging of an all-night rave or pot party inside the confines of St. Patrick's Cathedral.

I am all for seeing to the success of the AHA for a stonger AHA is good for all of Division I hockey. However, Lynah Rink is sacred and the unwashed followers of AHA league members are unworthy of entry!

Speak never again of this blasphemy for he who blasphemes the James Lynah Rink shall be cast down into the vapid and empty depths of a purgatory where the light of college hockey doth not shine!

[Tom Naeger]

Re: Atlantic Hockey Summer News

The geographic center of the league (including Niagara and Robert Morris) is near Coudersport, PA, almost due south of Rochester. Someone on another thread did the calculation. Don't know what it'd be without Air Force, but I'd guess it'd be around Binghamton. Utica is far too north.


Powers &8^]

There is nothing left in Coudersport, PA since Adelphia was bought out by Time Warner and they closed the Coudersport office. Not that there really was anything to begin with, I interviewed down there while I spent 3 years at Adelphia and I tell you, its the only interveiws I purposly blow...