Boston schools eager to schedule Penn State?

[Nick Papagiorgio]

Re: Boston schools eager to schedule Penn State?

I agree that PSU is going to want to get to the Boston area because of the recruits, but I just don't see what's in it for BU or BC. NU I get because it probably could be an attendance boost for them, though.

A few quick thoughts:

While BC is far superior to recruiting local talent lately, BU still gets their fair share. Both of these schools would probably "protect" this area by NOT scheduling a game with PSU even though PSU is probably a very minimal threat.

Also, if PSU did want to come in and get some exposure in the Boston market and did so with a willing participant like NU, UML, Merrimack, etc... how much exposure are we talking? Ok, it sells out the game. So you have a few thousand people, mostly local, going to these games. It's not going to get on tv. Even a huge marketing campaign in the Globe or Herald to sell the tickets just gets the building filled and it stops there. Writeups on the games would be about 2nd rate local teams against a startup Big Ten school that may very well be terrible on the ice and it could still be a beatdown. Would that get more press than say a BC or BU writeup when they play on the same night? Doubtful. How much exposure would it really be? At the end of the day, most of these kids that get into the arena to see PSU will still want to go to BC and if they can't get in to BC go to BU and if they play for 3rd rate programs like Boston Advantage they will want to go to Maine to go play for Whitehead, who will hopefully still be coaching there for the next 20 years!

[alfablue]

Re: Boston schools eager to schedule Penn State?

I would guess not many "name" hockey schools are going to be looking to play PSU at this point due to not being able to help much for PWR. I expect the B10 schools will schedule them for the conference. But I would expect that they otherwise would get most of their games against middle of the road to bottom teams in the CCHA and WCHA early on.

I think the B10 schools will play PSU well before HE teams start to look at the possibilities. They'll take the PWR hit to help a B10 brotheren.

That, and it makes sense that PSU will be a CCHA team unless a B10 actually happens- natural rivalries and whatnot. There will be more money that way for them.

IMHO.

[Yuppie Scum]

Re: Boston schools eager to schedule Penn State?

A few quick thoughts:

While BC is far superior to recruiting local talent lately, BU still gets their fair share. Both of these schools would probably "protect" this area by NOT scheduling a game with PSU even though PSU is probably a very minimal threat.

Also, if PSU did want to come in and get some exposure in the Boston market and did so with a willing participant like NU, UML, Merrimack, etc... how much exposure are we talking? Ok, it sells out the game. So you have a few thousand people, mostly local, going to these games. It's not going to get on tv. Even a huge marketing campaign in the Globe or Herald to sell the tickets just gets the building filled and it stops there. Writeups on the games would be about 2nd rate local teams against a startup Big Ten school that may very well be terrible on the ice and it could still be a beatdown. Would that get more press than say a BC or BU writeup when they play on the same night? Doubtful. How much exposure would it really be? At the end of the day, most of these kids that get into the arena to see PSU will still want to go to BC and if they can't get in to BC go to BU and if they play for 3rd rate programs like Boston Advantage they will want to go to Maine to go play for Whitehead, who will hopefully still be coaching there for the next 20 years!

Well, Yuma AZ, I think you're overestimating the influence of Penn State, sure it's a nationally recognized school but there are some very prestigious schools inside 128 that are also pretty much synonymous with NCAA Hockey around here. I am pretty convinced that if Little Johnny Sully-Murph wants to play college hockey, he wants to play it for BU or BC, or UNH or Maine. (disregarding the issue of scholarships) Half the people around here think the Beanpot is the HEA playoffs, anyway.

[Nick Papagiorgio]

Re: Boston schools eager to schedule Penn State?

Well, Yuma AZ, I think you're overestimating the influence of Penn State, sure it's a nationally recognized school but there are some very prestigious schools inside 128 that are also pretty much synonymous with NCAA Hockey around here. I am pretty convinced that if Little Johnny Sully-Murph wants to play college hockey, he wants to play it for BU or BC, or UNH or Maine. (disregarding the issue of scholarships) Half the people around here think the Beanpot is the HEA playoffs, anyway.

I could be wrong here... but I'm pretty sure that's almost exactly what I wrote.

[pinch]

Re: Boston schools eager to schedule Penn State?

I agree that PSU is going to want to get to the Boston area because of the recruits

I think we have to wait and see who the coach is. If he is a WCHA or CCHA guy, I think they go west (USHL, MN, BCHL etc)... if it is a HE or ECAC guy, it will be strange if he goes east for players--this would be the only team in a conference that recruits differently than all of its other members.
My guess is the first couple classes will be heavy on older Ontario, Alberta, BCHL and to some degree NAHL kids regardless of who the coach is.

[Patman]

Re: Boston schools eager to schedule Penn State?

Let's not forget that the Big10 teams have only 6-8 open dates to schedule in the short term... I don't think they want to blast 4 on Penn State... Even so that only takes them to 20. Penn State will do well in pennsylvania, but I would think that not being in Minnesota or Michigan proper they'll look, for now, at NY and New England for options. 14-24 dates are a lot to fill regardless of the institution.

I will agree that they may schedule a BC/BU but they may not want the terms of such a deal... Depends on what they think of themselves.

[alfablue]

Re: Boston schools eager to schedule Penn State?

Let's not forget that the Big10 teams have only 6-8 open dates to schedule in the short term... I don't think they want to blast 4 on Penn State... Even so that only takes them to 20. Penn State will do well in pennsylvania, but I would think that not being in Minnesota or Michigan proper they'll look, for now, at NY and New England for options. 14-24 dates are a lot to fill regardless of the institution.

I will agree that they may schedule a BC/BU but they may not want the terms of such a deal... Depends on what they think of themselves.

Giving up 2 per year isn't that much to help your bretheren school. Remember, the College Hockey Showcase was (reportedly) ended due to the lack of inclusion of OSU. B10 schools will look out for each other, somehow. Especially if its in their best interest NOT to have a BTHC. Until PSU gets good enough, IMHO, big eastern schools can not worry about playing them. And there's plenty of other areas to recruit than Boston....

[Terrier520]

Re: Boston schools eager to schedule Penn State?

I think the OOC will be a lot of middling schools the first year: OSU, Princeton (closest team), UAH, perhaps some Atlantic Hockey schools, and I figure they'd play the Alaska schools.

[pgb-ohio]

Re: Boston schools eager to schedule Penn State?

Oh well...I thought it seemed like a good idea.

Nothing wrong with the thread idea.

I agree that Penn State, aside from being a marquee school, won't be a marquee hockey program for a long time (if at all: see Ohio State).

Ouch! What did we do to deserve that out-of-nowhere grenade?

OSU has been to the Frozen Four, so we were a marquee program for at least one shining moment. But yeah, there's a good bit of work still to do...

I was just posing the question to see what people thought, because I would rather see a BC-Penn State game in early November than a BC-Toronto one.

You can't make this particular trade-off, because Toronto is an exhibition opponent. That's a separate category from NCAA non-conference games. In other words, you can't drop Toronto to get an additional NCAA game. But that doesn't ruin your larger point, that adding PSU might make a school's non-conference schedule more interesting.

[CHFAN222]

Re: Boston schools eager to schedule Penn State?

NU would be possibility since I'm sure some of the fans are sick of playing Atlantic Hockey teams in their OOC games.

I think UMass would love it and go for it and it would be a good draw for them.

[mookie1995]

Re: Boston schools eager to schedule Penn State?

I'd love to see psu be proactive and host a little weekend with say Cornell, BU, and BC. Let the Boston teams play Penn St along with another school that would benefit them.

[manurespreader]

Re: Boston schools eager to schedule Penn State?

I think the OOC will be a lot of middling schools the first year: OSU, Princeton (closest team), UAH, perhaps some Atlantic Hockey schools, and I figure they'd play the Alaska schools.

I agree. It's hard to predict what they do. It's true the Big ten will most likely schedule a few games, but I think psu will recruit the east mostly and therefore will try to play games in the east, plus an alaska school. Once teams start losing to them then is where scheduling will get harder imo, because the bottom teams don't want to lose and the top teams have nothing to gain.

[SteveP]

Re: Boston schools eager to schedule Penn State?

I would love for UNH to take a trip down there, as a Penn State Football fan what could be better then catching a Penn State Football game and UNH hockey in the same weekend then again this would be for pure selfish reasons

You aren't going to get home football and hockey on the same weekend, no way no how!

[komey1]

Re: Boston schools eager to schedule Penn State?

I agree. It's hard to predict what they do. It's true the Big ten will most likely schedule a few games, but I think psu will recruit the east mostly and therefore will try to play games in the east, plus an alaska school. Once teams start losing to them then is where scheduling will get harder imo, because the bottom teams don't want to lose and the top teams have nothing to gain.

By then they will be in a conference and have a lot less games to worry about. They will also be helped by their conference members so that component of the SOS will help.

[manurespreader]

Re: Boston schools eager to schedule Penn State?

By then they will be in a conference and have a lot less games to worry about. They will also be helped by their conference members so that component of the SOS will help.

Agreed, but the BTHC will be no pushover and so could it be that psu ends up a bottom feeder for quite some time? In other words, as soon as the bthc starts then it get's harder still, unless of course they have Indiana or Iowa to compete against.