Notre Dame to Hockey East

[Craig P.]

Re: Notre Dame to Hockey East

Well it kind of stops making sense is if the rest of the schedule filters down to home and homes because of that... from a fan's perspectice (as Mookie mentioned earlier) it would be pretty lame to see a team only one weekend per year. Better to have them spread out.

Well, setting aside the trips to anybody that winds up on a "long trip" program, there's nothing stopping some sort of ECAC-esque travel partner arrangement.

Personally, I like having a two-game series against an opponent, but YMMV.

I'm sure some of my opinions on scheduling are colored by my time at ND, which featured mostly two-game series at one site, and only guaranteed us home games against Bowling Green every year—other schools would alternate, and the "cluster" system would rotate pairs of schools through.

[Bossk]

Re: Notre Dame to Hockey East

They should hold a contest for spot #12.

[Rover]

Re: Notre Dame to Hockey East

A team that is undefeated at Agganis (and is 3-2-1 since the 2004-05 season) can't compete with BU? And losing 1-0 in arguably RPI's worst season and winning 3-1 afterwards means they can't compete with UNH? Not to mention the fairly close games in recent memory with Notre Dame?

If RPI has trouble winning in their own conference, how exactly are they going to cut it in a better conference like Hockey East? While I don't follow the program closely, I don't recall too many ECAC championships, Frozen Fours, or even NCAA appearances after the 80's. Getting up for a big HE game a few times a year is a little different than playing ND, BU, BC, UNH, and Maine 15 times every year. In contrast, ECAC generally has one good team from a national perspective each year (Yale last year for example).

Look, I have nothing against RPI's program, fans, or facilities. Well, back in the day some old guy bawled us out because BU kicked their @ sses in their own arena, but I digress. What I do foresee is an arms race in Hockey East as the schools with new facilities and highly paid coaches keep bagging the recruits while everyone else gets left further behind (Maine for example really needs a new arena). Not sure how well RPI keeps up with all that.

[Red Cloud]

Re: Notre Dame to Hockey East

What I do foresee is an arms race in Hockey East as the schools with new facilities and highly paid coaches keep bagging the recruits while everyone else gets left further behind (Maine for example really needs a new arena). Not sure how well RPI keeps up with all that.

If I may... probably with our just renovated facility and highly paid coach.

[Nick Papagiorgio]

Re: Notre Dame to Hockey East

If RPI has trouble winning in their own conference, how exactly are they going to cut it in a better conference like Hockey East? While I don't follow the program closely, I don't recall too many ECAC championships, Frozen Fours, or even NCAA appearances after the 80's. Getting up for a big HE game a few times a year is a little different than playing ND, BU, BC, UNH, and Maine 15 times every year. In contrast, ECAC generally has one good team from a national perspective each year (Yale last year for example).

It's a solid point but I'd probably take Maine out of that category for the time being. And point out that the typical "good" ECAC teams from a national perspective are only ok and not great compared to the best that HE or WCHA or CCHA has to offer (with rare exceptions like Cornell in 2003 and to a much lesser extent SLU in 2000). HE is deeper and has some serious guns at the top. A very different animal. I suppose it's possible that if BU and BC bungle their next coaching hires (who could possibly imagine Gene Defilippo screwing up a coaching hire at BC?!!!!!), that Maine keeps Timmay around, Merrimack falls off after last season and stops recruiting 25 year old Canadians, and NU's most recent hire doesn't turn out to be very good... that RPI could have a window of opportunity for a while but that will eventually close and that scenario isn't all that likely anyway.

[FlagDUDE08]

Re: Notre Dame to Hockey East

If RPI has trouble winning in their own conference, how exactly are they going to cut it in a better conference like Hockey East? While I don't follow the program closely, I don't recall too many ECAC championships, Frozen Fours, or even NCAA appearances after the 80's. Getting up for a big HE game a few times a year is a little different than playing ND, BU, BC, UNH, and Maine 15 times every year. In contrast, ECAC generally has one good team from a national perspective each year (Yale last year for example).

How does UVM cut it?

One thing to remember is that the play style in the ECAC is quite different from what we see in our non-conference play. You may notice that we will dominate against certain skate-circles teams, like Yale and Dartmouth, while have difficulty against clutch-and-grab teams, like Colgate and Cornell. I am not familiar with the play styles of Hockey East so I can't comment on how I think we would do against specific teams in that league, but it's a big reason why we're looking towards other leagues with the tougher competition.

[UML]

Re: Notre Dame to Hockey East

That's their problem. If they don't like it they can GF themselves and find another league. No one wants them here anyway.

What you said.

[J.D.]

Re: Notre Dame to Hockey East

RPI is 3-3 against Yale the last three years (pretty good considering how good Yale has been)

5-3 against Dartmouth in that same span. I don't know if "dominate" is the right word for that.

[FlagDUDE08]

Re: Notre Dame to Hockey East

RPI is 3-3 against Yale the last three years (pretty good considering how good Yale has been)

5-3 against Dartmouth in that same span. I don't know if "dominate" is the right word for that.

Considering that 2008-09 (one of the years in your reference) was quite possibly our worst year since our last NC, I'd say it's pretty decent.

[J.D.]

Re: Notre Dame to Hockey East

No question, just not dominant IMO. When I think dominance, I think Patriots over Bills (whoops).

[FlagDUDE08]

Re: Notre Dame to Hockey East

No question, just not dominant IMO. When I think dominance, I think Patriots over Bills (whoops).

As a Bills fan, I laugh at your faux pas.

[ClOuD 9]

Re: Notre Dame to Hockey East

How does UVM keep getting put into the "long" trip group. For Christ's sake, it's like 3 1/2 hours. Granted it's not BC - BU, but jeez.... You could drive back and forth twice and still spend less gas then the one way to ORono, especially after you try and get directions from some hillbilly, or so I've heard.

For UNH it's almost exactly the same amount of time to Burlington as it is to Orono, just about 3 1/2 hours each.

To put a little gambling flavor into the possibility of a 12th team to HE and who it could be I have come up with the following odds.


RPI 3/1 - Seems that they are interested this time. Alot of rumors and where there is this much smoke, there is usually a little fire.

Quinnipiac 4/1 - Upgraded facilities and New England base put them right in the mix.

UConn - 6/1 - Probably the choice for many in New England but arena and Title IX could be too large of an obstacle to make the relationship work.

Syracuse 15/1 - Gotta have a team first.

Stay at 11 teams 8/1 - Worked for the CCHA and with 11 teams. Would 14 non-league games be too many? Odd team might be left without anyone to play on weekends after the new year.

The field 20/1 - Stranger things have happened, especially in the last 4 months.

Where is the "Freddy Meyer is a hack" option?

[redhead18]

Re: Notre Dame to Hockey East

Could Holy Cross become the 12th member of Hockey East? The City of Worcester would support a move if the college chooses to do so by potentially letting the hockey team use the DCU Center for all its home games.

http://www.telegram.com/article/2011...9549/-1/NEWS04

“Clearly, we cannot speak for Holy Cross, nor should we, nor should we try,” said Germain, a Holy Cross alum and one-time hockey star there. “In the past, the Hockey East has made overtures to Holy Cross; they want Holy Cross in their league. If Holy Cross wants to do it, it would need to move its (home) games from the Hart Center because it is too small. They would have to play at the DCU Center, and that is something we as a city might be able to help the college out with.

[Ralph Baer]

Re: Notre Dame to Hockey East

Could Holy Cross become the 12th member of Hockey East? The City of Worcester would support a move if the college chooses to do so by potentially letting the hockey team use the DCU Center for all its home games.

http://www.telegram.com/article/2011...9549/-1/NEWS04

They weren't not considered good enough for the ECAC back when QU was chosen, so it is hard to fathom that the HE would be interested. Would the non-church schools of the HE be interested in having 5 church schools in the conference? The fact that HC's women's team does not play a D-I schedule is probably a plus because Notre Dame doesn't have a woman's team, so no changes would be needed there.

[Hokydad]

Re: Notre Dame to Hockey East

They weren't not considered good enough for the ECAC back when QU was chosen, so it is hard to fathom that the HE would be interested. Would the non-church schools of the HE be interested in having 5 church schools in the conference? The fact that HC's women's team does not play a D-I schedule is probably a plus because Notre Dame doesn't have a woman's team, so no changes would be needed there.

That is false. HC took a pass on ECAC when QU was brought in. They were a finalist but said no to a few demands/suggestions by ECAC. Was not going to be told to build a new rink just to get intoa 2nd tier league. HE is in fact looking at HC as they feel it does not compete with theb BC/BU/UMA type. They tend to get the type of kids who wanted to go to Harvard or Dartmouth. HC is a far superior academic school than RPI. I don't think it will happen but it is not true that they were not considered good enough for ECAC. Paul Pearl has done an exceptional job there, better than RPI's coach in regards to building a program and is well regarded by the league. RPI is a 5th-7th place team, again this year, in a 2nd tier northeast, 4th or 5th tier nationaly type league and would flounder in Hockey East, below the 500 mark at best.