Bentley Falcons 2013-2014: No offseason. No excuses.

[wwjg1158]

Yikes, going 12-22-1 in 2000-2007 was like this past year for Bentley, as we started out reasonably well, tied and beat Princeton, then got trounced in both games at Omaha, traded wins and losses for about a month, then did a nose dive losing all but one game the last month. Please no repeats of either season next year.

It is a different team. May I suggest they will have a bounce back season!

[Humanoid]

Re: Bentley Falcons 2013-2014: No offseason. No excuses.

It is a different team. May I suggest they will have a bounce back season!

This team is going to have lowered expectations but still have expectations to compete. The roof is not expected to collapse.

[schiegs]

Give the team a rink! Your other teams have first class facilities and although everyone seems to have a special place in their hearts for the JAR it really is a hole. Having a nice rink on campus will help recruiting and would allow for other teams to come to Bentley! Not many people want to come to Boston to play at the JAR!

Get your checkbook out and write a check.

[Snively65]

Get your checkbook out and write a check.

My understanding is that the donations have been on hand for several years to build the rink (aka, an events center). But, it is the lack of willingness to absorb the expense of maintenance that has been the stumbling block, especially at a time of runaway tuition increases and until recently lousy markets for investing its endowment portfolio. Because Bentley is a business university, its entire brand is dictated by sound monetary policy, first and foremost.

[Humanoid]

Re: Bentley Falcons 2013-2014: No offseason. No excuses.

My understanding is that the donations have been on hand for several years to build the rink (aka, an events center). But, it is the lack of willingness to absorb the expense of maintenance that has been the stumbling block, especially at a time of runaway tuition increases and until recently lousy markets for investing its endowment portfolio. Because Bentley is a business university, its entire brand is dictated by sound monetary policy, first and foremost.

It's no secret that the school is *right there* with regards to the rink. They botched the Dana Center in terms of making it a multi-purpose center. In terms of basketball, offices, and student fitness, it's a great facility, but it's not conducive to bringing in guest speakers, public figures, or graduation. The rink would serve as that type of multi purpose center so graduation doesn't have to be in a tent anymore.

Bentley's biggest hang up has been ongoing maintenance; right now they're not paying to keep the compressors going or to staff the rink at the JAR. In the event that they move on campus, that's a sizable financial investment. This was the hang up back before the economy collapsed, and it's the hang up now. The school doesn't want to invest on the centerpiece without crossing the t's and dotting the i's...and they shouldn't.

This discussion isn't so much a rink facility as it is a multi purpose facility that will also house the hockey team. Hockey isn't the primary function, but at the same time, it's in the package for what that facility will house.

I know that the location is also a small issue. It would result in the tearing up of the tennis courts up front near the Bentley foot bridge. That could result in a slight loss of parking (eh).

[Snively65]

Re: Bentley Falcons 2013-2014: No offseason. No excuses.

Actually the original space that the Waltham Conservation Commission approved as a building site was lower on the floodplain behind the Dana Center, which would not have impacted the tennis courts or parking lots, but that permit expired a long time ago, I think. I doubt that the WCC would approve that site today. Of course, I agree that such a structure only would sell as an Events Center, as in "We thought that we were going to hear a speech, but a hockey game broke out."

[schiegs]

Re: Bentley Falcons 2013-2014: No offseason. No excuses.

A multipurpose facility for events + hockey is probably also suited for basketball. Therefore, replace the Dana Center for basketball, and leave it dedicated to vball, indoor track, intramurals, etc.?

[Snively65]

A multipurpose facility for events + hockey is probably also suited for basketball. Therefore, replace the Dana Center for basketball, and leave it dedicated to vball, indoor track, intramurals, etc.?

Probably not cost effective at college level to install and breakdown the floor multiple times per week, but more important, hockey teams need ice available to practice every day.

[eXcSports]

Re: Bentley Falcons 2013-2014: No offseason. No excuses.

Probably not cost effective at college level to install and breakdown the floor multiple times per week, but more important, hockey teams need ice available to practice every day.

The Dana Center is too extravagant to shutter for basketball. It cost $12 million to renovate when the original Bentley Plan was put into place. As part of the renovation, the foyer of the Dana Center was completely redone to include the four-sided video board and the cafeteria space. The offices and locker rooms were redone. The Green Space was installed, as were playing courts. The Dana Center was anticipated to be the centerpiece because of the profile of the men's and women's basketball teams, with the football team next door.

Because of the extravagance and how much Bentley invested into it from a money perspective, it's unlikely the basketball teams would ever move to the multi-purpose center. The school is going to be less apt to invest in something that has a highlighted thought process of being involved with sports. They've done enough in terms of the Bentley Plan and the renovation, along with the rebranding. They're spending extravagant amounts to standardize uniforms as it is now.

That said, Bentley will most likely put ice down on the center just because it's not fair to hockey to be off campus. The hockey team will be able to do what it wants, but they'll need to work with the school the way that they are as it is. Do what the school wants, and you shall be rewarded.

[schiegs]

The Dana Center is too extravagant to shutter for basketball. It cost $12 million to renovate when the original Bentley Plan was put into place. As part of the renovation, the foyer of the Dana Center was completely redone to include the four-sided video board and the cafeteria space. The offices and locker rooms were redone. The Green Space was installed, as were playing courts. The Dana Center was anticipated to be the centerpiece because of the profile of the men's and women's basketball teams, with the football team next door.

Because of the extravagance and how much Bentley invested into it from a money perspective, it's unlikely the basketball teams would ever move to the multi-purpose center. The school is going to be less apt to invest in something that has a highlighted thought process of being involved with sports. They've done enough in terms of the Bentley Plan and the renovation, along with the rebranding. They're spending extravagant amounts to standardize uniforms as it is now.

That said, Bentley will most likely put ice down on the center just because it's not fair to hockey to be off campus. The hockey team will be able to do what it wants, but they'll need to work with the school the way that they are as it is. Do what the school wants, and you shall be rewarded.

$12 million and the games still have the atmosphere of a giant cardboard box. I always thought that project seemed to be tilted toward athletic administration (offices, function suites, common space and other things where an administrator *cough, cough, AD, cough* would spend most of their day) and very little toward actual game time facilities. New flooring, fresh paint, and new foldable bleachers. Was that it?

[Snively65]

......and very little toward actual game time facilities. New flooring, fresh paint, and new foldable bleachers. Was that it?

.......and some energy-saving renovations like a tromb wall, etc. I think that LEED certification would need to be a component of any new events center building plan.

[Humanoid]

Re: Bentley Falcons 2013-2014: No offseason. No excuses.

.......and some energy-saving renovations like a tromb wall, etc. I think that LEED certification would need to be a component of any new events center building plan.

I'm pretty sure that's standard practice for all college campuses these days, too. Yale even went so far as to put environmentally sound toilets in their bathrooms. Flush up for liquids. Down for solids. ewwwwww.

The handles are also coated with some bacteria-rejecting thing that's green. So you can flush it with your hands and not worry about getting nasty. I still flush with my foot since, well, it's New Haven.

[Snively65]

Re: Bentley Falcons 2013-2014: No offseason. No excuses.

I was thinkng more terms of energy efficiencies, but whatever......

[eXcSports]

Re: Bentley Falcons 2013-2014: No offseason. No excuses.

Bentley has picked up two more commitments -- Charlie Donners, who is a 6'1 dman, and Will Suter, who's a 5'11" PK specialist out of the USHL

[eXcSports]

Re: Bentley Falcons 2013-2014: No offseason. No excuses.

Hope all of you are safe tonight after the senseless acts of today. We argue about a lot, but tonight, my heart aches for all of us who lost a little bit of innocence. I wish life were easy enough that we could just sit back and argue about Bentley hockey without having to worry about the inevitable evils of the world permeating us.