NCAA Hockey Administrators to western fans: Drop Dead

[tape]

Re: NCAA Hockey Administrators to western fans: Drop Dead

Yeah, I'd guess that both the West and Midwest regionals being hosted by the same school each year is probably a sign that there were no other bids worth considering.

Given the current system of host schools/conferences bidding for the regionals, they're not going to place a regional where there's no bid. Maybe you can argue there's a chicken/egg sort of problem going on with the western regionals; are there no bids because attendance has been bad? Is attendance bad because the locations are bad?

There's no way the site selection committee or whoever is sitting in a room saying "haha let's screw the west!". The west poses logistical problems for regional sites that the east just doesn't have because of all that distance between everything out west. Presumably a lot of potential hosts have looked at the poor attendance in recent years and decided not to bid because they see it as likely to lose money.

[Caustic Undertow]

Re: NCAA Hockey Administrators to western fans: Drop Dead

Maybe your school should have applied to host. Maybe more western fans should show up to regionals.

I am sure the NCAA would have preferred not to let any school host back to back years. The fact it happened means a lot more about the quality and quantity of bids for west and midwest regionals than it does with the NCAA trying to screw western teams.

A lot of schools would love to host, but the NCAA won't host at home sites, only near-home sites, and charges outrageous ticket prices on top of that. There's little question to me that places like UMD, Michigan, Wisconsin, et al could be interested if they were allowed to host at home. Alas, they want neutral sites that also sell well.

Eastern people don't see a problem with this because all of the regionals are two hours or less from a dozen schools including almost the entirety of whole conferences. Things work differently out west, a constituency that consists of half the sport and should be respected. They find a neutral site somewhere that's close to nobody, host games there, and charge outrageous prices for inferior products. And I say that as someone who has actually spent significant money to take my family to a regional hours away from home.

The obvious, logical answer is to host the first two rounds at the home sites of the higher seed, as they do in many NCAA sports. Worried about home crowds? No problem, make them earned. Your boys can host a game or two at Tsongas, a surprise high seed out of the WCHA (like Mankato a couple of years ago) gets to expose its fans to real playoff hockey instead of sending them to Indiana, North Dakota can host at the Ralph instead of dummy not-quite-home locations nearby. More fans come, the product is better, everybody is happy.

But as long as the Boston-area folks are happy, you know, the sport must be ok.

[SiouxFanatic]

Re: NCAA Hockey Administrators to western fans: Drop Dead

Maybe your school should have applied to host. Maybe more western fans should show up to regionals.

I am sure the NCAA would have preferred not to let any school host back to back years. The fact it happened means a lot more about the quality and quantity of bids for west and midwest regionals than it does with the NCAA trying to screw western teams.

Yep, exactly this. But it has to be said.... EASTERN BIAS!

[Drew S.]

The regionals get even worse. Fargo and Sioux Falls, both hosted by North Dakota. And Allentown, PA, 162 miles from Bridgeport. Of course, the East gets its own two regionals within that tight Quadrilateral both years.

I'm losing patience with the leadership of this sport. There are great fanbases in what we call the "West," and they're getting absolutely jilted. The NCAA tournament regional system is the worst postseason arrangement in sports, anywhere.

I've made this argument before, and it's only getting worse. Host the first two rounds at home sites. Get rid of all of this.

I wouldn't mind if they got rid of the bye week and had first two rounds on campus with one game each weekend instead of two on one weekend. The old format was much better than what they are doing now.

[Patman]

Re: NCAA Hockey Administrators to western fans: Drop Dead

So, Allentown is hosting a "west" regional?

Edit: weyerbacher is down the road in Easton... could be worse

[UML Puck Hawk]

Re: NCAA Hockey Administrators to western fans: Drop Dead

The regionals get even worse. Fargo and Sioux Falls, both hosted by North Dakota. And Allentown, PA, 162 miles from Bridgeport. Of course, the East gets its own two regionals within that tight Quadrilateral both years.

I'm losing patience with the leadership of this sport. There are great fanbases in what we call the "West," and they're getting absolutely jilted. The NCAA tournament regional system is the worst postseason arrangement in sports, anywhere.

I've made this argument before, and it's only getting worse. Host the first two rounds at home sites. Get rid of all of this.

Maybe your school should have applied to host. Maybe more western fans should show up to regionals.

I am sure the NCAA would have preferred not to let any school host back to back years. The fact it happened means a lot more about the quality and quantity of bids for west and midwest regionals than it does with the NCAA trying to screw western teams.

[Caustic Undertow]

The regionals get even worse. Fargo and Sioux Falls, both hosted by North Dakota. And Allentown, PA, 162 miles from Bridgeport. Of course, the East gets its own two regionals within that tight Quadrilateral both years.

I'm losing patience with the leadership of this sport. There are great fanbases in what we call the "West," and they're getting absolutely jilted. The NCAA tournament regional system is the worst postseason arrangement in sports, anywhere.

I've made this argument before, and it's only getting worse. Host the first two rounds at home sites. Get rid of all of this.