UAH Dog Days of Summer 2010: All By Myself....

[tnlong]

Re: UAH Dog Days of Summer 2010: All By Myself....

Box 211 Row A 1-5

Wow, that's interesting (and a big change for you'uns); I would have thought that you would have knocked some of us out of our row. I had guessed that you were the one who got 207 F 1-5 since I knew you got five.

[gfmorris]

Re: UAH Dog Days of Summer 2010: All By Myself....

My take on this entire deal is that the worst case scenario is Penn State + CCHA = 12 teams, and with 59 teams, we're the odd man out, considering a 12 team WCHA, 12 team CCHA, 12 team ECAC, 12 team Atlantic Hockey, and 10 team Hockey East.

With the formation of the BTHC, do our odds improve? Not sure. We'd have:

6 team BTHC, 10 team WCHA, 8 team CCHA, 12 ECAC, 12 AH, 10 HE, plus us. Maybe Alaska-Fairbanks goes to the WCHA in that scenario, opening the spot for us in the CCHA. I'm not sure.

The Alaska schools will stay in separate conferences.

GFM

[Back check]

Re: UAH Dog Days of Summer 2010: All By Myself....

Any word on how the guys are doing in their practices?

Lots of freshmen and a strong schedule this year.

[beaverhockeyfan]

Re: UAH Dog Days of Summer 2010: All By Myself....

If the Big Ten Hockey Conference comes into being, I see a major shift in college hockey, especially with the western teams. I think the shift will be a lot like what is happening in the football BCS conferences and you will have the haves and the have nots.

The haves:
The Big Ten Teams: Minnesota, Michigan, Michigan State, Wisconsin, Ohio State and Penn State. The $$$$ will drive them together.

Then I think you will see North Dakota, CC, Denver, Miami and Notre Dame, along with a couple of other teams (Duluth, St. Cloud) band together to try and compete with the Big Ten. Bigger names schools (at least in hockey) with bigger arenas and $$$$.

That leaves the have nots:
Bemidji, Mankato, Michigan Tech, Northern Michigan, Lake Superior, Ferris, Western Michigan, Bowling Grenn, Anchorage, Fairbanks, UAH and anyone else that I am missing. Especially in the case of the Michigan schools and Bowling Green, they have relied on the home series with Michigan, Michigan State and to a lesser degree, Ohio State, to fill their barns and fill their pockets. Now those could be gone. Mankato and Bemidji fill the barns with Minnesota and North Dakota come to town. I could see a Western, Ferris, Lake Supeior and Bowling Green folding because of the lost revenue from the defections. So is gaining one program while losing potentially four or more good for college hockey?

Now yes, I realize there are non-conference games to fill in the schedule. But already Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota don't travel for non-conference games, and I don't see that changing. They make more money bringing teams in and paying them a "slaughter" fee than they would make traveling. If they do travel, it will be to the North Dakotas, Miamis and Notre Dames, other BIG NAME hockey programs where they will get a paycheck for traveling there. And these places can pay them due to the larger arenas in place.

The one thing that I think has made college hockey unique is the fact that you had Football BCS schools in leagues with Division II schools. And everyone is competitive with everyone else (for the most part). I just don't see this being a good thing for college hockey.

[gfmorris]

Re: UAH Dog Days of Summer 2010: All By Myself....

The one thing that I think has made college hockey unique is the fact that you had Football BCS schools in leagues with Division II schools. And everyone is competitive with everyone else (for the most part). I just don't see this being a good thing for college hockey.

"This is our concern, Dude."

A BTHC is good for college hockey exposure and fighting major junior for talent, but bad for the sport as a whole, for all the reasons that you've stated.

Any word on how the guys are doing in their practices?

Lots of freshmen and a strong schedule this year.

Practices with the coaching staff starts in the morning, I believe.

GFM

[tnlong]

Re: UAH Dog Days of Summer 2010: All By Myself....

... The Big Ten Teams: Minnesota, Michigan, Michigan State, Wisconsin, Ohio State and Penn State. The $$$$ will drive them together. ...

Maybe add Nebraska - Omaha and a new Big 10(12) encouraged program like Illinois to that group for a total of eight.

... Then I think you will see North Dakota, CC, Denver, Miami and Notre Dame, along with a couple of other teams (Duluth, St. Cloud) band together to try and compete with the Big Ten. ....

Maybe add Anchorage (for the extra games) to that group for a total of eight.

... That leaves the have nots:
Bemidji, Mankato, Michigan Tech, Northern Michigan, Lake Superior, Ferris, Western Michigan, Bowling Grenn, Anchorage, Fairbanks, UAH and anyone else that I am missing. ...

Maybe subtract Anchorage as noted above for a total of ten with Bemidji, Michigan Tech, Northern Michigan, Lake Superior, and Fairbanks comprising a Great White North division.

That type of major change added to maybe getting UAH a AK/HI-game-number-exception rule for hockey is the only hope I see for UAH ever finding a conference home. Therefore, bring on a Big Ten Hockey Conference.

[COHockey]

Re: UAH Dog Days of Summer 2010: All By Myself....

Been a crazy week (sister had some major surgery last Wednesday and I can finally exhale today) so I only got to call the VBC to get my new seats. Someone took my seats last Thursday so I am one section over but same aisle and aisle seats. Now I am in 217. I think I will be happy if I can make any games this year. Just found out that my client I work with in Huntsville is moving to Denver.

Where I live now.

And I already have DU tickets.

But to support the team I will keep the seats for at least another year or two and he can give to his colleagues left in Huntsville. The last few years with reduction in travel I have been able to only to go about twice a year anyhow (before 2006 it was once a month) and hit only one or two weekend series. When my son gets a little older (turning 2 next month) we'll go down, I like visiting Huntsville tons, and do all the things to do.

[RMUColonials]

Re: UAH Dog Days of Summer 2010: All By Myself....

Maybe add Nebraska - Omaha and a new Big 10(12) encouraged program like Illinois to that group for a total of eight.

Not sure why UNO would be invited to the BTHC. Univ of Nebraska-Lincoln was the school that was accepted into the B10.

[dondowski60]

Re: UAH Dog Days of Summer 2010: All By Myself....

Box 211 Row A 1-5

You got some good seats in row A 4-5! I have had those for the last two years after trying to get away from the student section. I wondered who it was since last year it was an older gentlemen and his friend who would occasionally come to the games, they sat in 1-2-3 row A. Oh well, I was disappointed I suppose just like a lot of folks were, I know it was a process that had to be worked due to the VBC. I took 6-7 eventhough sitting in 7 I have to look through the handrail to see the far side of the ice. I just wish the opposing goalie was there twice. I'd rather see us score upclose than see the other team score.
Hope we see some good hockey
John Craig

[wnickelson]

Re: UAH Dog Days of Summer 2010: All By Myself....

Post number 500 in this thread. Time to start the season thread.

[gfmorris]

Re: UAH Dog Days of Summer 2010: All By Myself....

But to support the team I will keep the seats for at least another year or two and he can give to his colleagues left in Huntsville. The last few years with reduction in travel I have been able to only to go about twice a year anyhow (before 2006 it was once a month) and hit only one or two weekend series. When my son gets a little older (turning 2 next month) we'll go down, I like visiting Huntsville tons, and do all the things to do.

Your support is appreciated.

GFM

[gfmorris]

Re: UAH Dog Days of Summer 2010: All By Myself....

Post number 500 in this thread. Time to start the season thread.

Happy, chappy?

GFM

[wnickelson]

Re: UAH Dog Days of Summer 2010: All By Myself....

Happy, chappy?

GFM

Ecstatic.