RPI 2010-11 Part II: RPI, the Other Team, the Refs -- We're outnumbered 10 to 6.

[Ralph Baer]

Re: RPI 2010-11 Part II: RPI, the Other Team, the Refs -- We're outnumbered 10 to 6.

Watch it now RB, I am a UCONN alum. I laughed the other day when I got a fund raising letter that said we were a public ivy. Thought that I got something from Cornell

UCONN has a decent soph goalie, Bartus. They tied Maine and Union. Not bad for basically a club team. We (RPI) need to be careful in that game.

I certainly didn't mean to imply that I was taking UConn lightly or taht the team could. What I meant was that it did not count in the ECAC standings. Granted that if we stay in the bubble for an NCAA berth, losing would hurt a lot.

[turk181]

Re: RPI 2010-11 Part II: RPI, the Other Team, the Refs -- We're outnumbered 10 to 6.

pretty cool turning on NHL Network and reading the "crawl" on the bottom of the screen seeing RPI highlighted....for those w/nhl net., Sat. at noon; Brown @ Colgate...followed by LSSU @ Michigan....Sun. at 1 it's Hamilton @ Toronto Marlies

[FlagDUDE08]

Re: RPI 2010-11 Part II: RPI, the Other Team, the Refs -- We're outnumbered 10 to 6.

Great show (WaP podcast) as always, Tom.

[Ralph Baer]

Re: RPI 2010-11 Part II: RPI, the Other Team, the Refs -- We're outnumbered 10 to 6.

More from Ed Weaver about the suspension http://www.troyrecord.com/articles/2...mode=fullstory.

[Ralph Baer]

Re: RPI 2010-11 Part II: RPI, the Other Team, the Refs -- We're outnumbered 10 to 6.

Great show (WaP podcast) as always, Tom.

Thumbs up here too.

[DrDemento]

Re: RPI 2010-11 Part II: RPI, the Other Team, the Refs -- We're outnumbered 10 to 6.

Great piece of journalism.

Agreed.
Good for Eddie for calling it like it is.

Agreed
pulitizer prize stuff.

Not so sure.
I really think we need to think Hockey East.

Disagree

Broke this one down into several parts.

[Ralph Baer]

Re: RPI 2010-11 Part II: RPI, the Other Team, the Refs -- We're outnumbered 10 to 6.

Great piece of journalism. Good for Eddie for calling it like it is. pulitizer prize stuff. I really think we need to think Hockey East.

We should think about it, and the athletic department probably is, but it isn't like the HEA fans think that there refs are that great either. I don't know if it still is the case, but in the past, some refs worked both leagues.

There are other problems with going to HEA. Off the top of my head:

1. We don't have any natural rivalries there. One could say that we have a rivalry with BU because we play them often, but BU's main rival is BC, and after them are probably NU, UNH, Maine, and perhaps others. UVM was our travel partner years ago, so some sort of rivalry could start, but we don't have much in common with them. As I have said before, we had a one-game rivalry with PC.

The ECAC is made up of 12 private schools. The HEA is currently 2 private schools, 5 state schools, and 3 church schools.

2. I doubt that the HEA would want to go with 11 teams. So, someone else would have to be added. QU would probably go, but they aren't our rival either. (They might be on the women's side to a degree.) Union would probably follow us, but would the HEA want them?

3. We're centrally located in the ECAC. We'd be on the periphery of the HEA. The ECAC tourney might go back to Albany -- the EHA tourney would never go there.

4. Unless things have changed, and I don't recall anyone here ever saying it has, the RPI admins really like being associated with the Ivies.


Good things about switching.

1. There are certainly benefits as far as recruiting is concerned in playing in a better hockey league. I wonder if we even try recruiting in the Boston area these days. If we are, we are having better results in Minnesota than there.

2. Also, our average home attendence would probably go up playing better teams overall. Some of the Ivies don't draw well in Troy. That isn't saying that Merrimack or UML would draw well either, but they probably would overall.

3. The HEA has a longer league schedule. Currently we have a hard time filling 12 or more OOC slots. Granted that the ECAC is apparently considering adding extra games vs. travel partners.

[redhead18]

Re: RPI 2010-11 Part II: RPI, the Other Team, the Refs -- We're outnumbered 10 to 6.

3. The HEA has a longer league schedule. Currently we have a hard time filling 12 or more OOC slots. Granted that the ECAC is apparently considering adding extra games vs. travel partners.

JMO, I think if HEA were to add 2 more teams they would have to lower the number of conference games to 22, play each team twice, once at home and once on the road. Im sure the current HEA teams would like more OoC games for a chance to increase their strength of schedule with more games vs W/CCHA teams. Also if RPI did switch leagues I dont think they would have any problems filling up the OoC schedule with old rivals from the ECAC like Clarkson, Union and the Ivys.

Im not sure why RPI doesnt schedule more OoC games against HEA schools, Id love to see some games vs Maine, Merrimack, UVM, Providence, etc....

[FlagDUDE08]

Re: RPI 2010-11 Part II: RPI, the Other Team, the Refs -- We're outnumbered 10 to 6.

JMO, I think if HEA were to add 2 more teams they would have to lower the number of conference games to 22, play each team twice, once at home and once on the road. Im sure the current HEA teams would like more OoC games for a chance to increase their strength of schedule with more games vs W/CCHA teams. Also if RPI did switch leagues I dont think they would have any problems filling up the OoC schedule with old rivals from the ECAC like Clarkson, Union and the Ivys.

Why wouldn't they just do a 4-and-2 schedule mix similar to the WCHA or CCHA if the move were to happen?

Also, with the Big Ten Hockey Conference possibly coming to fruition, is there any possibility of any of the eastern leagues also wanting to split up a bit, or does it look like it will only affect the western leagues?

[Ralph Baer]

Re: RPI 2010-11 Part II: RPI, the Other Team, the Refs -- We're outnumbered 10 to 6.

JMO, I think if HEA were to add 2 more teams they would have to lower the number of conference games to 22, play each team twice, once at home and once on the road. Im sure the current HEA teams would like more OoC games for a chance to increase their strength of schedule with more games vs W/CCHA teams. Also if RPI did switch leagues I dont think they would have any problems filling up the OoC schedule with old rivals from the ECAC like Clarkson, Union and the Ivys.

I suspect that the HEA would still have a longer and unbalanced schedule. I agree that we would still play some of the ECAC schools in OOC schools, but probably not any of the Ivies on a regular basis. I don't think that any of them see us as being a crucial opponent.

[Ralph Baer]

Re: RPI 2010-11 Part II: RPI, the Other Team, the Refs -- We're outnumbered 10 to 6.

Why wouldn't they just do a 4-and-2 schedule mix similar to the WCHA or CCHA if the move were to happen?

Also, with the Big Ten Hockey Conference possibly coming to fruition, is there any possibility of any of the eastern leagues also wanting to split up a bit, or does it look like it will only affect the western leagues?

It doesn't have to affect the eastern leagues, but it could if the HEA powers think they need to in order to retain national prominence. Those schools probably wouldn't want RPI, and I don't think that RPI would be interested in the remaining teams.

Edit: Then again, we know that SA could sell iceboxes to eskimos, so perhaps we could get the HEA powers interested in us.

[jmhusker]

Re: RPI 2010-11 Part II: RPI, the Other Team, the Refs -- We're outnumbered 10 to 6.

Clearly we should take Union, Q, SLU, Clarkson and Penn State into HE and then form a Western division with UVM and UMASS. Of course we'd need to change the conf name to ... um.... I got it... CECAC With the first C standing for Classical.

[FlagDUDE08]

Re: RPI 2010-11 Part II: RPI, the Other Team, the Refs -- We're outnumbered 10 to 6.

Clearly we should take Union, Q, SLU, Clarkson and Penn State into HE and then form a Western division with UVM and UMASS. Of course we'd need to change the conf name to ... um.... I got it... CECAC With the first C standing for Classical.

I thought one of the points of the breakup was to get an auto-bid to the big dance....

[redhead18]

Re: RPI 2010-11 Part II: RPI, the Other Team, the Refs -- We're outnumbered 10 to 6.

FWIW, heres a news article from back in 2000 when Niagara was trying to get into HEA before they added UVM. Bertagna has stated more recently that he would like to bring the league to 12 teams. I believe his contract expires after this season, so who knows what might happen.

http://archive.seacoastonline.com/2000news/3_26_s1.htm

Niagara coach Blaise MacDonald said he's already made a presentation to the Hockey East coaches. Niagara's location may pose a problem, although MacDonald said he doesn't think it should.

"A seven-hour bus ride is normal in any other league," MacDonald said before Niagara's 4-1 loss to North Dakota last night. "I haven't heard much. It's all rumor and hearsay."

Hockey East commissioner Joe Bertagna said the Hockey East athletic directors have not discussed the possibility of adding Niagara to the nine-team league.

"(MacDonald) is very well-liked by all the coaches," Bertagna said. "I think he got a false sense that something might happen. They discussed expansion, but never individual programs. The New England nature of the league has served the league pretty well."

Bertagna said it has been suggested that if Hockey East expands, it should become a 12-team league.

"There seems to be some attractiveness to that," Bertagna said. "The best situation may be to play everybody once at home and once away and you can't do that until you go to 12. If you have a 10-team league and play everybody three times that doesn't leave much room for non-league games. I think the coaches like the non-league games."

[engineerhockeyfan]

Re: RPI 2010-11 Part II: RPI, the Other Team, the Refs -- We're outnumbered 10 to 6.

More from Ed Weaver about the suspension http://www.troyrecord.com/articles/2...mode=fullstory.

I would like to commend Ed on this piece. He asked all the questions I have had concerning the officials in all sports. Unfortunately, he did not get any answers. That's typical. Players make mistakes and they have to pay for it with less ice time or being sat down for a game or two. Coaches get suspended for their mistakes, officials get ???. As for Hicks, I don't think that it is coincidence. Don't get me wrong, I am not accusing him of anything. I believe that he has a problem with RPI personally, and that his judgement is clouded. I certainly hope that that is the case, because if he is doing this consciously, he should be removed.
It is time that all officials be accountable for their mistakes as is the rest of the world.
As for the commissioner, he is useless. JMO