Ohio State Buckeyes 2022-2023 ... The Drive For Duluth

[Hockeybuckeye]

Tough having to play the Gophers on their home ice despite being the #1 seed, but I guess that's the price of being in a Minnesota-centric conference. Time to start thinking BTWHC?

[[ducks & covers]]

When our women's new arena is built in a couple of years I think there will be no reason for the conference not to award some Final Faceoff's to our new home.
On a side note, during our game yesterday the announcers made the comment it will be a 2.7 million facility, that's not quite true. That amount was only allotted for the planning stage of it, not the actual construction. That will require tens of millions and the final amount to be approved won't happen until the planning stage is completed and cost estimates submitted.

[Eddie Schorr]

When our women's new arena is built in a couple of years I think there will be no reason for the conference not to award some Final Faceoff's to our new home.
On a side note, during our game yesterday the announcers made the comment it will be a 2.7 million facility, that's not quite true. That amount was only allotted for the planning stage of it, not the actual construction. That will require tens of millions and the final amount to be approved won't happen until the planning stage is completed and cost estimates submitted.

I hope so, but I don't see the Minnesota schools giving up that nice little advantage without a fight. "Hey, Minnesota. That's a nice new football stadium that we bought for you. Be a shame if anything happened to it."

[Hockeybuckeye]

I hope so, but I don't see the Minnesota schools giving up that nice little advantage without a fight.

I don't know if they would have a say in it being a conference decision. I would assume that with Minnesota, Wisconsin and Ohio State being Big Ten universities the Big Ten might have a degree of influence over the WCHA and would advocate on Ohio State's behalf if our new arena is adequate to host. I guess we'll see in a couple of years what transpires, until then we're all speaking hypothetically.
Besides, who knows? In several years there may be more B1G schools with women's hockey and the B1G women's conference will be formed and all B1G universities will be forced to join just like what happened with men's hockey and the WCHA will be gutted!

[robertearle]

I don't know if they would have a say in it being a conference decision. I would assume that with Minnesota, Wisconsin and Ohio State being Big Ten universities the Big Ten might have a degree of influence over the WCHA and would advocate on Ohio State's behalf if our new arena is adequate to host. I guess we'll see in a couple of years what transpires, until then we're all speaking hypothetically.

OSU might have to pay to fly five or six or seven teams to Ohio. :-)

[Hockeybuckeye]

OSU might have to pay to fly five or six or seven teams to Ohio. :-)

They already come here by bus for our home games so why coming here for a tournament be any different? They would still bus, not fly.
How about little Alaska Fairbanks men's team back in the old CCHA having to fly to the lower 48 for every away games? That's a real hardship!

[nobody72924]

When our women's new arena is built in a couple of years I think there will be no reason for the conference not to award some Final Faceoff's to our new home.
On a side note, during our game yesterday the announcers made the comment it will be a 2.7 million facility, that's not quite true. That amount was only allotted for the planning stage of it, not the actual construction. That will require tens of millions and the final amount to be approved won't happen until the planning stage is completed and cost estimates submitted.

I heard the announcer saying OSU was building a $2.7 million dollar arena and I laughed.

i talked to WCHA officials before an OSU Women’s Hockey Game earlier this year. I asked if there was a chance the Final Faceoff could be held at Ohio State if OSU had a new arena. They said “unlikely because all the teams are up in Minnesota/Wisconsin “.

I’d say if OSU could host it once every 8 years would be the best OSU could hope for.

[Still Eeyore]

They already come here by bus for our home games . . .

I can assure you that most of these teams do not bus to Columbus. With Minnesota, the team flies, but they load all of the equipment onto a bus that makes the drive. Others just fly and rent a bus in Columbus to shuttle.

[robertearle]

They already come here by bus for our home games so why coming here for a tournament be any different? They would still bus, not fly.
How about little Alaska Fairbanks men's team back in the old CCHA having to fly to the lower 48 for every away games? That's a real hardship!

Bemidji to Columbus on a bus? Lord, I hope not. Google says that's a thousand miles!

But let's assume they do that once a year already. That's bad enough. Make them do it twice? Nah, we'll just go Ridder instead.

[Hockeybuckeye]

I heard the announcer saying OSU was building a $2.7 million dollar arena and I laughed.

i talked to WCHA officials before an OSU Women’s Hockey Game earlier this year. I asked if there was a chance the Final Faceoff could be held at Ohio State if OSU had a new arena. They said “unlikely because all the teams are up in Minnesota/Wisconsin “.

As I mentioned previously all WCHA teams already come here for our home games so it's not a hardship for them but the conference concern would primarily be fan attendance. I wasn't able to watch the Minnesota/Wisconsin game to see how full Ridder was but it looked pretty empty for our game so fan attendance may not be a factor after all.
Regardless of that I believe the conference would by bylaw mandate have to give equal consideration to all teams with adequate facilities.

Plus, I can see Coach Muzerall becoming the queen of the conference and wield considerable influence. Who dares refuse the Queen? (Wink)(Big Grin)

[Still Eeyore]

As I mentioned previously all WCHA teams already come here for our home games so it's not a hardship for them but the conference concern would primarily be fan attendance. I wasn't able to watch the Minnesota/Wisconsin game to see how full Ridder was but it looked pretty empty for our game so fan attendance may not be a factor after all.
Regardless of that I believe the conference would by bylaw mandate have to give equal consideration to all teams with adequate facilities.

You're underestimating the logistics problems of trying to get three teams to Columbus on four days notice. There's a shortage of good hotels near the OSU campus apart from the Blackwell (Bemidji, for what it's worth, has three within a quarter mile of the Sanford Center; Mankato and Duluth have more).

Also, keep in mind that Ridder seats 3,400 people. "Pretty empty" there was more than double the size of the crowd of any Minnesota/OSU game I've been to in Columbus. A 1pm Friday game isn't going to be well attended anywhere.

[Hockeybuckeye]

You're underestimating the logistics problems of trying to get three teams to Columbus on four days notice.

The logistics are planned out well before 4 days out and I'm assuming you're not familiar with Columbus. Besides the Blackwell there are 4 adequate hotels just over a quarter mile from where the new arena will be built and another just over a mile in the opposite direction. We have over 100,000 attend our football games and not all are local. There are very adequate accommodations very close to campus for teams & fans.

[Still Eeyore]

The logistics are planned out well before 4 days out and I'm assuming you're not familiar with Columbus. Besides the Blackwell there are 4 adequate hotels just over a quarter mile from where the new arena will be built and another just over a mile in the opposite direction. We have over 100,000 attend our football games and not all are local. There are very adequate accommodations very close to campus for teams & fans.

Then you need to talk to Google about showing them in search results.

[Hockeybuckeye]

Then you need to talk to Google about showing them in search results.

They're all there on Google Maps, why can't you find them? Look on Olentangy River Road just north of OSU.

[pgb-ohio]

When our women's new arena is built in a couple of years I think there will be no reason for the conference not to award some Final Faceoff's to our new home.

???

I am sorry to break ranks, but there a several strong reasons:

OSU might have to pay to fly five or six or seven teams to Ohio. :-)

Three or four teams. Otherwise yes.

You're underestimating the logistics problems of trying to get three teams to Columbus on four days notice.

And most of the rest of what Still Eeyore said.

i talked to WCHA officials before an OSU Women’s Hockey Game earlier this year. I asked if there was a chance the Final Faceoff could be held at Ohio State if OSU had a new arena. They said “unlikely because all the teams are up in Minnesota/Wisconsin “.

That will overwhelmingly be the perspective of the other 7 members. He continues:

I’d say if OSU could host it once every 8 years would be the best OSU could hope for.

IMHO this is the very best case scenario. And you're still talking about a major uphill climb.

I understand that you would passionately like to see a Final Face-Off in person. I sincerely appreciate and applaud your interest and commitment. And if I'm proven wrong, I'll be delighted. But beyond the once in eight years, you're dealing in false hopes. Creating a situation where needless disappointment is the likely result.

Let's get the rink built. Then, if really has 3,000 seats, we can go after a Frozen Four. I honestly believe we'd have a better chance of getting a Frozen Four than a Final Face-Off.

[pgb-ohio]

The logistics are planned out well before 4 days out and I'm assuming you're not familiar with Columbus. Besides the Blackwell there are 4 adequate hotels just over a quarter mile from where the new arena will be built and another just over a mile in the opposite direction. We have over 100,000 attend our football games and not all are local. There are very adequate accommodations very close to campus for teams & fans.

You're correct about the hotels. It's the travel that's the issue.