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2013-2014 Union Dutchmen - Can U Three Peat?

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Dutchman said:
That quote did not come from me. It came from Josh Seguin, College Hockey News Blog. By the way, USCHO had picked Dartmouth to finish third. In the last month Dartmouth has tied Vermont, Northeastern and Cornell and earlier defeated Yale, all ranked teams. The last time we played Dartmouth on December 11 some folks think they outplayed us, and they certainly outshot us. Colin had a great game. That game could have gone either way.

I am no better at picking who is going to end up at the top of the heap or the bottom of the heap, then the folks that picked Clarkson to finish last.

We are back playing Union hockey !!!!

My point is that Harvard is dangerous, despite their record, and we are going to need every ECAC point. We still face six ranked teams Yale (2), Clarkson (2) Colgate (1), Cornell (1) and we have one of the toughest ECAC schedules still left to play.
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I know you didn't say that, I just don't agree when sports writers say stuff like that. I agree no team in the ECAC should be taken lightly, but let's give Union some credit, their hard work has paid off, currently sitting #3 in the nation. Let Harvard worry about us :D
 
Re: 2013-2014 Union Dutchmen - Can U Three Peat?

Let's face facts, in the ECAC as well as most other leagues, you need to come to play every night or you will have your head handed to you.
 
Re: 2013-2014 Union Dutchmen - Can U Three Peat?

I think it's safe to say that Union does not overlook any opponents. Being the #3 ranked team in the country puts a HUGE target on our backs, but I have confidence that Bennett will have the team ready to go for the weekend.
 
Re: 2013-2014 Union Dutchmen - Can U Three Peat?

Dutchman said:
A little humility gentlemen .... lets just be thankful for this season and enjoy this very special team and their accompolishments thus far. They still have at least 4 ranked opponents and a few others that should be. They will all be coming after us "guns a balzing." We still have 12 more ECAC hills to climb and plant a flagg and its going to be ugly. One hill at a time, gentlemen. The next one is Harvard. I am pleased that we are able to be competitive in one of the very best conferences in College Hockey.

An athletic program, for it to be successful, has to "fit" the core values, beliefs, assumptions and goals of the instituition that supports it. In the Harkness era we saw what happened when the program was out of alignment with the core values of the College, its board of directors, faculty, administration, students, parents, athletic and non-athletic alumni, etc. It was a disaster and ended up staining the reputation of the school. There was another recent example of this misfit. Those of us who live in Massachusetts might know about the attempt by UMASS to move its football program to DI-A from DI-AA. The manner in which they attempted to accomplish this was counter to the core values of UMASS Amherst and how the community viewed itself and what it assumed were behavior norms for this part of the country. Another disaster. UMASS ate the remainder of a $800,000 contract and fired the coach. There are investigations, legal action by former players, etc. What a mess.

This program, as best as I can tell, seems to fit extremely well into the vision and core values that the Union community shares. Union is a very small, high academic, D-III school with an equally small athletic budget. If anyone finds any loose change, its probably going to go for some academic project. It is, next to Colorado College, the smallest school in D-I College Hockey. Lets support the program, the players, the Coaches and pray for no injuries.

When you look at those other "barns" and you see the incredible history those other teams have, with the banners, plaques, trophy's, photo's of championship teams. We are still the new kid on the block. When you look at our rafters, there are some banners but have you ever looked at Cornell or Harvard or BC or North Dakota? We have a long way to go. I think, this year, we might try to capture something to fit into those half empty trophy cases. A Mayors cup perhaps?
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Speaking of barns - any talk of Union trying to raise money for a new arena? Never understood a round arena for a game played on a rectangle. The area behind the goals are just a waste....
 
Re: 2013-2014 Union Dutchmen - Can U Three Peat?

If I had to guess, I'd say improvements to Messa Rink (whatever they are) will be more likely than a brand new facility.
 
Re: 2013-2014 Union Dutchmen - Can U Three Peat?

Wholin1 said:
I think that's a pretty safe assumption.
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Out of curiosity what type of interior renovations do you believe would take place. If I remember your facility correctly aren't you pretty much land locked for building expansion? Hill/creek on one side and athletic fields on the other side? Updated rinks are nice but your barn doesn't seem to have had a negative impact on recruiting or winning.
 
Re: 2013-2014 Union Dutchmen - Can U Three Peat?

1988 said:
Out of curiosity what type of interior renovations do you believe would take place. If I remember your facility correctly aren't you pretty much land locked for building expansion? Hill/creek on one side and athletic fields on the other side? Updated rinks are nice but your barn doesn't seem to have had a negative impact on recruiting or winning.
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A video board has been talked about for awhile, so that's something that could eventually come to fruition.

There's next to no room on either side of the building as you mentioned, though maybe they could do something in front or in back.
 
1988 said:
Out of curiosity what type of interior renovations do you believe would take place. If I remember your facility correctly aren't you pretty much land locked for building expansion? Hill/creek on one side and athletic fields on the other side? Updated rinks are nice but your barn doesn't seem to have had a negative impact on recruiting or winning.
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I could see pushing outward in the front as well as toward the football field in terms of lobby and access space. Issues would need to be addressed so far as handicap access, rest rooms, concessions and seating. I don't see an expansion of the basic footprint beyond that. The bleacher seating must go, even if it means losing some capacity. Video boards are a must as well as a major upgrade to the sound system. That's my wish list, anyway. I'm sure the coaching and training staff have their own needs.

So far as recruiting I have it on good authority that more recruits have a positive reaction than a negative one when first on campus.

With limited exceptions, the facility has had no overhaul after 40 yrs as what was designed as a D-3 facility. Atmosphere goes only so far and in many ways the place is an embarrassment. The team, coaches and fans deserve much better. I think there is a reasonable likelihood that something will happen with the recent successful completion of a $250,000,000 capital campaign. If it doesn't happen now with the success of this program and all of the pluses it has brought to the College, then I give up.
 
Re: 2013-2014 Union Dutchmen - Can U Three Peat?

rdf8585 said:
If I had to guess, I'd say improvements to Messa Rink (whatever they are) will be more likely than a brand new facility.
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From what I hear, we are going to get "improved lighting" which is sorely needed. It is very hard to take sports hd video in low light conditions. Expect much better video production to go along with the lighting, next year. Not the quality of RPI/TV but progress.
 
Re: 2013-2014 Union Dutchmen - Can U Three Peat?

Wholin1 said:
I could see pushing outward in the front as well as toward the football field in terms of lobby and access space. Issues would need to be addressed so far as handicap access, rest rooms, concessions and seating. I don't see an expansion of the basic footprint beyond that. The bleacher seating must go, even if it means losing some capacity. Video boards are a must as well as a major upgrade to the sound system. That's my wish list, anyway. I'm sure the coaching and training staff have their own needs.
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Yes...please. When I started getting season tickets 17 years ago, I didn't mind the bleachers. In fact, I liked the atmosphere as it was. I'm in my 40s now with nagging aches & pains, so I think I'd prefer some real seats even if it does reduce capacity. Video boards are nice and all, but the fans who have been here for over 20 years really do deserve better.

I'd also wonder what they can do to upgrade the parking. I get a parking pass every year which allows me to park in the lots right in front of or behind the rink. I'll get there at 6:00 for a 7:00 game and everything's full. So...what's the point of the parking pass? For the past two years, I've parked on Lenox Ave without even trying any of the lots.
 
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Re: 2013-2014 Union Dutchmen - Can U Three Peat?

The time to strike is when the iron is hot - which means there is no better time than now for fans, alums, staff to push for a new rink. Band-aid improvements are fine, but those required only get the rink from really pathetic status up to today's basic standard. I think a good model is the rink at Yale, which was a total dump ala Achilles but has since undergone a renovation and is really, really nice. At least I was impressed compared to the old rink.

The best idea is to start over, knock down the current rink, install ice in the fieldhouse and play there for a season or two, and then move back into a new rink. Something alone the lines of what Clarkson has would be great. About 4K - 5K seats, comfortable, modern, but built for its size.
 
Re: 2013-2014 Union Dutchmen - Can U Three Peat?

I would push more to offer scholarships than that.
Many ECAC schools are doing it, Union should as well.
 
Re: 2013-2014 Union Dutchmen - Can U Three Peat?

Article in the TIMES-UNION about Saturdays second annual Mayor's Cup game
http://www.timesunion.com/sports/article/Curadi-s-tough-tradition-5166644.php
The Big Green (3-13-3, 2-9-2) comes into Friday's game in last place in the ECAC. "We're not overlooking anybody," Appert said. "We were in last place at this time last year and we finished in second. We know the way this league works. It's all January and February." The Engineers (8-10-4, 3-5-3) know they are at the crossroads. A successful weekend will go a long way in shaping the conclusion. "We had a weird couple of weeks there," Appert said about the lack of home games and long stretches of game activity. "We didn't respond well in terms of our performance."
 
Re: 2013-2014 Union Dutchmen - Can U Three Peat?

Hokydad said:
Why
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It's complicated but has to do with the fact that Union has only one division one athletic program, the rest being D-3. There was a grandfathering provision for schools like SLU, RPI and Clarkson. Union missed the boat on it.
 
Re: 2013-2014 Union Dutchmen - Can U Three Peat?

Wholin1 said:
It's complicated but has to do with the fact that Union has only one division one athletic program, the rest being D-3. There was a grandfathering provision for schools like SLU, RPI and Clarkson. Union missed the boat on it.
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cant imagine that cant be worked out

schools like holy cross adding last couple years etc

seems like an area they could pursue
 
Re: 2013-2014 Union Dutchmen - Can U Three Peat?

Hokydad said:
cant imagine that cant be worked out

schools like holy cross adding last couple years etc

seems like an area they could pursue
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This ship has long sailed unless Union wants to move up their other sports to Div 2 or above. Holy Cross is a Division 1 school. RPI, Clarkson, SLU and Colorado College were grandfathered in along with Hartwick soccer and a few other sports.
 
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