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2016-2017 WCHA Season Thread

Re: 2016-2017 WCHA Season Thread

aparch said:
Yes, it was built for the USOEC Short Track Speed Skating program to use as well as for the hockey and basketball teams.

Back in the late 90's, NMU commissioned studies for renovations needed at Lakeview Arena in order to continue advancing the hockey program. Because Lakeview is owned by the City of Marquette, and NMU was only renting the facility, the City of Marquette balked at the costs of the improvements. It was around the same time that NMU was looking at building a speed skating track on the west side of the PIEF. And NMU was also looking into renovating Hedgecock since part of the building was unused.

The costs of adding onto the PIEF, renovating Hedgecock, and renovating an ice arena that wasn't their own caused NMU to find that building a multi-purpose venue on campus to house all these sports would be better cost effective than patching the old buildings.

So that lead to the building of the Berry. The rink size was chosen as 200x100 to accommodate speed skating. It also helped that half of the college rinks being built at the time were being built to international or hybrid standards.
(Seventeen new rinks from 1989 to 1999. Nine non-NHL. SCSU '89, UAF '90, Minnesota '93, UMass '93, MSU-M '95, UNH '95, CC '98, Wisconsin '98, NMU '99)

As for the fan accommodations, the Berry was originally designed to be slightly larger and much deeper, allowing those entering the building to walk directly onto the concourse, but site conditions prevented the realization of the original plans and the design was changed to better fit the area available. This caused the slight half flight of stairs needed to go from the entry to the concourse.

What the fans didn't see thanks to the scarcely decorated precast concrete walls, was the amenities that were built for the team. Dedicated weight/workout rooms for the hockey team (so the athletes could stay in the building and not need to fight for the PIEF equipment). Large team conference rooms to study video, and a spacious lockerroom that (at the time) rivaled some NHL lockerrooms in 1999.

On the fan side, all they saw was a bland concrete building with awkward seats (which were adjusted to sit higher allowing more leg room in 2001), and the lack of a donor room and no booze sales caused locals to poo-poo the new building.

Side note, it's been 18 years. There is a generation of MQT locals who have never seen an NMU game at Lakeview, and there are some locals are still pi**ed with the BEC as a venue. Then again, those people are still pi**ed that the Palestra was torn down.



TL;dr: Olympic speed skating is the reason for the BEC's size.
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Excellent post aparch! Thank you!
 
Re: 2016-2017 WCHA Season Thread

Sorry, boys, but I've got the feeling that we're not going to be of much help to the conference this year.
 
Hammer said:
Sorry, boys, but I've got the feeling that we're not going to be of much help to the conference this year.
Click to expand...

I haven't paid much attention to WMU. They haven't given me much reason. But I've seen several of their guys in the USHL the last couple years, and that team has potential. I wouldn't be surprised if Allison is the leading Freshman scorer in the country this year.
 
Re: 2016-2017 WCHA Season Thread

Boy, we pooped the bed and hurt everyone's PWR tonight. Sorry, y'all. That was pretty hard to watch.

GFM
 
Re: 2016-2017 WCHA Season Thread

Just got back from the Sanford Center in Bemidji. BSU jumped out on BGSU 2-0 in the first then held on to get a 2-1 win. The Beavers had a lot of energy the first 30 minutes and seemed to dominate, but that turned around and the Falcons had their way; but just couldn't score. A Beaver sweep would be a good omen, but say the odds are no better than 50-50.
 
Re: 2016-2017 WCHA Season Thread

Well the out of Conf record is going to bite us again if things don't change and fast.
Congrats to NMU getting a split but a tie the second game would have won the comparison. I thought Alaska played well in losing to the goofs not so much UAA. I Also saw the WMU vs Ferris games and nothing to write home about there. WMU was beatable, but Ferris couldn't.

Same for Tech vs Duluth, Duluth was on the ropes in the second game but Tech couldn't get it done. It makes the Mankato/ St Cloud games much more important and the UAF vs Omaha as well. We really need a few wins against teams who will have a winning record.
 
Re: 2016-2017 WCHA Season Thread

2016-17 WCHA Non-Conference Schedule

The WCHA has 69 non-conference games this year, not including the one game between Alaska and Alaska-Anchorage.

27 Possible NCHC Games (0-4-0)
25 Possible Big10 Games (1-3-0)
8 Possible Hockey East Games (0-2-0)
8 Possible Atlantic Hockey Games (0-0-0)
7 Possible ECAC Games (0-0-0)
TOTAL: 1-9-0

ALABAMA-HUNTSVILLE (0-2-0)
-2 at Connecticut L 6-0, L 4-0
-2 at St. Cloud State
-vs. Massachusetts (Minneapolis, MN)
-vs. Minnesota/Mercyhurst (Minneapolis, MN)

ALASKA (1-1-0)
-at Alaska-Anchorage W 4-1
-vs. Minnesota (Anchorage, AK) L 6-3
-Canisius
-Nebraska-Omaha
-2 at Notre Dame

ALASKA-ANCHORAGE (0-2-0)
-Minnesota L 6-0
-Alaska L 4-1
-vs. Nebraska-Omaha (Fairbanks, AK)
-vs. Canisius (Fairbanks, AK)
-2 at Penn State

BEMIDJI STATE (0-0-0)
-2 at North Dakota
-2 with Princeton
-at Minnesota-Duluth
-Minnesota Duluth
-vs. St. Cloud State (St. Paul, MN)
-vs. Minnesota/Minnesota-Duluth (St. Paul, MN)

BOWLING GREEN (0-0-0)
-Western Michigan
-at Western Michigan
-Ohio State
-at Ohio State
-2 at Miami
-vs. RIT (Toledo, OH)
-with Mercyhurst

FERRIS STATE (0-2-0)
-Western Michigan L 5-3, L 2-1
-at Western Michigan
-Michigan
-at Michigan State
-Michigan State
-vs. Robert Morris (Pittsburgh, PA)
-vs. Boston College/Quinnipiac (Pittsburgh, PA)

LAKE SUPERIOR STATE (0-0-0)
-2 with Michigan State
-2 at Michigan
-2 at Nebraska-Omaha

MICHIGAN TECH (0-2-0)
-2 at Minnesota Duluth L 6-0, L 4-3
-2 at Michigan
-2 at Michigan State
-vs. Michigan (Detroit, MI)
-vs. Western Michigan/Michigan State (Detroit, MI)
-2 at Notre Dame

MINNESOTA STATE (0-0-0)
-2 with St. Cloud State
-Minnesota
-at Minnesota
-2 at Princeton

NORTHERN MICHIGAN (0-2-0)
-2 vs. Wisconsin (at Green Bay) W 3-2, L 6-5
-2 at Wisconsin
-2 with Nebraska-Omaha
-vs. Colorado College/Cornell/Mercyhurst (Estero, FL)
-vs. Colorado College/Cornell/Mercyhurst (Estero, FL)
 
Re: 2016-2017 WCHA Season Thread

Penalty update - Last year, teams averaged about 10.6 penalty minutes per game (And no, that's not an exact figure. Tech was #30 in penalties last year at 10.62, and Merrimack was #31 at 10.54, so lacking any other numbers, I'm calling 10.58 the average.). This year, of the 48 teams that have played official games, 43 are above that 10.58 average. So, good thing or bad thing?

There were a couple of real ticky-tack calls in the MSU-Tech series, but overall I thought the calls were fair and generally accurate. It's clear if you're waiving a stick into a guy's midsection, you'll likely get called, and a couple of the "holding the guy against the boards" were called. I even saw an interference call when a player chipped the puck along the wall and was skating around the defender, who then rode him towards center ice. I admit, the lack of a call on that particular play really started irritating me last year, so I was glad to see it called.

But with all these calls, the games largely lacked flow. As teams adjust to the officiating, I hope this will change. I want to see games where there's a premium on skating, but I also want to see them end in under 2:25.

Thoughts?
 
Re: 2016-2017 WCHA Season Thread

purpleinnebraska said:
Penalty update - Last year, teams averaged about 10.6 penalty minutes per game (And no, that's not an exact figure. Tech was #30 in penalties last year at 10.62, and Merrimack was #31 at 10.54, so lacking any other numbers, I'm calling 10.58 the average.). This year, of the 48 teams that have played official games, 43 are above that 10.58 average. So, good thing or bad thing?

There were a couple of real ticky-tack calls in the MSU-Tech series, but overall I thought the calls were fair and generally accurate. It's clear if you're waiving a stick into a guy's midsection, you'll likely get called, and a couple of the "holding the guy against the boards" were called. I even saw an interference call when a player chipped the puck along the wall and was skating around the defender, who then rode him towards center ice. I admit, the lack of a call on that particular play really started irritating me last year, so I was glad to see it called.

But with all these calls, the games largely lacked flow. As teams adjust to the officiating, I hope this will change. I want to see games where there's a premium on skating, but I also want to see them end in under 2:25.

Thoughts?
Click to expand...

I personally am extremely happy about the way they were calling it. Admittedly, MSU will be positively affected, but, frankly, clutching and grabbing is not fun hockey for me to watch. I don't need offensive, 10 goal games. I do like some flow to it though. The flow of this weekend's games are no worse than games that turn into a "football game on ice" as Shane Frederick calls it. I'd rather they bear down on it now (just like they did with CFB a couple of years ago) and end up with a better product in the long run because of it.
 
Re: 2016-2017 WCHA Season Thread

Bale said:
I personally am extremely happy about the way they were calling it. Admittedly, MSU will be positively affected, but, frankly, clutching and grabbing is not fun hockey for me to watch. I don't need offensive, 10 goal games. I do like some flow to it though. The flow of this weekend's games are no worse than games that turn into a "football game on ice" as Shane Frederick calls it. I'd rather they bear down on it now (just like they did with CFB a couple of years ago) and end up with a better product in the long run because of it.
Click to expand...

You make a good point on the CFB. I think there's a general feeling right now that, "Ahh, they'll stop this penalty calling in a couple weeks, and we'll revert back to normal," but they stayed vigilant on the CFB, and you almost never see it anymore, called or uncalled. If the refs stick to their guns on this, it will make for a better game, but we'll have to slog through a stretch to get there.
 
manurespreader said:
Well the out of Conf record is going to bite us again if things don't change and fast.
Congrats to NMU getting a split but a tie the second game would have won the comparison. ...
Click to expand...

If I remember the PWR math correctly, we still have two more cracks at Wisconsin to help out the comparison.
 
Re: 2016-2017 WCHA Season Thread

purpleinnebraska said:
You make a good point on the CFB. I think there's a general feeling right now that, "Ahh, they'll stop this penalty calling in a couple weeks, and we'll revert back to normal," but they stayed vigilant on the CFB, and you almost never see it anymore, called or uncalled. If the refs stick to their guns on this, it will make for a better game, but we'll have to slog through a stretch to get there.
Click to expand...

Hopefully the coaches don't go ballistic on the league in the next couple of weeks. That will be what turns the tide if anything does.

Don't get me wrong on this, there is a valid strategy to slowing the game down. If you want to ice the puck 20 times a game to slow it down, more power to you. You want to possess the puck by passing it around by the blue line, go for it. You want to pack it in deep in front of your net, prepare to take a beating from pucks hitting you, but that's your prerogative. Just don't hold and cut down on the stick work. To me it's just a matter of doing it within the rules.
 
Re: 2016-2017 WCHA Season Thread

Bale said:
Hopefully the coaches don't go ballistic on the league in the next couple of weeks. That will be what turns the tide if anything does.

Don't get me wrong on this, there is a valid strategy to slowing the game down. If you want to ice the puck 20 times a game to slow it down, more power to you. You want to possess the puck by passing it around by the blue line, go for it. You want to pack it in deep in front of your net, prepare to take a beating from pucks hitting you, but that's your prerogative. Just don't hold and cut down on the stick work. To me it's just a matter of doing it within the rules.
Click to expand...
I have no problem with calling it tighter, but I also think that standard has to be applied to both teams equally and I thought MSU got the benefit of the doubt too often this last weekend. For instance on one of the goals during a delayed penalty, two guys going for the loose puck, one get's hooked, as a result can't control the puck, no call and right after that a goal is scored by the other team. Also in the Minnesota/ Alaska game, it was called differently and I thought, better.
I think the players will adjust and I'm in favor of the changes generally but I think what you can do and can't do needs to be more clear.
 
manurespreader said:
I have no problem with calling it tighter, but I also think that standard has to be applied to both teams equally and I thought MSU got the benefit of the doubt too often this last weekend. For instance on one of the goals during a delayed penalty, two guys going for the loose puck, one get's hooked, as a result can't control the puck, no call and right after that a goal is scored by the other team. Also in the Minnesota/ Alaska game, it was called differently and I thought, better.
I think the players will adjust and I'm in favor of the changes generally but I think what you can do and can't do needs to be more clear.
Click to expand...

Agreed it does need to be called evenly and for the most part this weekend it was. Honestly, the biggest gripe that Mel P had this weekend was on the Too Many Men penalty. it wasn't on anything else.

I'm not sure I agree msu got the benefit.of the doubt that often, but that's natural considering my allegience. I thought it was a breath of fresh air to see it called close...albeit a bit tedious for this series.
 
Re: 2016-2017 WCHA Season Thread

gfmorris said:
It's October. Let's revisit the penalty discussion in December.

GFM
Click to expand...

I agree with you. I think there will be some "growing pains" early on with the new rules, but in the end, hopefully the game will be better for it.

I thought the refs did a pretty decent job in Bemidji last weekend. There were 10 penalties on Friday night and 17 penalties on Saturday. According to the new emphasis, it seemed that the calls were legit. I would have liked to have saw them call the center ice interference a little more where the D-man cuts a guy off after a dump/chip in, but hopefully in time, that will go away as well.
 
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