Bentley Falcons Official 2011-2012 Thread

[Humanoid]

Re: Bentley Falcons Official 2011-2012 Thread

Air Force doesn't give any scholarships because the Academy is free for their students I thought.

Air Force and Army are totally exempt from NCAA scholarship limits because they're free. My boo boo.

 

[Yuppie Scum]

Re: Bentley Falcons Official 2011-2012 Thread

If you joined HEA, wouldn't your travel costs drop considerably? You'd immediately be in the center of the league geographically. That could offset the schollarship issue. As for the rink, yeah, that's a big issue. Hopefully one of your daddy warbucks alumni comes through someday.

And for the record.. I think everyone who didn't go to BC utterly hates BC.

Well, smoke 'em if you got 'em.

 

[Humanoid]

Re: Bentley Falcons Official 2011-2012 Thread

It's official - the realignment is about to hit Atlantic HOckey. Reports are surfacing that Canisius, Mercyhurst, Niagara, and Robert Morris are all meeting with the CCHA about a possible jump. A couple points:

1) Scholarships. The East's unwillingness to budge on the scholarship issue is driving these schools to look elsewhere, and where CCHA is completely dilapidated, it's going to help. When all the radical alignment takes place, it's conceivable that the four schools are looking to a bigger money conference. Travel might actually be easier, too, since many of the CCHA schools are located in the Great Lakes region.

2) Alaska. If Alaska stays in the CCHA, then the four schools aren't going anywhere. Alaska has to join its northern brethren in the WCHA in order for this to work. Otherwise, RMU is definitely not leaving - there's no way they'll want to travel from PIttsburgh to Alaska for a regular season game, much less an OOC.

3) The eastern schools need to band together. In a time where there are dominoes falling in reactionary moves, left and right, the eastern block of schools need to remain together in order to commit to hockey. If all western schools leave, then at least the East can remain with six teams. Do I smell a return for a school like Fairfield?

 

[schiegs]

Re: Bentley Falcons Official 2011-2012 Thread

2) Alaska. If Alaska stays in the CCHA, then the four schools aren't going anywhere. Alaska has to join its northern brethren in the WCHA in order for this to work. Otherwise, RMU is definitely not leaving - there's no way they'll want to travel from PIttsburgh to Alaska for a regular season game, much less an OOC.

So why would they want to add the cost of additional scholarships, but freak out about the cost of a trip to Alaska once a year?

 

[FlagDUDE08]

Re: Bentley Falcons Official 2011-2012 Thread

So why would they want to add the cost of additional scholarships, but freak out about the cost of a trip to Alaska once a year?

Given the Alaska schools foot most of the bill for those games (if not all), I don't think playing Alaska has to do with money.

 

[schiegs]

Re: Bentley Falcons Official 2011-2012 Thread

Whatever the reason, once those schools join CCHA, many of their fans will immediately start to complain and suggest the league make several changes.

 

[Humanoid]

Re: Bentley Falcons Official 2011-2012 Thread

Given the Alaska schools foot most of the bill for those games (if not all), I don't think playing Alaska has to do with money.

Sources that I have within other conferences say the trip itself would be a problem. All the schools are roughly 3,000 miles away from Fairbanks, especially RMU. They don't want to have to play road games up there because of several reasons, including the long flight and trip. They weren't really happy about having to do it against Air Force, but the teams didn't have many options to go to for a conference, so they were left in AHA. This would be a classic case of tucking tail, making due with what they got, then jumping at first opportunity to leave.

THem leaving, especially Can and Mercy - would decimate AHA IMHO

 

[FlagDUDE08]

Re: Bentley Falcons Official 2011-2012 Thread

Sources that I have within other conferences say the trip itself would be a problem. All the schools are roughly 3,000 miles away from Fairbanks, especially RMU. They don't want to have to play road games up there because of several reasons, including the long flight and trip. They weren't really happy about having to do it against Air Force, but the teams didn't have many options to go to for a conference, so they were left in AHA. This would be a classic case of tucking tail, making due with what they got, then jumping at first opportunity to leave.

THem leaving, especially Can and Mercy - would decimate AHA IMHO

You certainly nailed my thoughts regarding the reason teams didn't want to go to Alaska. It would be nice for the teams, though, to get an extra two games in.

 

[RMUColonials]

Re: Bentley Falcons Official 2011-2012 Thread

Sources that I have within other conferences say the trip itself would be a problem. All the schools are roughly 3,000 miles away from Fairbanks, especially RMU. They don't want to have to play road games up there because of several reasons, including the long flight and trip.

You do realize that RMU has been to Alaska twice in the last 4 years, right?

 

[komey1]

Re: Bentley Falcons Official 2011-2012 Thread

I would be shocked if HEA wanted anything to do with UConn hockey considering the state of that program. The lack of support at that school is disappointing. Holy Cross MAYBE, but rumors are also that HEA is looking at RPI if they take Notre Dame. If RPI gets taken from ECAC, I would not be surprised if RIT looked at that opening.

It looks like at most, the AHA will be RIT, Air Force, and the Eastern teams.

 

[schiegs]

Re: Bentley Falcons Official 2011-2012 Thread

Is there any traction to the thought of MaryMack (sic) moving to AHA in all this? While it is certainly a step down in caliber of competion, it would make them the big fish in the small pond. And honestly, if you were to start from scratch (erase the long history with HEA), MC is probably a better fit in AHA.

 

[kingdobbs]

Re: Bentley Falcons Official 2011-2012 Thread

Is there any traction to the thought of MaryMack (sic) moving to AHA in all this? While it is certainly a step down in caliber of competion, it would make them the big fish in the small pond. And honestly, if you were to start from scratch (erase the long history with HEA), MC is probably a better fit in AHA.

Not unless the top end of Hockey East decide to make their own Super League.

 

[Snively65]

Re: Bentley Falcons Official 2011-2012 Thread

Not unless the top end of Hockey East decide to make their own Super League.

I agree. Mac did what HE asked them to do by making improvements to their arena. They also have put together a nicely competitive team the past couple of seasons. But, their after-goal song copied from the Chicago Black Hawks still irritates me.

 

[Humanoid]

Re: Bentley Falcons Official 2011-2012 Thread

I would be shocked if HEA wanted anything to do with UConn hockey considering the state of that program. The lack of support at that school is disappointing. Holy Cross MAYBE, but rumors are also that HEA is looking at RPI if they take Notre Dame. If RPI gets taken from ECAC, I would not be surprised if RIT looked at that opening.

It looks like at most, the AHA will be RIT, Air Force, and the Eastern teams.

Outside of the people at RPI, the people I've talked to don't believe the Engineers will ever get an offer from Hockey East. They fit too well with ECAC, especially with their travel partner at Union, and it doesn't make sense from a monetary or a geographical standpoint from HEA. It makes perfect sense in the eyes of RPI fans, if only because they think their team's the center of the universe and everything revolves around them. Don't get me wrong - I love RPI for a road trip because it's a great atmosphere, as opposed to other places in the confernece and nation (Bentley included), but HEA won't take them, not without someone selling their soul to Satan.

No offense intended to RPI fans - even though as I reread that, it's pretty harsh.

I also don't think MACK would ever step down. They went to the NCAAs last year and were a top-ranked team in HEA> If they step down out of the l eague, they cripple the program. They actually made the right move jumping into HEA 20 odd years ago with UMass Lowell. There's a great article about that by Mike McMahon of the Eagle-Tribune somewhere online if you want to google it.

I still don't think the AHA expands or adds teams without someone stepping up to the D1 level, and that's only if the four NY schools leave. I would think a place like Stonehill languishing in D2 (which barely exists at the NCAA level and doesn't have an NCAA tournament champion) would be a good candidate, with possibly one of the other NE-10 schools. Maybe Bryant, who elevated to D1 in the last few eyars, would step to the plate and round out the Rhode Island schools with PC and Brown (URI won't sponsor hockey...).

 

[Ralph Baer]

Re: Bentley Falcons Official 2011-2012 Thread

Outside of the people at RPI, the people I've talked to don't believe the Engineers will ever get an offer from Hockey East. They fit too well with ECAC, especially with their travel partner at Union, and it doesn't make sense from a monetary or a geographical standpoint from HEA. It makes perfect sense in the eyes of RPI fans, if only because they think their team's the center of the universe and everything revolves around them. Don't get me wrong - I love RPI for a road trip because it's a great atmosphere, as opposed to other places in the confernece and nation (Bentley included), but HEA won't take them, not without someone selling their soul to Satan.

No offense intended to RPI fans - even though as I reread that, it's pretty harsh.

I don't think that RPI is going to HEA because I don't think that ND is going to HEA. However, if ND does go to HEA, I think that there is a not-insignificant chance that RPI will also.

 

[FlagDUDE08]

Re: Bentley Falcons Official 2011-2012 Thread

I don't think that RPI is going to HEA because I don't think that ND is going to HEA. However, if ND does go to HEA, I think that there is a not-insignificant chance that RPI will also.

Supposedly, Hockey East wants them. It's a question of if Notre Dame says yes.

 

[Humanoid]

Re: Bentley Falcons Official 2011-2012 Thread

Mercyhurst rising sophomores Jensen and Holmstrom transferring to Penn State. They will not lose eligibility by this move

http://www.goerie.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20110726/HOCKEY03/307269930/-1/NEWSSITEMAP

 

[5hole]

Re: Bentley Falcons Official 2011-2012 Thread

... I still don't think the AHA expands or adds teams without someone stepping up to the D1 level, and that's only if the four NY schools leave. ...

That would be two NY schools and two PA schools.

 

[Humanoid]

Re: Bentley Falcons Official 2011-2012 Thread

That would be two NY schools and two PA schools.

Like it matters when you're that far north, except for state sales tax purposes. It might as well be Canada at that point (except for RMU).

 

[schiegs]

Re: Bentley Falcons Official 2011-2012 Thread

Schedule is official. Been waiting for a schedule like this since the program moved up 12 years ago.

2011-2012 Schedule