BU 2013-14 (Part II): Crash before the Phoenix

[brassbonanza]

Re: BU 2013-14 (Part II): Crash before the Phoenix

Well...a lot of us had to work and the team doesn't win so that explains the attendance. Oh, and the tickets, parking, and concession cost too much. Please tell me that Oksanen wasn't responsible for the SHG against. Seriously. Please someone who knows the stats look is up. By my guesstimate BU has allowed 25 short handed goals against. That's gotta be a record.

No, he wasn't, as stated the culprit was Lane's pass directly on the tape of Willows going in stride, to the wrong side of Somerby who didn't have time to recover in the opposite direction. And I read during the game it's the 10th allowed this season. Brutal game.

 

[mookie1995]

Please tell me that Oksanen wasn't responsible for the SHG against. Seriously..

He was hands on deck responsible for uhn first goal though.

 

[mookie1995]

Re: BU 2013-14 (Part II): Crash before the Phoenix

Oh, Mookie DID get an email today letting him know that the nu gametime has been moved up to 7p

Not sure why they didn't just expect me to read that on twitter

 

[SomedayCameSuddenly]

Re: BU 2013-14 (Part II): Crash before the Phoenix

The place was 1/3 full max. Yet another BU home game with the student body on vacation.

Why would I go to watch the Hockey game when I could get better seats, watch a closer game, and likely see BU win if I went to a basketball game; especially when they rarely give anything away at the hockey games?

It's hard to sell non-northern, hockey neutral students like myself on a team that is bad, and couldn't be qualified as lovable underdogs, if you don't love hockey.

 

[steakbomb]

Re: BU 2013-14 (Part II): Crash before the Phoenix

Lots of fingers to point. Not worth it from my perspective. Anyone who's played competitive sports has been on a team like this. It's not fun. Every practice and game is a chore. Very little confidence right now.

So 4 more games then a 1st round away (at least I get credits on my account) series. Melt the ice for the summer and forget about it. I'll still be a diehard next fall.

 

[Carmine Scarpaglia]

Re: BU 2013-14 (Part II): Crash before the Phoenix

Why would I go to the watch the Hockey game when I could get better seats, watch a closer game, and likely see BU win if I went to a basketball game

Because basketball is the worst sport in the history of mankind. That's why.

 

[steakbomb]

Because basketball is the worst sport in the history of mankind. That's why.

What he just said !

 

[Parker Ranger]

Re: BU 2013-14 (Part II): Crash before the Phoenix

Why would I go to the watch the Hockey game when I could get better seats, watch a closer game, and likely see BU win if I went to a basketball game; especially when they rarely give anything away at the hockey games?

It's hard to sell non-northern, hockey neutral students like myself on a team that is bad, and couldn't be qualified as lovable underdogs, if you don't love hockey.

Because basketball sucks and hockey is awesome?

What is happening? Since when does a BU student have the balls to say he needs to be sold on going to a BU hockey game?

 

[ericredaxe]

Re: BU 2013-14 (Part II): Crash before the Phoenix

Why would I go to the watch the Hockey game when I could get better seats, watch a closer game, and likely see BU win if I went to a basketball game; especially when they rarely give anything away at the hockey games?

It's hard to sell non-northern, hockey neutral students like myself on a team that is bad, and couldn't be qualified as lovable underdogs, if you don't love hockey.

I don't want to make this into a BU Basketball vs BU Hockey thing, as I go to a couple of the basketball games each year and enjoy them. But the answer is that because BU Hockey (with this year being an exception) is nationally relevant and BU Basketball is not. And for what it's worth, they give a lot of stuff away at every hockey game.

That being said it is a shame that the current students have not seen the best that BU Hockey has to offer, and we have to get back to that.

 

[J.D.]

Re: BU 2013-14 (Part II): Crash before the Phoenix

parker ranger, the team sucking is a hard sell...would be at bc too.

outside of one truly great year, bu hasn't been bu in quite some time. regularly losing the pot, one frozen four in 17 years now or whatever the exact number is.start winning regularly and winning important games and students will flock to the arena.

 

[ericredaxe]

Re: BU 2013-14 (Part II): Crash before the Phoenix

What is happening? Since when does a BU student have the balls to say he needs to be sold on going to a BU hockey game?

Think about it. If you are a current student you haven't seen BU Hockey, at least not BU Hockey as you and I and others historically know it.

 

[wtbu60]

Re: BU 2013-14 (Part II): Crash before the Phoenix

I can’t imagine that there’s much fun playing for or rooting for a team that has one win in 16 games since November 30. Does BU have a sports psychologist on hand?

How bad has it become? A friend of mine who’s a BU alum said that he doesn’t consider BU to really have been nationally relevant in men’s hockey since BU ended its football program in 1997, because they’ve rarely been in the Frozen Four since then. He read that this BU hockey team could finish with the worst record for BU in 50 years. After checking the archives on the BU Athletics website, I saw that he was right.

The 1963-64 BU team finished 9-13-2, and no BU team since then had fewer than 11 wins. The last BU team with a losing record was their 2003-04 team that finished 12-17-9, although that team stunned the Eagles in the Hockey East quarterfinals, winning two of three at Conte and then losing 1-0 to Maine in the semifinals. So, I guess this BU team might have that history going for them as they close out this season.

Maybe the new normal in the new millennium for BU men’s hockey is to be terrible every tenth season, be in the fight for home ice in the playoffs in most seasons and have a spectacular season once a decade. That could make it very hard for them to build much student support, especially for a school that has a student population that’s about 60% female and a large international student community from countries where hockey might not even be played. Maybe they’ll keep recruiting Canadian Olympians and build their women’s team into the nationally relevant program that the men’s program was in the 1990s.

 

[Jacques Joubert]

Re: BU 2013-14 (Part II): Crash before the Phoenix

The attendance is bad because the team does not win. Plain and simple. Yes the tickets and concessions are too high but when the team has won a solitary game since thanksgiving who wants to watch that? We're all the top one percent of college hockey fans and remember the 90s and 2009. But the current students have NEVER seen anything like that and it doesn't bode well for current student support or future alumni support. It's broken.

 

[Aerman]

Re: BU 2013-14 (Part II): Crash before the Phoenix

those goalies are getting short-changed. they have both been outstanding this year. at any other level they would be demanding a trade

ugh, yuck.

Too true. Even UNH broadcast said Maguire had a great game.

 

[Rover]

Re: BU 2013-14 (Part II): Crash before the Phoenix

Far be it for me to toot my own horn out here, but I've been preaching about this since I discovered this message board. BU is suffering from 15 years of inertia, which developed in the late 90's and festered for years, save for one glorious season in 2009. The recruting/development/discipline/coaching went downhill back then, and BU has yet to fully recover despite that one win. As has been said, its been 1 FF in 17 years, and 2 HE championships over that same time period. That's not BU hockey - its like Northeastern or Lowell hockey. No offense to those teams, but we should be hitting the Minny-BC-ND levels of sustained success. All of you people who were saying "nothing's wrong" all these years now need to pay up and come watch this crappy team.

 

[BCeagle]

Re: BU 2013-14 (Part II): Crash before the Phoenix

Far be it for me to toot my own horn out here, but I've been preaching about this since I discovered this message board. BU is suffering from 15 years of inertia, which developed in the late 90's and festered for years, save for one glorious season in 2009. The recruting/development/discipline/coaching went downhill back then, and BU has yet to fully recover despite that one win. As has been said, its been 1 FF in 17 years, and 2 HE championships over that same time period. That's not BU hockey - its like Northeastern or Lowell hockey. No offense to those teams, but we should be hitting the Minny-BC-ND levels of sustained success. All of you people who were saying "nothing's wrong" all these years now need to pay up and come watch this crappy team.

I would say give DQ time and see what happens. When JY came in it took him awhile to get going and recruit his type of players to make it work. BC did not make a FF until 1998 when they lost in a thriller to UM. JP did not change or adjust with time and maybe that's where the decline begun. Some BU fans thought the new rink is what was needed but that doesn't always translate to wins. It's the people in the program not the rink.

This BU fan that used to rag on me that BU will out recruit BC and win more trophies as a result prove not true.

 

[ericredaxe]

Re: BU 2013-14 (Part II): Crash before the Phoenix

I can’t imagine that there’s much fun playing for or rooting for a team that has one win in 16 games since November 30. Does BU have a sports psychologist on hand?

Maybe the new normal in the new millennium for BU men’s hockey is to be terrible every tenth season, be in the fight for home ice in the playoffs in most seasons and have a spectacular season once a decade. That could make it very hard for them to build much student support, especially for a school that has a student population that’s about 60% female and a large international student community from countries where hockey might not even be played. Maybe they’ll keep recruiting Canadian Olympians and build their women’s team into the nationally relevant program that the men’s program was in the 1990s.

Your overall point is correct that in order to get more fan support (both from students and alums) the team needs to improve. Saying that they fight for home ice most seasons is a bit misleading though and makes it sound worse than it has been. Since that season in 2004 that you mentioned, BU has finisied the regular season twice in 1st, 3 times in 2nd and 4 times in 3rd. Saying they fight for regular season first place most seasons might have been more accurate.

 

[ericredaxe]

Re: BU 2013-14 (Part II): Crash before the Phoenix

Far be it for me to toot my own horn out here, but I've been preaching about this since I discovered this message board. BU is suffering from 15 years of inertia, which developed in the late 90's and festered for years, save for one glorious season in 2009. The recruting/development/discipline/coaching went downhill back then, and BU has yet to fully recover despite that one win. As has been said, its been 1 FF in 17 years, and 2 HE championships over that same time period. That's not BU hockey - its like Northeastern or Lowell hockey. No offense to those teams, but we should be hitting the Minny-BC-ND levels of sustained success. All of you people who were saying "nothing's wrong" all these years now need to pay up and come watch this crappy team.

There is certinally something wrong this season and I've been to nearly every home game a couple of away games plus the beanpot. I disagree that this teams performance has anything to do with things that happened 15 years ago. The recruting has been sub par the par the past couple / few years I agree so the pure talent on the ice right now is not what we are accustomed to seeing, so that is playing a part for sure and can be pinned on Jack / Bavis etc.

As far as this year, what happened to the team that was 7-6 through Thanksgiving and was beating the teams they "should" and (for the most part at least) competing against the upper teams? How did that team turn into the 1-12-3 team that (with the exception of a copule of games) does not even go out and compete?

Plenty of blame to go around and I hope the administration gives Quinny some time to sort it all out and get through this outlier of a season.

I wonder what is going through the minds of the higher ups at BU right now?

 

[Nick Papagiorgio]

Re: BU 2013-14 (Part II): Crash before the Phoenix

I wonder what is going through the minds of the higher ups at BU right now?

I'm going to tell you right now and I'm being honest... not trying to be funny or a jerk, the higher ups are just happy the players aren't raping anyone anymore.

 

[Don't Stop Hammer Time]

Re: BU 2013-14 (Part II): Crash before the Phoenix

I still think Quinn is still trying to figure out his coaching style at this level. I remember in the beginning of the year he would bench players for taking penalties, or and things of that nature, and obviously it hasn't worked, at least not with this particular group. When he was coaching in the AHL, he could always push a player down to the ECHL and/or bring someone up. Obviously, in college he can't do that. I think I remember a few times in some of his press conferences he has said, "I should have done this...." or similar statements. It takes time, but when you have this many freshmen AND a coach still trying to figure out his own style trying to see what works and what doesn't, the team will have a season like the one it's having.