What's new
By:
USCHO Fan Forum

This is a sample guest message. Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

  • The USCHO Fan Forum has migrated to a new plaform, xenForo. Most of the function of the forum should work in familiar ways. Please note that you can switch between light and dark modes by clicking on the gear icon in the upper right of the main menu bar. We are hoping that this new platform will prove to be faster and more reliable. Please feel free to explore its features.

Ferris State Hockey '10-11-Or how I learned to stop worrying and love the penalty box

Re: Ferris State Hockey '10-11-Or how I learned to stop worrying and love the penalty

Hammer said:
Everyone else has danced around what I'm about to say. I'm not going to. I've been accused many times of being too pessimistic about this program. Well, I'm going to do it again. I think we're in big, big trouble. I don't see how the WCHA is going to want us, and, frankly, I don't think Ferris supporters are going to fill Ewigleben to see us play Robert Morris, Niagara, UAH, or any other schools of that magnitude when they're used to seeing Notre Dame, Ohio State, Michigan and Michigan State. We played UConn recently (this season or last, and I'm not looking it up right now) and barely drew 1,500 one night and 1,200 the next. I don't see any other potential future CCHA additions improving those numbers significantly. Sure, we'll get the away dates at Yost and Munn from time to time, but is that going to be enough to keep the fans in Big Rapids interested in this team?

1975 was the first year of Ferris State Hockey. The 2014-2015 season would mark the 40th anniversary of the program. At this point, my WAG is that any hockey we see past that season is gravy for us at this point in the game. Let's cherish the next few seasons, guys. I don't know how many we have left.
Click to expand...

<iframe width="425" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/WAvWQa64B8M" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Was wondering when you was going to bump this thread up again Hammer.

Hell, I hate this about as much as any of you guys. If Ferris can't help to cobble out a decent conference together and goes belly up, my hopes for GVSU hockey pretty much go poof as well. And well, mainly that involves me playing the Lottery for that ball to get really rolling, so don't get your hopes up about them yet. Hell, I'm looking at the map of who's left, who's going to trying to leave, and I can't help but think, Dang, if only Wayne State held on for just a few more years. Wayne, Ferris, and Bowling Green would at least give ya a decent core of teams to work around while trying to sweet talk Mercyhurst, Niagara, and Robert Morris into joining up. At this point, Alabama-Huntsville would say yes to anybody right now, but there had better be an autobid with whoever says yes I think.
 
Re: Ferris State Hockey '10-11-Or how I learned to stop worrying and love the penalty

If the MSU-Moorhead rumors are true, then anything is possible at this point. Call Wayne St. Call GVSU. Call the AHA schools. Call ****ing Syracuse. It's now or never, isn't it?
 
Re: Ferris State Hockey '10-11-Or how I learned to stop worrying and love the penalty

According to the Pioneer, Daniels isn't worried and the AD said that he feels confident about the future of hockey at Ferris. These two statements make me think they're taking the "wait and see" approach and it scares me to death. I guess this just gives the athletic department one last time to fail us.

If you haven't seen, Western has already put together a campaign to get into the new conference, whatever it's called. Even if we don't think the new conference would want us, I think showing the energy and commitment to hockey like Western has would do wonders for our program. http://www.whywestern.com/

I agree with Hammer that hockey in Big Rapids does not look sustainable in a conference with RoMo, BGSU and Niagra as our competition. Although, I think FSU could win a lot of hockey games (provided recruits would still come to a team that isn't CCHA caliber) which may put some butts in the seats. But, I must admit that even I would begin to lose interest in such a league.

I remember the discussion of Canadian colleges joining NCAA sports a while back, I dunno how practical that is, but it is something to consider.

It's funny how anyone who mentioned the Big Ten Hockey Conference on here was ridiculed and now the BTHC may lead to the demise of college hockey... at least in some towns.

If hockey in Big Rapids is gonna be around in the distant future the university needs to get aggressive.

Go Dawgs!
 
Re: Ferris State Hockey '10-11-Or how I learned to stop worrying and love the penalty

Unfortunately, I share the pessimism regarding the future of this program as well. This upcoming year will be my last before graduation and likely going far away from the state of Michigan.

As soon the Big Ten conference formed, I knew that the only hope of the CCHA surviving was Miami and Notre Dame taking a leadship role. Miami is gone, and we all know Notre Dame isn't staying either.

Ferris has NO leverage at all. Western is at least a D1 school, they have some power and money. NMU (and to a lesser extent, LSSU) might be able to get into the WCHA due to geography. That leaves us, Bowling Green, and Alaska, I have no idea about Alaska. BG is D1, but I'm not sure who wants them at this point. And I'm not sure who would want us.

What would we offer to the WCHA leftovers or the NCHC? A small, no-name program that is consistently average to meh located in the middle of nowhere in Michigan? And like Hammer said, the thought of keeping a very weak CCHA with teams like Niagara and UAH will plunge the program into even more weakness and obscurity.

At this point, unless we someone land in the leftover WCHA (VERY unlikely) I'd be shocked to see this program last into the next decade. The only hope is having the students and community fight to keep the team. But the administration would rather drive students away.

They better change their mind about that, the students might be the ONLY hope of keeping this program afloat in the next 5 years.
 
Re: Ferris State Hockey '10-11-Or how I learned to stop worrying and love the penalty

Crazy rabid students who usually say naughty things at the hockey games usually end up becoming alumni who write checks to the Athletic department to support stuff like the Hockey program.
 
Re: Ferris State Hockey '10-11-Or how I learned to stop worrying and love the penalty

I Want Shegos said:
Unfortunately, I share the pessimism regarding the future of this program as well. This upcoming year will be my last before graduation and likely going far away from the state of Michigan.

As soon the Big Ten conference formed, I knew that the only hope of the CCHA surviving was Miami and Notre Dame taking a leadship role. Miami is gone, and we all know Notre Dame isn't staying either.

Ferris has NO leverage at all. Western is at least a D1 school, they have some power and money. NMU (and to a lesser extent, LSSU) might be able to get into the WCHA due to geography. That leaves us, Bowling Green, and Alaska, I have no idea about Alaska. BG is D1, but I'm not sure who wants them at this point. And I'm not sure who would want us.

What would we offer to the WCHA leftovers or the NCHC? A small, no-name program that is consistently average to meh located in the middle of nowhere in Michigan? And like Hammer said, the thought of keeping a very weak CCHA with teams like Niagara and UAH will plunge the program into even more weakness and obscurity.

At this point, unless we someone land in the leftover WCHA (VERY unlikely) I'd be shocked to see this program last into the next decade. The only hope is having the students and community fight to keep the team. But the administration would rather drive students away.

They better change their mind about that, the students might be the ONLY hope of keeping this program afloat in the next 5 years.
Click to expand...

NMU has landed in the WCHA beginning in 2013-14.

http://www.wcha.com/men/presarch/201107/jul15wcm.php
 
Re: Ferris State Hockey '10-11-Or how I learned to stop worrying and love the penalty

bigmrg74 said:
Crazy rabid students who usually say naughty things at the hockey games usually end up becoming alumni who write checks to the Athletic department to support stuff like the Hockey program.
Click to expand...

There has to be crazy rabid students still left. If they continue at the pace they started last year, their won't be any rabid students left at games.

I saw Northern joined the WCHA. I can only hope we manage to fit in to the WCHA, that would be our best bet at a viable conference, since we know what's left of the CCHA will be a joke.
 
Re: Ferris State Hockey '10-11-Or how I learned to stop worrying and love the penalty

Which takes me back to this post earlier this spring:

Hammer said:
Let me say this, for anyone else who is reading:

When you try to control a student section ........you lose the student section.
When you don't have a student section...........you lose the support of the students
When you don't have the support of the students..........you lose the program.

Remember that.
Click to expand...

At one time I was probably the most obnoxious person in Ewigleben. I'd say I've turned out okay.
 
Re: Ferris State Hockey '10-11-Or how I learned to stop worrying and love the penalty

I cringed when I read this paragraph:

These developments present opportunities for us to step out from the shadows of our Big 10 friends and hockey rivals and chart a new identity for Bulldog hockey that aligns us with schools that have more in common with Ferris State and are “like-minded ” institutions in terms of the support and presentation of our hockey programs.


I'll also refer you back to post #340 in this thread where I've detailed attendance issues with non-conference games against "like-minded institutions" that may very well be future CCHA opponents.

I still don't like where this is headed.
 
Hammer said:
I'll also refer you back to post #340 in this thread where I've detailed attendance issues with non-conference games against "like-minded institutions" that may very well be future CCHA opponents.

I still don't like where this is headed.
Click to expand...
Can't say I blame ya too much for that Hammer. Til ND says what it's going to do, and thus, WMU figures it out that they can't buff their way into another league right now, there's just too much unknown for the future of Ferris hockey. And some of those possiablites would lead into some pretty dark places. Once the ND domino falls, things will clear up some what, but until then, ferris might as well play with must of their cards close to the vest.
 
Re: Ferris State Hockey '10-11-Or how I learned to stop worrying and love the penalty

Screw all this realignment talk, let's just get out on the ice and win the whole ****ing thing.
 
Re: Ferris State Hockey '10-11-Or how I learned to stop worrying and love the penalty

Hammer said:
I'll also refer you back to post #340 in this thread where I've detailed attendance issues with non-conference games against "like-minded institutions" that may very well be future CCHA opponents.

I still don't like where this is headed.
Click to expand...

After a recent visit to the FSU hockey website I realized that "like-minded institutions" must be the ones that post headlines like "Bulldogs repeat as national penalty-kill percentage leaders" onto their website.

Let's hang a banner...
 
Re: Ferris State Hockey '10-11-Or how I learned to stop worrying and love the penalty

Joining the WCHA is the best possible move, IMO. I'm glad to hear that they and the rest of the CCHA teams merged with what was left of the WCHA. Even though both conferences are shells of themselves, that conference is MUCH stronger and more viable than a potential Niagara and friends conference.
 
Re: Ferris State Hockey '10-11-Or how I learned to stop worrying and love the penalty

Just to clarify, its not a merger, the 5 CCHA teams were "invited" to join. What they do is up to them.
 
Re: Ferris State Hockey '10-11-Or how I learned to stop worrying and love the penalty

So any word out of Big Rapids what improvements Ferris must make to their arena?
 
Re: Ferris State Hockey '10-11-Or how I learned to stop worrying and love the penalty

Flashy Man said:
So any word out of Big Rapids what improvements Ferris must make to their arena?
Click to expand...

Well, over the last 12-13 years they've built a new home locker rooms, replaced the seating, boards, glass, and other various improvements. The arena is much improved over what it was when I was there in the mid-90's.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top