Hockey East 2011 - 2012 :

[Carmine Scarpaglia]

Re: Hockey East 2011 - 2012 :

haha from my prospective...if it gets my school's name that's on the front of the jersey on national television for 3 hours once or twice a season that's nothing but a good thing. I suppose the bigger teams like BC and BU have no use for that kind of press but I'm sure the smaller schools like MC, UML, PC, and even UVM or Maine can benefit from it - not just from an athletics stand point but from an academics stand point. more exposure means more kids applying to your school.

That's assuming people will actually care enough and take the time to turn on their computer (or take out their phone) during the Merrimack-ND game to google who the he_ll Merrimack is.

I think that's an awful big assumption.

At the end of the day, it's not going to bring in any extra applications to Merrihack.

 

[Split-N]

Re: Hockey East 2011 - 2012 :

FL, sounds like a sharp move by the BG administration if true. I imagine that would lower costs for them and give them a better chance to succeed.

That long shadow following the BGSU hockey program is the fact that it has been woefully underfunded in recent years and lacking in support from the administration, so a downgrade to the AHA seems perfectly logical. Personally, I think a move to HEA by BGSU is unlikely but the concept of it coming in as an ND dance partner remains intriguing. If that does happen, the Miami people will go absolutely berserk!

 

[mookie1995]

Difference is an exclusive NATIONAL TV deal,...

-for those of us with satellite, the gophs (for example) have had a national deal forever. my hockey watching kids look for their games all the time as they've seen them weekly (and my kids are 12 & 9). to a lesser extent bucky games too.

-ratings are nil. ND is probably the only school that could even get a sniff from someone willing to partner with them on a national type deal. an while the attraction for recruits to have all their games on tv is substantial (as it's been for the gophs), the other hea teams will get some as well (two+ additional games on this deal if it happens). benefit of bringing the irish into your barn to try and bang it out. letting ND keep the money is like not having someone share a bite of their pbj sangy for lunch - not missing much.

-however, i don't want to have to travel through four states for league games. if ND wants to come in and cover costs for our teams to head out there with their 'exclusive' tv money, ok. but having to make two flying expenses to visit ND and their TBD travel partner is not needed and a waste of resources.

-the bigger hea schools could obviously benefit from being able to host additional ooc games (dropping the league #s from 27 to 22). not sure if the bottom half will be able to get teams to come, or if they will have to travel for those as well. but the bu's/bc's/uhn's/etc will book those home games vs local teams and schedule h/h with high profile schools that will help the gate as well.

 

[Priceless]

Re: Hockey East 2011 - 2012 :

If BGSU ever comes to HE, which I doubt, there would become travel partners.
BC-BU
ND-BGSU
MC-UML
UVM-Amherst
PC-NU
UNH-Maine

If RPI comes to HE, how do you do scheduling?

RPI-UVM
BC-PC
BU-UMA
NU-MC
UHN-UML
Maine-ND

The problem is that ND is a massive outlier.

With the expanded NC schedule, it's possible that when travel partners go to ND they can schedule Miami/OSU/Mich etc on the night they don't play ND. Meanwhile, Maine plays 2 NC games (or takes the weekend off). Likewise when teams travel to Maine, ND can play NC games. Teams traveling to Maine can either have the other night off or schedule an NC game (ie play NC Friday, @Maine Sunday) or the Beanpot teams can play @Maine on the Fridays before the Monday tournament with Maine hosting the other travel partner on Saturday or Sunday. That's one reason I broke the Beanpot schools into three groups.

It may not be as pretty as the ECAC, but it will work.

 

[Carmine Scarpaglia]

Re: Hockey East 2011 - 2012 :

\But really, is there that high of a demand to watch ND hockey that they're in a position to jones for an exclusive national TV deal? If so, how come they haven't locked up an exclusive deal for basketball, a sport that would clearly garner a larger national audience?

So what you're saying is... Should there be a concern in Bertagna's office that once terrible ratings come in on this niche of a niche sport (that isn't a good made-for-tv sport because it is too fast and has too small of a puck for the average American moron to figure out... even for your average ND "Go Irish" moron) that the national networks stay away after this possible initial tv deal and future tv deals become an issue?

Hmmmmmmmmmmm.

 

[ericredaxe]

Re: Hockey East 2011 - 2012 :

-the bigger hea schools could obviously benefit from being able to host additional ooc games (dropping the league #s from 27 to 22). not sure if the bottom half will be able to get teams to come, or if they will have to travel for those as well. but the bu's/bc's/uhn's/etc will book those home games vs local teams and schedule h/h with high profile schools that will help the gate as well.

Although, to some extent, that depends on how these other leagues set up their schedule... I think I read that the NCHC is going to have a 28 game league schedule, which leaves even less room for OOC games than Hockey East currently has...

To me the biggest negative about adding ND (and one other), as you mentioned, is all about geography. As a fan, one of the great things about Hockey East, is that for the most part, all of your team's away games are an hour or less away.

 

[Federal League]

Re: Hockey East 2011 - 2012 :

It's worth reminding everyone that HE doesn't necessarily need to switch to a travel partners system like the ECAC uses. You could stick to home-and-homes with everyone close. Then for teams that aren't close, do 2 games at home vs. them one year, 2 games on the road the next. Then you'd only be flying to Notre Dame once every two years. Of course, that means ND (and possibly Maine, UVM and RPI, too) aren't gonna be visiting your arena every year. It also means ND would have to have an unbalanced schedule every year (10 home/12 road one year, 12 home/10 road the next). But I think this system might be more feasible than travel partners, since ND and RPI obviously aren't gonna make much sense as travel partners.

 

[ericredaxe]

Re: Hockey East 2011 - 2012 :

It's worth reminding everyone that HE doesn't necessarily need to switch to a travel partners system like the ECAC uses. You could stick to home-and-homes with everyone close. Then for teams that aren't close, do 2 games at home vs. them one year, 2 games on the road the next. Then you'd only be flying to Notre Dame once every two years. Of course, that means ND (and possibly Maine, UVM and RPI, too) aren't gonna be visiting your arena every year. It also means ND would have to have an unbalanced schedule every year (10 home/12 road one year, 12 home/10 road the next). But I think this system might be more feasible than travel partners, since ND and RPI obviously aren't gonna make much sense as travel partners.

I think you have to include Maine, UVM and RPI too in your scenario of alteranting years of 2 home games... I can't see Maine and RPI doing a home and home in one weekend.

I dont know the solution... I dont' like it... I have nothing against Notre Dame, but from my perspective, I just don't see it as an improvement to the league.

 

[burgie12]

Re: Hockey East 2011 - 2012 :

I think you have to include Maine, UVM and RPI too in your scenario of alteranting years of 2 home games... I can't see Maine and RPI doing a home and home in one weekend.

You could have a pseudo-travel partner system where RPI / UVM plays UNH / Maine.

I dont know the solution... I dont' like it... I have nothing against Notre Dame, but from my perspective, I just don't see it as an improvement to the league.

RPI's Without a Peer has been following this pretty closely (for obvious reasons) and had on Mike McMahon on the podcast on Thursday. He said that it seemed pretty clear that at some point there will be twelve teams in HEA if for nothing else than to get down to 22 in-conference games. Why not take the chance right now and get a good team like Notre Dame? No, nothing says they "have" to go to 12... but if there's already the push, then grab the best teams available while they're available, instead of settling later.

 

[slurpees]

Re: Hockey East 2011 - 2012 :

I think you have to include Maine, UVM and RPI too in your scenario of alteranting years of 2 home games... I can't see Maine and RPI doing a home and home in one weekend.

I dont know the solution... I dont' like it... I have nothing against Notre Dame, but from my perspective, I just don't see it as an improvement to the league.

no, that's what he's saying you do. continue with the same kind of set up Maine and UVM have where teams come up and play two, but extend it to ND, and RPI for those teams that are too far for a home and home. For RPI, that's probably only UNH and Maine, as all other schools are about a 3 hour or so trip. Travel wise, it's not that hard to do.

 

[pdt1081]

That long shadow following the BGSU hockey program is the fact that it has been woefully underfunded in recent years and lacking in support from the administration, so a downgrade to the AHA seems perfectly logical. Personally, I think a move to HEA by BGSU is unlikely but the concept of it coming in as an ND dance partner remains intriguing. If that does happen, the Miami people will go absolutely berserk!

Just for clarity, BG will not be joining AHA. The 4 teams looking to join BG would be leaving AHA for the purpose of improving their programs by being able to offer the full 18 scholarships.

Not that it really matters, but in the current "cluster ****" system the CCHA currently uses, BG and ND are cluster-mates, whatever it is they call them now.

 

[J.D.]

Re: Hockey East 2011 - 2012 :

The biggest thing I'm in favor of is a 22 game league schedule (assuming 12 teams). I just think this can be accomplished without expanding to the Midwest.

 

[BC/HE]

Re: Hockey East 2011 - 2012 :

I don't think Notre Dame would have an unbalanced schedule because I believe BC and Notre Dame would have a Home and Home but on seperate weekends. All other ND series would be 2 games either home or away.

 

[TonyTheTiger20]

Re: Hockey East 2011 - 2012 :

Why not have home and homes on the SAME weekend? That's 3 flights instead of 4 - having the two teams be travel partners on the middle flight.

 

[BC/HE]

Re: Hockey East 2011 - 2012 :

Why not have home and homes on the SAME weekend? That's 3 flights instead of 4 - having the two teams be travel partners on the middle flight.

I was thinking maybe Notre Dame would schedule a non conference game with perhaps Harvard when they visit BC. BC could take on traditional York opponent BGSU or perhaps WMU or Michigan when they go to Notre Dame for a non conference game. But your idea could have merits too.

 

[J.D.]

Re: Hockey East 2011 - 2012 :

My thinking all along for this would be to send any two existing HE teams out to South Bend for a weekend. When ND travels, they play two different teams Friday/Saturday (doesn't have to be the same two that went out to South Bend together).

 

[J.D.]

Re: Hockey East 2011 - 2012 :

INCH Hockey East preview is up. One interesting note:

"With a pair of 30-plus point men returning in Spencer Abbott and Brian Flynn plus a young yet experienced group of netminders in Dan Sullivan, Shawn Sirman, and Martin Ouellette—all three started at least eight games last season—Maine has many of the components in place to finally snap that NCAA drought."

 

[Salvo1017]

Re: Hockey East 2011 - 2012 :

That's assuming people will actually care enough and take the time to turn on their computer (or take out their phone) during the Merrimack-ND game to google who the he_ll Merrimack is.

I think that's an awful big assumption.

At the end of the day, it's not going to bring in any extra applications to Merrihack.

....that's precisely what I do when I see a small time team on national TV. It's exactly what happened to Villanova in the 80s, granted that was bball and a title run but it's the same premise. People see a school they never heard of on national TV and get interested...especially fans of the sport.

So yes I am assuming people pull out their phones and google Merrimack, PC, or UML, I don't think it's that big of an assumption. Not like you have to walk down to your library and pull out an encyclopedia. You make it seem like it's a big chore to type a school's name into google. There was a recent study that over 50% of sports fans watch sports while surfing the web (to stay connected through twitter, live blogs, and forums) making it even that much easier to google..and that much more talked about in the twittersphere.

 

[SkinsFan09]

Re: Hockey East 2011 - 2012 :

Oops, wrong thread.

 

[WeAreNDHockey]

Re: Hockey East 2011 - 2012 :

....that's precisely what I do when I see a small time team on national TV. It's exactly what happened to Villanova in the 80s, granted that was bball and a title run but it's the same premise. People see a school they never heard of on national TV and get interested...especially fans of the sport.

So yes I am assuming people pull out their phones and google Merrimack, PC, or UML, I don't think it's that big of an assumption. Not like you have to walk down to your library and pull out an encyclopedia. You make it seem like it's a big chore to type a school's name into google. There was a recent study that over 50% of sports fans watch sports while surfing the web (to stay connected through twitter, live blogs, and forums) making it even that much easier to google..and that much more talked about in the twittersphere.

Villanova is probably not the best example to illustrate your point. When they won the NCAA title in 1985 they had already built a fairly good NCAA resume. They had NCAA success in recent previous years, had played for an NCAA title in the early 70s (one of Wooden's titles was against them) and had actually been one of the teams in the very first NCAA tournament. They were in a premiere league with valuable television exposure, especially considering the TV environment at the time. They were not a UCLA or Kentucky but they were certainly not an unknown.