Merrimack Offseason thread - preseason rank 10th again? I think not

[Onion Man]

Re: Merrimack Offseason thread - preseason rank 10th again? I think not

"Say what you want, but coaches across the board in HE did not want to come play at Lawler...."

you're right, they don't want to play there but not for the reasons you think

"...the last time I've been to a game at Conte it was half empty "

may have been because of the opposition...........

Haha. Great point.

 

[Hokydad]

Re: Merrimack Offseason thread - preseason rank 10th again? I think not

I can 100% assure you that if you asked and polled the hockey east coaches, they would put oplaying at Maine, UVM and several others a far tougher place to play and win on the road. Merrimack should be more concerned with why they lose both games at Conte by a combioned score of 11-3 in front of a half empty rink of old silver haired farts.
2008/09 season they were 0-1 losing 4-1
07/08 they were 0-1-1 outscored 10-4
06/07 they were 0-1 outscored 4-1
05/06 they were 0-2 outscoring them 5-1
04/05 they were 0-1 outscored 8-3

That means over the past 5 seasons alone, AKA Dennehy era they were 0-8-1 at Conte, outscored 42-13.

In one of their best seasons in a long time they were astill under 500 overall and in Hockey East and failed to advance past the first round. You have to walk before you run but most would consider that still crawling.

Thats called home ice advantage.

Not losing one game at Merrimack, where BC has about a 90%+ winning record over past 15 years at that rocking barn...

 

[sterlippo1]

Re: Merrimack Offseason thread - preseason rank 10th again? I think not

I'd imagine coaches like Parker, York and Umile dont want to play at Lawler because it's embarrassing for their NHL ready players to play at a rink that is worse than the ones they played on in Mites.

It must be hysterical for a BC or BU to play at Lawler immediately after the Beanpot. Going from the Garden to that dump in North Andover must be a shock for the players to deal with.

after playing BU in the Beanpot in a REALLY rocking building (this past year especially) it's hysterical to even go back to Conte

 

[J.D.]

Re: Merrimack Offseason thread - preseason rank 10th again? I think not

That means over the past 5 seasons alone, AKA Dennehy era they were 0-8-1 at Conte, outscored 42-13.

In one of their best seasons in a long time they were astill under 500 overall and in Hockey East and failed to advance past the first round. You have to walk before you run but most would consider that still crawling.

Bring back Serino!!!

 

[Salvo1017]

Re: Merrimack Offseason thread - preseason rank 10th again? I think not

Enough with the hostility...I have and always will be a BC fan...most of my family went there and I have a signed Schneider jersey. So I'm not trying to rag on Boston College at all, great team great program and an awesome coach.

That being said, I'm sick of the elitist attitude held by people affiliated with BC and BU, how can you expect a small school just 60 years old with a student population of 2000 to have a rink like Agganis or Conte? It just can't be done in that time...take a look at where BC was playing up until the 80s when conte was built. McHugh Forum (I wonder how many young BC fans actually know the name of their old rink). It was a small arena that only held about 1000 more than Lawler does....and that's even with BC being a much bigger school.

Hockey is hockey, no matter if it's played on a pond, in a small rink with benches or in a professional style arena...the game is the same and it's a great one.

But let's get back to Mack Hockey. I'm getting excited to see Collins play...combination of him, Barton and Da Costa is going be colorful to say the least. Anyone know when the annual "Blue vs Gold" game is scheduled..(if it's scheduled yet)?

 

[boblav1]

Re: Merrimack Offseason thread - preseason rank 10th again? I think not

Conte Forum holds 7,884 for hockey. With tickets ranging from around $10-$30...I'd say the average would come out to under 20. Still, with the economy, it has kept people away. There are no nose bleed seats at Conte. Very few bad seats in the place IMO.

Speaking of $20.00. Based on Merrimack's season ticket plan announcement, it sounds like they will be charging $20.00 for an adult single game (Reserved chair back seat) ticket this season.

Reserved chair back seats in the renovated Lawler Arena to all 16 home games will begin at $240 for adults and $160 for youths and seniors. Chair back season tickets allow season ticket purchasers to save up to $80 compared to single game pricing and also guarantees ticketholders a premium reserved seat location for every game.

http://www.merrimackathletics.com/sports/mice/2010-11/releases/20100719SeasonTickets

 

[J.D.]

Re: Merrimack Offseason thread - preseason rank 10th again? I think not

That being said, I'm sick of the elitist attitude held by people affiliated with BC and BU, how can you expect a small school just 60 years old with a student population of 2000 to have a rink like Agganis or Conte? It just can't be done in that time...take a look at where BC was playing up until the 80s when conte was built. McHugh Forum (I wonder how many young BC fans actually know the name of their old rink). It was a small arena that only held about 1000 more than Lawler does....and that's even with BC being a much bigger school.

I don't see this as an elitist issue. It's not like only BC/BU fans would agree that Merrimack has a sub-par DI rink. Hey, I'm sure there are other schools who also have poor rinks. What is the capacity?

 

[J.D.]

Re: Merrimack Offseason thread - preseason rank 10th again? I think not

Speaking of $20.00. Based on Merrimack's season ticket plan announcement, it sounds like they will be charging $20.00 for an adult single game (Reserved chair back seat) ticket this season.


http://www.merrimackathletics.com/sports/mice/2010-11/releases/20100719SeasonTickets

Wow...and I thought $20 a game for BC was high.

 

[WarriorDJ]

Re: Merrimack Offseason thread - preseason rank 10th again? I think not

But let's get back to Mack Hockey. I'm getting excited to see Collins play...combination of him, Barton and Da Costa is going be colorful to say the least. Anyone know when the annual "Blue vs Gold" game is scheduled..(if it's scheduled yet)?

Collins has been working out locally ever since his junior year ended in the BCHL in May, you can't undercut his dedication. One dark horse that I heard a lot about last season was Rob Morton. I look forward to seeing what he can do with a full season.

One other factor that people have not brought up for 2010-2011 is size; Merrimack could be one of the bigger teams in the league this season. Last season, they checked in as the 12th biggest in the nation (3rd in HE), and this season our average of just over 6 feet could grow with only 3 players under 5'9".

 

[WarriorDJ]

Re: Merrimack Offseason thread - preseason rank 10th again? I think not

What is the capacity?

It's listed as 3,000, but that could change with the construction over the summer.

 

[J.D.]

Re: Merrimack Offseason thread - preseason rank 10th again? I think not

Being a big team is interesting, but as BC has shown...size doesn't mean everything in the college game.

 

[jcarter7669]

Re: Merrimack Offseason thread - preseason rank 10th again? I think not

and I have a signed Schneider jersey. .

I bet you could sell that Hokydad for a pretty price, he likes to collect those so he can give them back to the players

 

[sterlippo1]

Re: Merrimack Offseason thread - preseason rank 10th again? I think not

Enough with the hostility...I have and always will be a BC fan...most of my family went there and I have a signed Schneider jersey. So I'm not trying to rag on Boston College at all, great team great program and an awesome coach.

That being said, I'm sick of the elitist attitude held by people affiliated with BC and BU, how can you expect a small school just 60 years old with a student population of 2000 to have a rink like Agganis or Conte? It just can't be done in that time...take a look at where BC was playing up until the 80s when conte was built. McHugh Forum (I wonder how many young BC fans actually know the name of their old rink). It was a small arena that only held about 1000 more than Lawler does....and that's even with BC being a much bigger school.

Hockey is hockey, no matter if it's played on a pond, in a small rink with benches or in a professional style arena...the game is the same and it's a great one.

But let's get back to Mack Hockey. I'm getting excited to see Collins play...combination of him, Barton and Da Costa is going be colorful to say the least. Anyone know when the annual "Blue vs Gold" game is scheduled..(if it's scheduled yet)?

point taken..............(except the elitist comment) and i do remember the McHugh ice box , i went a lot and nearly froze to death each and every time , held about 4200 with it's BBall closet cousin, Roberts Center about 4400. Back to your thread and team, yes, i think 5th with the experience they got last year in the race all year for a spot helping them this time around. good luck to you guys

 

[Nick Papagiorgio]

Re: Merrimack Offseason thread - preseason rank 10th again? I think not

I bet you could sell that Hokydad for a pretty price, he likes to collect those so he can give them back to the players

Wow. Jcarter you have been on top of your game for the last week or two. Good for you. Hope you're having a nice summer.

 

[Salvo1017]

Re: Merrimack Offseason thread - preseason rank 10th again? I think not

Some great points here about size. BC has certainly shown that speed can very well trump size in the college game. That is in part due to the reffing in college hockey and in HE in particular. Take Kyle Bigos for instance...there were so many roughing calls called on him but quite honestly, and I think Merrimack and opposing fans would agree with me here, the calls were made simply because the opposing player was so small and took the hit rather roughly. (Bryan Boyle for BC comes to mind here...he had a lot of similar issues). If the reffs open up a bit and let the teams play more you might see the size of a team mattering a bit more.

 

[J.D.]

Re: Merrimack Offseason thread - preseason rank 10th again? I think not

Don't disagree with that. A more recent example is Nick Petrecki.

2008-2009 in NCAA Hockey: 35 games and 161 PIMs

2009-2010 in AHL: 65 games and 106 PIMs

30 more games at the pro level...55 fewer PIMs

That's not a coincidence.

 

[WarriorDJ]

Re: Merrimack Offseason thread - preseason rank 10th again? I think not

Being a big team is interesting, but as BC has shown...size doesn't mean everything in the college game.

Point well taken J.D. This year with the college hockey rule changes, it could actually work against the Warriors and for the Eagles:

As per USCHO: "Contact to the head will result in a major penalty and either a game misconduct or game disqualification under proposals by the NCAA Ice Hockey Rules Committee."

Especially on the defensive side, Merrimack has the twin pillars 6'5" Kyle Bigos and 6'4" Adam Ross. They could be penalized multiple times next year just because a lateral shove with their hands is at face level of many players on teams built like BC.

 

[Gainzo]

Re: Merrimack Offseason thread - preseason rank 10th again? I think not

Reserved chair back seats in the renovated Lawler Arena to all 16 home games will begin at $240 for adults and $160 for youths and seniors. Chair back season tickets allow season ticket purchasers to save up to $80 compared to single game pricing and also guarantees ticketholders a premium reserved seat location for every game.

According to simple mathematics that means that a single game ticket would cost $25. I understand that Merrimack needs to pay for the renovations but charging $20 for a season ticket and $25 for a single game ticket is not cool.

Lowell is renovating Tsongas for the upcoming season and have come up with many low price ticket plans.

I wonder if Merrimack will offer 2 tickets for $10 like they did last season for a bunch of games?

 

[Hokydad]

Re: Merrimack Offseason thread - preseason rank 10th again? I think not

one problem. Those seats are a small section and most are not sold.

The vast majority are still bleachers...

I love going there and standing on the glass and watching a game

Keep in mind, we are not in the 60's and the MC rink is exactly as billed, a glorified MDC rink, not a Hockey East rink. The issue I have with it is that the administration does zero to support the team. Cuts MD's budget every time he turns sideways and has flopped eevrytime they have talked about a new rink. They had a major sponsor in pace a couple years ago to build a double shet, which would have allowed for a womens program. Backstabbing and politics ruined it and again, the players and students suffer.

The only reason they dont take more crap is because of MD and his relationship with York, Cahoon etc.

They look the other way

 

[J.D.]

Re: Merrimack Offseason thread - preseason rank 10th again? I think not

The only reason they dont take more crap is because of MD and his relationship with York, Cahoon etc.

They look the other way

No idea what this means