>>>>> RIT TIGERS 2013-2014 - Rocking The Ritter One Last Time <<<<<

[lmg6841]

Re: >>>>> RIT TIGERS 2013-2014 - Rocking The Ritter One Last Time <<<<<

Re: >>>>> RIT TIGERS 2013-2014 - Rocking The Ritter One Last Time <<<<<

Obvisously RIT has some disadvantages (lack of scholies) that other programs do not face, but there are also some advantages too (fan support).

Scholarships have to be a long term goal for RIT to remain competitive. As someone posted earlier, everyone but RIT benefited from the FF run. Also, how long will the fans last? Last season was disappointing, the Brick City losses will get old, the poor NC record is already old. If I'm a College recruit, I'd much rather go with the school that is going to get me nationally recognized, even at the expense of a poor fan-base.

My guess is that RIT under Wilson the program will probably be at the top 1/3 of the AHA in most years, make a AHA finals run every two or three seasons, and make the NCAA's about every 7-10 years. Personally I think better can and should be achieved, but it all comes down to if the administration is happy.

It pains me to see RIT sink into such poor performance. Being middle of the AHA pack... even top of the AHA pack is bad. It's below mediocre in the College Hockey landscape.

 

[Tom Naeger]

Re: >>>>> RIT TIGERS 2013-2014 - Rocking The Ritter One Last Time <<<<<

Re: >>>>> RIT TIGERS 2013-2014 - Rocking The Ritter One Last Time <<<<<

Always fun to see the Panic Button hit early on here...

You know there were years RIT struggled at the D3 level like it did last year. The last 2 or 3 D3 seasons there were a few stinker seasons in there. And it can happen to anyone for various reasons.

1) Sometimes you have players leave early and there are holes you can not fill.
2) Sometimes you get a few bad eggs in the room and it takes sometime to purge them
3) Sometimes some recruits just don't perform the way you thought they would.

I think that last one hurt the Tigers on the defensive end. I think there are some upper class that need to play better and it hurting the underclass men. I say it way to early to write this team off. Heck they got a point at Clarkson team that beat everyone they faced in the AHA including Niagara (at Niagara) twice. Trust me I am pulling my hair out on a lot of mistakes I see out there too, particular on defensive coverage. However the expectations of some people are simply unreasonable. The new arena will not be till next year. And while I agree Scholarships can only help the program, lots has to be done before that can happen. I've seen Wayne Wilson bring in a struggling class before, it can take time to right the ship.

There are positive signs, but if all your focus on is the final score of OOC games than you will not see them. My suggestion, wait till we get at least half way into AHA play before we panic, if you can't wait that long go elsewhere, you are embarrassing yourself...

making it much more tough to comment intelligently on.

People comment intelligently on this board? When did that happen?

 

[RITProf]

Re: >>>>> RIT TIGERS 2013-2014 - Rocking The Ritter One Last Time <<<<<

Re: >>>>> RIT TIGERS 2013-2014 - Rocking The Ritter One Last Time <<<<<

You know there were years RIT struggled at the D3 level like it did last year.

Read my mind. I like sitting in the middle of the AHA a whole lot better than sitting in the middle of the pack (or worse) in the old ECAC West. Not saying I don't prefer/expect RIT to normally be near the very top of AHA, but I sure as heck don't want to go back.

You've all heard my opinion too many times on scholarships (and I know you don't want to agree!), but I will say (also again) that RIT would be far better off aspiring to join the next league up the totem pole than doting on a very limited possibility of athletic scholarships (which aren't necessarily a sweet deal compared to a healthy need- and merit-based package). Now someone go out their and break up the ECAC so we can join the remnants (or some other interesting restructuring).

 

[blazer777]

Re: >>>>> RIT TIGERS 2013-2014 - Rocking The Ritter One Last Time <<<<<

Re: >>>>> RIT TIGERS 2013-2014 - Rocking The Ritter One Last Time <<<<<

Over the last four years, the Tigers have played pretty well. Last year was the first year that I didn't think they would go deep in the AHA Tourney.

Overall, we've been pretty lucky to enjoy a competitive team. In 2010, they went 0-5 in OOC and dropped the first two AHA games to AFA.

2009/2010 FF Lost to Wisconsin

2010/2011 AHA Finals Lost to AFA

2011/2012 AHA Finals Lost to AFA

2012/2013 AHA QF Lost to Niagara

 

[Ed Trefzger]

Re: >>>>> RIT TIGERS 2013-2014 - Rocking The Ritter One Last Time <<<<<

Re: >>>>> RIT TIGERS 2013-2014 - Rocking The Ritter One Last Time <<<<<

People comment intelligently on this board? When did that happen?

Give my friend Tom a cigar.

 

[Rochester]

Re: >>>>> RIT TIGERS 2013-2014 - Rocking The Ritter One Last Time <<<<<

Re: >>>>> RIT TIGERS 2013-2014 - Rocking The Ritter One Last Time <<<<<

Give my friend Tom a cigar.

I still don't see a reason why having high expectations is a bad thing. I guess I am just competitive at nature. No one ever won a championship without high expectations. High expectations are what drive greatness and success. Therefore I don't think I am alone but, if you don't have high expectations you're most likely on the losing end.

And yes, I would rather be in the ECAC with no scholarships any-day of the year.

 

[RIT Winters]

Re: >>>>> RIT TIGERS 2013-2014 - Rocking The Ritter One Last Time <<<<<

Re: >>>>> RIT TIGERS 2013-2014 - Rocking The Ritter One Last Time <<<<<

Scholarships have to be a long term goal for RIT to remain competitive. As someone posted earlier, everyone but RIT benefited from the FF run. Also, how long will the fans last? Last season was disappointing, the Brick City losses will get old, the poor NC record is already old. If I'm a College recruit, I'd much rather go with the school that is going to get me nationally recognized, even at the expense of a poor fan-base.

I would say the fan support notion is somewhat of a misnomer anyway. How many times did we sell out Ritter last year? Even the year following the frozen four we didn't manage 100% capacity in our tiny little rink. RIT has like 20,000 enrolled, another few thousand employed, and resides in a city of almost a quarter million...and we can't fill a 2,100 seat barn every night. The season opener this year was a cool 500 seats short of a sellout.

Last year as I recall we only sold out a handful of games. So..if I'm a recruit looking for a good program, is RIT's fan support really going to win me over? Not unless I'm looking to go only to other AHA schools, at which point RIT's on-ice performance, facilities, and academics puts us ahead of most programs anyway.

Certainly most schools in all the other conferences enjoy at least as good if not better fan support than we do.

 

[MattS]

Re: >>>>> RIT TIGERS 2013-2014 - Rocking The Ritter One Last Time <<<<<

Re: >>>>> RIT TIGERS 2013-2014 - Rocking The Ritter One Last Time <<<<<

2) Sometimes you get a few bad eggs in the room and it takes sometime to purge them

I'm not sure I buy this one as a valid excuse. If there were "a few bad eggs in the room" (& I have no idea if there were/are), and it was effecting the team performance that significantly, then I highly doubt any competent leader (Wilson) would let those "bad eggs" linger and continue on with their bad attitudes. And if the leader does allow that to happen then that is even more of a problem than any others that I, you, or anyone else has mentioned here.

There are positive signs, but if all your focus on is the final score of OOC games than you will not see them. My suggestion, wait till we get at least half way into AHA play before we panic, if you can't wait that long go elsewhere, you are embarrassing yourself...

I don't think anyone is/was panicking. I will admit that I can be a tired record on RIT's year-in and year-out failure to have a decent OOC record, but this discussion revolved around a perceived the lack of forward progress with the program as a whole and while it may have been spurred on by this year performance, is certainly a valid discussion.

I think the real embarrassment is that some people cannot let others have a disagreeing opinion and let them converse about it without resorting to belittling them. But then again I don't try to be the content police like some posters do.

 

[MattS]

Re: >>>>> RIT TIGERS 2013-2014 - Rocking The Ritter One Last Time <<<<<

Re: >>>>> RIT TIGERS 2013-2014 - Rocking The Ritter One Last Time <<<<<

I would say the fan support notion is somewhat of a misnomer anyway. How many times did we sell out Ritter last year? Even the year following the frozen four we didn't manage 100% capacity in our tiny little rink. RIT has like 20,000 enrolled, another few thousand employed, and resides in a city of almost a quarter million...and we can't fill a 2,100 seat barn every night. The season opener this year was a cool 500 seats short of a sellout.

Last year as I recall we only sold out a handful of games. So..if I'm a recruit looking for a good program, is RIT's fan support really going to win me over? Not unless I'm looking to go only to other AHA schools, at which point RIT's on-ice performance, facilities, and academics puts us ahead of most programs anyway.

Certainly most schools in all the other conferences enjoy at least as good if not better fan support than we do.

It is the atmosphere of Ritter not the number of people that make it a more special place to play. While the atmosphere is certainly not the end-all, beat-all, for recruitment is certainly helps.

Have you been to some of the non-powerhouse arenas or even some of the areans of teams that are top 10 in the nation? At some of them might have more people in them, they are as flat and dead as a cemetary. Of all the places I have seen games at (~20+ in DI), I would rank RIT atmosphere in the top 2 or 3 and top 5 for sure. Granted I have not seen games at Yost, Wisc., or Minny for example but I have been to most big 3 schools on the east coast (BC, UNH, most of the ECAC, etc.) and RIT is still very impressive.

 

[blazer777]

Re: >>>>> RIT TIGERS 2013-2014 - Rocking The Ritter One Last Time <<<<<

Re: >>>>> RIT TIGERS 2013-2014 - Rocking The Ritter One Last Time <<<<<

I don't think anyone is/was panicking. I will admit that I can be a tired record on RIT's year-in and year-out failure to have a decent OOC record, but this discussion revolved around a perceived the lack of forward progress with the program as a whole and while it may have been spurred on by this year performance, is certainly a valid discussion.QUOTE]

So, what do you consider progress to be?

1. A good to decent OOC record
2. Finishing 1 or 2 in AHA each year
3. Making it to the NCAA's each year
4. The ability of the school to draw the likes of Michigan, BU and other high profile schools here for Brick City?

 

[RITProf]

Re: >>>>> RIT TIGERS 2013-2014 - Rocking The Ritter One Last Time <<<<<

Re: >>>>> RIT TIGERS 2013-2014 - Rocking The Ritter One Last Time <<<<<

Some facts (let's not let them get in the way):

Ritter only has 1600 "seats". Sure selling out should happen, but it doesn't easily because lots of people are tired of not having a seat.
(That "excuse" will go away next year ... but sellouts will still be rare.)

RIT was 37th in attendance last season. No team with a smaller arena sold more "seats".
(Only 7 teams averaged over 6K, only 12 more than 5K, only 19 over 4K, and only 29 over 3K.)

Most teams averaged around 80% or so of capacity. (Maybe 3500 for Polisseni.)
(Examples: Yale, avg. 3.1K, cap. 3.5K; Miami avg. 3.0, cap. 4.2K)

If RIT is ahead of Miami in 2014-15, I think that will be good. If they are ahead of Cornell a few years later, that will be awesome!!

I, for one, am not capable of panicking. I am still a fan and very optimistic for this very season. A tie in Clarkson does not motivate me to comment one way or another. (I'll try ... wow that was a good tie, so meaningful, so inspirational ... sorry it didn't take.) And I personally think RIT is very fortunate to have a coach of the caliber of Wayne Wilson (How many other coaches of the year in DIII and DI are hanging around the AHA?)

 

[komey1]

Re: >>>>> RIT TIGERS 2013-2014 - Rocking The Ritter One Last Time <<<<<

Re: >>>>> RIT TIGERS 2013-2014 - Rocking The Ritter One Last Time <<<<<

Have you been to some of the non-powerhouse arenas or even some of the areans of teams that are top 10 in the nation? At some of them might have more people in them, they are as flat and dead as a cemetary. Of all the places I have seen games at (~20+ in DI), I would rank RIT atmosphere in the top 2 or 3 and top 5 for sure. Granted I have not seen games at Yost, Wisc., or Minny for example but I have been to most big 3 schools on the east coast (BC, UNH, most of the ECAC, etc.) and RIT is still very impressive.

Clarkson had the worst atmosphere for having over 3000 last weekend for the games.

We can all agree that the Ritter is a rockin' place. Hopefully, we won't lose that with the new arena.

I think that RIT has progressed at a more reasonable pace. The amount of success they had at the start of their DI play was simply unsustainable, especially in a growing league. I see progress that RIT gets to host Michigan and BC on Brick City, and that they can get a couple home OOC games unlike most of the AHA. The new arena is probably not close to being done without that Frozen Four run, imo. That new arena will allow RIT to get better teams to come to Rochester. Sometimes you have to take a step back to take a couple steps forward. I think last season was one of those steps back. We move on. The team got a point against Clarkson. They have a tough, but winnable, game at Penn State before they head into conference play.

We won't know a lot about this year's team until we get through a good chunk of the schedule.

 

[Ed Trefzger]

Re: >>>>> RIT TIGERS 2013-2014 - Rocking The Ritter One Last Time <<<<<

Re: >>>>> RIT TIGERS 2013-2014 - Rocking The Ritter One Last Time <<<<<

Clarkson had the worst atmosphere for having over 3000 last weekend for the games.

I could not get over how dead it was. It was so quiet as to be almost spooky.

 

[RIT Winters]

Re: >>>>> RIT TIGERS 2013-2014 - Rocking The Ritter One Last Time <<<<<

Re: >>>>> RIT TIGERS 2013-2014 - Rocking The Ritter One Last Time <<<<<

Some facts (let's not let them get in the way):

Ritter only has 1600 "seats". Sure selling out should happen, but it doesn't easily because lots of people are tired of not having a seat.
(That "excuse" will go away next year ... but sellouts will still be rare.)

RIT was 37th in attendance last season. No team with a smaller arena sold more "seats".
(Only 7 teams averaged over 6K, only 12 more than 5K, only 19 over 4K, and only 29 over 3K.)

Most teams averaged around 80% or so of capacity. (Maybe 3500 for Polisseni.)
(Examples: Yale, avg. 3.1K, cap. 3.5K; Miami avg. 3.0, cap. 4.2K)

If RIT is ahead of Miami in 2014-15, I think that will be good. If they are ahead of Cornell a few years later, that will be awesome!!

I, for one, am not capable of panicking. I am still a fan and very optimistic for this very season. A tie in Clarkson does not motivate me to comment one way or another. (I'll try ... wow that was a good tie, so meaningful, so inspirational ... sorry it didn't take.) And I personally think RIT is very fortunate to have a coach of the caliber of Wayne Wilson (How many other coaches of the year in DIII and DI are hanging around the AHA?)

Just for arguments sake, RIT's number was most likely drastically improved by the Blue Cross game selling 10,000.

 

[RITProf]

Re: >>>>> RIT TIGERS 2013-2014 - Rocking The Ritter One Last Time <<<<<

Re: >>>>> RIT TIGERS 2013-2014 - Rocking The Ritter One Last Time <<<<<

Just for arguments sake, RIT's number was most likely drastically improved by the Blue Cross game selling 10,000.

Absolutely was, but RIT sold those tickets, which is still a good thing (and a few other teams have similar opportunities).

 

[apple2k]

Re: >>>>> RIT TIGERS 2013-2014 - Rocking The Ritter One Last Time <<<<<

Re: >>>>> RIT TIGERS 2013-2014 - Rocking The Ritter One Last Time <<<<<

Uh, did I just read that there are no seats at Ritter? I'm going to the Nov. 22 game . . . .

 

[Ed Trefzger]

Re: >>>>> RIT TIGERS 2013-2014 - Rocking The Ritter One Last Time <<<<<

Re: >>>>> RIT TIGERS 2013-2014 - Rocking The Ritter One Last Time <<<<<

Uh, did I just read that there are no seats at Ritter? I'm going to the Nov. 22 game . . . .

Wooden bleachers.

 

[RIT Winters]

Re: >>>>> RIT TIGERS 2013-2014 - Rocking The Ritter One Last Time <<<<<

Re: >>>>> RIT TIGERS 2013-2014 - Rocking The Ritter One Last Time <<<<<

Uh, did I just read that there are no seats at Ritter? I'm going to the Nov. 22 game . . . .

There are wooden benches that fit 1600 or so, and the rest is standing room only.

 

[komey1]

Re: >>>>> RIT TIGERS 2013-2014 - Rocking The Ritter One Last Time <<<<<

Re: >>>>> RIT TIGERS 2013-2014 - Rocking The Ritter One Last Time <<<<<

Ritter only has 1600 "seats". Sure selling out should happen, but it doesn't easily because lots of people are tired of not having a seat.
(That "excuse" will go away next year ... but sellouts will still be rare.)

There are 1600 seats, but don't forget to take out a section for the band, season ticket holders, and the reserved seats it's really about 1200 - and that counts the Corner Crew section. This is why the new arena is a MUST. We need to get back the parents and kids so that they want to grow up playing for RIT. But parents aren't going to come to a game half hour early or more to POSSIBLY get a seat..

 

[lmg6841]

Re: >>>>> RIT TIGERS 2013-2014 - Rocking The Ritter One Last Time <<<<<

Re: >>>>> RIT TIGERS 2013-2014 - Rocking The Ritter One Last Time <<<<<

Not sure what type of ticket you got, but like others have said here, general admission seats are first come first serve. It's a habit that a lot of fans come 30-60 minutes early and block of large sections of benches for their friends. So, you may want to factor in getting to the rink a bit early to get a seat you'd like. That being said, the visitor side usually fills up a bit more slowly than behind the RIT bench.

Uh, did I just read that there are no seats at Ritter? I'm going to the Nov. 22 game . . . .