>>> RIT Tigers - 2013 Offseason: The Future Looks Bright <<<

[RITProf]

Re: >>> RIT Tigers - 2013 Offseason: The Future Looks Bright <<<

But regular season championships are also very good PR (better than playing outside even!).

The tournament championship always matters most, but the season should not be completely discounted.

 

[cplinford]

Re: >>> RIT Tigers - 2013 Offseason: The Future Looks Bright <<<

Lastly, how much advertising does the league even do? Was a promo run during any Amerks games?

I was at a Amerks game maybe 2 months ago and there was a promo for the AHA tournament. People will only spend the money to see teams they recognize and follow. No one in the AHA is a draw to anyone but their own fans and most of those fan bases are very small to non existent. I don't see a way the AHA could have made this a bigger event even with more aggressive advertising outside of comping a ton of tickets to youth hockey teams, but to my knowledge most of those leagues are already over.

 

[blazer777]

Re: >>> RIT Tigers - 2013 Offseason: The Future Looks Bright <<<

I was at a Amerks game maybe 2 months ago and there was a promo for the AHA tournament. People will only spend the money to see teams they recognize and follow. No one in the AHA is a draw to anyone but their own fans and most of those fan bases are very small to non existent. I don't see a way the AHA could have made this a bigger event even with more aggressive advertising outside of comping a ton of tickets to youth hockey teams, but to my knowledge most of those leagues are already over.

Promo the tickets and make your money on the concessions, parking, etc. it's not rocket science. You get a good crowd, some good PR out of it and eventually, word gets out that it's a good time regardless of who's playing. That's how you promote the tourney.

 

[LtPowers]

Re: >>> RIT Tigers - 2013 Offseason: The Future Looks Bright <<<

What "real" DI hockey leagues play their tournament final at school sites?

College Hockey America.


Powers &8^]

 

[MattS]

Re: >>> RIT Tigers - 2013 Offseason: The Future Looks Bright <<<

The eternal naysayers and pessimists that dominate this discussion will tell you there's no chance. I tend to think there is an above average chance of it, and even if we don't, we will put enough fans in seats to be completely worth it.

We're not the Amerks, nor should we be. The Amerks are going to sell it out because it's a special event and it's a professional team, and they have more community exposure. I don't think RIT pulling in 5000 or 7000 should be considered a failure, if that ends up being what we draw.

I am certainly one of the naysayers and I would be surprised if this game draws more than 2500 people. I would be astounded if it draws 5000 and will think the world is ending if it draws 7000! At the end of the day this is a novelty game that will draw hardcore RIT fans and people are interested in seeing a sideshow. All of whom must be willing to brave potentially bad weather. I just don't see 5000 people who fall into those categories.

Do they ever have threads? The only other fans I see posting on here are Bently.

Do the other teams even have fans?

Attendance is more than just Canisius's problem. I think the AHA really needs to market the championship weekend better to the Rochester area to improve attendance. I don't think Canisius (or Mercyhurst for that matter, with 4400 students, can be blamed for poor attendance.

Very true. Attendance of the tourney is an AHA problem, not an individual school problem. The AHA needs to plan that they cannot count on RIT making the tourney every year. And somehow make up for that. The onus falls on them.

Unless you can overcome the issues that currently exist with host schools trying to minimize/discourage the visiting fans (e.g., NU breaking up the visitor seating and NU and Canisus not welcoming visiting bands), then going back to school sites is a mistake.

I’m not advocating for having the finals of the tourney at host schools, but this above should not be an issue if the tourney were to be held at a school. It should be a simple mandate from the AHA that the above doesn’t happen and if it does said host will be excluded from hosting tourney games for “x “ number of years. Period. Simple. Won’t happen but it should be that simple.

Heck, even the ECAC is struggling to find a comfortable home for it's tournament.

The ECAC is in much the same predicament as the AHA. Smaller schools with lots of them having minimal fanbase. Much like if RIT doesn’t make the AHA finals, if Cornell doesn’t make the ECAC finals then attendance will be dismal. In my opinion the main reason the ECAC is struggling with a permanent home is because they are trying to find that happy medium between distance for travel, a host city where everyone makes some money, and having decent attendance if the “big draw” team doesn’t make it. If I was the AHA I would definitely try to learn from what the ECAC has done well and what has not worked.

Outside of getting a first round by, regular season wins don't matter much in the AHA. We could have avoided playing Niagara with a better record, but at the end of the day (or season...) it comes down to how we play in the tournament. So really, we only have to play well once we get to the tournament if we're not shooting for an at-large bid.

Are you really being serious with this comment?

 

[MattS]

Re: >>> RIT Tigers - 2013 Offseason: The Future Looks Bright <<<

College Hockey America.


Powers &8^]

Women ECAC.

 

[mar7967]

Re: >>> RIT Tigers - 2013 Offseason: The Future Looks Bright <<<

Women ECAC.

I think all women, right?

 

[Zyklon]

Re: >>> RIT Tigers - 2013 Offseason: The Future Looks Bright <<<

I believe it is only 3 seniors leaving, Potts got an extra year of eligibility, and remember Brandon Thompson should be back. So instead of having 2 guys sitting out next year we should have 7 guys sitting a game. (Hopefully my math is correct).

Just saw this article: http://www.ritathletics.com/news/2013/3/27/MHOCKEY_0327131231.aspx. At the end it says RIT is returning 18 players next year. We had 23 on the team this year (not including Thompson). So that means there are 2 players that were not seniors that are leaving. My bet is it's the 2 players (not goalie) not mentioned in the article (Potts and Brownell) that are are leaving as well even though they have extra eligibility.

 

[MattS]

Re: >>> RIT Tigers - 2013 Offseason: The Future Looks Bright <<<

I think all women, right?

Could be. I don't know as I only follow ECAC and CHA women's conferences.

 

[lmg6841]

Re: >>> RIT Tigers - 2013 Offseason: The Future Looks Bright <<<

Are you really being serious with this comment?

Sure am, it's not hard to follow. You have two options: earn an at large bid with OOC and Conf wins or win the tournament. The minimum amount you have to do to win the tournament is play 6-8 really good games. Of course you can easily say that having a strong season and playing well that you're more likely going to win those 6-8 games.

 

[MattS]

Re: >>> RIT Tigers - 2013 Offseason: The Future Looks Bright <<<

Sure am, it's not hard to follow. You have two options: earn an at large bid with OOC and Conf wins or win the tournament. The minimum amount you have to do to win the tournament is play 6-8 really good games. Of course you can easily say that having a strong season and playing well that you're more likely going to win those 6-8 games.

Yes, it pretty easy to follow. I thought you were being facetious but now I understand you were not. And mathmatically you are correct. I am just surprised by your disregard for what winning any game does for a player/team/program.

 

[Ed Trefzger]

Re: >>> RIT Tigers - 2013 Offseason: The Future Looks Bright <<<

At the end it says RIT is returning 18 players next year.

I inquired about this. There was an error in the story. It has now been updated to say 20 players will return.

 

[MattS]

Re: >>> RIT Tigers - 2013 Offseason: The Future Looks Bright <<<

I inquired about this. There was an error in the story. It has now been updated to say 20 players will return.

Or maybe it is not and that information is not suppose to be public......

 

[TigerFan86-87]

Re: >>> RIT Tigers - 2013 Offseason: The Future Looks Bright <<<

The ECAC is in much the same predicament as the AHA. Smaller schools with lots of them having minimal fanbase. Much like if RIT doesn’t make the AHA finals, if Cornell doesn’t make the ECAC finals then attendance will be dismal. In my opinion the main reason the ECAC is struggling with a permanent home is because they are trying to find that happy medium between distance for travel, a host city where everyone makes some money, and having decent attendance if the “big draw” team doesn’t make it. If I was the AHA I would definitely try to learn from what the ECAC has done well and what has not worked.

The problem with the AHA (and probably the ECAC as well) Final Four being held at a "neutral" site is that engaging the local community in that site is going to be quite difficult, if not impossible. Rochester sports fans (outside of the RIT community) are just not in any way engaged with College Hockey in general, let alone a bunch of D-II and lower tier D-I programs playing in a "mid-major" conference. The only way to even get their attention on games here would be to have big-name schools (not necessarily hockey powers) playing (BC, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio State etc., but NOT North Dakota, Maine, UNO, almost any other AHA team, etc...). Case in point, the 2007 Regionals played at BCA where the attendance was pathetic. Even at that, not too many would spend $15 - $20 (or even more) to come see it. They might pay attention when the highlights are on the news, but forget five minutes later when a rerun of Sienfeld comes on. RIT's run to the FF in 2010 got a few locals to pay a bit of attention to the sport and that event in particular, but since RIT is not a premiere program that can regularly legitimately contend for and play in the FF and or win the NCAA Championship, that little swell of attention cannot really be maintained or built upon. Now around Rochester sports fan circles, it is kind of like "Didn't RIT win something in hockey a few years ago? Why haven't they gone back? Oh well, let's get Amerks, Red Wings, Rhinos, LPGA, Flash, Knighthawks, Razorsharks, or Thunder tickets." I'm sure Rochester isn't alone in being like this. Outside of New England, Minnesota, or many of the bigger communities containing D-I hockey teams, college hockey is not well known or popular at all. Give RIT a few decades and an elevation in program expectations and see if they've made any inroads into the casual fan base here. But even then, we'd probably develop a base of fans that follow RIT and pretty much nobody else in college hockey (much like so many of the current RIT community's fans now, btw).

 

[lmg6841]

Re: >>> RIT Tigers - 2013 Offseason: The Future Looks Bright <<<

Posted to reddit... a Minnesota fans reaction to the NCAA bracket.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=flpVa3a2fhQ

 

[Tom Naeger]

Re: >>> RIT Tigers - 2013 Offseason: The Future Looks Bright <<<

College Hockey America.


Powers &8^]

Ah College Hockey America, may it rest it peace...

 

[Tom Naeger]

Re: >>> RIT Tigers - 2013 Offseason: The Future Looks Bright <<<

Look at this packed BCA with thousands of screaming Canisius fans after they won the title about an hour away from home:

Source: http://www.buffalonews.com/apps/pbc...ategory=PHOTOGALLERIES&ArtNo=325009999&Ref=PH

That would make a great recruiting poster if placed of picture of the 2009 team celebrating at Blue Cross next to it...

 

[mar7967]

Re: >>> RIT Tigers - 2013 Offseason: The Future Looks Bright <<<

Ah College Hockey America, may it rest it peace...

[I think] he was referring to the women's CHA, which still exists.

 

[Tom Naeger]

Re: >>> RIT Tigers - 2013 Offseason: The Future Looks Bright <<<

[I think] he was referring to the women's CHA, which still exists.

And wait am I missing something, are people saying they want to use this as a model for post season tournament? Have you seen the attendance numbers?

 

[RITProf]

Re: >>> RIT Tigers - 2013 Offseason: The Future Looks Bright <<<

That would make a great recruiting poster if placed of picture of the 2009 team celebrating at Blue Cross next to it...

That's an image just begging for a caption/photoshop contest. It looks like most of the team couldn't care less if they won and the guy with the trophy is literally being crushed by its massive weight.