RPI 2011-12 Season: Posts on a Message Board

[burgie12]

Re: RPI 2011-12 Season: Posts on a Message Board

Time to stuff the ballot boxes in a meaningless poll http://www.bcinterruption.com/2011/...ckey-east-expansion-notre-dame-boston-college?

Never mind the fact that your commissioner said that normally he would have already created the 2013-14 league schedule... we should definitely still wait a full season before extending an invitation to a 12th team.

 

[AspyDad]

Re: RPI 2011-12 Season: Posts on a Message Board

Great point made by tb to me. How bad do we think that Stewie, Hicks, Baker, et al are going to try and hose us as we are headed to the exit?

 

[FlagDUDE08]

Re: RPI 2011-12 Season: Posts on a Message Board

Great point made by tb to me. How bad do we think that Stewie, Hicks, Baker, et al are going to try and hose us as we are headed to the exit?

It's a brand new year, AspyDad. The refs get a clean slate, at least from me. I'm already happy they decided not to call that really stupid PK icing rule for the exhibition game.

 

[Red Cloud]

Re: RPI 2011-12 Season: Posts on a Message Board

That guy has been bashing RPI as a potential 12th team for weeks, so it's no surprise he just throws out a bunch of random reasons it should be QU and not RPI. For example, RPI is a small school, but enrollment is within 500 of QU. QU has invested in its athletic programs, but the $100 million or more RPI has spent to build ECAV and upgrade the Field House don't matter because we're D3. When push comes to shove he can't fathom the idea that a school can care about D1 hockey when the rest of its sports are D3, and will therefore make up any reason he can think of to explain why we're a bad fit.

Bingo. HOCKEY East cares greatly about our football and basketball teams playing in D3, doncha know. With this guy, I really just have to chalk it up to ignorance, especially after reading that quite contradictory screed.

The most important link, really, is the frequency with which RPI plays a bunch of Hockey East teams, especially BU and UNH. There's a connection that really never died after the ECAC split.

 

[FlagDUDE08]

Re: RPI 2011-12 Season: Posts on a Message Board

Bingo. HOCKEY East cares greatly about our football and basketball teams playing in D3, doncha know. With this guy, I really just have to chalk it up to ignorance, especially after reading that quite contradictory screed.

The most important link, really, is the frequency with which RPI plays a bunch of Hockey East teams, especially BU and UNH. There's a connection that really never died after the ECAC split.

Not to mention, BU and UNH actually going TO HFH to play games. There are plenty of high calibre teams that will one-and-done a team (even we've been one-and-done'd, like Denver [although it could be argued the reciprocal was an invitation to their tournament], I believe also Maine, maybe a couple others), but they do agree to go out to Troy. Tiny arena? It's bigger than Schneider (Providence), Gutterson (UVM), and Lawler (Merrimack), so about 1/3 of the current teams. Plus, it's not like a D-III school going to a major conference is unheard of, look at Colorado College who joined NCHC (and is D-III); not to mention the days when Georgetown was D-III but moved up for basketball.

 

[Ralph Baer]

Re: RPI 2011-12 Season: Posts on a Message Board

Bingo. HOCKEY East cares greatly about our football and basketball teams playing in D3, doncha know. With this guy, I really just have to chalk it up to ignorance, especially after reading that quite contradictory screed.

The most important link, really, is the frequency with which RPI plays a bunch of Hockey East teams, especially BU and UNH. There's a connection that really never died after the ECAC split.

I agree. As it said in WaP a while back, we have played every HE school in the last few years. That shows something.

 

[johnk]

Re: RPI 2011-12 Season: Posts on a Message Board

Well chalk me up as one who is going to take the news as bad as a horrible loss in an important game if RPI does not end up in Hockey East. In the changing landscape of college hockey this is a chance to become one of the "have's" and not one of the "have not's". I really hope something happens soon because I think its RPI's spot to lose but I am very skeptical that the administration is going to be in favor of leaving the ECAC. Only time will tell but if much more time passes, I think we will already know.

 

[babo]

Re: RPI 2011-12 Season: Posts on a Message Board

I agree. As it said in WaP a while back, we have played every HE school in the last few years. That shows something.

The amount of Money that Q'pac has been spending on its athletic program/facilities makes me wonder if the "$ talks' side of the argument wins out. Can you say whether they've played as many HE schools in a comparable time frame?

 

[yarblockers]

Re: RPI 2011-12 Season: Posts on a Message Board

Time to stuff the ballot boxes in a meaningless poll http://www.bcinterruption.com/2011/...ckey-east-expansion-notre-dame-boston-college?

RPI has a tiny arena, but QU's is a plus?

I do not mean this as a knock on Notre Dame, especially considering their recent success, but just as a means to point out how ridiculous this guy's argument is. Houston Field House has almost double the capacity of Notre Dame's old arena, which they will still use some this season. Notre Dame's new arena's capacity is smack dab between HFH's pre-renovation and post-renovation capacities (exactly 5,000).

 

[FlagDUDE08]

Re: RPI 2011-12 Season: Posts on a Message Board

The amount of Money that Q'pac has been spending on its athletic program/facilities makes me wonder if the "$ talks' side of the argument wins out. Can you say whether they've played as many HE schools in a comparable time frame?

UMA is on the schedule this year (reciprocal from last year, also the year before). Providence was last year as well, I also see UML and Merrimack, UVM before that, but none of the Hockey East majors within the past 6-7 years, so I would guess "no". Quinnipiac has typically scheduled their old AHA rivals (i.e. Bentley, Holy Cross, etc.) for non-conference games while in the ECAC, and then tries to get some western games in there (UNO and Ohio State as of recently) to help fill out their 12.

 

[Ralph Baer]

Re: RPI 2011-12 Season: Posts on a Message Board

Well chalk me up as one who is going to take the news as bad as a horrible loss in an important game if RPI does not end up in Hockey East. In the changing landscape of college hockey this is a chance to become one of the "have's" and not one of the "have not's". I really hope something happens soon because I think its RPI's spot to lose but I am very skeptical that the administration is going to be in favor of leaving the ECAC. Only time will tell but if much more time passes, I think we will already know.

I doubt that anything will happen until after Notre Dame announces their choice, and Notre Dame has delayed as often as Congress delays in passing budgets. So I am not going to start the clock ticking until after we hear from ND.

As to the RPI admins, we all know that two previous coaches weren't able to convince them. It appears that SA could sell ice boxes to eskimos, so this is our best, and probably last, chance for the foreseeable future. Colonel Knowlton appears to favor the move also.

 

[rpi82]

Re: RPI 2011-12 Season: Posts on a Message Board

I've been pretty clear with my belief that RPI is a better fit in the ECAC and I stand by that. However, I find that BC fan article amusing. At least it met their minimum thresholds for arrogance and inaccuracy. If we don't go, either because of decisions made in Troy or the HE presidents' offices, it will be based on far more reasoned arguments than that.

 

[FlagDUDE08]

Re: RPI 2011-12 Season: Posts on a Message Board

I've been pretty clear with my belief that RPI is a better fit in the ECAC and I stand by that. However, I find that BC fan article amusing. At least it met their minimum thresholds for arrogance and inaccuracy. If we don't go, either because of decisions made in Troy or the HE presidents' offices, it will be based on far more reasoned arguments than that.

If it's any consolation to them, we only faced BC within the past few years out of chance, as it was in the consolation game of the 2007-08 IceBreaker. All of the others have either agreed to play us or take part in our tournament within the past 7 years (as I believe Providence was the least recent, possibly also Merrimack).

 

[HighlanderRPI]

Re: RPI 2011-12 Season: Posts on a Message Board

Give it to a **** kid. They'll be psyched about it for a week. You'll forget about it before the game's over.

I got a game puck that I had to vault a railing for to jump into the aisle to grab. Still sits on my desk today (looking at it as I type) and I still remember the game eight years later - tipped out of play after a Ben Barr scored a SHG with it. First and only RPI game puck, and would not have given it to a kid.

 

[johnk]

Re: RPI 2011-12 Season: Posts on a Message Board

I've been pretty clear with my belief that RPI is a better fit in the ECAC and I stand by that. However, I find that BC fan article amusing. At least it met their minimum thresholds for arrogance and inaccuracy. If we don't go, either because of decisions made in Troy or the HE presidents' offices, it will be based on far more reasoned arguments than that.

It is a better fit if they have no aspirations to become NCAA champions again, do not want more national exposure for the school and the hockey program, and do not want to attract the best possible student atheletes in North America. Playing against Ivy league schools does nothing for RPI compared to playing against BU, BC, Notre Dame, Maine, etc, as far as attracting recruits and exposure to its university. I really cannot think of one good reason to stay in the ECAC if Hockey East wants them. You could play Union, Clarkson, Cornell in non league and probably rekindle the Christmas tournament with attractive schools willing to participate. Stability with the conference tournament always in the same site which happens to be in a major hockey hub. If this was a chess club maybe the ECAC would be a better fit but not if they want to be a factor as a Division 1 hockey program.

 

[Red Cloud]

Re: RPI 2011-12 Season: Posts on a Message Board

I got a game puck that I had to vault a railing for to jump into the aisle to grab. Still sits on my desk today (looking at it as I type) and I still remember the game eight years later - tipped out of play after a Ben Barr scored a SHG with it. First and only RPI game puck, and would not have given it to a kid.

Booooooooooo

 

[redhead18]

Re: RPI 2011-12 Season: Posts on a Message Board

I wonder which direction HEA will go in regards to playoff format? Will they stay with the current set-up taking the top 8 teams, jump up to 10 and have some kind of "final 5" deal or take all 12 teams and have the same type of set-up as the ECAC. I personally like the middle option and wish the ECAC had stayed with that format after they left Lake Placid, it gives regular season games alot more meaning.

 

[Senna]

Re: RPI 2011-12 Season: Posts on a Message Board

it is a better fit if they have no aspirations to become ncaa champions again, do not want more national exposure for the school and the hockey program, and do not want to attract the best possible student atheletes in north america. Playing against ivy league schools does nothing for rpi compared to playing against bu, bc, notre dame, maine, etc, as far as attracting recruits and exposure to its university. I really cannot think of one good reason to stay in the ecac if hockey east wants them. You could play union, clarkson, cornell in non league and probably rekindle the christmas tournament with attractive schools willing to participate. Stability with the conference tournament always in the same site which happens to be in a major hockey hub. If this was a chess club maybe the ecac would be a better fit but not if they want to be a factor as a division 1 hockey program.

Exactly.

 

[FlagDUDE08]

Re: RPI 2011-12 Season: Posts on a Message Board

I wonder which direction HEA will go in regards to playoff format? Will they stay with the current set-up taking the top 8 teams, jump up to 10 and have some kind of "final 5" deal or take all 12 teams and have the same type of set-up as the ECAC. I personally like the middle option and wish the ECAC had stayed with that format after they left Lake Placid, it gives regular season games alot more meaning.

I highly doubt Hockey East will adapt the Union rule. Even their women's league (8 teams) takes the top 6. I'd say either 8 or 10, but more likely 8 so they can have the same schedule. Remember that their tournament semis and final are in the Boston Garden. Although it's possible to do a Final Five (as Xcel can do it with the Wild still playing there, I can't remember if it doubles for the T-Wolves), I would think it's more likely to see a final four.

 

[redhead18]

Re: RPI 2011-12 Season: Posts on a Message Board

I highly doubt Hockey East will adapt the Union rule. Even their women's league (8 teams) takes the top 6. I'd say either 8 or 10, but more likely 8 so they can have the same schedule. Remember that their tournament semis and final are in the Boston Garden. Although it's possible to do a Final Five (as Xcel can do it with the Wild still playing there, I can't remember if it doubles for the T-Wolves), I would think it's more likely to see a final four.

I guess with a 67% chance of making the playoffs every season using the 8/12 format it would really put a ton of emphasis on each and every regular season game.