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Season 95, Vol 2: Michigan Tech '15-'16

Re: Season 95, Vol 2: Michigan Tech '15-'16

But are WCHA teams — even those at the top of the heap like Tech — going to get 1-for-1s out of schools not in their state? What advantage, from an RPI/PWR perspective, is there to scheduling the Huskies? I imagine that schools, with scheduling typically done a few years out, are taking a wait-and-see approach with our league. We were obviously pretty strong last year after a solid showing the year before, but the league is a one-bid show unless it's Tech-Mankato with a Maverick win for the Broadmoor (plus all the scenarios that I'm sure that Shirtless can rattle off).

It may take 2-for-1 deals to get the better teams from out East to come to Houghton. The mid-tier teams — and ISTR that Merrimack was one —*are willing to do even swaps.

GFM
 
Re: Season 95, Vol 2: Michigan Tech '15-'16

gfmorris said:
But are WCHA teams — even those at the top of the heap like Tech — going to get 1-for-1s out of schools not in their state? What advantage, from an RPI/PWR perspective, is there to scheduling the Huskies? I imagine that schools, with scheduling typically done a few years out, are taking a wait-and-see approach with our league. We were obviously pretty strong last year after a solid showing the year before, but the league is a one-bid show unless it's Tech-Mankato with a Maverick win for the Broadmoor (plus all the scenarios that I'm sure that Shirtless can rattle off).

It may take 2-for-1 deals to get the better teams from out East to come to Houghton. The mid-tier teams — and ISTR that Merrimack was one —*are willing to do even swaps.

GFM
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Sure the WCHA can get 'mid-tier' swaps, but I don't know if travel to Houghton is a factor. 'Mid-tier' presumably meaning not BU or BC.
BG has been doing 2-for-2s with ECAC teams for years--even in our dark years. Recently Clarkson, Colgate...we did a 2-for-2 with Union during their Ghost glory years. HE not so much, but we had swaps with UConn and Providence not too long ago.
So yeah, when scheduling is done years out, how much can RPI/PWR play into it? We're set up now to play Western, Miami, OSU, and an ECAC and/or Atlantic series pretty much every year, PWR be d-a-m-ned.

And screw 2-for-1s.
 
Shirtless Guy said:
WMU is a team we should schedule, period. They are in the best conference in the country, an in-state opponent, another chance to play games close to the Detroit alumni base and they help our PWR.
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Good luck convincing WMU to get on the schedule. Since playing in the GLI at Comerica Park, the horsies have scheduled a grand total of TWO games against other teams from Michigan. They have taken an isolationist policy with schools from their own state, and Ferris had to fight for a long time to just get a home game after Western was adamant they would only play a home & neutral series in GR. WMU still mistakenly believes they are a relevant program. And considering the travel schedule they have already, you'd have a harder time convincing them to come to Houghton for the first time since the mid 80's.
 
Re: Season 95, Vol 2: Michigan Tech '15-'16

I think that, in part, Eastern teams without contracts in the pipeline held off on scheduling WCHA teams for current and near-term years until they saw how the league was going to turn out. I can't really blame the.

GFM <— does not have math to back this one up, unfortunately
 
Re: Season 95, Vol 2: Michigan Tech '15-'16

John J. MacInnes said:
WMU still mistakenly believes they are a relevant program.
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Almost 3/5ths through their promise of a National Championship in this decade, and all they have to show for it is two trips to the NCAA's (both as a CCHA school) and zero NCAA tournament wins.
 
Re: Season 95, Vol 2: Michigan Tech '15-'16

Wi.Huskies Fan said:
Disagree. Beating bad teams gains you nothing.As the old saying goes " In order to be the best you have to beat the best". Never try to beat the system. That is for losers.
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The PWR disagree. A component of RPI is opponents opponents win %, so if you play a bad team, that plays very good teams, that boosts your RPI.
 
Re: Season 95, Vol 2: Michigan Tech '15-'16

John J. MacInnes said:
Good luck convincing WMU to get on the schedule. Since playing in the GLI at Comerica Park, the horsies have scheduled a grand total of TWO games against other teams from Michigan. They have taken an isolationist policy with schools from their own state, and Ferris had to fight for a long time to just get a home game after Western was adamant they would only play a home & neutral series in GR. WMU still mistakenly believes they are a relevant program. And considering the travel schedule they have already, you'd have a harder time convincing them to come to Houghton for the first time since the mid 80's.
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Western Michigan ? they have a hockey team ?? :) NCAA?? are you sure? :)
 
Re: Season 95, Vol 2: Michigan Tech '15-'16

More than anything, I'd like to see an annual series with UMD. For a lot of reasons. This year it would have been especially meaningful.
 
Re: Season 95, Vol 2: Michigan Tech '15-'16

oldish husky said:
Do we know anything about the non-conference schedule for next year?
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@ Michigan, @ Michigan State, and GLI. Because the Huskies play in Alaska for 4, they have the option of playing 10 non-conference games next season so that leaves 4 available. There is the possibility the Huskies go to LSSU for NC next year as part of an agreement previously mentioned but it sounds like the NMU v LSSU side is concrete while the MTU vs LSSU side is more fluid depending on MTU's schedule. I've also heard speculation that Michigan Tech is participating in the Mariucci Classic hosted by Minnesota in the near future, possibly next season but nothing confirmed.
 
Re: Season 95, Vol 2: Michigan Tech '15-'16

blackswampboy said:
I don't know if travel to Houghton is a factor.
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In short, yes, location is an issue for any team that thinks they are doing Tech a favor by coming to Houghton. I'm sure you could find any number of teams that you DON'T want to play who are willing to make a trip to Houghton. (AIC is the most recent that comes to mind.) The trick is getting teams you WANT to play to come to Houghton.

For Eastern teams a trip to Houghton is just like a trip to BGSU.... plus another 12 hours of driving each way.

Ryan J
 
Shirtless Guy said:
@ Michigan, @ Michigan State, and GLI. Because the Huskies play in Alaska for 4, they have the option of playing 10 non-conference games next season so that leaves 4 available. There is the possibility the Huskies go to LSSU for NC next year as part of an agreement previously mentioned but it sounds like the NMU v LSSU side is concrete while the MTU vs LSSU side is more fluid depending on MTU's schedule. I've also heard speculation that Michigan Tech is participating in the Mariucci Classic hosted by Minnesota in the near future, possibly next season but nothing confirmed.
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Are Michigan and Michigan State coming back up to Houghton, or was that a 2 for 1 agreement? I'd like to see Tech continue to come down to play the big guys semi-regularly. I think it helps them to keep a profile in the Lower Penninsula. I'd also prefer they play someone other than Lake State in non-conference.
 
Re: Season 95, Vol 2: Michigan Tech '15-'16

JohnsonsJerseys said:
In short, yes, location is an issue for any team that thinks they are doing Tech a favor by coming to Houghton. I'm sure you could find any number of teams that you DON'T want to play who are willing to make a trip to Houghton. (AIC is the most recent that comes to mind.) The trick is getting teams you WANT to play to come to Houghton.

For Eastern teams a trip to Houghton is just like a trip to BGSU.... plus another 12 hours of driving each way.

Ryan J
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indeed, we were talking about bringing in 'mid-tier' eastern teams.
getting visits from the AIC tier is more the Weasels scheduling model. :rolleyes:

seems like BG is now less willing to travel past Penn and W. NY for NC play, so cutting travel may be the bigger issue than PWR.
 
TECHFAN said:
Are Michigan and Michigan State coming back up to Houghton, or was that a 2 for 1 agreement? I'd like to see Tech continue to come down to play the big guys semi-regularly. I think it helps them to keep a profile in the Lower Penninsula. I'd also prefer they play someone other than Lake State in non-conference.
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Hopefully 2 for 1 and done this year. Need to get someone outside of BI6 schools. Keep the GLI to make sure we play them once a year, but drop Mich and MSU from the other NC games. Western would be a good pick up.
 
Shirtless Guy said:
WMU is a team we should schedule, period. They are in the best conference in the country, an in-state opponent, another chance to play games close to the Detroit alumni base and they help our PWR. I also love the ideas that Pearson has mentioned on various MPS episodes: Union, UMD, UND, Notre Dame, SCSU, UNO...and the participation in the Icebreaker in Duluth in 2017 will be wonderful. You say don't beat the system, but the system is already setup to beat MTU. They need to look at their NC schedule and serious think about the implications of every choice they can make. They chose not to play another series this season that they could have, and that could end up biting them. I'm sure it was a relatively easy decision because Mel didn't want to go on the road, but a home sweep of Army (a team with available games) would have gone a long way to locking in a spot right now.

Michigan Tech has to take every advantage it can find to get back to the tournament every year the team plays well enough to deserve it. They have to really think about that 4th spot in the GLI and not scheduling LSSU in non-conference and trying to play better teams from out east than Connecticut. I love the idea of 2 year, MTU/NMU vs/at RPI/Union or StL/Clarkson deal. It would be great for both the UP schools and certainly help our PWR chances.
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I agree 100% with your last paragraph. We need to change up the 4th invite. Bring in if possible, a high profile team. A team with a huge fan base who likes to follow their team. Not another team from Michigan every year. That is getting old already.(Maybe do that every 3rd or 4th year. I am not sure how many years we are locked into the future (I saw but forget now). Bring in new team when new arena in the" D" opens.
 
Re: Season 95, Vol 2: Michigan Tech '15-'16

Wi.Huskies Fan said:
I agree 100% with your last paragraph. We need to change up the 4th invite. Bring in if possible, a high profile team. A team with a huge fan base who likes to follow their team. Not another team from Michigan every year. That is getting old already.(Maybe do that every 3rd or 4th year. I am not sure how many years we are locked into the future (I saw but forget now). Bring in new team when new arena in the" D" opens.
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The one exception is Western Michigan. The big problem for your ideas on teams with huge fan bases...they have their own tournaments for the most part. I doubt you get BU/BC anymore and neither team traveled that well to the GLI, a third Big Ten team makes no sense for anyone but MTU. I hate the idea of the 4th team being another WCHA team because it has huge PWR implications if we don't get an actual NC game in a NC spot. Notre Dame would be the perfect permanent invitee, or a rotation between them and Western Michigan would probably work the best with the drive a short distance for both teams to Detroit and the fact that it gives the 3 permanent participants a chance to play someone from a 3rd conference...and a good conference too.

EDIT: In other news, maybe my guess on the Mariucci Classic isn't far off and MTU will get invited to Notre Dame's Shillelagh Tournament. That would be a great event to get to be a part of especially if Western is a consistent part of that.
 
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