St. Thomas 2022-2023 Still the New Kids on the Block?

[Still Eeyore]

St. Thomas was shut out tonight at Ridder, but the 5 - 0 score was probably less than what the Gopher faithful were hoping to see. While I have see a number of St. Thomas games this season, my seat mates were impressed with how scrappy the Tommies proved to be. Several good opportunities to break the shutout, but the Gopher speed clearly worked to pressure the St. Thomas forwards. We will see on Saturday if the Gophers break out, or if St. Thomas can tighten things up some.

Minnesota played really sloppy for the second period, and kind of sloppy in the third. A lot of dumb passes right to St Thomas players.

The Tommies were scrappy, and they did play hard. They're better than either of the Hockey East teams the Gophers played last week. But Minnesota also didn't play very well.

UST's biggest problem was that Dobchuk let in two very soft goals in the first 11 minutes of the game, digging them a deep hole.

 

[Steamboat]

Minnesota played really sloppy for the second period, and kind of sloppy in the third. A lot of dumb passes right to St Thomas players.

The Tommies were scrappy, and they did play hard. They're better than either of the Hockey East teams the Gophers played last week. But Minnesota also didn't play very well.

UST's biggest problem was that Dobchuk let in two very soft goals in the first 11 minutes of the game, digging them a deep hole.

I expect that both teams will change goalies for the Saturday game. I was surprised to see Vetter in the net, but what do I know about team dynamics? So Pahl in the goal for Minnesota and Mauer for St. Thomas might be more competitive than todays game was.

 

[Still Eeyore]

I expect that both teams will change goalies for the Saturday game. I was surprised to see Vetter in the net, but what do I know about team dynamics? So Pahl in the goal for Minnesota and Mauer for St. Thomas might be more competitive than todays game was.

Pahl wasn't dressed yesterday. No idea why.

 

[D2D]

St. Thomas announces an RFP for a new multipurpose facility on their South Campus in St. Paul that will include a new on-campus home for their hockey programs

https://tommiesports.com/news/2022/10/18/general-test.aspx

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Thanks to a very generous $75 million lead naming gift by Lee and Penny Anderson, it appears construction on the new multi-purpose arena will begin in the Spring.

 

[FiveHoleFrenzy]

The poor yuckeyes...They had no chance in the facilities race.

 

[Timothy A]

The poor yuckeyes...They had no chance in the facilities race.

I saw my first games on the OSU rink and I was shocked that their building was no better than the local highschool rink. That's insane for as much money as OSU has.

This is great news for the league. In the end it may be better than Labahn, which admittedly sets a bit of a low target.

 

[pgb-ohio]

With Regard to the OSU Ice Rink: I'm not saying you guys are wrong. The "Ugly Building Problem" is real. Some amenities are lacking. As endlessly documented on this board, televising from the Ice Rink doesn't yield the best results.

But you know what? When the building is full, and you've got a Big Ten Pep Band playing, the Ice Rink rocks. Great atmosphere; a really fun place to watch a game.

I understand that the new St. Thomas rink will have 4,000 seats. That sounds like a sweet spot for Men's Hockey. But let's say the Tommies draw 500 fans for a typical Women's Hockey game. That's 3,500 empty seats. In terms of atmosphere, that's a big disadvantage to overcome.

Cushy theater-style seats. Empty seats for personal coat racks. No need to share arm rests. Sparkling new restrooms. Appealing concourses & concessions. Do those things sound desirable? Sure; of course they do. All I'm saying is be careful what you wish for. Atmosphere matters.

 

[Scott_TG]

Reading about the new rink, there are a lot of similarities noted between the renderings of the proposed hockey rink for Anderson Arena to be built for St. Thomas and Pegula on the campus of Penn State where St. Thomas' AD Esten used to work.

Pegula is a pretty good design, not surprising to see it reused. Camden Yards became a template of sorts for a lot of the MLB (and minor league) stadiums that came after.

 

[ARM]

When the building is full, and you've got a Big Ten Pep Band playing, the Ice Rink rocks. Great atmosphere; a really fun place to watch a game.

I've been to some girls high school hockey games, played in high school rinks that are no longer close to new, where the atmosphere was top notch. Put two talented rivals on the ice playing in front of impassioned fan bases, and it was a fun time. The Minnesota Girls State HS Hockey Tournament had more atmosphere when it was in Ridder Arena than I've experienced in any of the games that I've attended for the event in Excel Energy Center. However, the players themselves wanted to play in an NHL facility like the boys do, and so that's where it is.

Are you playing devil's advocate, or is the rest of your post what you truly believe? If the latter, then how did you feel about The Schottenstein Center being built? To me, it seems like some institutions are willing to make money no object for their sons, while being more frugal when it comes to their daughters.

 

[HockeyGuy362]

I've been to some girls high school hockey games, played in high school rinks that are no longer close to new, where the atmosphere was top notch. Put two talented rivals on the ice playing in front of impassioned fan bases, and it was a fun time. The Minnesota Girls State HS Hockey Tournament had more atmosphere when it was in Ridder Arena than I've experienced in any of the games that I've attended for the event in Excel Energy Center. However, the players themselves wanted to play in an NHL facility like the boys do, and so that's where it is.

Are you playing devil's advocate, or is the rest of your post what you truly believe? If the latter, then how did you feel about The Schottenstein Center being built? To me, it seems like some institutions are willing to make money no object for their sons, while being more frugal when it comes to their daughters.

Not sure if the girls really want to or not. Some dad is the reason they are there, but my daughter played in the tourney 3 times, and would much rather play at Ridder in front of crowd, then the empty X.

And the OSU rink may be a fun atmosphere for fans, ask the young women that have to walk across a breezeway to get to there rink. Or the away team that has to climb up stairs to get to the rink. Embarrassing ice arena for any D1 school, let alone a Big Ten school with as much money as they have, and will receive making it to the College Football Playoffs.

 

[FiveHoleFrenzy]

And the OSU rink may be a fun atmosphere for fans, ask the young women that have to walk across a breezeway to get to there rink. Or the away team that has to climb up stairs to get to the rink. Embarrassing ice arena for any D1 school, let alone a Big Ten school with as much money as they have, and will receive making it to the College Football Playoffs.

The yuckeye posters can spin the "atmosphere" angle all they want...But what HockeyGuy362 says is the unvarnished truth.

 

[Still Eeyore]

I have a friend who was a backup goalie for Michigan State in the mid 1980s. When I was describing to him that I'd switched to watching women's hockey, and brought up a trip to the OSU rink, he interrupted, "They still use that dump?"

 

[pgb-ohio]

I've been to some girls high school hockey games, played in high school rinks that are no longer close to new, where the atmosphere was top notch. Put two talented rivals on the ice playing in front of impassioned fan bases, and it was a fun time. The Minnesota Girls State HS Hockey Tournament had more atmosphere when it was in Ridder Arena than I've experienced in any of the games that I've attended for the event in Excel Energy Center. However, the players themselves wanted to play in an NHL facility like the boys do, and so that's where it is.

I can see how high school players, playing for a fanatically loud section of their classmates, could largely tune out the empty sections. I definitely get the thrill of playing in a famous venue. Heck, back when the USCHO Posters Game was an annual thing, I got a kick out of the opportunity to play in Magness, Yost and others.

But I dunno. The State Tournament at The X is one thing. Would those same players really want to play a full regular season in front of a handful of fans & 18,000 empty seats? I'll bet the novelty would wear off fairly quickly.

Are you playing devil's advocate, or is the rest of your post what you truly believe? If the latter, then how did you feel about The Schottenstein Center being built? To me, it seems like some institutions are willing to make money no object for their sons, while being more frugal when it comes to their daughters.

I didn't grow up in Central Ohio, but I was living here when the Schott was built. I'll preface by saying I'm wrong with my educated guesses all too often. But I can truthfully say that from the very beginning, I was extremely concerned about the Schott being much too large for D-1 Hockey in this developing market. (as opposed to a "hockey hotbed") I believe that history has shown that view to be correct. The curtains closing off the Upper Deck definitely help. Still, we don't have the home ice advantage that we should have when the crowd is spread out and relaxed.

But here's the thing. Men's D-1 Hockey may not have survived at OSU without the Schott. The pre-renovations Ice Rink was much more problematic than the current edition. The Schott was the shiny new toy for long enough to get the OSU Men back into the mainstream of Men's D-1. If we win enough, that plus the curtains works fine. I am grateful for the Schott.

Nevertheless, would I have preferred a hockey-specific facility, as opposed to sharing the multi-purpose Schott? Speaking only for myself, Yes.

Was Ohio State going to build a state-of-the art, hockey-specific facility back in the 1990's? You can point to Football revenue or any other variable you want to say it woulda or shoulda happened. But my take is that politically speaking, there was zero percent chance of that scenario occurring in the 90's.

 

[pgb-ohio]

The yuckeye posters can spin the "atmosphere" angle all they want...But what HockeyGuy362 says is the unvarnished truth.

Who said it wasn't? As far as I know, every Buckeye fan who posts on this board is in favor of a new rink for OSU Women's Hockey. I certainly am.

But my original post was also truth, not spin. It was balanced, itemizing both pros & cons of the current facility. I stand by it.

 

[Steamboat]

Thanks to a very generous $75 million lead naming gift by Lee and Penny Anderson, it appears construction on the new multi-purpose arena will begin in the Spring.

Word from St. Thomas is that they expect to be using the new arena in fall of 2025. Not yet sure what ticket prices will run. The arena will be very close to the U of M campus. Should make for a very interesting future rivalry.

 

[Hockeybuckeye]

Word from St. Thomas is that they expect to be using the new arena in fall of 2025. Not yet sure what ticket prices will run. The arena will be very close to the U of M campus. Should make for a very interesting future rivalry.

Here's the link to the Tommies new arena and pick on OSU's arena all you want but our girls love it, it has no negative impact on recruiting, we win very well in it
and we don't care what others think of it. (Tongue sticking out)

https://apnews.com/article/sports-co...d7003f3595784d

 

[FiveHoleFrenzy]

Yuckeye posters...Some of the nicest folks on the forum, for sure. But what choice do they have with the venue their favorite squad plays in? I guess you can't fault them for trying to put a positive spin on what is an "embarrassing" facility for a D1 hockey program.

 

[pgb-ohio]

I do want to make it clear that I congratulate St.Thomas on this wonderful development. I look forward to visiting the soon-to-be venue.

...To me, it seems like some institutions are willing to make money no object for their sons, while being more frugal when it comes to their daughters.

Still, this is a legitimate concern. Money isn't exactly the issue this time, but I share ARM's instincts. From the news items so far, the facility sounds like an absolute dream come true for a Men's CCHA team. As for the Women's team, well, it's going to be an upgrade. A decent situation that they'll make work.

But maybe there are grounds for greater optimism. In the article linked by HockeyBuckeye, there's a vague reference to multiple "configurations." Maybe they have a configuration in mind specifically for Women's Hockey. In any event, let St. Thomas build it. We'll come. Then we can praise or critique as the case may be.

 

[Lindsay]

Huge congrats to the Tommies! Seating seems small as possible while still meeting current frozen four hosting seat requirement (I think?)

Ohio State is such a disappointment in this regard.

 

[Lindsay]

Yuckeye posters...Some of the nicest folks on the forum, for sure. But what choice do they have with the venue their favorite squad plays in? I guess you can't fault them for trying to put a positive spin on what is an "embarrassing" facility for a D1 hockey program.

I tout the atmosphere because when they build a new practice rink for the men and put the women in there I don’t want them to screw up the one thing they are doing right - atmosphere. Hopefully some thought is given.