UNH Wildcats 2019/2020 Ready to Rock and Roll!!

[bakchk20]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2019/2020 Ready to Rock and Roll!!

Re: the dimensions of the rink. Using the size of the Whit as the cause, positive or negative, has been a major topic of discussion since it opened in November, 1995. That first year, what with prolific skaters like Mowers, Nolan, Boguniecki, etc al, I was sure that the Wildcats would win at least 25 and challenge for the national title. Except their goaltending stunk and they were not deep defensively. Then came 1996-1997, the season when UNH had a 14 game winning streak and blew the socks off most who ventured into the Whit. But they lost in the HE finals to BU at the Fleet Center, then got blown out by DU at the Centrum in the first round of the NCAAs. That’s when the yakking that “playing on a big sheet hurts us come playoff time” started and really has never stopped. After watching the team play at the Whit and on the road, mostly on NHL size rinks for the past 25 years, I am of the opinion that it’s the quality of the players that count, not the size of the sheet they play on. The indisputable fact is that the quality of the players at UNH has diminished over the years and it wouldn’t matter if they were playing on a 100x200 sheet, 85x200 or even the egg shaped dimensions of the old Boston Arena, they would more often than not lose because the other team was better. UNH won an awful lot of games, even big ones, on smaller sheets when they had guys like Mowers, Krog and Haydar wearing the uniform. Now? Guys of that caliber don’t seem to be walking through the door with any regularity so the team will continue to lose more, regardless of the rink size, until that changes.

Well, for the record, my take on this has nothing to do with making excuses. I'm in 110% agreement that the quality of the players (recruiting) dropped like a rock in the past 15 years or so; no question. BUT, UNH Hockey's success is a blend of ALL the factors; can't just isolate one and dismiss the balance of the formula (tho I agree recruiting leads the list). Contrary to what you read on this board, the sheet is one of those factors -- it's an absolute complication. You have to recruit to it and coach to it. You run the risk of kids not adapting well, especially the D. Yup, they can suck-it-up and contend with all the in-season/post-season adjustments, etc., etc., and hope for the best. But me being a simpleton, the fewer complicating factors to deal with, the greater chance of being "on-par" and succeeding...

So, I hope it happens cuz it seems to be happening universally.

Seems Minnesota is taking a "phased" progression...
http://www.startribune.com/gophers-looking-at-switching-to-smaller-ice-sheet/504842431/

https://www.duluthnewstribune.com/s...stem-at-Brooks-Center-could-reduce-rink-sizes

 

[wildcatdc]

Well, for the record, my take on this has nothing to do with making excuses. I'm in 110% agreement that the quality of the players (recruiting) dropped like a rock in the past 15 years or so; no question. BUT, UNH Hockey's success is a blend of ALL the factors; can't just isolate one and dismiss the balance of the formula (tho I agree recruiting leads the list). Contrary to what you read on this board, the sheet is one of those factors -- it's an absolute complication. You have to recruit to it and coach to it. You run the risk of kids not adapting well, especially the D. Yup, they can suck-it-up and contend with all the in-season/post-season adjustments, etc., etc., and hope for the best. But me being a simpleton, the fewer complicating factors to deal with, the greater chance of being "on-par" and succeeding...

So, I hope it happens cuz it seems to be happening universally.

Seems Minnesota is taking a "phased" progression...
http://www.startribune.com/gophers-looking-at-switching-to-smaller-ice-sheet/504842431/

https://www.duluthnewstribune.com/s...stem-at-Brooks-Center-could-reduce-rink-sizes

Really, really well said.

 

[HockeyRef]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2019/2020 Ready to Rock and Roll!!

So kiddies will Ty Taylor get the start v Merrimack this weekend???

 

[Snively65]

So kiddies will Ty Taylor get the start v Merrimack this weekend???

I would be surprised. Lawlor can be a hostile environment, and the Cats cannot afford to lose two in a row to cupcakes, as could cime back to haunt them in the hunt for PWR points later in the season.

 

[Dan]

Bckchk -

Minnesota is a P5 school with perhaps the deepest pockets in DI hockey, every top of the line amenity a hockey school could want and zero financial restrictions on a recruiting budget that already sees them fishing primarily as the first choice in the best college hockey recruiting pool. It’s a tough comparison to make...

Reasonable minds can disagree about the impact of rink size on both the type of game we’d prefer to watch and the team at UNH. I think it’s clear we disagree in both regards as we’ve debated this before and both stand by our opinions...

That said, the crux of the issue as it relates to UNH is money and how to best allocate that money to upgrade the program. Now, I’ve long argued that UNH has everything it needs for a recruiter to be successful in attracting high-end talent and I stand by that. None of the issues at play prevent UNH from success on the recruiting trail or on the ice - but if UNH is going to spend significant capital from a limited budget what’s the best use of that money to AID to recruiting and development processes...?

Here’s a list of things overheard on this board - both speculation and passed along from the mouths of UNH coaches or administration - that UNH feels it needs or wants. Unless things have changed, and UNH now finds itself with unlimited funds, decisions are going to have to be made. So I ask the board what is most necessary and most impactful in the short and long term...?

1) Upgraded refrigeration system
2) Shrink rink width
3) In arena or attached players lounge
4) In arena or attached weight room
5) Ability to match recruiting budget of larger rivals
6) Offer cost of attendance scholarships
7) Upgrades to team travel/scheduling budget

That’s off the top of my head, and I’m sure I’m missing some wants/needs - but which of these concerns would most directly impact the team and which should take priority for a budgeted AD?

Number one is being discussed as a need. Two is most definitely a want. So the big question is what is the cost of doing two, even in conjunction with one? If it’s an extra 10-15 grand than fine do whatever you wish. But it’s hard for me to believe it will be that affordable when discussions involve digging out massive amounts of granite below the surface and reconfiguring seating, while even a program like Minne$ota has to phase the process along....

To me, the most affordable, feasible and impactful opportunities are without a doubt 5 & 6. And I don’t want to see UNH spend more money in rink size than could satisfy both. I don’t want to hear down the road that UNH can’t match BC and BU on 5 & 6 because they spent significant money on 2...

Someone can correct me if I’m wrong with the following points - but, first and foremost I’d be willing to bet UNH can match other programs in recruiting opportunity and viewings (if not travel comfort and convenience) while spending relatively very little. There is no excuse to be spending on other wants while hearing this complaint....

Perhaps the most important impact UNH can offer is to make financial aid packages more attractive to recruits. Offering less money is going to be a disadvantage every single time. Again, someone can correct me if I’m wrong but I believe UNH has passed on offering stipends (along with Maine) while around half of college hockey does offer varying degrees of stipend. If UNH has any legitimate concern regarding ability to recruit outside of the hands of recruiters that is it right there...

Stipends are normally in the range of 2,000-5,000 dollars. So, assuming UNH has to offer the stipends to the women’s hockey team as well - were talking anywhere between 75,000-180,000 dollars per school year. Not an insignificant amount of money, but certainly MUCH more affordable than any capital project (and MUCH more impactful in recruiting, IMO). And UNH could certainly offer the low end of the scale and match impact with more expensive universities...

So, to me, the meat of this discussion is not what UNH would gain from shrinking the rink but what it actually costs and whether there’s value in the decision (gain vs spending) relative to what else they could do with the money - because they’re not Minnesota and they’re not doing everything...

So posters, put your AD hats on what is most important, most affordable and where should UNH be placing priority?

 

[Greg Ambrose]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2019/2020 Ready to Rock and Roll!!

Dan, last year I got to the arena one night relatively early with a couple of friends. This was about the time that we had first heard rumors of downsizing the rink. We walked around the rink and tried to make some rudimentary calculations. We came to the conclusion that Knocking off 15 feet, 7 1/2 on each side, appears to be a lot of work. Not only do you have to reduce the ice size and, with it, the refrigeration system, but you also have to move the boards and glass and reconfigure seating. How much is this going to cost and how long is it going to take? Plus, if HR’s comments are correct, there would have to be a capital campaign to get this done. If so, in my mind that means that everything else related to hockey would be on hold. So what good would that do? It would take a few years to raise the money, at least another year to get the work done, and for what? If the University is going to spend additional money on the hockey program, spend it on something that will make it more competitive - larger recruiting budget, the stipends Dan mentions, upgraded weight room. Thinking that reducing the size of the rink is automatically going to make UNH more competitive is ridiculous. There’s only one thing that does that and it’s the product on the ice.

 

[Snively65]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2019/2020 Ready to Rock and Roll!!

My understanding is that the refrigeration system needs to be dug up and replaced (aka, the cooling pipes). If they were to move in the side walls by five feet, they could simply leave a 5-foot walkway between the first row of seats and the boards, which would not require dynamite-blasting the bedrock and lowering the ice surface. The movement of the boards in five feet would not be that much more problematic than what was done about a decade ago when the boards were moved when the corners were pulled in. From an engineering standpoint, the biggest expense is replacing the refrigeration system; I do not think that moving the boards in five feet would add all that much to the overall cost. It sounds like the deferred maintenance of replacing the refrigerator system cannot wait several years for another capital campaign, and my guess is that UNH already has the funds on hand from their way over the top recently successful capital campaign. I do not think that moving the boards in five feet is as a big a deal as everyone here is making it out to be. And, for the record, I do not think that moving the side walls in five feet will make one whit of difference (heh, heh) in our recruiting and player skill sets exhibited on the ice.

 

[Chuck Murray]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2019/2020 Ready to Rock and Roll!!

This will be partially pragmatic, and partially thinking (way) outside the box …

(1) There's no really good reason IMO to re-engineer the rink for some abstract benefit (i.e. contributing to the re-emergence of a more nationally competitive program). UNH went "all in" 25 years ago on what was then a terrific facility that supported a program that was in or close to the mix nationally for the next 15-ish years. Things changed. I honestly don't believe for a second that a single UNH postseason underperformance can be attributed to rink size. Coaches McCloskey and Umile learned on the fly on how to build a team that (first) would thrive on the larger sheet - those teams Greg referenced from the late '90's - and then tweaked subsequent teams to be more adaptable. All in all, looking at how the program overcame '98 with '99, and then '02 with '03, it's hard not to say they handled it well overall. In '98 they weren't ready. In '99 they may have been unlucky. In '02 they were naïve and not tested on the big stage (not many '99 holdovers on the '02 team, bar Haydar and David Busch). In '03 they lost to a better team, ran out of gas, etc. Everything after that can be laid at the doorstep of Coach McCloskey moving over to run the Women's program, and the slow but steady decline of the program's recruiting profile that followed.

(2) The idea of digging into the granite and/or bedrock beneath the rink to do this re-engineering project on a whim sounds crazy. I'd like to know if there are any precedents to doing this? And if so, how did those projects turn out? Does the work get done in the course of a 5-6 month offseason?? Or are off-campus games going to be a necessity??? Which brings me to the following …

(3) What happened after last season? Oh yeah, the only real in-state competing quality hockey experience (not including the Ivy school over near Vermont) moved away. The folks over at the SNHU Center (or whatever it's called nowadays) must have a ton of open dates to be filled. And UNH Hockey could once again benefit from the added exposure. Think about what happened the last time around. The closure of Snively was at the end of the '94 season. UNH played the '94/'95 season mostly in Manchester, and before their current downtown rink was built. The next season, moving back to Durham, and a facility that now had almost twice as many seats to fill as the old barn (Snively) did … folks were SO worried about filling those seats that they were offering lots of ticket packages to Boston-area programs in the print media. Those packages didn't sell particularly well, but guess what? Seats were all filled, and for years to follow. Why? You have to think spending a year in Manchester raised the program's profile, and interest that was generated with folks in the more populous areas of the state followed them back to campus the next year, etc.

Which brings me to the following …

(4) If it's really going to be a situation where you want to go "all in" on UNH Hockey again … build a new facility. Build it where the field hockey pitch is currently located, right in front of The Whitt, and with whatever rink dimensions you please. Make it narrower and taller (perhaps a small balcony around the top), maybe 7.500-8,000 seats in all Like the Agganis, only in Durham. Send the program to Manchester for a year, two years even. Get the team's games on free TV (yes, some folks still watch there), pump up your product to the max, and get the momentum building again for the program.

This approach may need to wait a year or three … Coach Umile had begun to string together consistently good (not great), exciting teams in the last few Snively seasons, so there was already some progress and excitement building, and the announcement of the huge commitment to build The Whitt only added to the momentum. It would be nice to see MS7 putting a few exciting teams out there to start the process again (and a good year with a winning record this season would help lots), because in the end, whether it's the past UNH teams or the future UNH teams, success is always going to start with the on-ice product. And if you don't have that - then we can all imagine these great plans, tweaks, excuses, etc. … but none of it will matter. Just win (first), baby!!

 

[HockeyRef]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2019/2020 Ready to Rock and Roll!!

Speaking of winning games...(good post Chuck; I can envision this new arena but where's my beloved field hockey team gonna play?? ) This weekend...4 big points on the line. Would love to see a sweep. Have not seen them win at BU yet (ties, yes, no wins at my fave rink outside of the 'Whitt). Not sure what BU has. I know MC is young (and hungry so I've read).

HR's predictions:

Friday: UNH 4 MC 2
Sat: UNH 3 BU 2

Let's go 'Cats!!!

 

[Darius]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2019/2020 Ready to Rock and Roll!!

#1. The refrigeration system needs to be replaced. Several times there has been ponding water at the end we defend twice. The U has known about this, likely has money budgeted. It sounds like this will happen next off season.

#2. If the ice dimensions are to change, there is cost saving in combining with #1 so do it now. Digging the floor up twice does not make sense. I like the big ice, don’t see the ROI as others have discussed. Forgetting the return, it seems hard to justify the investment in removing rock. That sounds expensive. One thing for sure is that if it is to be done, do it properly. Maintain quality sight lines, don't leave a large gap of unused space between the boards and the first row of seats.

#3. Amenity improvements are not tied to #1 or #2 with the possible exception of having equipment in the building for #1 that could be used for structural changes required for the amenity upgrades. Structural changes could be made during #1, but actual amenity upgrades should happen when money is available.

I wonder about the budgets. #1 is for the facility - the men’s hockey program, women’s hockey program, club team, campus recreation/public ice, other arena use (Oyster River hockey?), all benefit. It seems the men’s program should not have to pay for this. #3 is purely for the men’s program. Loyal supporters of the team are going to have to contribute.

Do top recruits prefer playing on NHL size ice to further their development and professional prospects? This is different than the team having an on ice advantage/disadvantage. If yes, perhaps having the large ice can/should be overcome by good recruiting, but if it is in recruits' minds then it is a factor. Still, I am against the change to smaller ice.

 

[HockeyRef]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2019/2020 Ready to Rock and Roll!!

#1. The refrigeration system needs to be replaced. Several times there has been ponding water at the end we defend twice. The U has known about this, likely has money budgeted. It sounds like this will happen next off season.

#2. If the ice dimensions are to change, there is cost saving in combining with #1 so do it now. Digging the floor up twice does not make sense. I like the big ice, don’t see the ROI as others have discussed. Forgetting the return, it seems hard to justify the investment in removing rock. That sounds expensive. One thing for sure is that if it is to be done, do it properly. Maintain quality sight lines, don't leave a large gap of unused space between the boards and the first row of seats.

#3. Amenity improvements are not tied to #1 or #2 with the possible exception of having equipment in the building for #1 that could be used for structural changes required for the amenity upgrades. Structural changes could be made during #1, but actual amenity upgrades should happen when money is available.

I wonder about the budgets. #1 is for the facility - the men’s hockey program, women’s hockey program, club team, campus recreation/public ice, other arena use (Oyster River hockey?), all benefit. It seems the men’s program should not have to pay for this. #3 is purely for the men’s program. Loyal supporters of the team are going to have to contribute.

Do top recruits prefer playing on NHL size ice to further their development and professional prospects? This is different than the team having an on ice advantage/disadvantage. If yes, perhaps having the large ice can/should be overcome by good recruiting, but if it is in recruits' minds then it is a factor. Still, I am against the change to smaller ice.

Definite: Refrigeration will be replaced. 13 million dollars was the # floated around. Does this include possible rink renovations? I do believe it does from what the convo was at Bentley last weekend. Planned and ready to go in April.

Wish List: Player amenities, lounge, weight room...all for this side of the street. Private funding for that. Remains to be seen.

 

[bakchk20]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2019/2020 Ready to Rock and Roll!!

Bckchk -

Minnesota is a P5 school with perhaps the deepest pockets in DI hockey, every top of the line amenity a hockey school could want and zero financial restrictions on a recruiting budget that already sees them fishing primarily as the first choice in the best college hockey recruiting pool. It’s a tough comparison to make...

Reasonable minds can disagree about the impact of rink size on both the type of game we’d prefer to watch and the team at UNH. I think it’s clear we disagree in both regards as we’ve debated this before and both stand by our opinions...

That said, the crux of the issue as it relates to UNH is money and how to best allocate that money to upgrade the program. Now, I’ve long argued that UNH has everything it needs for a recruiter to be successful in attracting high-end talent and I stand by that. None of the issues at play prevent UNH from success on the recruiting trail or on the ice - but if UNH is going to spend significant capital from a limited budget what’s the best use of that money to AID to recruiting and development processes...?

Here’s a list of things overheard on this board - both speculation and passed along from the mouths of UNH coaches or administration - that UNH feels it needs or wants. Unless things have changed, and UNH now finds itself with unlimited funds, decisions are going to have to be made. So I ask the board what is most necessary and most impactful in the short and long term...?

1) Upgraded refrigeration system
2) Shrink rink width
3) In arena or attached players lounge
4) In arena or attached weight room
5) Ability to match recruiting budget of larger rivals
6) Offer cost of attendance scholarships
7) Upgrades to team travel/scheduling budget

That’s off the top of my head, and I’m sure I’m missing some wants/needs - but which of these concerns would most directly impact the team and which should take priority for a budgeted AD?

Number one is being discussed as a need. Two is most definitely a want. So the big question is what is the cost of doing two, even in conjunction with one? If it’s an extra 10-15 grand than fine do whatever you wish. But it’s hard for me to believe it will be that affordable when discussions involve digging out massive amounts of granite below the surface and reconfiguring seating, while even a program like Minne$ota has to phase the process along....

To me, the most affordable, feasible and impactful opportunities are without a doubt 5 & 6. And I don’t want to see UNH spend more money in rink size than could satisfy both. I don’t want to hear down the road that UNH can’t match BC and BU on 5 & 6 because they spent significant money on 2...

Someone can correct me if I’m wrong with the following points - but, first and foremost I’d be willing to bet UNH can match other programs in recruiting opportunity and viewings (if not travel comfort and convenience) while spending relatively very little. There is no excuse to be spending on other wants while hearing this complaint....

Perhaps the most important impact UNH can offer is to make financial aid packages more attractive to recruits. Offering less money is going to be a disadvantage every single time. Again, someone can correct me if I’m wrong but I believe UNH has passed on offering stipends (along with Maine) while around half of college hockey does offer varying degrees of stipend. If UNH has any legitimate concern regarding ability to recruit outside of the hands of recruiters that is it right there...

Stipends are normally in the range of 2,000-5,000 dollars. So, assuming UNH has to offer the stipends to the women’s hockey team as well - were talking anywhere between 75,000-180,000 dollars per school year. Not an insignificant amount of money, but certainly MUCH more affordable than any capital project (and MUCH more impactful in recruiting, IMO). And UNH could certainly offer the low end of the scale and match impact with more expensive universities...

So, to me, the meat of this discussion is not what UNH would gain from shrinking the rink but what it actually costs and whether there’s value in the decision (gain vs spending) relative to what else they could do with the money - because they’re not Minnesota and they’re not doing everything...

So posters, put your AD hats on what is most important, most affordable and where should UNH be placing priority?

Well, Dan, we're just going to continue on with our takes and preferences; I have no problem with that, or being the "lone ranger" in here on the shrink topic. Suits me just fine... Fact is, I want the program to have it all, whatever it takes to be successful...again.

Now (for all here), switching gears to the actual capital planning for the Whit/rink, there's actually stuff to study. It appears the design/build contract has been awarded to PC Construction Company. The (conceptual) execution of the project is for completion in time for fall "activites", 2020.

https://bids.sciquest.com/apps/Rout...ab=PHX_NAV_SourcingAward&tmstmp=1572020769613

Assuming that link works, flow down to "Buyer Attachements". In there is more education than one can possibly stand. Of note, find this report: 756276-798912040April 2019 Preliminary Design Evaluation by Friar Architecture Inc.pdf.

Happy reading (quiz on Monday)!!

 

[wildcatdc]

Definite: Refrigeration will be replaced. 13 million dollars was the # floated around. Does this include possible rink renovations? I do believe it does from what the convo was at Bentley last weekend. Planned and ready to go in April.

Wish List: Player amenities, lounge, weight room...all for this side of the street. Private funding for that. Remains to be seen.

To the best of my knowledge, the $13M included a still-yet-to-be-approved $9M from the school budget plus $4M+ in fundraising.

 

[wildcatdc]

Well, Dan, we're just going to continue on with our takes and preferences; I have no problem with that, or being the "lone ranger" in here on the shrink topic. Suits me just fine... Fact is, I want the program to have it all, whatever it takes to be successful...again.

Now (for all here), switching gears to the actual capital planning for the Whit/rink, there's actually stuff to study. It appears the design/build contract has been awarded to PC Construction Company. The (conceptual) execution of the project is for completion in time for fall "activites", 2020.

https://bids.sciquest.com/apps/Rout...ab=PHX_NAV_SourcingAward&tmstmp=1572020769613

Assuming that link works, flow down to "Buyer Attachements". In there is more education than one can possibly stand. Of note, find this report: 756276-798912040April 2019 Preliminary Design Evaluation by Friar Architecture Inc.pdf.

Happy reading (quiz on Monday)!!

You’re not the Lone Ranger here. I too want to see the ice at a size that attracts recruits who ultimately want to play on ice that is similar to those of their potential NHL dreams, if that’s the draw. And it appears that a number of programs believe that to be the case, as you’ve pointed out.

 

[Chuck Murray]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2019/2020 Ready to Rock and Roll!!

Now (for all here), switching gears to the actual capital planning for the Whit/rink, there's actually stuff to study. It appears the design/build contract has been awarded to PC Construction Company. The (conceptual) execution of the project is for completion in time for fall "activites", 2020.

https://bids.sciquest.com/apps/Rout...ab=PHX_NAV_SourcingAward&tmstmp=1572020769613

Assuming that link works, flow down to "Buyer Attachements". In there is more education than one can possibly stand. Of note, find this report: 756276-798912040April 2019 Preliminary Design Evaluation by Friar Architecture Inc.pdf.

Happy reading (quiz on Monday)!!

First of all, it is troubling that PC Construction/Friar Architecture is being tasked with this project.

If I'm reading the proposed specs correctly … it looks like they're talking about going from 200' x 100' to 200' x 90', so they're pulling things in by 5 feet each side. They seem to be proposing to making up the "extra" space by stretching the entire seating grid length-wise along each side of the rink. Which I think would entail removal of most (if not all) of those seats, placing a more gradually sloped (i.e. flatter) seating grid on top of the existing grid, and then presumably re-setting the seats/rows etc.

From what I can tell … at least IF they take that approach, there's no need to dig deeper under the rink.

But, it would be the exact opposite of the more vertical layout of Agganis Arena. More horizontal. Yuck.

Hate to say it … but this is what happens when schools have too much money to spend - silly crap. Pass.

 

[Greg Ambrose]

First of all, it is troubling that PC Construction/Friar Architecture is being tasked with this project.

If I'm reading the proposed specs correctly … it looks like they're talking about going from 200' x 100' to 200' x 90', so they're pulling things in by 5 feet each side. They seem to be proposing to making up the "extra" space by stretching the entire seating grid length-wise along each side of the rink. Which I think would entail removal of most (if not all) of those seats, placing a more gradually sloped (i.e. flatter) seating grid on top of the existing grid, and then presumably re-setting the seats/rows etc.

From what I can tell … at least IF they take that approach, there's no need to dig deeper under the rink.

But, it would be the exact opposite of the more vertical layout of Agganis Arena. More horizontal. Yuck.

Hate to say it … but this is what happens when schools have too much money to spend - silly crap. Pass.

The thing is Chuck that UNH doesn’t have the money to spend. Weren’t we told that a third of the cost of the project will require a “capital campaign.” That means they don’t have the money. No surprise there.

 

[deltabravo62]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2019/2020 Ready to Rock and Roll!!

First of all, it is troubling that PC Construction/Friar Architecture is being tasked with this project.

If I'm reading the proposed specs correctly … it looks like they're talking about going from 200' x 100' to 200' x 90', so they're pulling things in by 5 feet each side. They seem to be proposing to making up the "extra" space by stretching the entire seating grid length-wise along each side of the rink. Which I think would entail removal of most (if not all) of those seats, placing a more gradually sloped (i.e. flatter) seating grid on top of the existing grid, and then presumably re-setting the seats/rows etc.

From what I can tell … at least IF they take that approach, there's no need to dig deeper under the rink.

But, it would be the exact opposite of the more vertical layout of Agganis Arena. More horizontal. Yuck.

Hate to say it … but this is what happens when schools have too much money to spend - silly crap. Pass.

Maybe I'm seeing this wrong but looking through the proposal it looks like the thought is to pull in the seating at the same slope and just adding the extra room to the concourse. It said that plan would reduce the seating by about 500. That was in the Friar Architecture Preliminary Design document. Seen on the drawing on page 24.

I don't have a strong opinion either way on this, I get where they are coming from in the thought "If we are going to do this, now is the time." From a spectator point of view I'm concerned that something will get messed up with how they redo the seating that makes the views worse. Just ask TD Garden how their seating changes are going over (completely different issue but you get the point). I am in no way sold that the ice surface is hindering UNH in recruiting or results to the extent some would make it seem, meaning that ice surface reduction in my mind is not going to be the fixer.

I can see why they want to go to the reduced size, and if they are going to do it, do it now. But I will give them some simple advice, "Don't f*&! it up bud"

 

[wildcatdc]

The thing is Chuck that UNH doesn’t have the money to spend. Weren’t we told that a third of the cost of the project will require a “capital campaign.” That means they don’t have the money. No surprise there.

Revamped football stadium
New soccer field (still in process)
New football locker room
Paul School of Business
Carsey School

All brought to you (at least in part) by donors HAPPY to see the school continue to make capital improvements.

That’s how it works. At UNH, at Michigan, at Bentley, at Texas, you name it.

(And yes, we are all ready for the librarian/scoreboard comment).

 

[wildcatdc]

Maybe I'm seeing this wrong but looking through the proposal it looks like the thought is to pull in the seating at the same slope and just adding the extra room to the concourse. It said that plan would reduce the seating by about 500. That was in the Friar Architecture Preliminary Design document. Seen on the drawing on page 24.

I don't have a strong opinion either way on this, I get where they are coming from in the thought "If we are going to do this, now is the time." From a spectator point of view I'm concerned that something will get messed up with how they redo the seating that makes the views worse. Just ask TD Garden how their seating changes are going over (completely different issue but you get the point). I am in no way sold that the ice surface is hindering UNH in recruiting or results to the extent some would make it seem, meaning that ice surface reduction in my mind is not going to be the fixer.

I can see why they want to go to the reduced size, and if they are going to do it, do it now. But I will give them some simple advice, "Don't f*&! it up bud"

Correct on all counts, from what I’m told.

And that’s good advice

 

[Dan]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2019/2020 Ready to Rock and Roll!!

I will have more thoughts later when I can - but is anyone else reading those plans the way I am...

That UNH already has 7500 sq ft of usable but ‘wasted’ space sitting under the seats on the side of the visitor bench? As in they could have used this space from the beginning (25 years ago). As in they could have accommodated visitors locker rooms in this space, allowing for the addition of a lounge, weight room and other amenities in 1995 when the Whitt was build with just a little more initial investment, a door and a hallway...

At least that’s less rock to blow up...