Union Hockey 2012-2013 Part II - See U in AC, But Ultimate Goal Still Lies Ahead

[UnionHockeyManiac]

Old thread: http://board.uscho.com/showthread.php?101236-Union-Hockey-2012-2013-Unfinished-Business

Last Few Posts:

Dutchfan:

Union draws Yale in the semi-finals at Atlantic City. Would've rather have went against Brown, but I think the boys match up favorably with Yale.

How many posters plan on going to Atlantic City? I'll be there for sure. It's a pretty bad trip, but it was worth every mile to see the team win last year.

UnionHockeyManiac:

Looks like we get the 7:00 game. I rented a house for this weekend a little less than a month ago so I am very happy that Union hockey will be making the trip down to AC with me. I'll be with about a dozen other alums so it should be a good time.

Doesn't make sense to buy tickets ahead of time, right? If I remember correctly, last year it was completely empty and you could buy tickets from scalpers outside for a fraction of face value.

 

[aweise]

Re: Union Hockey 2012-2013 Part II - See U in AC, But Ultimate Goal Still Lies Ahead

I don't remember the actual attendance numbers from last year (maybe 4,000 total for Friday?), but you felt like you were intruding on a pickup game between two teams. I have a good feeling you could walk up to the box office at 3:45pm on Friday and still get good seats. I won't be attending this year for financial and work-based reasons, but I hope there's a good Union contingent. I won't get into the discussion of where the tournament should be, but I'm glad I went last year just to experience this (and because Union won the whole sha-bang). Let's just say I'll be looking forward to Lake Placid in 2014.

As for the game...Yale is all about speed, so Troy and the defense need to be on top of their game. Union seemed to be able to hit the gas pedal at will against Dartmouth, so if they can control the puck and limit the turnovers, I like their chances.

 

[UnionHockeyManiac]

Re: Union Hockey 2012-2013 Part II - See U in AC, But Ultimate Goal Still Lies Ahead

Yeah, it felt really empty last year. I wonder why Union got the 7:00 PM game this year.

 

[Senna]

Re: Union Hockey 2012-2013 Part II - See U in AC, But Ultimate Goal Still Lies Ahead

Hey - good luck to you guys. I'm an RPI fan and if didnt hurt us so much, would love to see you go against Brown for the championship. They are tough. Good luck again....

 

[aweise]

Re: Union Hockey 2012-2013 Part II - See U in AC, But Ultimate Goal Still Lies Ahead

Yeah, it felt really empty last year. I wonder why Union got the 7:00 PM game this year.

What's been happening recently is the highest remaining seed gets the first semifinal. I think I heard that they actually get the choice of times, so (if they win) they go with the early one to get some extra rest and scout their opponents. If that's true, then Quinnipiac gets the early game and Union-Yale get the late game.

 

[rdf8585]

Re: Union Hockey 2012-2013 Part II - See U in AC, But Ultimate Goal Still Lies Ahead

Taking a look at Friday's semifinal game: http://t.co/enQb5jeaFj

 

[rdf8585]

Re: Union Hockey 2012-2013 Part II - See U in AC, But Ultimate Goal Still Lies Ahead

Up 1 spot in the USCHO poll: http://www.uscho.com/rankings/d-i-mens-poll/

 

[rdf8585]

Re: Union Hockey 2012-2013 Part II - See U in AC, But Ultimate Goal Still Lies Ahead

Dutchfan, what did you mean when you said AC was a "pretty bad" trip last year?

 

[Dutchfan]

Dutchfan, what did you mean when you said AC was a "pretty bad" trip last year?

It's a pretty long drive (5-6 hours depending on where in the Capital Region you are leaving from), the hotels are expensive, and Atlantic City isn't the most desirable place on earth. However, don't let that keep you home this weekend, it's well worth putting up with the hassle to see Union play in the league championships.

The school is putting together another bus trip down there for those that do not want to drive. I believe it's $100 per person and includes tickets to both nights.

 

[aweise]

Re: Union Hockey 2012-2013 Part II - See U in AC, But Ultimate Goal Still Lies Ahead

It's a pretty long drive (5-6 hours depending on where in the Capital Region you are leaving from), the hotels are expensive, and Atlantic City isn't the most desirable place on earth. However, don't let that keep you home this weekend, it's well worth putting up with the hassle to see Union play in the league championships.

The school is putting together another bus trip down there for those that do not want to drive. I believe it's $100 per person and includes tickets to both nights.

A bunch of us met in the Latham area and made the drive last year - took us about 5 hours, including a stop or two. If you're not interested in casinos, it's a tough trip. The Boardwalk is nice, but the weather (cool, cloudy, & windy) kept us from staying outside for very long. We're not big into casinos, so we took the hour drive to Philadelphia and walked around a bit on Saturday morning/early afternoon. The city & blocks around the Boardwalk weren't exactly the high-class area, either. We stayed at a hotel in Abescon (about 30 minutes away), where the prices were a bit less expensive, but not much.

The arena itself is really nice, however. Plenty of space to walk around (even if there were a lot of people there), good sight lines from pretty much any seat, and decent arena food. Our decision to go last year was helped by the lack of TV coverage and that Union was the #1 seed. This year, there's at least the TV coverage...plus, I still don't feel like supporting the move to AC, even though Lake Placid is on tap for next year.

All of that said, I agree with Dutchfan. If you weren't there last year, it's at least worth the chance to see Union in the championship rounds.

 

[UnionHockeyManiac]

Re: Union Hockey 2012-2013 Part II - See U in AC, But Ultimate Goal Still Lies Ahead

I'm definitely in the minority here, but I'm really going to miss having the tournament in Atlantic City. For the past three years, I have rented a 6 bedroom house in Brigantine (about 10-15 minutes from Boardwalk Hall) with about a dozen Union Alums/Fraternity Brothers (this year there are 14 of us). All of us live in the New York City area so the drive is pretty easy (~2 hours) down to AC.

Atlantic City is more of a destination than somewhere like Albany, Lake Placid, or Providence. Then again, I guess AC in March is pretty bad for people who don't enjoy gambling and/or clubbing. Most of the people I go with aren't big hockey fans but they still make the trip because there are plenty of things for us to do other than the hockey.

Hope to see plenty of you guys down there.

 

[aweise]

Re: Union Hockey 2012-2013 Part II - See U in AC, But Ultimate Goal Still Lies Ahead

I'm definitely in the minority here, but I'm really going to miss having the tournament in Atlantic City. For the past three years, I have rented a 6 bedroom house in Brigantine (about 10-15 minutes from Boardwalk Hall) with about a dozen Union Alums/Fraternity Brothers (this year there are 14 of us). All of us live in the New York City area so the drive is pretty easy (~2 hours) down to AC.

Atlantic City is more of a destination than somewhere like Albany, Lake Placid, or Providence. Then again, I guess AC in March is pretty bad for people who don't enjoy gambling and/or clubbing. Most of the people I go with aren't big hockey fans but they still make the trip because there are plenty of things for us to do other than the hockey.

Hope to see plenty of you guys down there.

You're definitely in the minority.

We may agree to disagree, but it really depends on your preferences...to many hockey fans, Lake Placid is a "destination". There's a historical perspective that hockey fans can appreciate being up there. Having attended the tournament from 1995 through 2002, I can tell you it's a great atmosphere for hockey. If you like skiing and a winter getaway place, Lake Placid is your choice. If you like casinos and clubs, then AC is your place.

Sounds like you've got a good setup in AC area with the house and only being a couple hours away. However, not everyone has this luxury. What bugs me about the location is just that...the location. AC is about 1:45 south of the closest school (Princeton) and they don't even have a good traveling contingent if they made it that far. Each of the schools that made it there last year had about a 5-hour drive. Q & Yale have 3-hour drives this year, but Union & Brown each have a 5-hour trip ahead of them. Just imagine if Clarkson, SLU, or Dartmouth made it. Albany just makes the most sense, from a geographical point of view.

I also find it interesting how many people bring up the attractions of the particular location. I'm sure it's a factor in the ECAC's decision-making, but I think a lot of the fans looking to go to the games are there for the games. The only real downtime is Saturday morning through mid-afternoon - maybe longer than that if you're not interested in the consolation game. I'm not a big night-life guy, but even if you are, I would think every town has a few places to enjoy yourself after the games.

 

[MarkEagleUSA]

Re: Union Hockey 2012-2013 Part II - See U in AC, But Ultimate Goal Still Lies Ahead

Anyone want to borrow my BEAT YALE! t-shirt?

 

[rdf8585]

Re: Union Hockey 2012-2013 Part II - See U in AC, But Ultimate Goal Still Lies Ahead

AUDIO: Bennett talks to the media via teleconference today: http://t.co/FKnUc2lce2 (direct download)

I was going to ask about Kevin Sullivan's recent breakout, but someone else beat me to it.

 

[UnionHockeyManiac]

Re: Union Hockey 2012-2013 Part II - See U in AC, But Ultimate Goal Still Lies Ahead

You're definitely in the minority.

We may agree to disagree, but it really depends on your preferences...to many hockey fans, Lake Placid is a "destination". There's a historical perspective that hockey fans can appreciate being up there. Having attended the tournament from 1995 through 2002, I can tell you it's a great atmosphere for hockey. If you like skiing and a winter getaway place, Lake Placid is your choice. If you like casinos and clubs, then AC is your place.

Sounds like you've got a good setup in AC area with the house and only being a couple hours away. However, not everyone has this luxury. What bugs me about the location is just that...the location. AC is about 1:45 south of the closest school (Princeton) and they don't even have a good traveling contingent if they made it that far. Each of the schools that made it there last year had about a 5-hour drive. Q & Yale have 3-hour drives this year, but Union & Brown each have a 5-hour trip ahead of them. Just imagine if Clarkson, SLU, or Dartmouth made it. Albany just makes the most sense, from a geographical point of view.

I also find it interesting how many people bring up the attractions of the particular location. I'm sure it's a factor in the ECAC's decision-making, but I think a lot of the fans looking to go to the games are there for the games. The only real downtime is Saturday morning through mid-afternoon - maybe longer than that if you're not interested in the consolation game. I'm not a big night-life guy, but even if you are, I would think every town has a few places to enjoy yourself after the games.

Yeah, I know I'm definitely in the minority. AC is good for me, not so good for the league. When I was in college at Union, Albany was great. It really should have just stayed in Albany. If you draw a line connecting all of the schools, Albany falls pretty much right in the middle.

 

[Dutchman]

Re: Union Hockey 2012-2013 Part II - See U in AC, But Ultimate Goal Still Lies Ahead

Remember last year?

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-...WI/AAAAAAAA4r0/UgcIMwY8I1o/s1796/IMG_8813.JPG

How many players are returning? Think they will be motivated?

 

[rdf8585]

Re: Union Hockey 2012-2013 Part II - See U in AC, But Ultimate Goal Still Lies Ahead

Union has fans in high places -

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>@<a href="https://twitter.com/onedollabill">onedollabill</a> @<a href="https://twitter.com/unionhockey">unionhockey</a> love Union hope they make tourney coming up in a couple of weeks</p>— Barry Melrose (@NHLBarryMelrose) <a href="https://twitter.com/NHLBarryMelrose/status/312714378300506113">March 15, 2013</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[UnionHockeyManiac]

Re: Union Hockey 2012-2013 Part II - See U in AC, But Ultimate Goal Still Lies Ahead

Union has fans in high places -

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>@<a href="https://twitter.com/onedollabill">onedollabill</a> @<a href="https://twitter.com/unionhockey">unionhockey</a> love Union hope they make tourney coming up in a couple of weeks</p>— Barry Melrose (@NHLBarryMelrose) <a href="https://twitter.com/NHLBarryMelrose/status/312714378300506113">March 15, 2013</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

When you say "fans in high places," are you referring to me (OneDollaBill) or Barry?

 

[UnionHockeyManiac]

Re: Union Hockey 2012-2013 Part II - See U in AC, But Ultimate Goal Still Lies Ahead

I've been playing around with the Pairwise Predictor. It seems like Union can still get the final spot in the tournament even without winning a game in Atlantic City IF every other higher seeded team wins.

That being said, let's keep it simple and just win two games in AC and go into the tourney with some momentum.

 

[Dutchman]

Re: Union Hockey 2012-2013 Part II - See U in AC, But Ultimate Goal Still Lies Ahead

Great job by Union Coach Rick Bennett on keeping the teams focus on the "here and now". Focus on the ECAC tournament and the ECAC trophy. The teams that focus beyond this weekend are the teams that will loose. http://www.uscho.com/2013/03/20/for...championship-field-eyes-are-on-a-first-title/ It does not matter who Union Plays. They could be playing two NHL teams. Atlantic City is home for them. Again we are giving up size big time and facing a big fast Yale team at full strength, and has also been here before but all the talk is about Brown, Quinnipiac and Yale. We are like a footnote. This is perfect.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-...CI/AAAAAAAA4qY/UJkVuDSo4cA/s1796/IMG_8806.JPG