Utica College Pioneers 2011-2012

[Birdwatcher]

Re: Utica College Pioneers 2011-2012

While I don't have any official knowledge of this issue, I might suggest that it is a trial or an "experiment." The deadlines for the paper changed this summer when the actual printing of the paper moved from Utica to Binghamton. I would guess that the effect of the new deadline was not apparent until there was no coverage in the OD on recent Saturday night games. Will other games be moved from 7 to 6 on Saturday? I would guess (and only speculation on this guy's part) that depends on if there is coverage of the game in the Sunday edition of the OD and a determination of the effect of the earlier start on attendance (for some folks with younger kids, the earlier start is better...I often see families with younger children leaving about 8:30 or so). Of course, the visiting team must agree (at least this year) to the change in time.

This time change means that I will not be able to make it to the game as I have to get someone to a high school semi formal dance at 8:00 Saturday.

Good thing they are not in SUNYAC, In SUNYAC all games are at 7:00 unless it is a tourney format. Years ago Platty night games started at 7:30.

 

[jconnor]

Re: Utica College Pioneers 2011-2012

Screw the change in start time, I'm ticked that both games vs EC are on Friday nights, makes it almost impossible for those who work for a living to make the trip.

 

[Fishman'81]

Re: Utica College Pioneers 2011-2012

Screw the change in start time, I'm ticked that both games vs EC are on Friday nights, makes it almost impossible for those who work for a living to make the trip.

(What he said.)

The OD never promoted UC hockey until about 5-6 years in, when they woke up to the fact that it had become the hottest ticket in town, even without getting any print from them... Now, they are dictating when Utica drops the puck..? C'mon, man!

Back to the ice, I noticed that UC was hammered in Rye. Again.

1-3 in the W has the Pioneers sucking hind mammary gland in their conference at this juncture. I'm hoping that they'll fare better at home in W contests, 3 of the 4 games thus far being played in hostile rinks.

Buff State tomorrow is certainly not gonna be a picnic; they look to be a good team coming off a disappointing tie. Utica having scheduled them after a spending 7 hours in a bus, with a sound thrashing sandwiched in-between the grueling travel, looks like a very possible recipe for a zero-win weekend. (Hope I'm wrong, and I hope even more fervently that the beery losers and the clueless parents with their jack-in-the-box whelps show up too late to bother to come in.)

See you actual fans at the game, and GO UC!

 

[jcase]

Re: Utica College Pioneers 2011-2012

Buff State tomorrow is certainly not gonna be a picnic; they look to be a good team coming off a disappointing tie. Utica having scheduled them after a spending 7 hours in a bus, with a sound thrashing sandwiched in-between the grueling travel, looks like a very possible recipe for a zero-win weekend. (Hope I'm wrong, and I hope even more fervently that the beery losers and the clueless parents with their jack-in-the-box whelps show up too late to bother to come in.)

Well you hoped you were wrong and thankfully you were in the end.
This game was just strange and seemed like something out of the Twilight Zone. Maybe the 6PM start was to blame.
First, some surprising scratches (Slowikowski, Hobaica, Lotito, Smoot, Morton and a couple others--Omi, Peterson, I think?).
Second, game delayed 15 min due to no linesman. Game starts with only the 2 refs until linesman shows 10 min in.
Third, UC looked everything like a team with bus lag for the first 40 minutes.
Fourth, the seemingly reoccurring dumb Coffman penalty--5 min major, game misconduct with 3 min left in 2nd period in a 3-3 game--that robs the team of arguably it's top player.
Fifth, a UC 6-goal outburst in the 3rd period after killing off the major. GO FIGURE!!!

In the end a good bounce back win after a disappointing loss to M'ville............

 

[Fishman'81]

Re: Utica College Pioneers 2011-2012

You have literally said everything I wanted to comment on... (Could we have been separated at birth?) Especially was concerned by the significant scratches, and by Coffman's typically selfish penalty.

If Morton and Slowikowski are injured, UC is going to be hurting at D for sure, tonight's many breakdowns by the fill-ins serving as examples... And if #6 takes even one more well-behind-the-play, egotistical, 5-minute major, I would rip the "C" off his sweater. That penalty could easily have resulted in the game getting out of hand for Utica.

Three + years of this, and Tim still hasn't gotten it... He's not behaving like a leader; he's acting like a spoiled little brat. Heenan often sits guys for obscure reasons; maybe it's time for Coffman to watch from the stands for a couple of games for this obvious one. I love the kid's game, but he really needs to learn how to pick his battles, and to swallow his pride for the greater good of the team as a whole.

 

[Pioneers#1]

Re: Utica College Pioneers 2011-2012

You have literally said everything I wanted to comment on... (Could we have been separated at birth?) Especially was concerned by the significant scratches, and by Coffman's typically selfish penalty.

If Morton and Slowikowski are injured, UC is going to be hurting at D for sure, tonight's many breakdowns by the fill-ins serving as examples... And if #6 takes even one more well-behind-the-play, egotistical, 5-minute major, I would rip the "C" off his sweater. That penalty could easily have resulted in the game getting out of hand for Utica.

Three + years of this, and Tim still hasn't gotten it... He's not behaving like a leader; he's acting like a spoiled little brat. Heenan often sits guys for obscure reasons; maybe it's time for Coffman to watch from the stands for a couple of games for this obvious one. I love the kid's game, but he really needs to learn how to pick his battles, and to swallow his pride for the greater good of the team as a whole.

I did not attend the game last night, what happened exactly with Morton & Slowikowski?

 

[jconnor]

Re: Utica College Pioneers 2011-2012

"Coffman's typically selfish penalty."

" And if #6 takes even one more well-behind-the-play, egotistical, 5-minute major, I would rip the "C" off his sweater."


Three + years of this, and Tim still hasn't gotten it... He's not behaving like a leader; he's acting like a spoiled little brat. Heenan often sits guys for obscure reasons; maybe it's time for Coffman to watch from the stands for a couple of games for this obvious one. I love the kid's game, but he really needs to learn how to pick his battles, and to swallow his pride for the greater good of the team as a whole.

Sounds to me that Heenan hasn't "gotten it" either.

 

[jcase]

Re: Utica College Pioneers 2011-2012

I did not attend the game last night, what happened exactly with Morton & Slowikowski?

Unknown here. FWIW, I spoke to someone last night who attended Friday's game at M'ville and he said no one from UC got hurt in that game.

 

[Fishman'81]

Re: Utica College Pioneers 2011-2012

Just for the record, I have no idea whatsoever if these guys are injured or not... But it'll be one long season if UC is as thin at D as they were last night.

 

[Fishman'81]

Re: Utica College Pioneers 2011-2012

Sounds to me that Heenan hasn't "gotten it" either.

Heenan does seem to pick and choose who he disciplines...

 

[jerrynu26]

Re: Utica College Pioneers 2011-2012

Heenan does seem to pick and choose who he disciplines...

As a long-term strategy, that will generally come back to haunt you..... IMO, benching a "star" player (when deserved, which seems to be the case) sends a better message to the the team-no ONE player is more important than the team.

 

[Fishman'81]

Re: Utica College Pioneers 2011-2012

As a long-term strategy, that will generally come back to haunt you..... IMO, benching a "star" player (when deserved, which seems to be the case) sends a better message to the the team-no ONE player is more important than the team.

Especially when a team has good depth in terms of scoring... *****, UC tallied six more goals while Tim was in the shower!

He needs to sit and think about things, 'cause horrible penalties such as the one he took will not flush in league play.

 

[Fishman'81]

Re: Utica College Pioneers 2011-2012

(One more thing.)

To address an earlier topic, I talked to the manager of The Aud on Saturday regarding the issue of people parading up and down during live play.

He was a nice man - very cordial and so forth - and he told me that they were aware of the problem, but had to coordinate their efforts to rectify it with UC, since the latter controlled what the PA guys announced.

Didn't exactly ring true, I must say... But, the bottom-line is what it's all about, and 3,000 or so moms and dads drinking $5 beers while their kids dash back and forth for yet another revolting order of nachos or fried dough speak much louder than a handful of hockey fans complaining that their sight-lines are compromised.People who are there for the game itself probably spend a lot less money on concessions, would be my guess, and the concessions at The Aud are their bread and butter.

You can't fight City Hall on this one, bet ya anything, and I expect that The Aud and UC will reach no agreement to publically remind the rude standers/wanderers that a few of us are actually there to WATCH THE f^c#!ng GAME!

 

[Pioneers#1]

Re: Utica College Pioneers 2011-2012

I think The Aud and Utica should run their games like the NHL and AHL teams do. Where they only allow people to move around the arena (within the arena itself) once a whistle has been called during the period, this cuts down significantly on the traffic in the arena during play and this way you can always see what's going on without worrying about if mom, dad and the stumbling kids are going to block your view while you're trying to watch the game that you got to on time.

 

[NUProf]

Re: Utica College Pioneers 2011-2012

(One more thing.)

To address an earlier topic, I talked to the manager of The Aud on Saturday regarding the issue of people parading up and down during live play.

He was a nice man - very cordial and so forth - and he told me that they were aware of the problem, but had to coordinate their efforts to rectify it with UC, since the latter controlled what the PA guys announced.

Didn't exactly ring true, I must say... But, the bottom-line is what it's all about, and 3,000 or so moms and dads drinking $5 beers while their kids dash back and forth for yet another revolting order of nachos or fried dough speak much louder than a handful of hockey fans complaining that their sight-lines are compromised.People who are there for the game itself probably spend a lot less money on concessions, would be my guess, and the concessions at The Aud are their bread and butter.

You can't fight City Hall on this one, bet ya anything, and I expect that The Aud and UC will reach no agreement to publically remind the rude standers/wanderers that a few of us are actually there to WATCH THE f^c#!ng GAME!

This happens in lots of places. During the Norwich/Castleton game there were a couple of people in my section who go in my view a few times - in a couple instances during crucial (but fortunately, non-scoring) plays. These were (evidently) people who had managed to purchase darn nice seats online, or else they were squatters, because they were't the usual occupants of those seats.

 

[jerrynu26]

Re: Utica College Pioneers 2011-2012

This happens in lots of places. During the Norwich/Castleton game there were a couple of people in my section who go in my view a few times - in a couple instances during crucial (but fortunately, non-scoring) plays. These were (evidently) people who had managed to purchase darn nice seats online, or else they were squatters, because they were't the usual occupants of those seats.

And then they all go in front of me. I don;t mind it so much when the puck is at the other end, but when its right in front of me, what idiot who paid for a ticket takes a walk then?!?!? St. Lawrence has ushers to prevent that sort of thing, or at least slow it down a ton.

 

[Fishman'81]

Re: Utica College Pioneers 2011-2012

I hear you, my brothers..! Sadly, this seems to be an ongoing problem that the various decision-makers involved are disinclined to recognize, let alone solve.At the crux of the issue is that D-3 hockey is not taken particularly seriously by the powers that be, IMO...

On the one hand, there are dozens of venues that sit so nearly empty on game-night that nobody really cares one way or the other if the sparse crowd is composed of rabid hockey fans or of suicide bombers. The game is such a non-event as to make any attempt to regulate fan behavior seem like overkill.

On the other hand, there are a number of programs that pack 'em in, and those places probably don't want to rock the boat vis-a-vis the "family-friendly" atmosphere that pervades, and that keeps fannies in the seats. (Especially in the case of Utica, where The Aud leases the property to UC for the night, and certainly must value selling as many concessions as possible over any consideration of the *watchability of the game.)

D-3 hockey is undervalued on several levels- the sloppy NCAA selection process being a prime example- and this is just another case in point. (Believe me, if anyone had wandered around incessantly during the vast majority of the D-1 games I've seen, he'd likely be pushing up daisies right now.) One thing that has worked (once) for me was to tap people on the shoulder and to ask them to conduct themselves as though they were at a movie.

Anyhoo, back to what hockey we can actually see...

Pottsdam is coming to town tomorrow night. They look fairly imposing, on paper, for a 5-4 team. Lost 6-4 to Oswego with an ENG thrown in by the Lakers. Anyone seen them first-hand?

*Yes, I made up that word.

 

[NUProf]

Re: Utica College Pioneers 2011-2012

And then they all go in front of me. I don;t mind it so much when the puck is at the other end, but when its right in front of me, what idiot who paid for a ticket takes a walk then?!?!? St. Lawrence has ushers to prevent that sort of thing, or at least slow it down a ton.

That's true - the ones that go in front of me do have to go in front of you

 

[UCBadger]

Re: Utica College Pioneers 2011-2012

Fishman'81....I can't hear you! Can you shout a little louder into the wind? (Just don't spit into the wind! )

 

[Fishman'81]

Re: Utica College Pioneers 2011-2012

Things were waaay better in my corner of The Aud tonight. That had everything to do with an inexplicably sparse (2,300 +) crowd and nothing at all to do with any effort put forth to educate/chastise the public, which did not happen.

At any rate, got to watch pretty-much all of the game in my line of sight tonight, as opposed to watching kids running amok, and their parents' ample touchises.

Was impressed by Utica's effort. It was a real grind-it-out win.

Both goalies were terrific; I think there were a combined 72 saves and a single GA. Potty's McFarland was especially stout in turning away a bunch of point-blank shots.

Going 5-0 vs. the SUNYAC isn't going to hurt Utica when the annual NCAA beauty-contest rolls around in a few months... (And if they can find a way to meet and beat Plattsburgh in the latter's tournament on New Year's, so much the better.)