Utica University 2024-25 - Retooled and Reloaded

[Russell Jaslow]

This sort of thing is why the D-3 tournament is so confusing...

So, you're saying that bidding on hosting is meaningless, in that you can be an emergency host, anyway?

In that case. why bother with bidding in the first place?

Honest question.

I'm not sure I understand the question.

There are two types of "host." A predetermined host which is selected years in advance and meant to be a neutral site. Like Utica in 2017 or all the years in Lake Placid. It can, technically, be on a campus, like the women in River Falls this year.

Then there is the campus host, which is meant to be given to one of the four remaining teams. In this case, since it takes a while to filter out the facilties capable of hosting, the schools have to formally put in a bid by a certain date. Which means, schools won't know at the time whether they make it far enough to host. But the NCAA needs time to evaluate. Then, the NCAA will or will not give their stamp of approval to the bids. When the four teams are finally known, they simply go down the order of the bids which got the stamp of approval based on seedings. And that top combination is chosen and announced usually on Sunday morning.

 

[PrezdeJohnson09]

I'm not sure I understand the question.

There are two types of "host." A predetermined host which is selected years in advance and meant to be a neutral site. Like Utica in 2017 or all the years in Lake Placid. It can, technically, be on a campus, like the women in River Falls this year.

Then there is the campus host, which is meant to be given to one of the four remaining teams. In this case, since it takes a while to filter out the facilties capable of hosting, the schools have to formally put in a bid by a certain date. Which means, schools won't know at the time whether they make it far enough to host. But the NCAA needs time to evaluate. Then, the NCAA will or will not give their stamp of approval to the bids. When the four teams are finally known, they simply go down the order of the bids which got the stamp of approval based on seedings. And that top combination is chosen and announced usually on Sunday morning.

And St. Norbert/Aurora have both done this from the West. Confirmed.

 

[Pioneer247]

And St. Norbert/Aurora have both done this from the West. Confirmed.

According to what?

Just saying the word confirmed doesn't mean a thing, let's show sources

 

[PrezdeJohnson09]

According to what?

Just saying the word confirmed doesn't mean a thing, let's show sources

I have a journalism degree and would never betray a source if they ask to remain anonymous. I worked in this realm for 12 years and met a lot of people and have relationships with a lot of people.

All I can say is that I know for a fact that SNC and Aurora have submitted bids to host the final four.

If you choose not to believe me, that’s fine. But i would like to think someone who worked in that side of the business would hold some water over a random USCHO poster.

 

[Tom Coughlin]

Why doesn't the NCAA simply put out a press release when the bracket is announced listing the teams that have bid to host?

 

[JSicedog]

And St. Norbert/Aurora have both done this from the West. Confirmed.

I don’t know why the NCAA would lie to all of the east teams by telling them they didn’t bid, then.

 

[Russell Jaslow]

And St. Norbert/Aurora have both done this from the West. Confirmed.

I have always hedged my bet. LOL

The story I heard is no western team bid by the deadline. But then the NCAA went back to the western teams and asked them to reconsider. And they did.

Whether my sources were completely right or confused over what I was asking them, I don't know. In any case, this is why I have said I believe the winner of the SNC/Utica game is going to get it. (Though admittedly, that flies against the process in the sense that if Aurora wins, they are seeded higher than both.)

 

[altazo]

EDIT: I have it on good authority that at least AU and SNC both bid to host BEFORE the deadline so assuming one of them wins, the FF will

According to what?

Just saying the word confirmed doesn't mean a thing, let's show sources

But you don't need to show your sources speculating that they didn't bid? What a clown show...

 

[JSicedog]

Why doesn't the NCAA simply put out a press release when the bracket is announced listing the teams that have bid to host?

That is asking too much, when has the NCAA offered any clarity

 

[altazo]

That is asking too much, when has the NCAA offered any clarity

It doesn't really matter. The best, most focused team should win this thing, and I suspect they are willing to play anyone, anywhere, at anytime (even some whack mid-day puck drop.)

 

[Tom Coughlin]

It doesn't really matter. The best, most focused team should win this thing, and I suspect they are willing to play anyone, anywhere, at anytime (even some whack mid-day puck drop.)

It matters to me. I would definitely attend if SNC hosted, and would most likely attend if Aurora hosted (and SNC was still in it).

 

[Pioneer247]

It doesn't really matter. The best, most focused team should win this thing, and I suspect they are willing to play anyone, anywhere, at anytime (even some whack mid-day puck drop.)

I'm sure the complainers will be out about a 1 PM puck drop if Utica wins

 

[llama]

It doesn't really matter. The best, most focused team should win this thing, and I suspect they are willing to play anyone, anywhere, at anytime (even some whack mid-day puck drop.)

Yep - completely agree. From a players' perspective they are 100% focused on Saturday...nothing else.

For us fans, I think we know by now the NCAA does not necessarily prioritize what we think is best for us. Now that they cleaned up the selection process, maybe the hosting site details are our new "smoky room".....there has to be a conspiracy....right?

All four of the QF games look to be absolutely EPIC. It should be an incredible weekend of hockey....which is great news for the D3 game (and us fans).

 

[PrezdeJohnson09]

I don’t know why the NCAA would lie to all of the east teams by telling them they didn’t bid, then.

Maybe originally there were no Western bids and right before the bid deadline, the NCAA committee asked the western schools to reconsider, and they decided to put in bids.

 

[altazo]

It matters to me. I would definitely attend if SNC hosted, and would most likely attend if Aurora hosted (and SNC was still in it).

For sure, and if I still lived in midwest I would absolutely attend if it were held in either of those venues. I guess my point was that debating this right now is putting the cart before the horse. Once the final four teams are established, then we'll know exactly who bid to host and where this thing is gonna happen. I'm in the mountain time zone, so right now I'm just thinking about Saturday brunch and watching hockey. Go SNC!

 

[MilkUniversity]

Just trying to understand as someone more new to D3 world.

I get the logic behind wanting to give schools the opportunity to host a national tournament, considering the publicity and revenue boost. At the same time though I’m confused as to why the NCAA goes back and forth between neutral and campus sites for the F4.

With larger D3 rinks like the Kreitzburg (Norwich) and Kenyon (Middlebury) which have hosted in the past, it definitely looks like there some decent sized rinks which can accommodate on-campuses. But then we also saw Endicott host in the Bourque in 2023, which is a much smaller rink by comparison.

With capacity in mind, and logistics for teams and fans, wouldn’t it make sense to stick to neutral site F4s? Especially if college hockey is on the rise, I feel like neutral sites will help simplify things, will keep a consistent balance between regions hosting and will make the championship more accessible.

I get Aurora and St. Norbert have good facilities near urban areas, but if both teams end up out of the tournament then we see Utica host 2 years in a row, or we could have a team host with very limited capacity that is out of the way for more casual fans. Wonder if teams in certain conferences or regions have thought of pooling support for a neutral site during a “west” or “east” year and the NCAA making sure there is a path for a midwest team to make the F4 (know this year tho the bracket stuck to NPI/true seeding leading to this whole discussion)

 

[PrezdeJohnson09]

Just trying to understand as someone more new to D3 world.

I get the logic behind wanting to give schools the opportunity to host a national tournament, considering the publicity and revenue boost. At the same time though I’m confused as to why the NCAA goes back and forth between neutral and campus sites for the F4.

With larger D3 rinks like the Kreitzburg (Norwich) and Kenyon (Middlebury) which have hosted in the past, it definitely looks like there some decent sized rinks which can accommodate on-campuses. But then we also saw Endicott host in the Bourque in 2023, which is a much smaller rink by comparison.

With capacity in mind, and logistics for teams and fans, wouldn’t it make sense to stick to neutral site F4s? Especially if college hockey is on the rise, I feel like neutral sites will help simplify things, will keep a consistent balance between regions hosting and will make the championship more accessible.

I get Aurora and St. Norbert have good facilities near urban areas, but if both teams end up out of the tournament then we see Utica host 2 years in a row, or we could have a team host with very limited capacity that is out of the way for more casual fans. Wonder if teams in certain conferences or regions have thought of pooling support for a neutral site during a “west” or “east” year and the NCAA making sure there is a path for a midwest team to make the F4 (know this year tho the bracket stuck to NPI/true seeding leading to this whole discussion)

The NCAA started exploring neutral sites for a few reasons.

#1 Potential for better championship atmosphere and not playing in front of empty rink

#2 ability for casual fans to plan travel and lodging ahead of time

#3 Take the onus off a campus site having to do all the logistics in a four-day turnaround time. (It's a lot of work)

The campus sites while great for the host team and creating an atmosphere can be an absolute bear lift for an athletic department that is also in full spring sports mode at that point. Utica has a great and unique setup that their rink needs are already taken care of and they don't need as much support hosting as an on-campus rink would.

Campus sites as you allude to also come in all shapes and sizes with 500 seat/standing capacity town rec/municipal rinks all the way up to the palaces that Norwich, Middlebury, Oswego etc. play in. Even Norwich with a capacity of 2200 with standing room would be taxed to the brim to host a FF featuring a group of say Plattsburgh, Norwich, Adrian/St. Norbert and Oswego with how well those fan bases traveled in the past or still do.

 

[MilkUniversity]

The NCAA started exploring neutral sites for a few reasons.

#1 Potential for better championship atmosphere and not playing in front of empty rink

#2 ability for casual fans to plan travel and lodging ahead of time

#3 Take the onus off a campus site having to do all the logistics in a four-day turnaround time. (It's a lot of work)

The campus sites while great for the host team and creating an atmosphere can be an absolute bear lift for an athletic department that is also in full spring sports mode at that point. Utica has a great and unique setup that their rink needs are already taken care of and they don't need as much support hosting as an on-campus rink would.

Campus sites as you allude to also come in all shapes and sizes with 500 seat/standing capacity town rec/municipal rinks all the way up to the palaces that Norwich, Middlebury, Oswego etc. play in. Even Norwich with a capacity of 2200 with standing room would be taxed to the brim to host a FF featuring a group of say Plattsburgh, Norwich, Adrian/St. Norbert and Oswego with how well those fan bases traveled in the past or still do.

It definitely makes sense, and I’m hoping they continue to cement that shift to neutral sites.

We all wish our respective teams/schools had Utica’s situation with a nationally recognized team based out of a facility like the Aud… but that’s just not feasible for anybody. Feel like it is common sense at this point to try doing F4s in places like Lake Placid, or even considering cities like Hartford, Manchester, Rochester, Worcester, etc (there’s probably some good sites out west too just not as familiar with them).

Also think it could be interesting if D1 schools with mid-size+ arenas were able to host. Guessing though that would create a bunch of issues around technical stuff with the NCAA and around who gets any ticket revenue.

 

[altazo]

It definitely makes sense, and I’m hoping they continue to cement that shift to neutral sites.

We all wish our respective teams/schools had Utica’s situation with a nationally recognized team based out of a facility like the Aud… but that’s just not feasible for anybody. Feel like it is common sense at this point to try doing F4s in places like Lake Placid, or even considering cities like Hartford, Manchester, Rochester, Worcester, etc (there’s probably some good sites out west too just not as familiar with them).

Also think it could be interesting if D1 schools with mid-size+ arenas were able to host. Guessing though that would create a bunch of issues around technical stuff with the NCAA and around who gets any ticket revenue.

There has been several predetermined D3 Frozen Fours in Lake Placid. Minneapolis is also a place that has hosted as a predetermined site - that's a good western site that's easy to get to.

 

[Tom Coughlin]

There has been several predetermined D3 Frozen Fours in Lake Placid. Minneapolis is also a place that has hosted as a predetermined site - that's a good western site that's easy to get to.

I believe that Madison is the next predetermined western site. Hopefully SNC's new rink would probably make a great future host too.