WCHA 2020-21: We Can Do Better than Two Bids and Eight Teams Exiting

[davyd83]

Please put them all in the mix. Make a rubric breaking things down and look forward to responses

Here’s my top 5 for the NCHA, WCHA & CCHA
(To avoid any claims of bias, I’ve excluded NMU from the rankings)
Total Arenas Visited All Time 23/24
Visited This Season All WCHA except Bemidji & Anchorage + BU & Cornell

5 UMD Amsoil Arena
4 Notre Dame: Compton Family Arena
3 Omaha: Baxter Arena
2 Penn State: Pegula Arena
1 North Dakota: Ralph Englestad Arena

WCHA
3 Michigan Tech: John J MacInnes Student Ice Arena
2 Bemidji State: Sanford Center
1 Minnesota State: Mayo Clinic Health Systems Event Center

Best Arena Visited This Year
1 Boston U: Agganis Arena

 

[moose97]

Re: WCHA 2020-21: We Can Do Better than Two Bids and Eight Teams Exiting

Here’s my top 5 for the NCHA, WCHA & CCHA
(To avoid any claims of bias, I’ve excluded NMU from the rankings)
Total Arenas Visited All Time 23/24
Visited This Season All WCHA except Bemidji & Anchorage + BU & Cornell

5 UMD Amsoil Arena
4 Notre Dame: Compton Family Arena
3 Omaha: Baxter Arena
2 Penn State: Pegula Arena
1 North Dakota: Ralph Englestad Arena

WCHA
3 Michigan Tech: John J MacInnes Student Ice Arena
2 Bemidji State: Sanford Center
1 Minnesota State: Mayo Clinic Health Systems Event Center

Best Arena Visited This Year
1 Boston U: Agganis Arena

I was fairly underwhelmed by Mankato. Curious what you like about it?

 

[MavHockey14]

I was fairly underwhelmed by Mankato. Curious what you like about it?

When’s the last time you’ve visited?

 

[MTUHuskies]

Re: WCHA 2020-21: We Can Do Better than Two Bids and Eight Teams Exiting

When’s the last time you’ve visited?

I, like Moose97, was fairly underwhelmed with the rink too. But that was about 7-8 years ago and it was a quick visit (almost missed the faceoff) for just the game so I didn't check out the building too much. If I remember correctly, I thought the ice sheet didn't fit well within the stands. Like a lot of room between the boards and the first row? And the bowl was shallow so you felt away from the action? Is it a multi-use building? I seem to remember thinking hockey wasn't the primary purpose for the building. I definitely need to go back and check out the building first hand. I intended to go this year, but the **** virus made me change my plans.

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk

 

[MavHockey14]

I, like Moose97, was fairly underwhelmed with the rink too. But that was about 7-8 years ago and it was a quick visit (almost missed the faceoff) for just the game so I didn't check out the building too much. If I remember correctly, I thought the ice sheet didn't fit well within the stands. Like a lot of room between the boards and the first row? And the bowl was shallow so you felt away from the action? Is it a multi-use building? I seem to remember thinking hockey wasn't the primary purpose for the building. I definitely need to go back and check out the building first hand. I intended to go this year, but the **** virus made me change my plans.

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk

It is a multi use Arena, however it has been remodeled quite a bit to accommodate Hockey more than anything.

New purple seats went in a few years ago, a new video scoreboard hanging at center ice really brought the arena to a new level. Additionally a new cooling system and boards were put in a few years ago. The locker rooms, players lounge, weight room, and training facilities are all top notch since the remodel, but as a fan you wouldn’t see those.

I don’t think the arena itself is anything special, but the atmosphere is great, IMO. Great proximity to many restaurants and bars downtown, (relative to events) cheap beer and drinks, sellouts for games like UAA and UAH(with all due respect), MSU has done a good job shifting its mindset to make the hockey program the front porch to the university, and the gameday atmosphere has grown into something great since they brought Hastings in.

 

[JohnsonsJerseys]

Re: WCHA 2020-21: We Can Do Better than Two Bids and Eight Teams Exiting

I was fairly underwhelmed by Mankato. Curious what you like about it?

Biggest plus at MN State - Hotel right across the road, easy accommodations. Just walk everywhere once you get parked at the hotel. (Hilton Garden Inn if I remember correctly.)
Biggest drawback - It just looks like a lot of other rinks, shallow bowl so the seats are back away from the ice.
Overall I give it a 6.5 score.

Could have been higher, but as a former band member, I applied a 1 pt deduction for having the pep band mic'd and run through the PA system. C'mon - If you have to mic a band, how peppy are they? If you have to mic the band, might as well just cue up a dance beats CD like ASU does at every stoppage of play. I've never heard someone trying so hard to burn a groove in a CD as whoever runs the show down there. They could barely get through a period before you heard the same beats again. Get an mp3 player, load 500 tracks on it and set it to random. You'll be good for the entire season if pop music between plays is your thing.

 

[MavHockey14]

Biggest plus at MN State - Hotel right across the road, easy accommodations. Just walk everywhere once you get parked at the hotel. (Hilton Garden Inn if I remember correctly.)
Biggest drawback - It just looks like a lot of other rinks, shallow bowl so the seats are back away from the ice.
Overall I give it a 6.5 score.

Could have been higher, but as a former band member, I applied a 1 pt deduction for having the pep band mic'd and run through the PA system. C'mon - If you have to mic a band, how peppy are they? If you have to mic the band, might as well just cue up a dance beats CD like ASU does at every stoppage of play. I've never heard someone trying so hard to burn a groove in a CD as whoever runs the show down there. They could barely get through a period before you heard the same beats again. Get an mp3 player, load 500 tracks on it and set it to random. You'll be good for the entire season if pop music between plays is your thing.

If you had seen the band 3, 4, 5+ years ago, you’d be amazed how far they’ve come in actually adding to the atmosphere rather than being BRUTAL.

Those kids in the band know the game, care, are regularly cheering, etc. they used to be bad at making music and yell **** <insert opponent here> as their cheer.

They’ve immensely helped the student section engagement as well.

 

[giwan]

Re: WCHA 2020-21: We Can Do Better than Two Bids and Eight Teams Exiting

Here’s my top 5 for the NCHA, WCHA & CCHA
(To avoid any claims of bias, I’ve excluded NMU from the rankings)
Total Arenas Visited All Time 23/24
Visited This Season All WCHA except Bemidji & Anchorage + BU & Cornell

5 UMD Amsoil Arena
4 Notre Dame: Compton Family Arena
3 Omaha: Baxter Arena
2 Penn State: Pegula Arena
1 North Dakota: Ralph Englestad Arena

WCHA
3 Michigan Tech: John J MacInnes Student Ice Arena
2 Bemidji State: Sanford Center
1 Minnesota State: Mayo Clinic Health Systems Event Center

Best Arena Visited This Year
1 Boston U: Agganis Arena

You could include NMU wouldn't hit the top 3.

Been to Ralph, Pegula, Amsoil, MN St and Mich Tech.

Ralph hard to touch, Peg is new well planned, though not the location. Amsoil is nice but overrated, has some obstructed view seats which is hard to make happen in this day and age. Like others not sure about the MN St but maybe with updates it is improved. MTU has great atmosphere and considering how old that rink is in incredible shape.

 

[Sol Diablo]

Re: WCHA 2020-21: We Can Do Better than Two Bids and Eight Teams Exiting

Biggest plus at MN State - Hotel right across the road, easy accommodations. Just walk everywhere once you get parked at the hotel. (Hilton Garden Inn if I remember correctly.)
Biggest drawback - It just looks like a lot of other rinks, shallow bowl so the seats are back away from the ice.
Overall I give it a 6.5 score.

Could have been higher, but as a former band member, I applied a 1 pt deduction for having the pep band mic'd and run through the PA system. C'mon - If you have to mic a band, how peppy are they? If you have to mic the band, might as well just cue up a dance beats CD like ASU does at every stoppage of play. I've never heard someone trying so hard to burn a groove in a CD as whoever runs the show down there. They could barely get through a period before you heard the same beats again. Get an mp3 player, load 500 tracks on it and set it to random. You'll be good for the entire season if pop music between plays is your thing.

Good to see you are consistent at bashing ASU.....

 

[manurespreader]

Re: WCHA 2020-21: We Can Do Better than Two Bids and Eight Teams Exiting

You could include NMU wouldn't hit the top 3.

Been to Ralph, Pegula, Amsoil, MN St and Mich Tech.

Ralph hard to touch, Peg is new well planned, though not the location. Amsoil is nice but overrated, has some obstructed view seats which is hard to make happen in this day and age. Like others not sure about the MN St but maybe with updates it is improved. MTU has great atmosphere and considering how old that rink is in incredible shape.

If I was picking arena's to go see games at my number 1 pick would be the whale at Yale University. I think atmosphere counts for a lot also and I like educated fans. At PSU the fans are not educated and at Agganis no one shows up.

 

[davyd83]

I was fairly underwhelmed by Mankato. Curious what you like about it?

Sight lines were good. Press box had one of the better locations and setups in the league. Concessions were very good. Home team’s facilities are outstanding and the visitors room is among the top in the league. Game night atmosphere was pretty good too. Now, add in it’s location in the middle of downtown, with tons of places to pregame & postgame, and you have a winner. And that was the 2nd weekend of February.

 

[moose97]

Re: WCHA 2020-21: We Can Do Better than Two Bids and Eight Teams Exiting

Sight lines were good. Press box had one of the better locations and setups in the league. Concessions were very good. Home team’s facilities are outstanding and the visitors room is among the top in the league. Game night atmosphere was pretty good too. Now, add in it’s location in the middle of downtown, with tons of places to pregame & postgame, and you have a winner. And that was the 2nd weekend of February.

Admittedly, I was there once, about 7 years ago. But new seats wouldn't change the shallow rake of the bowl. Im surprised you like the "press box" setup, unless that's changed too. I sat basically in the stands while technically "in" the press box. I'm not saying it's a bad rink. Clearly, its top 2 with Bemidji. But i expected more. Better.

 

[TalonsUpPuckDown]

Sight lines were good. Press box had one of the better locations and setups in the league. Concessions were very good. Home team’s facilities are outstanding and the visitors room is among the top in the league. Game night atmosphere was pretty good too. Now, add in it’s location in the middle of downtown, with tons of places to pregame & postgame, and you have a winner. And that was the 2nd weekend of February.

But when you stand up in the press box can you touch the ceiling? No? That’s what I thought. ;-)

 

[MavHockey14]

Admittedly, I was there once, about 7 years ago. But new seats wouldn't change the shallow rake of the bowl. Im surprised you like the "press box" setup, unless that's changed too. I sat basically in the stands while technically "in" the press box. I'm not saying it's a bad rink. Clearly, its top 2 with Bemidji. But i expected more. Better.

Press boxes are still in the same spot.

I mean, I think the higher expectation is due to the recent(5-7 years) success of the program, in which time they’ve made major upgrades, most importantly in areas that help recruiting with the players lounge, weight room, locker room, etc.

It’s a city owned multi use Civic Center, and prior to Mike Hastings arriving, the University never truly committed to hockey, which meant the city never really felt it needed to.

 

[JohnsonsJerseys]

Re: WCHA 2020-21: We Can Do Better than Two Bids and Eight Teams Exiting

Good to see you are consistent at bashing ASU.....

Am I bashing ASU Hockey or am I just stating facts that don't reflect well on the program? Can you honestly say that ASU is treating the hockey team like a D-I sport? If I am making statements that are not true, that is a whole different story. If that is the case, then I'll certainly backtrack and correct my statements. However...

• When I say that most HS teams in MN play in a better rink, that is fact.
• When I say that the ASU press box has expanded metal screen for a floor and has a water main running through it, that is fact.
• When I say that ASU plays their beat box mix CD between plays more often than the Michigan alumni band plays "Hail", that is fact.
• When I say that ASU hockey has concluded their FIFTH season as a D-I team and STILL hasn't so much as put a shovel in the ground for a new rink, that is fact.
• Feel free to insert whatever else I've said here...

As someone who travels a fair amount to watch hockey, I've attending four ASU home games since the team went D-I. I would say there is a very good chance that I've attended more ASU home games than 99% of the current student body and local residents. I'm not just making these statements based on what others say or what I've read. I've been there and seen it first hand. If I was a fan of ASU hockey, I would be livid with the administration and the athletics department with the way they are handling the hockey program. Any yes, I get it, hockey is not the #1 sport on the ASU campus like is is for many other D-I hockey programs. Hockey likely isn't even in the top ten on the ASU athletic department's priority list.

My point is that they never should have taken the program to D-I status without a solid plan in place. Five years later they are still trying to figure out what they are doing and creating a plan for the team on the fly. If my pointing that out, doesn't look good for the team, is that really on me or is it on ASU to get it in gear and treat the team like a real D-I program? If you drive up to a car show in a rusted out Fort Pinto, am I really supposed to compliment you on your beautiful car and tell you how amazing it is just because you made the effort to show up and participate?

And yes, I've done my part to support ASU hockey as well, I'm not just bashing them. Nothing would please me more than to see ALL teams succeeding with college hockey strong and growing.

<center><img height=250 src="https://www.johnsonsjerseys.net/hockey/ncaa/cha/asu91_16h_f.jpg"> <img height=250 src="https://www.johnsonsjerseys.net/hockey/ncaa/cha/asu91_16h_b.jpg">
Garrett Peterson - Inaugural D-I Season</center>

 

[Sol Diablo]

Re: WCHA 2020-21: We Can Do Better than Two Bids and Eight Teams Exiting

Am I bashing ASU Hockey or am I just stating facts that don't reflect well on the program? Can you honestly say that ASU is treating the hockey team like a D-I sport? If I am making statements that are not true, that is a whole different story. If that is the case, then I'll certainly backtrack and correct my statements. However...

• When I say that most HS teams in MN play in a better rink, that is fact.
• When I say that the ASU press box has expanded metal screen for a floor and has a water main running through it, that is fact.
• When I say that ASU plays their beat box mix CD between plays more often than the Michigan alumni band plays "Hail", that is fact.
• When I say that ASU hockey has concluded their FIFTH season as a D-I team and STILL hasn't so much as put a shovel in the ground for a new rink, that is fact.
• Feel free to insert whatever else I've said here...

As someone who travels a fair amount to watch hockey, I've attending four ASU home games since the team went D-I. I would say there is a very good chance that I've attended more ASU home games than 99% of the current student body and local residents. I'm not just making these statements based on what others say or what I've read. I've been there and seen it first hand. If I was a fan of ASU hockey, I would be livid with the administration and the athletics department with the way they are handling the hockey program. Any yes, I get it, hockey is not the #1 sport on the ASU campus like is is for many other D-I hockey programs. Hockey likely isn't even in the top ten on the ASU athletic department's priority list.

My point is that they never should have taken the program to D-I status without a solid plan in place. Five years later they are still trying to figure out what they are doing and creating a plan for the team on the fly. If my pointing that out, doesn't look good for the team, is that really on me or is it on ASU to get it in gear and treat the team like a real D-I program? If you drive up to a car show in a rusted out Fort Pinto, am I really supposed to compliment you on your beautiful car and tell you how amazing it is just because you made the effort to show up and participate?

And yes, I've done my part to support ASU hockey as well, I'm not just bashing them. Nothing would please me more than to see ALL teams succeeding with college hockey strong and growing.

<center><img height=250 src="https://www.johnsonsjerseys.net/hockey/ncaa/cha/asu91_16h_f.jpg"> <img height=250 src="https://www.johnsonsjerseys.net/hockey/ncaa/cha/asu91_16h_b.jpg">
Garrett Peterson - Inaugural D-I Season</center>

I agree with your bullet points.
I disagree with your paragraphs. You are not keeping up with the plans, but that is ok as they are not being made highly public.
I do notice that on many topics concerning many teams you appear to either have a grudge or a highly negative approach about the conversations. You display it by driving a point to the nth degree. You're beating dead horses over and over.
I am just stating my perception of your comments.

 

[gfmorris]

Re: WCHA 2020-21: We Can Do Better than Two Bids and Eight Teams Exiting

You display it by driving a point to the nth degree. You're beating dead horses over and over.
I am just stating my perception of your comments.

He went to Tech. It is the way of his people.

GFM

 

[davyd83]

But when you stand up in the press box can you touch the ceiling? No? That’s what I thought. ;-)

The Madhouse in Mercer is among the finest college rinks I can touch the ceiling at. And the group of BG fans that sit in front of me are terrific.

 

[Lost_Husky]

Re: WCHA 2020-21: We Can Do Better than Two Bids and Eight Teams Exiting

Press boxes are still in the same spot.

I mean, I think the higher expectation is due to the recent(5-7 years) success of the program, in which time they’ve made major upgrades, most importantly in areas that help recruiting with the players lounge, weight room, locker room, etc.

It’s a city owned multi use Civic Center, and prior to Mike Hastings arriving, the University never truly committed to hockey, which meant the city never really felt it needed to.

Yes. I think the city was looking for something to breath life back into downtown. If memory serves me wasn't the Civic Center built before MnSU went D1 in hockey?

 

[moose97]

Re: WCHA 2020-21: We Can Do Better than Two Bids and Eight Teams Exiting

Yes. I think the city was looking for something to breath life back into downtown. If memory serves me wasn't the Civic Center built before MnSU went D1 in hockey?

It was voted on in '92 & opened in '95. Mankato's first DI season was '96-'97