Yale Off Season 2013-2014 "That was fun... May we have another?"

[goblue78]

Re: Yale Off Season 2013-2014 "That was fun... May we have another?"

Entirely in agreement with yalehockeyfan. It doesn't help that we actually lost to SHU a couple of years ago and to Holy Cross last year (thought they were a TUC). Yale needed every bit of OOC mojo they could muster just to make it into the tournament. Without both OT wins in Colorado, they're out. (Though to be fair, had they beaten HC they would have been in much easier.)

What people miss in this calculation is that Yale's ECAC record for the last two years has been far from outstanding. A weak OOC record can be made up for with great in-league performance, but the 12-8-2 sort of ECAC records will kill you against that kind of OOC.

 

[matt]

Re: Yale Off Season 2013-2014 "That was fun... May we have another?"

Entirely in agreement with yalehockeyfan. It doesn't help that we actually lost to SHU a couple of years ago and to Holy Cross last year (thought they were a TUC). Yale needed every bit of OOC mojo they could muster just to make it into the tournament. Without both OT wins in Colorado, they're out. (Though to be fair, had they beaten HC they would have been in much easier.)

What people miss in this calculation is that Yale's ECAC record for the last two years has been far from outstanding. A weak OOC record can be made up for with great in-league performance, but the 12-8-2 sort of ECAC records will kill you against that kind of OOC.

Of course, if Yale had beaten Holy Cross last year, then Holy Cross wouldn't have been a TUC.
Bottom line is, it's very hard to work up anything positive on the resume when the opponents are AHA, Ivies, and lesser teams of Hockey East. They'll need to win 20, at least, to get in to the tournament.

 

[LTsatch]

Re: Yale Off Season 2013-2014 "That was fun... May we have another?"

Agreed, a very poor schedule. The resurgence of the ecac as a whole will offset some of the strength of schedule concerns, but not enough to make up for this mess.

 

[BigDEli]

Re: Yale Off Season 2013-2014 "That was fun... May we have another?"

Agreed, a very poor schedule. The resurgence of the ecac as a whole will offset some of the strength of schedule concerns, but not enough to make up for this mess.

One thing to remember about SHU is that their head coach is CJ Marottolo, a long-time Yale assistant, so there is a connection there. It doesn't make the game any better, but there's a reason SHU has shown up on the schedule a few times over the last couple of seasons.

As to the larger problem, I completely agree that the Liberty/Ivy whatever is pretty terrible. Makes no sense to have ECAC teams taking up OOC games. If the concern is the late start, then front-load the SHU/HC type games and get some experience against the weaker part of your schedule. Or set up a yearly "CT Cup" with UConn, SHU, and QU instead, so at least one of those two early games is non-ECAC.

One problem in the past is that Yale has been a trap game for "upper-tier" HE programs for 15 years or more... a tough game against a team that everyone expects you to beat, and Yale has a "bad loss" for those teams enough to maybe make them tougher to schedule than they should be otherwise. I think going forward (though maybe not as soon as 2014-15) I would expect the schedule to get better again as a bi-product of the national championship... Yale should have the cache now to be worth scheduling.

 

[FlagDUDE08]

Re: Yale Off Season 2013-2014 "That was fun... May we have another?"

One thing to remember about SHU is that their head coach is CJ Marottolo, a long-time Yale assistant, so there is a connection there. It doesn't make the game any better, but there's a reason SHU has shown up on the schedule a few times over the last couple of seasons.

As to the larger problem, I completely agree that the Liberty/Ivy whatever is pretty terrible. Makes no sense to have ECAC teams taking up OOC games. If the concern is the late start, then front-load the SHU/HC type games and get some experience against the weaker part of your schedule. Or set up a yearly "CT Cup" with UConn, SHU, and QU instead, so at least one of those two early games is non-ECAC.

One problem in the past is that Yale has been a trap game for "upper-tier" HE programs for 15 years or more... a tough game against a team that everyone expects you to beat, and Yale has a "bad loss" for those teams enough to maybe make them tougher to schedule than they should be otherwise. I think going forward (though maybe not as soon as 2014-15) I would expect the schedule to get better again as a bi-product of the national championship... Yale should have the cache now to be worth scheduling.

One thing you could also do with that Connecticut Cup is to have set opponents (i.e. you ALWAYS play UCONN and Sacred Heart).

 

[matt]

Re: Yale Off Season 2013-2014 "That was fun... May we have another?"

One thing to remember about SHU is that their head coach is CJ Marottolo, a long-time Yale assistant, so there is a connection there. It doesn't make the game any better, but there's a reason SHU has shown up on the schedule a few times over the last couple of seasons.

As to the larger problem, I completely agree that the Liberty/Ivy whatever is pretty terrible. Makes no sense to have ECAC teams taking up OOC games. If the concern is the late start, then front-load the SHU/HC type games and get some experience against the weaker part of your schedule. Or set up a yearly "CT Cup" with UConn, SHU, and QU instead, so at least one of those two early games is non-ECAC.

One problem in the past is that Yale has been a trap game for "upper-tier" HE programs for 15 years or more... a tough game against a team that everyone expects you to beat, and Yale has a "bad loss" for those teams enough to maybe make them tougher to schedule than they should be otherwise. I think going forward (though maybe not as soon as 2014-15) I would expect the schedule to get better again as a bi-product of the national championship... Yale should have the cache now to be worth scheduling.

Note that, after this first year, the Liberty tourney will be Yale and Princeton along with two Hockey East teams, so there will be at least one Hockey East game there (the Hockey East teams in rotation are supposedly UMass-Lowell, Maine, UMass, Vermont and Maine).

Also, in 2014-15, Yale will be playing a western swing.

So the OOC schedule in 2014-15 will be fine.
And hopefully after that as well, as maybe the championship will help lure some name OOC teams to come to Connecticut.
Note that Cornell hosted North Dakota and Colorado within the past 4 seasons, if they can do that then I expect Yale can draw comparable teams out East.

 

[FlagDUDE08]

Re: Yale Off Season 2013-2014 "That was fun... May we have another?"

Note that, after this first year, the Liberty tourney will be Yale and Princeton along with two Hockey East teams, so there will be at least one Hockey East game there (the Hockey East teams in rotation are supposedly UMass-Lowell, Maine, UMass, Vermont and Maine).

Also, in 2014-15, Yale will be playing a western swing.

So the OOC schedule in 2014-15 will be fine.
And hopefully after that as well, as maybe the championship will help lure some name OOC teams to come to Connecticut.
Note that Cornell hosted North Dakota and Colorado within the past 4 seasons, if they can do that then I expect Yale can draw comparable teams out East.

Cornell also has a lot of history behind it, so that's not surprising. Not to mention, Colorado College (I assume you mean them and not Denver) has former RPI AD Ken Ralph, so that helps with ECAC ties, although most of their ties as of late have been playing their D-III brethren.

It doesn't surprise me that Yale has western teams for 2014-15. Had Yale made it to the Frozen Four two years ago, as well as the tourney last year (not this past year, the one before), they'd have high caliber teams on the schedule this year.

 

[yalehockeyfan]

Re: Yale Off Season 2013-2014 "That was fun... May we have another?"

"yearly "CT Cup" with UConn, SHU, and QU instead, so at least one of those two early games is non-ECAC. "

Completely agree. That would make the most sense of way to start the season, I like it....make it s 4 year contract- rotate between 4 sites hosting. Would be fun to go visit SHU and UConn home ice rinks.

 

[FlagDUDE08]

Re: Yale Off Season 2013-2014 "That was fun... May we have another?"

"yearly "CT Cup" with UConn, SHU, and QU instead, so at least one of those two early games is non-ECAC. "

Completely agree. That would make the most sense of way to start the season, I like it....make it s 4 year contract- rotate between 4 sites hosting. Would be fun to go visit SHU and UConn home ice rinks.

Why not try it for a year or two in Hartford at the XL, or perhaps Harbor Yard? Do Mohegan or Foxwoods have rinks? Granted there have been a lot of attempts at Beanpot replicas (Governor's Cup in NY, now the Minnesota Cup this coming up January)...

 

[LTsatch]

Re: Yale Off Season 2013-2014 "That was fun... May we have another?"

Why not try it for a year or two in Hartford at the XL, or perhaps Harbor Yard? Do Mohegan or Foxwoods have rinks? Granted there have been a lot of attempts at Beanpot replicas (Governor's Cup in NY, now the Minnesota Cup this coming up January)...

No ice at either Casino. Harbor Yard would be perfect. SHU needs to step up a little in skill for this to be competitive, they have declined greatly in the past two seasons.

 

[Let's Go BLUE!!!]

No ice at either Casino. Harbor Yard would be perfect. SHU needs to step up a little in skill for this to be competitive, they have declined greatly in the past two seasons.

Didn't they beat yale 2 years go 11-0? I was there, I not remember the final score, except that we got creamed.

 

[LTsatch]

Re: Yale Off Season 2013-2014 "That was fun... May we have another?"

Didn't they beat yale 2 years go 11-0? I was there, I not remember the final score, except that we got creamed.

I think it was 5-0, that said, I think SHU has won less than ten games total in the last two seasons. They came very close to a winless season this past year. Three years ago they were competing in the AHA playoffs and knocking off Air Force at the Ice Pavilion, just not sure why they really dropped of the map.

 

[goblue78]

Re: Yale Off Season 2013-2014 "That was fun... May we have another?"

Actually it was a 7-6 loss to SHU in a game in which Yale outshot them 53-19 in front of a "crowd" of 754: http://www.nhregister.com/articles/...4ecc7c0bd23a7563881046.txt?viewmode=fullstory
In the 2010 game, Yale won 5-1.

 

[FlagDUDE08]

Re: Yale Off Season 2013-2014 "That was fun... May we have another?"

I think it was 5-0, that said, I think SHU has won less than ten games total in the last two seasons. They came very close to a winless season this past year. Three years ago they were competing in the AHA playoffs and knocking off Air Force at the Ice Pavilion, just not sure why they really dropped of the map.

Bear Trapp graduated? No wait, that was 2009...

 

[YaleDad]

Re: Yale Off Season 2013-2014 "That was fun... May we have another?"

Forward Hayden and Defenseman O'Keefe both accelerated to join Yale as freshmen this upcoming season.

 

[FlagDUDE08]

Re: Yale Off Season 2013-2014 "That was fun... May we have another?"

Has your game with Vermont moved? Both you and Dartmouth are playing them on the same day.

 

[matt]

Re: Yale Off Season 2013-2014 "That was fun... May we have another?"

Has your game with Vermont moved? Both you and Dartmouth are playing them on the same day.

Boy, are THEY going to be tired!

 

[LTsatch]

Re: Yale Off Season 2013-2014 "That was fun... May we have another?"

Forward Hayden and Defenseman O'Keefe both accelerated to join Yale as freshmen this upcoming season.

So who is bumped? Heisenbergs list still shows them as 2014 recruits.

 

[electpuck]

Re: Yale Off Season 2013-2014 "That was fun... May we have another?"

So who is bumped? Heisenbergs list still shows them as 2014 recruits.

The D makes sense. He might be the 7 th healthy D(8th if Carrocio(sp) comes back from injury.) The forward would be my question with 4 coming in. Hayden would be the 5th, and make the 17th healthy forward. It makes me wonder about Weberg's health. Perhaps, there is a question about Weberg's health. Yale Dad must have good sources.

 

[FlagDUDE08]

Re: Yale Off Season 2013-2014 "That was fun... May we have another?"

The D makes sense. He might be the 7 th healthy D(8th if Carrocio(sp) comes back from injury.) The forward would be my question with 4 coming in. Hayden would be the 5th, and make the 17th healthy forward. It makes me wonder about Weberg's health. Perhaps, there is a question about Weberg's health. Yale Dad must have good sources.

Another bolt to the pros is also possible. Not surprising for a team that has brought home the hardware everyone wants.