Anyone who freaks out that UConn isn't using the charity game at Taft (which is closer to Sacred Heart) in their attendance numbers is a turd, plain and simple.
Agreed. Every dollar that was raised by having that game there at Taft was donated to Jay Pagni's family. The game was organized and arranged by a friend of mine during a round of golf early last spring. I don't know Mike Cavanaugh at all, but I know a lot of local coaches. I don't think Cavanaugh knew Jay much beyond running in the same New England hockey circles, but when Jay died last January in that car wreck in North Haven, almost a year now, amazing how fast time goes. Nobody really wants to know what did happen that night with Jay, but people locally starting talking immediately about what could be done about raising some money quick for his daughters and wife. Sacred Heart and UCONN had already scheduled a non-conf game, and through meaningful communication, and tribute really to Jay and is involvement in youth hockey and prep school hockey, it was first agreed ,that the game would be played at Avon Old Farms - where Jay was a fixture - but the capacity there isn't great, so the game was moved to the Taft rink which provided the largest crowd capacity from a prep school, willing to hold this kind of event - all money earning potential for an event that was going to be entirely charity. To my knowledge, Taft ate all the regular costs of putting the game on, including providing shuttle transportation from off site parking, and every dollar raised through donations, ticket sales, concessions, etc - went to Jay's family. Also - to my knowledge, this is the only time that a division 1 NCAA hockey game - nationally - has ever been played at a high school level prep school arena - never mind that it was a 100% charity event.
That game was a one of kind, and one time event, highly unlikely to ever be repeated, and really reading the discussion here on this thread is pretty disgusting to me. When good things happen in this world, they should not be soiled. So that's why I shared.