UConn Hockey 2012-13

[Adios]

That was a great game. UMass-Lowell's goalie was luckily defeated. Now QU is up, 3-0. Anyone want to car pool to Pittsburgh?

 

[Joe Menchetti]

Why can't Gampel be adapted into a multi-use facility? Pull back some seats, & freeze some water. It has to be easier than adding almost 2,000. seats, which they have already done. When the basketball practice facility is ready, there shouldn't be too many issues as to who has access to Gampel. Games only.

 

[SubbaBub]

Why can't Gampel be adapted into a multi-use facility? Pull back some seats, & freeze some water. It has to be easier than adding almost 2,000. seats, which they have already done. When the basketball practice facility is ready, there shouldn't be too many issues as to who has access to Gampel. Games only.

Basketball courts are 94' long. Hockey rinks are 200' long. Gampel would require a nearly complete rebuild.

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[kingdobbs]

Why can't Gampel be adapted into a multi-use facility? Pull back some seats, & freeze some water. It has to be easier than adding almost 2,000. seats, which they have already done. When the basketball practice facility is ready, there shouldn't be too many issues as to who has access to Gampel. Games only.

Gampel is a non-starter for many reasons.
1) Space there is already tight. Much of the room at "floor level", underneath all the seating on the upper tier, is classroom and office space.
2) The space that icemaking equipment takes up, particularly the refrigeration units and resurfacers, is not insignificant.
3) I know it doesn't seem like it because many arenas host both basketball and hockey, but an NHL-sized ice sheet is 200 ft x 85 ft (and international is 200x100), basically four times larger than an NBA/collegiate sized basketball court (which is 50' wide by 94' long).
4) 1 through 3 would necessitate the removal of the permanent lower-level seating, and the displacement of some if not a whole lot of the underground educational space, as well as needing to do a tear out of the concrete lower level to accommodate the refrigeration equipment (including tearing up some of the floor to put down the refrigeration pipes, which would then be either re-covered with sand or concrete).
5) The sightlines of the facility are designed for basketball, not hockey, and with the size of the ice sheet itself, there would be basically zero floor level seating. Everyone would be on top of the action, and that is a TERRIBLE view for hockey (the same complaint was made of US Airways Arena in Phoenix, before the Coyotes moved to a hockey-specific facility in Glendale).
6) UConn would still have to maintain a second rink anyway, since not only UConn hockey uses the skating facility. There's public skating (for UConn students as well as the community), the EO Smith team, and the Northeast Icedogs (local youth development program). Even with the basketball practice facility shouldering some of the basketball load, Gampel still hosts volleyball practices and games.
7) Between the expenses and dislocations of any renovation of Gampel, UConn is better off just upgrading Frietas either at its location or in a new space.

 

[HuskyDogArt]

Gampel is a non-starter for many reasons.
1) Space there is already tight. Much of the room at "floor level", underneath all the seating on the upper tier, is classroom and office space.
2) The space that icemaking equipment takes up, particularly the refrigeration units and resurfacers, is not insignificant.
3) I know it doesn't seem like it because many arenas host both basketball and hockey, but an NHL-sized ice sheet is 200 ft x 85 ft (and international is 200x100), basically four times larger than an NBA/collegiate sized basketball court (which is 50' wide by 94' long).
4) 1 through 3 would necessitate the removal of the permanent lower-level seating, and the displacement of some if not a whole lot of the underground educational space, as well as needing to do a tear out of the concrete lower level to accommodate the refrigeration equipment (including tearing up some of the floor to put down the refrigeration pipes, which would then be either re-covered with sand or concrete).
5) The sightlines of the facility are designed for basketball, not hockey, and with the size of the ice sheet itself, there would be basically zero floor level seating. Everyone would be on top of the action, and that is a TERRIBLE view for hockey (the same complaint was made of US Airways Arena in Phoenix, before the Coyotes moved to a hockey-specific facility in Glendale).
6) UConn would still have to maintain a second rink anyway, since not only UConn hockey uses the skating facility. There's public skating (for UConn students as well as the community), the EO Smith team, and the Northeast Icedogs (local youth development program). Even with the basketball practice facility shouldering some of the basketball load, Gampel still hosts volleyball practices and games.
7) Between the expenses and dislocations of any renovation of Gampel, UConn is better off just upgrading Frietas either at its location or in a new space.

If they could do it, renovate Gampel, it would cost as much as a new arena... what I'd like to see is a twin rink arena (one for UNConn hockey/one for EOSmith with 5000 seats. Maybe, just maybe, some of CT high schools will create hockey teams. IMHO, CT needs at least 3 more arenas for public schools to practice.

 

[Adios]

Still can't believe I'll be sitting at home for the Yale-QU championship game.

 

[kfalko]

Hats off to Yale for winning the national championship! I thought it was a hell of a game with high energy from both sides. Its games like that one that make me miss playing hockey!

 

[Adios]

That game came down to goalies. I am somewhat surprised Malcolm out-dueled Hartzell.

 

[Atthewall]

UConn Season Recap: http://goalmouthradio.com/?p=203