UConn Hockey: Limiting Mistakes Is Focus For RPI

[TheDoggPound]

http://www.courant.com/sports/uconn-huskies/hc-uconn-hockey-1118-20141117-story.html

 

[huskymedic]

UConnMHOC Nov 17, 3:47pm via Twitter for Websites
Huskies Host RPI Tuesday at XL Center to Open Homestand #BleedBlue uconnhuskies.com/sports/m-hocke…

 

[SubbaBub]

Quiet night at the XL. Points to playing most games on campus.

 

[WestHartHusk]

Quiet night at the XL. Points to playing most games on campus.

4,000 on a weeknight is solid for a college hockey team.

 

[upstater]

4,000 on a weeknight is solid for a college hockey team.

Yep, that's actually a very good number.

 

[WestHartHusk]

We will also have over 6k Friday and Saturday.

 

[huskypantz]

We could be in the top 10-15 for attendance nationally in year 1 of HE. That is phenomenal.

 

[Dooley]

Good number. Very quiet. Typical XL crowd.

Good game by the good guys. 1st period and OT looked sluggish. Had some really good chances in the 3rd. Looking forward to the weekend!

 

[brasssbonanzaa]

But 4K in a 16K arena is more reason to put the games on campus - it's a very solid number for a ho-hum Tuesday game, but that 4K would make for a much better home ice advantage in an intimate 5-6K arena.

 

[Jarhead_1775]

But 4K in a 16K arena is more reason to put the games on campus - it's a very solid number for a ho-hum Tuesday game, but that 4K would make for a much better home ice advantage in an intimate 5-6K arena.

Still think you get 4k to come all the way to campus for a ho hum Tuesday game? I dunno.

 

[brasssbonanzaa]

Still think you get 4k to come all the way to campus for a ho hum Tuesday game? I dunno.

Yes, more students will show be likely to show up, easily offsetting the lazy people who don't want to drive past Hartford. Not to mention making it more accessible to people in the eastern part of the state. Games cannot be in Hartford in any way for the long term. It will harm the overall success of the program.

 

[upstater]

Still think you get 4k to come all the way to campus for a ho hum Tuesday game? I dunno.

Maybe not a paying 4k, but certainly 1k in hockey fans and 4k in students.

 

[huskymedic]

UConnMHOC 10:47pm via Twitter for Websites
Final Wrap - UConn and Rensselaer Skate to 1-1 Tie #BleedBlue uconnhuskies.com/sports/m-hocke…

UConnMHOC 10:50pm via iOS
UConn Men's Hockey Post Game v. RPI, November 18, 2014 youtu.be/WVH-pWRjYc4?ac

 

[TheDoggPound]

Yes, more students will show be likely to show up, easily offsetting the lazy people who don't want to drive past Hartford. Not to mention making it more accessible to people in the eastern part of the state. Games cannot be in Hartford in any way for the long term. It will harm the overall success of the program.

Some games will still be in Hartford. Face reality. Your concerns that it will negatively impact the program are silly.

 

[TheDoggPound]

Maybe not a paying 4k, but certainly 1k in hockey fans and 4k in students.

I'm a bit skeptical they'd get 4,000 students to a Tuesday game vs. RPI. Students don't even want to go to the Men's basketball games vs. inferior opponents so it's hard to imagine they would for hockey but who knows.

 

[IceBus]

Playing in Hartford will underwrite this program. The only reason I could see UConn stopping playing its games in Hartford is if Hartford got an NHL team, then UConn might want to build their fanbase on campus instead. But right now they are kings of central CT and Storrs with no competition (AHL draws a different demographic) and they would be nuts to stop doing what they're doing.

 

[zls44]

The only games that should be CONSIDERED for Hartford once they build an on-campus facility are BU & BC- end argument.

 

[TheDoggPound]

The only games that should be CONSIDERED for Hartford once they build an on-campus facility are BU & BC- end argument.

And ND. End argument.

 

[dbmill]

I suspect that when all is said and done that there will be UConn hockey games in Hartford when UConn is either on Thanksgiving or Christmas break. After all, there won't be too many students on campus during those vacation breaks to attend games in Storrs.

 

[zls44]

I suspect that when all is said and done that there will be UConn hockey games in Hartford when UConn is either on Thanksgiving or Christmas break. After all, there won't be too many students on campus during those vacation breaks to attend games in Storrs.

That's fair, though there aren't many games during that period.

 

[IceBus]

UConn will be playing almost all its home games at the XL Center for a very long time. The Storrs facility will be mainly women's games and smaller non-conference men's opponents and exhibitions.. if that. That's it!

 

[huskymedic]

UConn will be playing almost all its home games at the XL Center for a very long time. The Storrs facility will be mainly women's games and smaller non-conference men's opponents and exhibitions.. if that. That's it!

Source?

 

[HuskyHawk]

UConn will be playing almost all its home games at the XL Center for a very long time. The Storrs facility will be mainly women's games and smaller non-conference men's opponents and exhibitions.. if that. That's it!

That's nonsense. They wouldn't build it for that because the current rink is fine for that purpose. As stated, XL will be used for highly sought after games, BC, BU, ND...games we might have against Michigan or what have you. I think it makes sense during winter break as well. Everything else will be on campus.

 

[Adios]

The ECAC IS a good conference. The HE has it's roots in it.

 

[brasssbonanzaa]

Some games will still be in Hartford. Face reality. Your concerns that it will negatively impact the program are silly.

Sorry, but the sooner you and everyone at UConn realize this is flat out wrong, the better the program will be. Here's why:

Hockey players, like most athletes, are creatures of force of habit. It is a great advantage to practice where you play your home games, to understand how the puck bounces off the board, the glass, how the angles of the sideboards play, how the height of the glass plays. It is fundamentally impossible to replicate the same set of boards and glass in two different places. I doubt UConn practices much at XL, at least anything beyond a gameday skate. That would mean that nearly all practice occurs on a completely different ice surface than they play. UConn would be the ONLY school in the entire country with this setup. This is an ENORMOUS recruiting disadvantage. Recruit A can come to UConn and practice on campus, but then have to get on a bus for 30 minutes to go play his home games on an older, completely different surface. Or he can go to Quinnipiac where can practice and play at the same facility on campus.

Not to mention, game times in Hartford will be at odd times since BB and the Wolfpack have scheduling rights ahead of UConn. The XL owners own the Wolfpack too, so that pecking order won't be changing. This means lots of day games, Tuesday games, and other scheduling oddities. Let me tell you, Hockey East teams aren't going to be happy with a plethora of 3:30 Saturday games in Hartford because of a night WP game, after playing the night before. And UConn's club will hate it as well. It's a serious disadvantage.

These are realities, there are more but I don't have time to keep gonig. If they want to play a game or two a year in Hartford, that's one thing and everyone will accept it. But to maintain any sort of regular schedule in Hartford WILL hamper the program from a recruiting and success standpoint. I've been rigorously following the ins and outs of this sport for over a decade, I'm not pulling this out of thin air. The games need to be on campus.