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Post by Pakachoag Phreek on Feb 3, 2020 19:58:57 GMT -5
PP - interesting article. It mentions that if any all-sports conference were to take over the Hockey East banner, it would be America East. UMass-Lowell, Vermont, UNH and Maine are already members. BU, Northeastern and Merrimack I imagine would all leave the PL, CAA and NEC respectively for the A-EAST if it meant cementing membership in the best hockey league in the country. As an alum who has followed HC exclusively in the PL era, I would be in favor of moving all sports to the A-East tomorrow if it meant getting into this hockey conference. Obviously, UMASS, BC, UConn and Providence would remain in as affiliates as the A-10, ACC and Big East won't be sponsoring ice hockey anytime soon. Although if ACTP had a vote in the proceedings, UCONN might end up being forced to pack their bags for the AHA. As I understood this very speculative article, schools that are not presently members of America East would become associate members of that conference for ice hockey, only. The author specifically cited the example of Notre Dame being an associate member of the Big Ten for ice hockey. (Johns Hopkins is similarly a Big Ten associate member for M/W lacrosse.) America East was named only because of the number of HE members that are full members of AE (other than football).
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Post by Pakachoag Phreek on Feb 3, 2020 20:10:20 GMT -5
Sacred Heart's audited financial statement from 2016 (if I want later years, I have to call the school, --not a good sign.) > Debt ($126 million) as of June 30, 2016 was not too bad. (HC was $160 million, June 30, 2019.) Based on that, I would say this new rink will be bought by issuing bonds. > Their endowment is poorly managed, no growth in endowment value in 2015 and 2016. > The endowment is so financially strained that the university distributes little of the endowment for university operations. Such paltry sums would not be allowed under Massachusetts law. mediad.publicbroadcasting.net/p/wshu/files/shu_audited_financials_6-30-16_final_0.pdf_____________________________ With financing costs, this is a $90+ million arena. It will NEVER pay for itself. SHU doesn't need 4,000 seats for Atlantic Hockey, or for ECAC hockey either. This rink, IMO, is their ticket to HE. Heaven forbid Fairfield spends $90 million and then BU, BC, Northeastern, Merrimack, UML and Maine say they don't want to drive through Worcester to get to Fairfield and vote for the Crusaders to join H.E.? I'm thinking there must be the promise of a good amount of donations for this white elephant to make any sense. From Moody's in 2017 (a year subsequent to the audited financial statement. The I-2 bond amount, valued at $27 million, is suspiciously close to the cost of a new chapel, which was paid for by a construction loan.
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Post by A Clock Tower Purple on Feb 3, 2020 20:23:56 GMT -5
My last conversation about HE with someone at HC who is in communication w/HE was they may be looking to go to 14 squads, not just adding one to make it 12, but that won't be decided until the new commish is seated, as current commish Joe Bertagna's retirement after this season has slowed expansion talks.
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Post by nycrusader2010 on Feb 3, 2020 20:50:58 GMT -5
My last conversation about HE with someone at HC who is in communication w/HE was they may be looking to go to 14 squads, not just adding one to make it 12, but that won't be decided until the new commish is seated, as current commish Joe Bertagna's retirement after this season has slowed expansion talks. What would be the incentive for Hockey East to want to expand to 14 teams? I know TV/media markets aren't really a major factor in hockey to the extent that they are in major college football and basketball.
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Post by longsuffering on Feb 3, 2020 21:14:43 GMT -5
Sacred Heart's audited financial statement from 2016 (if I want later years, I have to call the school, --not a good sign.) > Debt ($126 million) as of June 30, 2016 was not too bad. (HC was $160 million, June 30, 2019.) Based on that, I would say this new rink will be bought by issuing bonds. > Their endowment is poorly managed, no growth in endowment value in 2015 and 2016. > The endowment is so financially strained that the university distributes little of the endowment for university operations. Such paltry sums would not be allowed under Massachusetts law. mediad.publicbroadcasting.net/p/wshu/files/shu_audited_financials_6-30-16_final_0.pdf_____________________________ With financing costs, this is a $90+ million arena. It will NEVER pay for itself. SHU doesn't need 4,000 seats for Atlantic Hockey, or for ECAC hockey either. This rink, IMO, is their ticket to HE. Heaven forbid Fairfield spends $90 million and then BU, BC, Northeastern, Merrimack, UML and Maine say they don't want to drive through Worcester to get to Fairfield and vote for the Crusaders to join H.E.? I'm thinking there must be the promise of a good amount of donations for this white elephant to make any sense. Oops. I think I got Sacred Heart and Fairfield confused. Just substitute SHU for Fairfield please.
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Post by longsuffering on Feb 3, 2020 21:26:57 GMT -5
My last conversation about HE with someone at HC who is in communication w/HE was they may be looking to go to 14 squads, not just adding one to make it 12, but that won't be decided until the new commish is seated, as current commish Joe Bertagna's retirement after this season has slowed expansion talks. What would be the incentive for Hockey East to want to expand to 14 teams? I know TV/media markets aren't really a major factor in hockey to the extent that they are in major college football and basketball. 1) The management staff of a larger league makes more than the staff of a smaller league? 2) Entrance fees from new schools will be distributed to existing member schools?
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Post by sader1970 on Feb 3, 2020 21:39:23 GMT -5
Only on Crossports could a message board have 55 posts and hundreds of views on a subject not involving their own school and not even a school in their league/conference.
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Post by A Clock Tower Purple on Feb 3, 2020 21:57:44 GMT -5
Only on Crossports could a message board have 55 posts and hundreds of views on a subject not involving their own school and not even a school in their league/conference. SHU is in the same hockey conference as HC, and this is a hockey thread, but what you're saying applies to countless other threads.
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Post by sader1970 on Feb 4, 2020 5:17:41 GMT -5
Oh, sorry. I thought we were in the Hockey East conference. My bad.😂
Discuss.
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Post by longsuffering on Feb 4, 2020 12:00:35 GMT -5
You are two years ahead of yourself. We play in H.E. in 2022 at the DCU, our mascot is named Purple Pucky and he/she is adorable. The Railers have moved to Quebec City and the City of Worcester gave us free rent at the DCU because Polar Park has been so profitable.
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Post by longsuffering on Feb 4, 2020 18:29:53 GMT -5
The women's Beanpot tournament is on NESN now with Harvard vs Northeastern being played at BU's Walter Brown Arena. Since the BU men's team moved to Agannis Arena, the renovated Walter Brown Arena (3800 capacity-lower level all chairbacks) is one of the few on campus arenas dedicated to Women's Hockey.
I'm sure they keep the ice well used year round because of the urban location and with 20,000+ students needing recreation. The cost of building Agannis and renovating Walter Brown seems reasonable when spread over so many student activities fees. SHU and definitely HC have to be careful because there aren't as many student fees to contribute to the cost.
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Post by beachbound on Feb 5, 2020 22:32:52 GMT -5
Longsuffering, not much to report on this front from the previous weekend. I would say that there was a lot of disbelief that SHU has fully raised the funds for the Arena and it is a bit of a field of dreams, “if you build it, people will come”. Attendance is declining for college hockey similar to other NCAA sports. There was as many RIT fans as HC fans on Saturday night. Very little student support, especially compared to the hoop game in the afternoon. Unless a hockey supporter makes a huge donation, renting the DCU center makes the most sense.
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Post by timholycross on Feb 6, 2020 8:59:15 GMT -5
I think the issue w/HE adding 1 or 3 teams is: are there more players out there to recruit or are they diluting their product? If it was basketball, expansion would be fine, there's always more of them around. Hockey, not so sure.
Also, the number of bids to the NCAAs isn't growing. Even with that league at 11 teams, the number of pretty good teams whose season ends in the first round or two of the league playoffs is pretty high.
I do agree with the interpretation that AE would have all 7 of those teams as associate members. Why on earth would they make Merrimack, BU and NU leave their conferences when those conferences, like the ones BC, UMass, PC and UConn are in; don't have hockey?
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woorat
Climbing Mt. St. James
Posts: 66
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Post by woorat on Feb 6, 2020 10:34:29 GMT -5
Whether HE ends up with 12 or 14 teams, it makes sense to add to the 11. This will create a balanced schedule. The other reason to go to 14 is how the top leagues look at the RPI. If you add 4 more league games (26 as opposed 20), playing top teams will increase your RPI. Hockey is the only sport that I am aware of that strictly goes by numbers, no subjectivity. Your win in October has the same weight as your win in March. What the committee has done, is remove a win against a weaker opponent dropping down in RPI. But a lose can really hurt you. If sacred Heart does, in fact, build this rink, let's hope HE goes to 14.
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Post by JRGNYR on Feb 7, 2020 8:59:46 GMT -5
PP - interesting article. It mentions that if any all-sports conference were to take over the Hockey East banner, it would be America East. UMass-Lowell, Vermont, UNH and Maine are already members. BU, Northeastern and Merrimack I imagine would all leave the PL, CAA and NEC respectively for the A-EAST if it meant cementing membership in the best hockey league in the country. As an alum who has followed HC exclusively in the PL era, I would be in favor of moving all sports to the A-East tomorrow if it meant getting into this hockey conference. Obviously, UMASS, BC, UConn and Providence would remain in as affiliates as the A-10, ACC and Big East won't be sponsoring ice hockey anytime soon. Although if ACTP had a vote in the proceedings, UCONN might end up being forced to pack their bags for the AHA. Those schools you mentioned will not leave their primary conferences for the A-East simply because of this rumored administrative change, if it even takes place. It's similar to when the MAAC sponsored hockey as a D1 league in the late 90s. Many of the schools joining the league happened to be MAAC schools, so it made sense that administratively that conference took the reins. HC wasn't going to leave the PL for the MAAC just because of hockey.
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Post by trimster on Mar 31, 2020 7:13:29 GMT -5
With the retirement of the HE Commissioner, I am sure that the new Commissioner will have marching orders to find a 12th team, among other things. This facility is a HUGE boost for Sacred Heart. They will be a perfect travel partner for UConn. If Holy Cross does not do anything soon, Sacred Heart will leave us in the dust. I still say to start fundraising for a multi use facility. We do not have to build it tomorrow, but we HAVE to build it! ADMB must get the ball rolling soon or we can forget about HE forever. I said in another post that time was running out. It is running out even quicker. Fairfield board has a link to an article in The NY Times about Sacred Heart’s commitment to hockey as evidenced by their 60 million dollar investment.
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Post by purplehaze on Mar 31, 2020 9:04:32 GMT -5
An article in my Ct paper yesterday said the SHU and other private colleges are postponing new construction projects because of the financial implications of the coronavirus on their budgets - this includes their new hockey arena so things might be changing
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Post by lou on Mar 31, 2020 9:17:13 GMT -5
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Post by longsuffering on Mar 31, 2020 20:40:44 GMT -5
Fair is fair. If SHU gets the $60 million rink built in this suddenly changed economy they have bought and paid for that last spot in H.E.
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Post by A Clock Tower Purple on Mar 31, 2020 22:01:39 GMT -5
As I've mentioned before, there's not necessarily only one HE spot up for grabs. Could be three.
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Post by timholycross on Apr 1, 2020 9:50:01 GMT -5
With the number of NCAA tournament bids so small (16); joining a 14 team SEC-like hockey league might have its drawbacks as well.
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Post by Crucis#1 on Apr 1, 2020 10:42:44 GMT -5
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Post by purplehaze on May 5, 2020 9:50:23 GMT -5
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Post by Pakachoag Phreek on May 5, 2020 12:05:59 GMT -5
"The college also froze hiring for all open and new positions, eliminated merit raises in the coming fiscal year, suspended retirement plan matches for three months, and opted against starting any budget-funded construction projects, according to Petillo's message to employees, dated March 27."
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Post by timholycross on May 5, 2020 15:33:59 GMT -5
Unless the money was from a bunch of donations earmarked for this project; fugettaboutit.
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