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Post by beachbound on Apr 25, 2020 21:35:46 GMT -5
True...I just know that when they went to AIC over winter break, they spent the previous night in a hotel. I don't think it's still true, but it used to be that they stayed in a hotel for the entire winter break and all the dorms were closed I graduated in ‘93, and we stayed in hotels during winter break. Looking back, I had a ton of fun during those winter breaks with my teammates and the hoop teams but probably not the best prep for our winter break games. No clue if that is what the current teams still do.
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Post by beachbound on Apr 25, 2020 21:51:09 GMT -5
That sounds too much like being in the entertainment business for it to happen. Our women's team is already in the league. There is ZERO CHANCE we would decline the opportunity. The 2 biggest surprises from ADMB webinar was that the men’s hockey team had full scholarships and second, the women’s hockey team didn’t. How do you put the women’s team into Hockey East and not give them 18 scholarships. That is setting them up to fail. It also puts more pressure on Berard. Yes, the admission process and the facilities make recruiting more difficult, but 18 full rides should produce better recruits. Buy outs probably can’t happen in this environment, but hopefully ADMB is putting a lot of pressure on Berard.
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Post by nycrusader2010 on Apr 26, 2020 8:05:35 GMT -5
I don't think it's still true, but it used to be that they stayed in a hotel for the entire winter break and all the dorms were closed I graduated in ‘93, and we stayed in hotels during winter break. Looking back, I had a ton of fun during those winter breaks with my teammates and the hoop teams but probably not the best prep for our winter break games. No clue if that is what the current teams still do. I know by 2006 they opened the dorms for winter athletes over winter break -- not sure if it's still the case. I was seeing a women's hockey player for a time so I would go up to campus to visit a couple times during the holiday. I'd catch a hoops game at the Hart, grab some 99 downtown and then crash in Mulledy -- not a bad life.
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Post by HC92 on Apr 26, 2020 10:05:26 GMT -5
I graduated in ‘93, and we stayed in hotels during winter break. Looking back, I had a ton of fun during those winter breaks with my teammates and the hoop teams but probably not the best prep for our winter break games. No clue if that is what the current teams still do. I know by 2006 they opened the dorms for winter athletes over winter break -- not sure if it's still the case. I was seeing a women's hockey player for a time so I would go up to campus to visit a couple times during the holiday. I'd catch a hoops game at the Hart, grab some 99 downtown and then crash in Mulledy -- not a bad life. Did she eventually figure out your real reason for visiting her was to have a free place to stay after the 99 dinner and hoop game?
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Post by Pakachoag Phreek on Apr 26, 2020 10:56:29 GMT -5
Our women's team is already in the league. There is ZERO CHANCE we would decline the opportunity. The 2 biggest surprises from ADMB webinar was that the men’s hockey team had full scholarships and second, the women’s hockey team didn’t. How do you put the women’s team into Hockey East and not give them 18 scholarships. That is setting them up to fail. It also puts more pressure on Berard. Yes, the admission process and the facilities make recruiting more difficult, but 18 full rides should produce better recruits. Buy outs probably can’t happen in this environment, but hopefully ADMB is putting a lot of pressure on Berard. The women;'s team is ramping up to full scollies; I believe the team is a year away from having the full complement. If HC added one additional scollie per year for men's ice hockey (in going from 14 to 18) the first would be 2017-18, the second 2018-19, the third 2019-2020, and the fourth would be 2020-2021.
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Post by longsuffering on Apr 26, 2020 13:38:42 GMT -5
Even though HC did not build a new rink or expand the current one, that is an increased investment in hockey especially since the women couldn't receive athletic scholarships when HC played a D-3 schedule, I believe. When it is mentioned that the Hart Center ice rink is a disadvantage to Holy Cross in recruiting and/or moving up to H.E., I take it as fact. Ironically however it is just about the perfect size and location for the two hockey program's current needs and the DCU will now be available on an as needed basis if ticket demand exceeds the 1500 capacity of the Hart. . As an older person, I like comfortable chair back seats, but you can't have everything and with Covid-19 who knows when large crowds will be allowed or popular again.
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Post by HC92 on Apr 26, 2020 15:02:09 GMT -5
Even though HC did not build a new rink or expand the current one, that is an increased investment in hockey especially since the women couldn't receive athletic scholarships when HC played a D-3 schedule, I believe. When it is mentioned that the Hart Center ice rink is a disadvantage to Holy Cross in recruiting and/or moving up to H.E., I take it as fact. Ironically however it is just about the perfect size and location for the two hockey program's current needs and the DCU will now be available on an as needed basis if ticket demand exceeds the 1500 capacity of the Hart. . As an older person, I like comfortable chair back seats, but you can't have everything and with Covid-19 who knows when large crowds will be allowed or popular again. HE has a minimum size requirement for each member’s home rink for men’s games. So it’s disqualifying rather than just a disadvantage. We’d need to commit to playing all of our home league games in the DCU and/or maybe make a firm commitment to expand the Hart rink at some point in the future. So far, UConn has been allowed to play at the XL Center in Hartford. There have been plans over the years to build out their on-campus arena but don’t know where that stands at the moment.
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Post by Crucis#1 on Apr 26, 2020 18:45:58 GMT -5
www.courant.com/sports/uconn-huskies/hc-sp-uconn-hockey-arena-20191206-20191206-vhhf4p6mnbet3pgz5uo3htfwye-story.htmlAccordingly to the Hartford Courant article dated December 6, 2019, the new UConn rink plans to open in 2021, is under review. According to the report, the rink will seat only 2500. It appears that the men’s team will still play games in the XL Center. In light of the pandemic, Hockey East should reevaluate their seating requirements for an on campus facility. For the foreseeable future, especially with social distancing, crowd size will be limited until there are therapeutic pharmaceuticals widely available. For distribution.
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Post by HC92 on Apr 26, 2020 20:09:49 GMT -5
Found this in a May 2019 scoping document for the UConn arena. I’m sure things have changed since then but this was the original plan. It’s a little vague on exactly what HE agreed to or what men’s games could be played there.
“Because the current Freitas Ice Forum is too small and does not meet Hockey East standards and requirements to host UConn’s men’s hockey games, UConn has had to play almost all its home men’s hockey games in the XL Center in Hartford for the last four years. The Hockey East Association requires teams in the conference to have facilities with at least 4,000 seats along with other amenities. UConn has obtained permission from Hockey East to build a smaller venue with 2,500 seats so long as the arena’s design allows for potential expansion to 3,500 seats in the future. The new arena will host some men’s hockey games, all women’s hockey games and will also support UConn’s robust recreational ice hockey program.”
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Post by HC92 on Apr 26, 2020 20:13:43 GMT -5
And this from an April 6, 2020 environmental impact evaluation:
Because the current Freitas Ice Forum is too small and does not meet Hockey East standards and requirements to host UConn’s men’s hockey games, UConn has played most of its men’s home hockey games in the XL Center in Hartford since the 2014-2015 season. The Hockey East Association requires teams in the conference to have on-campus facilities with at least 4,000 seats along with other amenities, however UConn has obtained permission from Hockey East to build a venue with lower seating capacity.
The proposed development will include:
Facilities adhering to NCAA Division I Ice Hockey requirements, Hockey East Conference standards, and University guidelines and requirements Up to 3,500 seats, with up to 50% seat-back chairs; the balance being bleachers Locker rooms and office space Site improvements and parking for up to 700 vehicles Construction is currently planned to commence in fall 2020, with a targeted opening date in fall 2022.
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Post by longsuffering on Apr 26, 2020 20:27:25 GMT -5
And this from an April 6, 2020 environmental impact evaluation: Because the current Freitas Ice Forum is too small and does not meet Hockey East standards and requirements to host UConn’s men’s hockey games, UConn has played most of its men’s home hockey games in the XL Center in Hartford since the 2014-2015 season. The Hockey East Association requires teams in the conference to have on-campus facilities with at least 4,000 seats along with other amenities, however UConn has obtained permission from Hockey East to build a venue with lower seating capacity. The proposed development will include: Facilities adhering to NCAA Division I Ice Hockey requirements, Hockey East Conference standards, and University guidelines and requirements Up to 3,500 seats, with up to 50% seat-back chairs; the balance being bleachers Locker rooms and office space Site improvements and parking for up to 700 vehicles Construction is currently planned to commence in fall 2020, with a targeted opening date in fall 2022. The plans to begin construction in 2020 may be on a ventilator.
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Post by crusader12 on Apr 28, 2020 14:50:21 GMT -5
DCU may want HC now more than ever...
WORCESTER — The COVID-19 pandemic has led to the cancellation or postponement of 42 events at the DCU Center, and has left the city-owned facility cash-strapped and without any event-related revenue coming in.
That has forced ASM Global, the company that operates the DCU Center for the city, to lay off nine employees and put most of its other employees on some level of furlough, according to Sandy Dunn, the facility’s general manager.
All total, she said, 96% of the DCU Center’s employees have been impacted.
“The biggest news for us obviously is the overwhelming number of cancellations and postponements we have had,” Dunn told the Civic Center Commission on Thursday. “We are at a screeching halt.”
The exhibition hall at the DCU Center is being used as a field hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic. Part of that facility is also being used as a shelter for homeless people who have tested COVID-positive.
Dunn said the 42 events are ones that will not occur this fiscal year, which ends June 30.
She said there have been discussions about postponing many of those events, but even if they are held later it would represent a loss of income for this fiscal year.
Dunn said the DCU Center is working on returning the deposits for events that are canceled. Deposits for events that might be postponed are being held.
Events that have been canceled include college and high school graduations. The DCU had planned to host about 30 of them.
Dunn said some schools have chosen to have virtual graduations, while others are considering having their graduations during the summer. She added that some colleges are even considering holding two graduation ceremonies on the same day next year — one in the morning for 2020 graduates, and one in the afternoon for the class of 2021.
There has been no word yet on what the Worcester public schools plan to do for high school graduations.
With no events being held at the DCU Center, Dunn said, she and her staff have been talking to city officials about cost mitigation measures for the facility. She said the mitigation efforts include reducing utility usage, requesting service providers to put their contracts on hold for a couple of months, enhancing collection efforts for outstanding invoices and extending the DCU Center’s accounts payable.
“There’s no revenue coming in to the venue so we need to be looking at how we can reduce costs, which are then paid for by the city of Worcester,” Dunn said. “Pretty much everyone is working on a much smaller schedule, so we can generate some payroll savings. We remain open for business, but our cash flow situation is very concerning because there is no revenue coming in. We still have utility and other bills that have to be paid.”
The DCU Center has not been open for business since mid-March. Dunn said the months of February, March and April have historically been the strongest financial months for the venue, followed by May and June.
She said the DCU Center far exceeded revenue projections for the month of February, when it brought in $338,831. With that, she said, the facility was able to make up ground from some of the slower months that preceded it. But, she added, it unfortunately will not be able to make up for the loss of revenue over the last 3½ months of this fiscal year.
Dunn said the DCU Center continues to receive new bookings for future events. She said the Massachusetts Pirates indoor football team of the National Arena League is committed to still playing home games at the DCU Center, with the league looking at a mid-June start.
She said one option the team is considering is having games without spectators. But, she said, the problem with that is there are costs associated with opening and operating the facility, without any income coming in from ticket or concession sales to cover those costs.
Dunn said there is also a question about when public gatherings, whether they be for 200 people or 10,000 people, are going to be allowed again.
And an even bigger question is what kind of mitigation efforts are going to have to be put into place to allow places like the DCU Center to reopen.
Dunn said it is her guess that some kind of protection barrier will have to be installed at concession stands in the building to protect employees, and she wonders whether patrons will have to have their body temperatures taken before entering the facility.
“The impact from the industry is that there will be a change in how we go about doing business going forward,” she said. “Still to be determined is what kind of changes are going to have to be implemented and what the new protocol will now be for our new operating procedures, including those for our employees and the people attending events.”
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Post by timholycross on Apr 28, 2020 16:44:34 GMT -5
I don't want to see the Railers fail because of this; they've been good corporate citizens. If HC had a better product to sell, that's different.
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Post by cruskater31 on May 1, 2020 19:17:22 GMT -5
Could some one provide clarification for this non-econ major at HC: are we mentioning Coronavirus here because of the economic impact of the stock market on endowment as well as schools' liquid assets?
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Post by longsuffering on May 1, 2020 23:38:37 GMT -5
Could some one provide clarification for this non-econ major at HC: are we mentioning Coronavirus here because of the economic impact of the stock market on endowment as well as schools' liquid assets? Yes, plus colleges had to refund room and board money this semester and all campus facilities rental income has stopped and there is no visibility on campuses being open in the fall and who pays $50,000 for online education, and financial aid need will go up in a recession. It's a perfect storm.
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Post by HC92 on May 2, 2020 17:24:01 GMT -5
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Post by longsuffering on May 2, 2020 23:59:48 GMT -5
We win polls and press conferences.
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Post by purplehaze on May 13, 2020 19:32:56 GMT -5
With this virus crisis not going away anytime soon let’s hope hockey East with their new commissioner takes a close look at our ideal location for a 12th member while keeping costs under control
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Post by hc17 on May 14, 2020 10:24:25 GMT -5
As a pretty casual college hockey fan (I attend roughly 2 games or so a year), I'd ask those closer to HC Hockey, what would entry into Hockey East mean for the program and athletics as a whole? Does a move sew the seeds to HC becoming more of a "Hockey School"? Although we haven't had much to celebrate in recent years, dedication to a sport where there is only roughly 60 Division 1 programs, gives me reason for optimism. Given the current situation around the globe with COVID-19, many on this board have raised the issue of scheduling and to a greater extent conference realignment? Does Hockey East, with its foundation firmly in New England, produce a "Basketball East"? While BC, UConn, and Providence won't be leaving their current arrangement in basketball any time soon, it is fun to ponder.
On the very surface, we'd be playing in the premier east coast college hockey conference with matchups that should generate genuine intrigue (BC, BU, Northeastern, Providence, etc). Maybe HC athletics could actually conjure up something that resembles a rivalry. It'd be nice to actually catch an HC game on NESN opposed to resorting to quite frankly an unreliable streaming service. As others have pointed out, an arrangement with the DCU remains a sticking point, but from everything that I have read over the years, there is interest and a deal could be struck. Although the Hart roughly holds 1,600 people and falls under the 4,000 capacity threshold many throw out there, how does Merrimack participate with a smaller rink of 2,000 or so? Perhaps, they were grandfathered in? The New HE Commish has cited scheduling concerns with the current 11 teams in HE as a priority. With the women in the conference already, I do remain cautiously optimistic that we are next in line. With Hockey growing in popularity, it'd be nice to align ourselves with the HE member schools. Whether or not we control our destiny, I surely hope we don't make a Big East size mistake. For the sake of the students, alum, and supporters of HC athletics, give us something in what has already been a pretty dull decade of following HC sports!
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Post by bigfan on May 14, 2020 10:47:37 GMT -5
hc17 is right-on. HE is the way to go.
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Post by timholycross on May 14, 2020 16:11:00 GMT -5
Well, as Yogi Berra once said: "When you come to a fork in the road, take it".
That is, if we're offered (can't say that's any better than a 50/50 proposition), go for it.
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Post by longsuffering on May 14, 2020 17:27:08 GMT -5
It would be nice if the reality check of Covid-19's drastic financial crunch on colleges, causes the Hockey East PTB to reduce their emphasis on expensive requirements for new members and focus on location and quality of school. A good arrangement imo is to play games at the Hart and if that gets sold out regularly, begin to schedule games at the DCU. Perhaps there will be no fans allowed for a season or two until a vaccine is perfected anyway and maybe future large indoor gatherings will fall out of vogue for a few years so the capacity of the rink shouldn't be as big a factor as before covid-19.
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Post by hc17 on May 14, 2020 17:58:08 GMT -5
Hopefully that invitation will arrive sooner rather than later. Frankly, it would be the largest commitment to Athletics we’ve seen in years. The Luth provides a great infrastructure and Hockey East will provide the product. In other sports, the PL may allow us to be the best version of ourselves, but does little to the HC brand. A move to HE tilts the scale and puts Athletics back on the up.
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Post by HC92 on May 14, 2020 19:27:39 GMT -5
Hopefully that invitation will arrive sooner rather than later. Frankly, it would be the largest commitment to Athletics we’ve seen in years. The Luth provides a great infrastructure and Hockey East will provide the product. In other sports, the PL may allow us to be the best version of ourselves, but does little to the HC brand. A move to HE tilts the scale and puts Athletics back on the up. I love hockey and would love to see us in HE. That said, I don’t know that it really does a ton for the school unless we are consistently a top team in Hockey East which would be a very tall order for a number of reasons. There’s also no way the better teams in HE are going to agree to play in the Hart Center in its current form. Maybe if we could bump it to 3000 somehow but no chance at 1600 with no modern amenities.
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Post by rgs318 on May 14, 2020 19:35:06 GMT -5
Is there a required number of empty seats that would be needed (during this pandemic)?
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