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Post by bfoley82 on Mar 18, 2023 5:36:26 GMT -5
Navy doesn't have hockey unless the rumors of them adding it come true after 35 years....
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Post by newfieguy74 on Mar 18, 2023 6:00:19 GMT -5
There's a better chance he'd be leaving to join the Navy than to coach it.
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Post by matunuck on Mar 18, 2023 8:37:33 GMT -5
I do believe that if we decide to do little more than cosmetic upgrades to our rink Riga won’t stick around.
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Post by longsuffering on Mar 18, 2023 16:24:27 GMT -5
I do believe that if we decide to do little more than cosmetic upgrades to our rink Riga won’t stick around. That sounds reasonable. But thinking about making hugely sugnificant life decisions for oneself and family, the HC hockey facility is probably a modest consideration. Coach Riga was at Quinnipiac for sixteen years or so, is from Central Mass, and if he can pilot the Crusaders into the NCAA tournament in just his second year, it diminishes the Hart/Luth facilities as an obstacle to success at Holy Cross. Getting to the finals already has. I liked Coach Riga from the beginning. He wasn't an assistant coach who tic-tac-toed across the nation looking for better opportunities or whose previous team was looking for a better option. He stayed and contributed to the building of a solid program. I really hope he stays and think he will be a strong advocate for HC improving the current hockey facilities.
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Post by Crucis#1 on Mar 18, 2023 16:34:07 GMT -5
Just goes to show, that the right coach with scholarship support can turn around a program quickly regardless of facilities by the second year or third year. We have seen it in Football, WBB and hopefully tonight with a win for the AHA Championship.
A winning program will provide increase visibility in the community, and will garner the support for a substantial renovation of the rink.
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Post by matunuck on Mar 18, 2023 20:56:41 GMT -5
Riga has been very involved in pushing for a major upgrade to the facility. It’s subpar for the vision he has for the program, including the women’s.
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Post by beachbound on Mar 18, 2023 22:22:53 GMT -5
Even with tonight’s disappointment, Coach Riga has done a great job in 2 short years in making the HC Hockey program worthy of the school’s institutional support of 18 scholarships. Whether he is the Hockey equivalent of Coach Chesney, we will find out over the next couple of seasons. I am optimistic that we will be a top tier program in the AHA. I will also note that his success will also get noticed by others school who have invested even more in Hockey, especially our closest hockey rival that did not even make the AHA playoffs with a beautiful on campus arena and a certain school in Connecticut who just opened a splashy new 4000 seat facility and got bounced in the quarterfinals. We want to keep our good coaches, so we need to continue to support them. Continue hitting the transfer portal, there are other McLinskey’s out there that spent most of their seasons doing stats instead of playing, go get them. And give the alums a plan to make incremental improvements to the facility and what it costs. June is my 30th reunion, I do not have the financial resources to make much of a difference but I would certainly increase my support if I believed there was an actual plan in place.
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Post by bigfan on Mar 19, 2023 10:49:44 GMT -5
The school needs a new hockey rink to help in recruiting. With a new rink then they can join Hockey East for men. Games with BC, BU, Umass,Uconn, UNH, Maine, Providence etc will cut down on travel expenses.
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Post by longsuffering on Mar 19, 2023 13:03:36 GMT -5
The school needs a new hockey rink to help in recruiting. With a new rink then they can join Hockey East for men. Games with BC, BU, Umass,Uconn, UNH, Maine, Providence etc will cut down on travel expenses. Sacred Heart has a new arena and they didn't join Hockey East. If the Pioneers can get in, I'd be happy for them because I respect their investment in the new rink. But neither a new rink or HC women's hockey being a member necessarily allows HC to join H.E. over other schools such as SHU or Bentley. H.E. had Merrimack and UMass Lowell when they were D-2 schools overall so that's probably not an obstacle for Bentley and Waltham is a real quick hop for BU, BC, NU, UML. Winning will help, the performance of HC women's hockey can't be a good reference as to how HC Men could compete in H.E. It will be good to achieve full ramp up to maximum scholarships in Women's Hockey and see if they can compete in H.E. I'd love a new facility like everyone else. I know HC will do what it can with the funds they can raise for it. The endowment has a no dipping policy. If directed donations aren't enough to pay for a new barn I wonder if borrowing 40 to 50 million for a multi purpose (hockey/basketball/concerts) arena and paying off the loan (bonds probably) with ticket revenue would be a good investment? Maybe PVR and current members of TPTB don't mind being in the entertainment business after seeing the excitement of our FB run in the post season.
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