Lynah not ready for fall opener?

Not a happy thought....

[www.cornellsun.com]

No estimate of a completion date.

Could be fairly significant, given that the NC games at Lynah are usually early.

From the article [q]He added that construction will start the day after the season's last home game, which is in March.[/q]

Oh we thank yee, almighty woofing gods....

This isn't really a surprise. When was the last construction project you ever heard of that was finished, or even started, on time?

The Elmira option might be interesting. I don't know if they're talking about First Arena (home of the UHL's Elmira Jackals and site of the 2006 Div. III Frozen Four) or Elmira College's home rink in Pine Valley. Elmira's rink, although it's in the middle of nowhere (come to think of it, so's Ithaca), wouldn't be a bad venue; it seats about 3,200 and can get pretty loud. Hopefully they've upgraded the lighting since the last time I was there 4-5 years ago, and parking probably remains an absolute nightmare.

I would bet "Syracuse" would turn out to be the state fairgrounds, yech...

The only way for the last home game to no be in March is if Cornell falls to the bottom 4 in the ECACHL standings. Is that even possible at this point?

i doubt the go to the fair grounds why not play where the Crunch does?

as for the starting point there is only 1 week difference in when they can start. either cornell hosts an ECAC weekend or they dont, after that its only practice time and thats not effected by start up construction.. the main issues are what the life science project does to the timeline of lynah, the proximity is not good for some of what they want to do..

If "home" games are played in a facility that seats less than the season ticket base, I wonder how they'll determine season ticket packages & prices? Do they exclude those games from the package? Do they presume not everyone will make the trip? Is the entire season going to be sold on a game-only basis?

Anything less than Lynah is, of course, a disadvantage to the team. It might be interesting if they try to turn it into a road show. A weekend in Rochester, another in Syracuse, another in Binghamton...build the fanbase. I hope they go with larger venues and try to sell the heck out of it.

This also presents an opportunity to offer some roads games to good OOC opponents with return dates in future years.

Wow, is the Fairgrounds Coliseum still standing? I played there when I was a grad student in Binghamton and it was a first class dump then!

The possible renovation delay reminds me of my time at Clarkson when Clarkson Arena was renovated ( the first heat ever and expanded seating). It wasn't completed in time for our first home games against U of Quebec, I believe so they were both played at Slu. That went over real well as you can imagine.

At least Cornell has more options than Tech did.

Wouldn't this have been a good opportunity to play a really tough non-conference schedule? You can't play the games in Lynah anyway, so might as well try to get Michigan or whoever on the slate. (Of course it's probably too late for that for that. But a construction delay should hardly come as a shock to the folks in charge.)

The suggestion of playing at Lynah anyway, just with no fans is the most ridiculous idea.

I have played some rec games (women's hockey) at the fairgrounds in the 1990's. The locker rooms that we used at the fairgrounds would make the visitor locker room at Lynah seem like a 3-star facility.

It is really gross just thinking about those locker rooms. Yuck.

Rita,

Has then lighting been upgraded since '76?

Back then, when we played against SU, it was like skating in a cave, it was so bad. As a goalie, I had a lot of trouble following the puck on long shots as they went into and out of the shadows.

One slapper I never saw clearly whizzed past my head, bounced off the wire fence above the end boards, rebounded and hit me off the shoulder as I had turned to try to follow the puck and then fell down into the net.

I wasn't upset when the coach yanked me after that one.

KeithK
The suggestion of playing at Lynah anyway, just with no fans is the most ridiculous idea.

We could figure out if home success is due to the fans or the ghost of Murray Death. (Who may be alive. Beeeej?)

Murray Death (now pronounced to rhyme with "teeth" is still alive.

The lighting was considerably brightened about ten years ago.

Trotsky
Murray Death (now pronounced to rhyme with "teeth" is still alive.

Actually, it was always pronounced to rhyme with "teeth." It's now spelled with an "e" at the end to encourage that pronunciation.

I'd always heard that he changed the pronunciation later in life to give his kids a break. My bad for trusting Faithful Lore.

If the construction progresses half as fast as the renovations of Bailey Hall/ Mann Library, I think it's safe to say that Lynah will be ready to go by the first game............. of the year 2127 (the only benefit is that Hansen will be long dead and replaced by a flawless officiating robot that also doubles as a bottle opener)

If things are properly mobilized beforehand, there's no reason why the job can't be done between March and September. You just need to make sure everything is ready and well planned out beforehand. I've seen a 200,000 sq. foot manufacturing plant with 28,000 sq. feet of office space be built in that timeframe, and that was starting with a greenfield site with no electric, gas or running water. If they're not ready to get off to a running start immediately after the ECAC quarter-finals, I suggest they should postpone it a year so as not to lose the home games.

When Princeton built its stadium and lost a whole year - which they knew about well in advance - the other Ivy schools that were to play at Princeton that year were accommodating about playing two home and two away, if I recall. Cornell would probably have to agree to play late season games at the opponents' sites two years running.

billhoward
When Princeton built its stadium and lost a whole year - which they knew about well in advance - the other Ivy schools that were to play at Princeton that year were accommodating about playing two home and two away, if I recall. Cornell would probably have to agree to play late season games at the opponents' sites two years running.

But wouldn't we have to ask Colgate do the same?

[q]You just need to make sure everything is ready and well planned out beforehand.[/q]We're doomed!!!

But seriously, I suspect the weather will have something to do with how quickly things get going in March. If Ithaca gets a lot of snow or very cold weather in March it may be tough to get things moving.

I spent the 2nd half of 2005 in Blacksburg, VA. Lane Stadium was undergoing a massive expansion, and it got delayed. There was much talk about the stadium not being ready for the Virginia Tech opener, and having to relocate or reschedule some games. Since home games mean many $millions for the school and town, they busted to get it usable for full capacity. As of January, the expansion still wasn't complete.

[www.collegiatetimes.com]

I actually like the idea of using First Arena in Elmira. It was built with a joint occupancy with Elmira College and the UHL Jackals in mind. The deal with EC fell through, and the Eagles still play their games at the Domes (Murray Atletic Center). First Arena's capacity is 4,000 and is just a few years old. (The Domes capacity is listed at 3200 and is much older and poorly lit) Elmira is also about a 30 minute drive from Ithaca, vs. 1 hour to Syracuse or 1.5 hours to Rochester.

upperdeck
i doubt the go to the fair grounds why not play where the Crunch does?

We've played there before. The War Memorial was the site of innumerable Syracuse hockey Invitational Tournaments. On the plus side: Dinosaur!

You mean how do you have a home-and-home with your travel partner? Two games in 2006-07 at Colgate, then two the next year in Ithaca.

I really do the think the athletic directors work this out. There's a reason why sport is the first syllable of sportsmanship. Outdated, maybe?

Any votes for Cass Rink?

billhoward
You mean how do you have a home-and-home with your travel partner? Two games in 2006-07 at Colgate, then two the next year in Ithaca.

I mean how do you get say Harvard and Dartmouth to switch home games from end of season to beginning unless Colgate is coming along on the trip? I guess I don't understand what you are proposing. I understand what Princeton football did but I don't see how to make it work for hockey.

Yeah, football is different because you only get one game per year so you have to alternate anyway. I could see switching home games (play at Harvard in Nov, Lynah in Feb) but the article already talks about how tams would be reluctant to give Cornell al home games down the stretch.

hmmm, did i say this when I heard about the construction? I just hoped it wouldnt come true
the war memorial would be an option. why not just out on the beebe lake. people can watch from the bridges
hmm, wouldnt it be possible to schedule all away games in the first part of the year and home games later?
not sure if gate would go for it...

Really, I think there is only one option.

Turn off lake source cooling.

BEEBE LAKE, BABY! OOOOOH, YEAH!

Lake Source Cooling uses Cayuga Lake.

Beeeej

Trotsky
I'd always heard that he changed the pronunciation later in life to give his kids a break. My bad for trusting Faithful Lore.

It was pronounced "Deeth" while he was playing at Cornell.

jkahn
If things are properly mobilized beforehand, there's no reason why the job can't be done between March and September. You just need to make sure everything is ready and well planned out beforehand. I've seen a 200,000 sq. foot manufacturing plant with 28,000 sq. feet of office space be built in that timeframe, and that was starting with a greenfield site with no electric, gas or running water. If they're not ready to get off to a running start immediately after the ECAC quarter-finals, I suggest they should postpone it a year so as not to lose the home games.

A greenfield site without existing utilities is tremendously easier than this job. When they start digging up the parking lot and breaking into the existing concrete they are going to find all sorts of surprises.

RichS
Rita,

Has then lighting been upgraded since '76?

Back then, when we played against SU, it was like skating in a cave, it was so bad. As a goalie, I had a lot of trouble following the puck on long shots as they went into and out of the shadows.

One slapper I never saw clearly whizzed past my head, bounced off the wire fence above the end boards, rebounded and hit me off the shoulder as I had turned to try to follow the puck and then fell down into the net.

I wasn't upset when the coach yanked me after that one.

RichS and Rita - The Colliseum is still the lovely place you remember. I've been going there with one child or another for youth hockey or high school hockey for the last...oh...my...God...18 years. It hasn't changed a bit in the arena. The food isn't bad for rink food. McKie's is still a special store.

and beebe lake is a creek.

McKies is the only place to buy skates in the area... Bengy is the man!

na, it is a creek made into a lake. it was big enough in 1900
from tbrw

"Cornell hockey dates back to 1900 -- they won the Intercollegiate League Championship in 1911, despite playing home games on Beebe Lake. But modern Cornell history begins with the opening of Lynah Rink in 1957."

lets get back to our roots!

Today's IJ has an extensive article on the renovation.

[www.theithacajournal.com]

Inthe print edition there is a drawing of the planned improvements, though not it great detail. It doesn't seem to be in the on-line edition.

i am still a little shocked that the solution for the affected games was not already had before this announcement. you would think that front loading away games would be fine. teams go 2 months without a home game all the time....strange
good article btw