Hope it's not too early to begin thinking about next year... Does anyone know what our schedule looks like? And does anyone know how good the freshman may be?
(Never too early to dream about another run at the big one.)
Oct 18 Sat Red/White
25 Sat US Under-18 (ex)
31 Fri Western Michigan (nc)
Nov 1 Sat Western Michigan (nc)
7 Fri @Princeton
8 Sat @Yale
14 Fri @Clarkson
15 Sat @St. Lawrence
21 Fri Ohio State (nc)
22 Sat Bowling Green (nc)
29 Sat Mercyhurst (nc)
Dec 5 Fri Harvard
6 Sat Brown
? Florida Everblades (nc)
? vs. Notre Dame/Ohio State/Maine (nc)
Jan 9 Fri @Brown
10 Sat @Harvard
16 Fri RPI
17 Sat Union
23 Fri Dartmouth
24 Sat Vermont
30 Fri Colgate
31 Sat @Colgate
Feb 6 Fri @Dartmouth
7 Sat @Vermont
13 Fri Princeton
14 Sat Yale
20 Fri @RPI
21 Sat @Union
27 Fri Clarkson
28 Sat St. Lawrence
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If I counted correctly, that's 17 home games... is that true?
Including the exhibition, yes. The only non-conference games not at Lynah are the two in Florida.
Minor point: I thought the Ivy League mandated a November 1 regular season start date.
Post Edited (04-13-03 11:56)
I'm sure coach Schafer knows what he's doing, but our non-conference schedule seems a little, ah, soft. Besides Everblades, it doesn't look like we'll have much opportunity for "bonus" points.
This is a crappy schedule if the intent is to gain respect.
That being said, I think the team is going to be damn good and will earn its respect, once again by winning.
Just want to make it clear that this schedule is pretty much a rumor at this point. Even if it's from a good source, things can change between the time the rumor came across (over a month ago I think) and when they actually release the schedule . Last spring we thought we'd have Findlay and Mercyhurst on this years schedule, and I don't think there was any mention of Western Mich, so try to without judgement until it's official... if possible ;-) .
With the seniors leaving, what do people think our chances are next year?
No B.U.? :-/
There was a rumor going around at some point that the BU series was supposed to be two years on, one off. If we play the Terriers four times every three years, I'm happy with that. My big worry is that by the time they host us again they will have moved out of Walter Brown and into Cheel East.
BU's Agganis Arena is scheduled to open in the fall of 2004. Not only will it have a capacity of 6,000, it will have 29 "loge suites" and sections of "premium seating."
While I understand what JTW is getting at with the Cheel analogy, the term "mini-FleetCenter" might be more apt to describe this new building.
A couple of links:
General info: http://building.bu.edu/html/student_village/arena/index.html
Picture of hockey view: http://building.bu.edu/html/student_village/virtual/gallery/arena/04.html
So how do we get the Ivy League presidents to increase to 29 game season limit? It's tough to get bonus points under any circumstances, and tougher when you play fewer games...Any thoughts!
Does anyone know how far in advance the schedule is filled in. Is it really year to year? Also, when all is said and done, Mercyhurst was still an NCAA tournament team (We were supposed to play them!!)
We are not even sure whether bonus points will continue to be used.
Here is the NC schedule from above:
Western Michigan
Western Michigan
Ohio State
Bowling Green
Mercyhurst
vs Notre Dame/Ohio State/Maine
We played Maine and the "at large" (NMU) the last two years in the first round of the Everblades, so I assume we will play OSU this year, so let's make it:
Western Michigan
Western Michigan
Ohio State
Bowling Green
Mercyhurst
vs Ohio State
vs Notre Dame/Maine
That isn't a particularly soft schedule, especially if the second game of the Everblades turns out to be Maine. That would give us 4 games out of 7 against teams which this year made the NCAA field.
My main concern is that we could conceivably wind up with 6 of our 7 NC games against CCHA opponents, which means we would be almost entirely beholden for our links to HE and WCHA competitors on the rest of the ECAC, and you know what that means.
Having 5 teams come to Lynah and playing in 0 opposing barns is an indicator of Cornell's rising street cred. Note also that once again we have no chance of "wasting" an NC game on an ECAC opponent, which is good.
If that's the real schedule, I can live with it.
Post Edited (04-14-03 11:21)
Realistically, these are the same opponents as this year except we sub Mercyhurst and BGSU for 2 x BU.
Mercyhurst is a "doing the right thing" game. How would you like it if somebody said they wouldn't play us because we're an EZAC team? Schafers showing the class of promoting the sport even it it does hit him in the chops on PWR a bit. But I really think we could have done better than BGSU. Couldn't we get somebody like Umass or Providence?
Also, I'd rather see us play a WCHA team instead of Western twice, but there's the Schafer connection that makes that one happen (and they come to Lynah).
JH
QuoteJeff Hopkins '82 wrote:
Mercyhurst is a "doing the right thing" game. How would you like it if somebody said they wouldn't play us because we're an EZAC team? Schafers showing the class of promoting the sport even it it does hit him in the chops on PWR a bit
And it may not. Maine actually got a boost out of playing Quinnipiac and Mercyhurst this year, in the form of a "free" win or two against TUCs.
Further observations:
+ 9 games before the end of November the most I can ever recall.
+ Opening with 4 straight road games in league for first time I can recall.
+ Fish N Fowl the home league opener.
+ Fish N Fowl returns to its once stable "end of Fall semester" date.
+ Back-to-back league games vs both Brown and Colgate.
+ 14 games stretch with just 2 away games.
+ Harvard series done before 5 league series even begin!
+ Finish at home vs North Country.
This isn't exactly a bad schedule, but it iappears a little worse than this year's. But who knows?
Western Michigan home games are obviously payback for going there this year. The Broncos may be better next year. They showed some promise this year, IIRC, and have only one senior among top 10 scorers (#5). Both goalies were also underclassmen.
Ohio State is also payback. OSU should be good again next year. Like WMU, they only had one senior among top 10 scorers (#6) and their main goalie will be a senior next year.
I don't know much about Notre Dame. They were ranked a little above WMU this year. Not a great matchup (if it happens) but not terrible.
Mercyhurst isn't a bad game. They could have a decent RPI due to win % in conference. Helping the MAAC is a good thing, esp. if we play the top teams in the league.
The only big complaint on the schedule is BGSU. No reason to think they won't be awful again next year. I think they ended up on the schedule as a convienent "travel partner" for Ohio State.
As long as Ohio State doesn't bring their cheerleaders... ::yark::
I don't mind their cheerleaders. It's Brutus the Buckeye that I find bizzarre.
JH
Oooh. I'd forgotten that. Good point, John.
It wouldn't surprise me for a second if Schafer did that for that reason as well as the nobility factor.
JH
Now in an ESPN commercial (donuts and muffins in conference room).
QuoteKeith K '93 wrote:
I think [BGSU] ended up on the schedule as a convienent "travel partner" for Ohio State.
While that obviously sounds strange, does anyone know if @OSU/BGSU is on the schedule for 04/05?
Post Edited (04-15-03 19:35)
Well, there's no reason to think that OSU would be on the schedule, since we went there this past season. So we will have completed a home and home, which could well be the end of it. I am worried about the prospect of having agreed to go to BGSU in 11/04.
Needless to say, this is all speculation and analysis. No facts.
Some teams I'd love to see home and homes with:
UNH, in light of recent events
BU, to continue the rivalry (allegedly this is planned)
Maine, when we do not meet them in round 1 in Estero
Anybody in the top half of the WCHA
Michigan, a CCHA connection with clout
Michigan State, likewise, and a battle of the Ag schools ;-)