Harvard 6 Cornell 1 ECAC post-game & site critique

[marty]

Adam, I'll never forget Boston.:-} Too many memories, see my signature. And yes, I get your point, we'll never go there again unless we get a sugar daddy. Never having been to a game in Bridgeport, what does it have that Albany doesn't?

We will find out this weekend what is has if it outdraws Albany 2010.

Regional semifinals
March 26, 2010
3:00 PM   (4) RIT   2 – 1
(1–0, 0–0, 1–1)   (1) Denver   Times Union Center, Albany, NY
[show]Game reference
March 26, 2010
6:30 PM   (3) New Hampshire   6 – 2
(0–1, 2–0, 4–1)   (2) Cornell   Times Union Center, Albany, NY
Attendance: 4,073
[show]Game reference
[edit]Regional final
March 27, 2010
6:30 PM   (4) RIT   6 – 2
(1–1, 3–0, 2–1)   (3) New Hampshire   Times Union Center, Albany, NY
Attendance: 3,737

[Aaron M. Griffin]

Adam, I'll never forget Boston.:-} Too many memories, see my signature. And yes, I get your point, we'll never go there again unless we get a sugar daddy. Never having been to a game in Bridgeport, what does it have that Albany doesn't?

We will find out this weekend what is has if it outdraws Albany 2010.

Regional semifinals
March 26, 2010
3:00 PM   (4) RIT   2 – 1
(1–0, 0–0, 1–1)   (1) Denver   Times Union Center, Albany, NY
[show]Game reference
March 26, 2010
6:30 PM   (3) New Hampshire   6 – 2
(0–1, 2–0, 4–1)   (2) Cornell   Times Union Center, Albany, NY
Attendance: 4,073
[show]Game reference
[edit]Regional final
March 27, 2010
6:30 PM   (4) RIT   6 – 2
(1–1, 3–0, 2–1)   (3) New Hampshire   Times Union Center, Albany, NY
Attendance: 3,737

I would be shocked if it outperformed even the 2010 NCAA East Regional in Albany. I know that many of the Faithful did not travel because of the Sweet 16 game in Syracuse the night before, but I would still be shocked if the current bracket in Bridgeport is the draw that Cornell, UNH, and RIT were in 2010. Who travels well in the East Regional this year? Michigan State and Miami are too far regionally for any appreciable amount of fans to travel. Union and UMass-Lowell have fanbases that are not known for their ability to travel well, even though they might be known for many other things.

[adamw]

Well, Bridgeport has had regionals in 2009 and 2011 as well ...

2011
Yale-AFA and Union-UMD ... Attendance: 7671
Yale-UMD ... Attendance: 7816

2009
Vermont-Yale and Michigan-Air Force ... Attendance: 8478 (Sellout)
Vermont-Air Force ... Attendance: 8478 (Sellout)


Of course, this doesn't mean much - because the draw is everything ... but there you go.

Albany has, of course, much more things to do in town (especially if you're a fan of Jersey Shore - the show, not the current ECAC Tournament venue) ... but Bridgeport is just a much nicer, newer arena - and with only 8500 seats - you don't have to put black draping on the upper level.

[Rosey]

I think Bridgeport is worth a try: it's roughly two hours further from Potsdam and Ithaca than Albany, which is unfortunate, but still a hell of a lot closer and cheaper than AC. Just make it one year at first instead of three in case it doesn't work out.

[Josh '99]

The second closest to an "event" location was Lake Placid.  For those of us who experienced Cornell-Clarkson in 1970 in the old rink for the NCAA championship and/or the USA gold medal run in 1980, this is a special place.  The town is still quaint, fun, and not too expensive. Yes, it's a drive for most, but not truly terrible.  However, the biggest problem with it is the Olympic ice sheet.  I believe that if it was 200x85, the ECAC could seriously consider it.

If I recall correctly (others can chime in here), one of the main criticisms about Placid was that hotels there were too expensive, and, more precisely, had draconian policies about minimum stays and cancellations that made it hard for people to plan to attend or not based on the results of the QFs.  It's also a drive that can be dangerous if the weather is uncooperative; I know three people who had fairly serious car accidents traveling to the 1997 tournament, for example.

[Greenberg '97]

I think Bridgeport is worth a try: it's roughly two hours further from Potsdam and Ithaca than Albany, which is unfortunate, but still a hell of a lot closer and cheaper than AC. Just make it one year at first instead of three in case it doesn't work out.

In a rare agreement with Kyle, I would love to see the tournament move to Bridgeport.  Webster Bank Arena is not scheduled to host a Division I basketball subregional in 2012 (though last year a Sound Tigers game, and by extension, our adult-league game, was bumped so Fairfield could host an NIT game).

The playing surface is exceptional, and the arena gets loud, even when at 3/4 capacity for a regular season AHL game.  The Faithful could do some serious damage.

And the place is less than an hour from my house, which is something the league should take into consideration.

[Jordan 04]

I'd take Bridgeport in a heartbeat!

[Josh '99]

Where does the Big Ten go, to Detroit? What about the new "super" conf?

B1G Hockey will play its first tournament in Saint Paul, MN at the Xcel Energy Center. The B1G is looking for a rotation (sound familiar?) of venues to be fair to its geographically disparate teams. The envisioned rotation includes Saint Paul and Detroit. However, the Xcel Energy Center is the only confirmed venue so far.

What dicks.  By going with a rotation, they prevent the WCHA and the NCHA from using either of the two best choices for their tournaments.  I guess maybe the NCHA will go to Denver?

(My apologies if these issues have already been settled and I'm not aware of it.)

[Greenberg '97]

I'd take Bridgeport in a heartbeat!

I believe this is what's called a grassroots movement.  The ECAC should listen to its best-travelling fan base.

[marty]

Where does the Big Ten go, to Detroit? What about the new "super" conf?

B1G Hockey will play its first tournament in Saint Paul, MN at the Xcel Energy Center. The B1G is looking for a rotation (sound familiar?) of venues to be fair to its geographically disparate teams. The envisioned rotation includes Saint Paul and Detroit. However, the Xcel Energy Center is the only confirmed venue so far.

What dicks.  By going with a rotation, they prevent the WCHA and the NCHA from using either of the two best choices for their tournaments.  I guess maybe the NCHA will go to Denver?

(My apologies if these issues have already been settled and I'm not aware of it.)

I think all these conferences know how to rotate.**]

[judy]

The second closest to an "event" location was Lake Placid.  For those of us who experienced Cornell-Clarkson in 1970 in the old rink for the NCAA championship and/or the USA gold medal run in 1980, this is a special place.  The town is still quaint, fun, and not too expensive. Yes, it's a drive for most, but not truly terrible.  However, the biggest problem with it is the Olympic ice sheet.  I believe that if it was 200x85, the ECAC could seriously consider it.

If I recall correctly (others can chime in here), one of the main criticisms about Placid was that hotels there were too expensive, and, more precisely, had draconian policies about minimum stays and cancellations that made it hard for people to plan to attend or not based on the results of the QFs.  It's also a drive that can be dangerous if the weather is uncooperative; I know three people who had fairly serious car accidents traveling to the 1997 tournament, for example.

Yes, the price and the cancellation policy made it difficult for people who weren't going to make a weekend of it.

I also remember the first year I went up to LP, I hit a deer on the way up and I learned that it's something of a rite of passage or something to hit that deer since it's happened to many others on the way up.

[marty]

I think Bridgeport is worth a try: it's roughly two hours further from Potsdam and Ithaca than Albany, which is unfortunate, but still a hell of a lot closer and cheaper than AC. Just make it one year at first instead of three in case it doesn't work out.

In a rare agreement with Kyle, I would love to see the tournament move to Bridgeport.  Webster Bank Arena is not scheduled to host a Division I basketball subregional in 2012 (though last year a Sound Tigers game, and by extension, our adult-league game, was bumped so Fairfield could host an NIT game).

The playing surface is exceptional, and the arena gets loud, even when at 3/4 capacity for a regular season AHL game.  The Faithful could do some serious damage.

And the place is less than an hour from my house, which is something the league should take into consideration.

Albany is less than 20 minutes from my house and I am in favor of Bridgeport if the attendance is better.  The league should take that into account too.

It is interesting that the second showing of Yale at Bridgeport with a better seeded team that coulda shoulda woulda been in the final four drew less fans.  Familiarity breeds ennui.

[marty]

The second closest to an "event" location was Lake Placid.  For those of us who experienced Cornell-Clarkson in 1970 in the old rink for the NCAA championship and/or the USA gold medal run in 1980, this is a special place.  The town is still quaint, fun, and not too expensive. Yes, it's a drive for most, but not truly terrible.  However, the biggest problem with it is the Olympic ice sheet.  I believe that if it was 200x85, the ECAC could seriously consider it.

If I recall correctly (others can chime in here), one of the main criticisms about Placid was that hotels there were too expensive, and, more precisely, had draconian policies about minimum stays and cancellations that made it hard for people to plan to attend or not based on the results of the QFs.  It's also a drive that can be dangerous if the weather is uncooperative; I know three people who had fairly serious car accidents traveling to the 1997 tournament, for example.

Yes, the price and the cancellation policy made it difficult for people who weren't going to make a weekend of it.

I also remember the first year I went up to LP, I hit a deer on the way up and I learned that it's something of a rite of passage or something to hit that deer since it's happened to many others on the way up.

That's one tough deer!

[adamw]

It is interesting that the second showing of Yale at Bridgeport with a better seeded team that coulda shoulda woulda been in the final four drew less fans.  Familiarity breeds ennui.

It's because of the Vermont fans that were there in 2009.

[Chris '03]

Ken is definitely biased about it, but it should be in AC anymore, that much is true. ... Bridgeport to me is a very good idea. It's a nice new arena. Absolutely nothing to do there - but at this point, whatever. Just put it in a nice building, and hope for the best. At least it's new, accessible, and a nice place to watch a game.

This is, of course, assuming they won't send it back to Lake Placid.

Re: Boston - said it before every time it comes up, will say it again ... this is not 1970 or even 1985 ... The Boston-area teams being in the ECAC tournament were a huge factor. They don't exist anymore except Harvard, and Harvard doesn't even draw for the Beanpot anymore. Also, the ECAC tournament was huge then - it had major importance, much more than today, in the grand scheme of things. Those days are gone - forget Boston.

This is a stretch but while we're thinking about Bridgeport, it's worth noting that the "nothing" in the area does include a decent minor league ballpark right next door. It seems to me that with the right coordination, the league could use that facility to host fan fest type activities and pep rallies and expand the available space for receptions etc. If you set up vendors and some measure of attractions it would give folks a full day's worth of activity without having to venture into Bridgeport proper.  Folks on Long Island wouldn't even need a car if they took the ferry over. If we're dreaming things up, it's certainly a way to turn nothing into something.

I have not so fond memories of hanging out at Dunn Tire Park in April 2003...