2022-23 Men's Schedule

[Weder]

Not sure that UConn is a draw. Penn state generally is a draw, but penn state hockey?

UConn basketball, yes.  UConn hockey?  UConn has hockey?

I think it's new. I could see them being like ASU where they get competitive-ish pretty quick.

UConn has been back in D1 for 20+ years and still hasn't made the NCAAs, and they just won a Hockey East postseason game for the first time this past season after joining the conference in 2014.

I don't recall them ever being D-I earlier. At the time whebn the ECAC split into D-I and D-III leagues in the early 1960's, they played on an outdoor, uncovered rink.

I was going by this, which lists them as an ECAC member from 1961-64. Was the ECAC a mix of teams from all divisions back then?

[arugula]

Maybe I should have been clearer.  I didn't really mean draw in the sense of do they have a fanbase in the NYC area.  I really meant are they high profile enough to make this a big event.  Notre Dame, BC, Ohio State, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Denver are schools which haven't been to MSG who are quite high profile, even if Wisconsin isn't good anymore.

[ursusminor]

Not sure that UConn is a draw. Penn state generally is a draw, but penn state hockey?

UConn basketball, yes.  UConn hockey?  UConn has hockey?

I think it's new. I could see them being like ASU where they get competitive-ish pretty quick.

UConn has been back in D1 for 20+ years and still hasn't made the NCAAs, and they just won a Hockey East postseason game for the first time this past season after joining the conference in 2014.

I don't recall them ever being D-I earlier. At the time whebn the ECAC split into D-I and D-III leagues in the early 1960's, they played on an outdoor, uncovered rink.

I was going by this, which lists them as an ECAC member from 1961-64. Was the ECAC a mix of teams from all divisions back then?

I don't see the link to your source, but the ECAC was a mixture of all levels back then. 1964-65 was the first year that there were separate ECAC-I and ECAC-II leagues. Although UConn was a member of the ECAC through 63-64, I doubt that they played anyone who became ECAC-I in 1964. IIRC, all of the hockey-playing New England state schools were ECAC-II until UNH became ECAC-I a couple of years later.

[Trotsky]

1962 ECAC.

[jkahn]

IIRC, all of the hockey-playing New England state schools were ECAC-II until UNH became ECAC-I a couple of years later.

That's correct.  UNH's first year in ECAC Div. 1 was '66-'67, my freshman year, but they were still playing a lot of Div. 2 games that year.

[Trotsky]

This is interesting as it specifically notes UConn.

[abmarks]

I went to the UConn media guide.


"UConn Joins Atlantic Hockey 2003-04 • Record: 12-16-7 AHA Record: 9-10-5"

"Start of Division I Era.   UConn Joins Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) 1998-99 • Record: 20-10-4 MAAC Record: 18-6-4"

-As of 1985 they were playing Ecac D2 or D3 (not clear which but we know it wasn't D1

Hpre 1985 they weren't D1 based on the list of opponents

[ursusminor]

IIRC, all of the hockey-playing New England state schools were ECAC-II until UNH became ECAC-I a couple of years later.

That's correct.  UNH's first year in ECAC Div. 1 was '66-'67, my freshman year, but they were still playing a lot of Div. 2 games that year.

I don't know about Cornell, but RPI also played some ECAC-II schools back then.

[Al DeFlorio]

IIRC, all of the hockey-playing New England state schools were ECAC-II until UNH became ECAC-I a couple of years later.

That's correct.  UNH's first year in ECAC Div. 1 was '66-'67, my freshman year, but they were still playing a lot of Div. 2 games that year.

I don't know about Cornell, but RPI also played some ECAC-II schools back then.

Williams (a loss), Ohio U. and Hamilton (twice) in 1961-1962.  Hamilton (twice) in 62-63.  AIC, Loyola and Hamilton in 63-64.  Hamilton (twice) in 64-65.

Ned finally fixed it in 65-66 with two at Denver.

[ursusminor]

IIRC, all of the hockey-playing New England state schools were ECAC-II until UNH became ECAC-I a couple of years later.

That's correct.  UNH's first year in ECAC Div. 1 was '66-'67, my freshman year, but they were still playing a lot of Div. 2 games that year.

I don't know about Cornell, but RPI also played some ECAC-II schools back then.

Williams (a loss), Ohio U. and Hamilton (twice) in 1961-1962.  Hamilton (twice) in 62-63.  AIC, Loyola and Hamilton in 63-64.  Hamilton (twice) in 64-65.

Ned finally fixed it in 65-66 with two at Denver.

RPI played and only defeated D-3 Union in OT when they won the NCAA championship in 1985.

[billhoward]

Yes, "fill the arena [MSG]" is the game plan. That means schools with a lot of alumni living in metro NYC along with students who by Saturday have had enough of being back at home and want to get out.

So good schools to play Cornell at MSG would include Penn State, Ohio State, Notre Dame, Michigan, BU, BC, UMass. And UConn. Preferably not an ECAC school.

UConn will get good quickly. Yeah, its hockey rink has a small seating capacity, 2,700, but the amenties are first rate (locker rooms, private area for boosters post-game or banquets for 50-100, ice level lounge and club lounge). Opening has been pushed back from this fall to mid-January 2023. Perhaps UConn will play some big hockey games at Hartford Civic Center just as UConn football plays at Rentschler Field, East Hartford, site of the NCAA lax championship.

UMass went big when it built the Mullins Center in Amherst, 8,389 capacity for hockey, more for hoops (9,493) as the Minutemen hope for another coming of Julius Erving or John Calipari (as coach).

UConn hockey arena:

[Chris '03]

Yes, "fill the arena [MSG]" is the game plan. That means schools with a lot of alumni living in metro NYC along with students who by Saturday have had enough of being back at home and want to get out.

So good schools to play Cornell at MSG would include Penn State, Ohio State, Notre Dame, Michigan, BU, BC, UMass. And UConn. Preferably not an ECAC school.

UConn will get good quickly. Yeah, its hockey rink has a small seating capacity, 2,700, but the amenties are first rate (locker rooms, private area for boosters post-game or banquets for 50-100, ice level lounge and club lounge). Opening has been pushed back from this fall to mid-January 2023. Perhaps UConn will play some big hockey games at Hartford Civic Center just as UConn football plays at Rentschler Field, East Hartford, site of the NCAA lax championship.

UMass went big when it built the Mullins Center in Amherst, 8,389 capacity for hockey, more for hoops (9,493) as the Minutemen hope for another coming of Julius Erving or John Calipari (as coach).

UConn hockey arena:

UCONN will likely continue to play MOST games in Hartford as it has done since it joined HEA. The new rink is a complete waste of state money because it's too small to be useful. The school should have replaced gampel pavilion with a multipurpose arena like Mullins.

[BearLover]

Maybe I should have been clearer.  I didn't really mean draw in the sense of do they have a fanbase in the NYC area.  I really meant are they high profile enough to make this a big event.  Notre Dame, BC, Ohio State, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Denver are schools which haven't been to MSG who are quite high profile, even if Wisconsin isn't good anymore.

Sometimes it feels like the people on this forum think Cornell can just snap its fingers and get any hockey opponent or football coach it wants. Sure, Cornell would prefer to play a top 5 hockey program at MSG every year. But I'm sure there are plenty of reasons why that doesn't happen. (Notably, I don't think Ohio State or Denver would draw well despite being good programs.)

UConn is in Hockey East, has a lot of alumni in NYC, and doesn't have a major football game that same day like many other other colleges. And while the program hasn't had playoff success, they haven't been bad, and I don't think people on here appreciate just how much talent they have on their roster. In terms of attracting draft picks and hot recruiting commodities, they are actually ahead of Cornell. This is not to rehash the debate over whether that translates to wins, it's merely to say that they are not a no-name pushover like some are suggesting.

[arugula]

Not suggesting UCONN is a no-name pushover or that scheduling is easy.  Just seems that MSG would be some sort of enticement for a school to play us. Also, purely for my own selfishness, and I suspect that of other fans, one of those teams I listed would be more interesting than UCONN.  Just not a sexy game.  I was at the Penn State and UNH MSG games and while those are both medium successful teams, the games were a snooze and the place had little energy.  Conversely, a medium good Michigan team came to MSG and the game was fun and the atmosphere was great.

[billhoward]

Not suggesting UCONN is a no-name pushover or that scheduling is easy.  Just seems that MSG would be some sort of enticement for a school to play us. Also, purely for my own selfishness, and I suspect that of other fans, one of those teams I listed would be more interesting than UCONN.  Just not a sexy game.  I was at the Penn State and UNH MSG games and while those are both medium successful teams, the games were a snooze and the place had little energy.  Conversely, a medium good Michigan team came to MSG and the game was fun and the atmosphere was great.

Cornell is investing in contests against teams that could be great in the future. Also maybe getting them into MSG makes them more likely be get them interested in a home and home series down the road. Would have good to have gotten UMass to play us 4, 5 years ago. Just not in the championship year.