2025-26 schedule

[Weder]

It looks like Clarkson has played Big Ten schools a bunch in recent year, both in Potsdam and away. If Casey could get them to play in Potsdam, you'd figure he could get them to Ithaca.

[Scersk '97]

It looks like Clarkson has played Big Ten schools a bunch in recent year, both in Potsdam and away. If Casey could get them to play in Potsdam, you'd figure he could get them to Ithaca.

I don't know: OGS and MSS are quite the hubs!

[Jeff Hopkins '82]

It looks like Clarkson has played Big Ten schools a bunch in recent year, both in Potsdam and away. If Casey could get them to play in Potsdam, you'd figure he could get them to Ithaca.

I don't know: OGS and MSS are quite the hubs!

Ogdensburg has an airport?  Who knew!

[adamw]

Anyone heard any rumblings? People are starting to hear stuff and post on the USCHO forum but I haven't seen us mentioned in any of those. Locking down another home and home with a hockey east/B1G/NCHC school would be nice to make sure our OOC schedule is strong enough to be competitive in the pairwise. Do we maybe finally get Arizona state at home after going down there for what seemed like 5 years straight? Find another winter break tournament perhaps? Curious to see how it turns out

Common myth that I don't bother trying to correct people on, except coaches and Ivy League grads

playing a "tough schedule" doesn't help you. Playing a tough schedule and winning the games helps you. You can play a crap schedule and win all the games, and it would be the same as playing a "tough" schedule and winning 50%. It's a direct inverse correlation.

[Dafatone]

Anyone heard any rumblings? People are starting to hear stuff and post on the USCHO forum but I haven't seen us mentioned in any of those. Locking down another home and home with a hockey east/B1G/NCHC school would be nice to make sure our OOC schedule is strong enough to be competitive in the pairwise. Do we maybe finally get Arizona state at home after going down there for what seemed like 5 years straight? Find another winter break tournament perhaps? Curious to see how it turns out

Common myth that I don't bother trying to correct people on, except coaches and Ivy League grads

playing a "tough schedule" doesn't help you. Playing a tough schedule and winning the games helps you. You can play a crap schedule and win all the games, and it would be the same as playing a "tough" schedule and winning 50%. It's a direct inverse correlation.

My pairwise take is that home/away is overweighted and the best way to hack RPI is to play a lot of road games.

[pjd8]

What was Casey's out of conference plan when he was at Clarkson?  It will be interesting to see if the approach is different at all than Schafer's (adjusted to fit within the Ivy League scheduling confines of course).

Teams I'd like to see at Lynah, in no particular order:

Code Select Expand


RIT *
Mankato
Michigan Tech *
Maine
Northeastern *
Vermont *
UNH *
Western Michigan
CC
Alaska-Anchorage
Alaska-Fairbanks
Wisconsin *
North Dakota


Those starred are a bit down on their luck right now, and would probably be very happy to see an outstretched hand. (I guess I'm willing to extend the olive branch to Vermont, mostly because a return to Gutterson would be a definite trip for me.) Maine and North Dakota, and their fans, are always welcome, as far as I'm concerned. There are good relationships built or to be built there. Wisco is a big stretch, because of the idiotic insularity of the Big10 schedule, which, considering recent events you'd think the conference should start to redress. But they should come. We and they get along.

I would love to see most of these teams as well. Maybe I'd take the Alaska teams, RIT, and UVM off the list.

The UNH or Northeastern connection is particularly interesting. If you look at UNH's schedule this past year most of their wins came from out of conference, and they were all against ECAC/AHL/Independent teams. They went 8-1-1. I don't know if this was intentional, but they had plenty of strength of schedule from their conference games, and what they needed for an NCAA bid was a higher win percentage. They got really close with their nonconference games. They were a few wins from getting there.

What if we took the opposite approach to scheduling? Let's assume that we'll get the win percentage we need from our conference play (because if we can't get a good win 5 from our regular season and/or win our tourney, I don't see us performing well in the NCAAs). Then, as insurance against not getting the autobid, let's load our nonconference schedule with as many heavy hitters as we can to up our strength of schedule.

Maybe we're already doing the best we can with scheduling. But it really disappoints me when we play Q in MSG. I see zero benefit to scheduling them for an extra game. Could we really not entice a team like Northeastern, a school that obviously cares about how it is viewed nationally to potential students, to a stage like Madison Square Garden?

Maybe not. I don't know much about the scheduling process. However, when I think about the Q nc game and the Sacred Heart games, and I look at how winning three games against common opponents or head-to-head with teams on the bid bubble, combined with a slightly higher RPI might have gotten us an at-large bid.

And maybe we schedule those games and we don't win enough get there. But having two precious nonconference games against Sacred Heart guarantees we've wasted two Pairwise opportunities.

[Trotsky]

playing a "tough schedule" doesn't help you. Playing a tough schedule and winning the games helps you. You can play a crap schedule and win all the games, and it would be the same as playing a "tough" schedule and winning 50%.

In PWR yes, but I still believe the experience playing great teams forces you to grow.  This may actually be a myth.  But it seems right.

Lake State, MTU, NMU, WMU, CC among the teams I would like to see at Lynah.  Along with of course the Blue Bloods.  But I'd like to see them later in the year, when we have gelled, and the schedule is so tight that can't happen.  Early I wouldn't mind some cupcakes to get the players in sync playing their game and not worrying so much about the opponent.  The Stonehill, Lindenwood, Mercyhurst type of gigs.

For the same reason I wouldn't mind seeing an LIU, or CW Post if they do go D-1, at MSG sometime.  Winning is healthy.

[adamw]

playing a "tough schedule" doesn't help you. Playing a tough schedule and winning the games helps you. You can play a crap schedule and win all the games, and it would be the same as playing a "tough" schedule and winning 50%.

In PWR yes, but I still believe the experience playing great teams forces you to grow.  This may actually be a myth.  But it seems right.

That I agree with -- but it depends upon the time of team you have. That, unfortunately, is hard to predict in advance when schedules are made, especially these days.

[chimpfood]

Anyone heard any rumblings? People are starting to hear stuff and post on the USCHO forum but I haven't seen us mentioned in any of those. Locking down another home and home with a hockey east/B1G/NCHC school would be nice to make sure our OOC schedule is strong enough to be competitive in the pairwise. Do we maybe finally get Arizona state at home after going down there for what seemed like 5 years straight? Find another winter break tournament perhaps? Curious to see how it turns out

Common myth that I don't bother trying to correct people on, except coaches and Ivy League grads

playing a "tough schedule" doesn't help you. Playing a tough schedule and winning the games helps you. You can play a crap schedule and win all the games, and it would be the same as playing a "tough" schedule and winning 50%. It's a direct inverse correlation.

I realize that is how the pairwise is supposed to work but if you look at how strength of schedule is correlated with tournament berths I'm sure it'll show that a harder schedule usually means more likely to make the tourney. Of course there are plenty of confounding variables in there so maybe not a valid argument but anecdotally it feels like a harder schedule means that we're more likely to make the tournament, so I want a harder schedule. It also gives us some margin of error in a weak ECAC since we have done extremely well in OOC play recently. There are also other benefits outside of the pairwise like being used to playing close games against tough teams

[adamw]

Anyone heard any rumblings? People are starting to hear stuff and post on the USCHO forum but I haven't seen us mentioned in any of those. Locking down another home and home with a hockey east/B1G/NCHC school would be nice to make sure our OOC schedule is strong enough to be competitive in the pairwise. Do we maybe finally get Arizona state at home after going down there for what seemed like 5 years straight? Find another winter break tournament perhaps? Curious to see how it turns out

Common myth that I don't bother trying to correct people on, except coaches and Ivy League grads

playing a "tough schedule" doesn't help you. Playing a tough schedule and winning the games helps you. You can play a crap schedule and win all the games, and it would be the same as playing a "tough" schedule and winning 50%. It's a direct inverse correlation.

I realize that is how the pairwise is supposed to work but if you look at how strength of schedule is correlated with tournament berths I'm sure it'll show that a harder schedule usually means more likely to make the tourney. Of course there are plenty of confounding variables in there so maybe not a valid argument but anecdotally it feels like a harder schedule means that we're more likely to make the tournament, so I want a harder schedule.

I think there's probably circular logic in there that makes it seem that way. A program like Minnesota State has shown that if you dominate weak schedules, you make the NCAAs. Heck Cornell showed that in the weak ECAC years. Take a look at Penn State's OOC schedule every year. I get coaches calling me complaining that Penn State "games the Pairwise" by doing this -- so they think the opposite of you. And I have to tell them they're wrong too

[chimpfood]

Anyone heard any rumblings? People are starting to hear stuff and post on the USCHO forum but I haven't seen us mentioned in any of those. Locking down another home and home with a hockey east/B1G/NCHC school would be nice to make sure our OOC schedule is strong enough to be competitive in the pairwise. Do we maybe finally get Arizona state at home after going down there for what seemed like 5 years straight? Find another winter break tournament perhaps? Curious to see how it turns out

Common myth that I don't bother trying to correct people on, except coaches and Ivy League grads

playing a "tough schedule" doesn't help you. Playing a tough schedule and winning the games helps you. You can play a crap schedule and win all the games, and it would be the same as playing a "tough" schedule and winning 50%. It's a direct inverse correlation.

I realize that is how the pairwise is supposed to work but if you look at how strength of schedule is correlated with tournament berths I'm sure it'll show that a harder schedule usually means more likely to make the tourney. Of course there are plenty of confounding variables in there so maybe not a valid argument but anecdotally it feels like a harder schedule means that we're more likely to make the tournament, so I want a harder schedule.

I think there's probably circular logic in there that makes it seem that way. A program like Minnesota State has shown that if you dominate weak schedules, you make the NCAAs. Heck Cornell showed that in the weak ECAC years. Take a look at Penn State's OOC schedule every year. I get coaches calling me complaining that Penn State "games the Pairwise" by doing this -- so they think the opposite of you. And I have to tell them they're wrong too

Yeah maybe I'm trying to hard to argue logically. Honestly it's just fun to play good teams and see teams like North Dakota and Duluth come to lynah, thats honestly probably most of the reason I want a tough schedule.

[pjd8]

Anyone heard any rumblings? People are starting to hear stuff and post on the USCHO forum but I haven't seen us mentioned in any of those. Locking down another home and home with a hockey east/B1G/NCHC school would be nice to make sure our OOC schedule is strong enough to be competitive in the pairwise. Do we maybe finally get Arizona state at home after going down there for what seemed like 5 years straight? Find another winter break tournament perhaps? Curious to see how it turns out

Common myth that I don't bother trying to correct people on, except coaches and Ivy League grads

playing a "tough schedule" doesn't help you. Playing a tough schedule and winning the games helps you. You can play a crap schedule and win all the games, and it would be the same as playing a "tough" schedule and winning 50%. It's a direct inverse correlation.

Cornell has proven that they can beat tough teams and lose to non-tough teams. I don't think there's a huge risk to our win percentage by scheduling all tough teams. I think injuries, how the team is gelling, maturity and headspace of individual athletes, etc, have a bigger influence on how each game will go on a given day.

What scheduling a tough team over a non-tough team does for you is that it gives you an opportunity to win a game that has a potential for winning a pairwise comparison with another team that's on the bubble. Non of the teams right above us in pairwise played Sacred Heart, so we didn't get a H2H comparison benefit from those games.

If we had beaten ASU, we would have won that comparison, and if we had played Mankato instead of Sacred Heart and won, we would have won that comparison. That's without an improvement in RPI in other case. The subsequent RPI improvement might have picked up another comparison, putting us on the right side of the bubble.

Being on the bubble means it goes the other way some years, too. But what I tougher schedule does guarantee is more experience playing teams with different styles and a level of play that forces you to dig deep. Cornell did well this year in the national tournament because they found a way to shift into a higher gear. Let's give these players more experience in those kinds of games.

[BearLover]

Anyone heard any rumblings? People are starting to hear stuff and post on the USCHO forum but I haven't seen us mentioned in any of those. Locking down another home and home with a hockey east/B1G/NCHC school would be nice to make sure our OOC schedule is strong enough to be competitive in the pairwise. Do we maybe finally get Arizona state at home after going down there for what seemed like 5 years straight? Find another winter break tournament perhaps? Curious to see how it turns out

Common myth that I don't bother trying to correct people on, except coaches and Ivy League grads

playing a "tough schedule" doesn't help you. Playing a tough schedule and winning the games helps you. You can play a crap schedule and win all the games, and it would be the same as playing a "tough" schedule and winning 50%. It's a direct inverse correlation.

My pairwise take is that home/away is overweighted and the best way to hack RPI is to play a lot of road games.

Has anybody studied this? Shouldn't be too hard to figure out the "true" advantage of home ice.

[Trotsky]

playing a "tough schedule" doesn't help you. Playing a tough schedule and winning the games helps you. You can play a crap schedule and win all the games, and it would be the same as playing a "tough" schedule and winning 50%.

In PWR yes, but I still believe the experience playing great teams forces you to grow.  This may actually be a myth.  But it seems right.

That I agree with -- but it depends upon the time of team you have. That, unfortunately, is hard to predict in advance when schedules are made, especially these days.

Of course. I don't think Mike expected to get waxed by Cor Jesu Amanti Sacrum.

[Dafatone]

Anyone heard any rumblings? People are starting to hear stuff and post on the USCHO forum but I haven't seen us mentioned in any of those. Locking down another home and home with a hockey east/B1G/NCHC school would be nice to make sure our OOC schedule is strong enough to be competitive in the pairwise. Do we maybe finally get Arizona state at home after going down there for what seemed like 5 years straight? Find another winter break tournament perhaps? Curious to see how it turns out

Common myth that I don't bother trying to correct people on, except coaches and Ivy League grads

playing a "tough schedule" doesn't help you. Playing a tough schedule and winning the games helps you. You can play a crap schedule and win all the games, and it would be the same as playing a "tough" schedule and winning 50%. It's a direct inverse correlation.

My pairwise take is that home/away is overweighted and the best way to hack RPI is to play a lot of road games.

Has anybody studied this? Shouldn't be too hard to figure out the "true" advantage of home ice.

I feel like Adam had numbers proving me wrong last time I said this.

But it feels true, and this is the internet, so I am sticking with it.