If you were Phil Buttafuoco ...

[Big Red Colonel]

... what would you do to get the ECAC back to national prominence like before the split in the 80s?

If you think that is a hopeless endeavor, do you think that there is anything that Cornell or Shafer can do to keep us nationally competitive in an ever weakening league?  I don't suspect we'd ever push to join Hockey East or start a new conference, but I wished this would get talked about.

[Bahnstorm]

More out of conference games would certainly help.
This might be a better conversation to have after next weekend with the possibility of Harvard embarrassing themselves against Maine. Hopefully that won't happen, but if the only ECAC team in the tourney gets blown out in the first round it might give the ECAC another reason to try and build up the conference. I'm pulling for Harvard to represent the ECAC well.

[Will]

Well, the simplest thing Cornell and other teams can do to bring the ECAC back to national prominence is win all of its out-of-conference games, including the NCAA tournament.

Barring that, the Ivies need to play more OOC games (and win them), and not just against AHA or CHA teams, either.  They need to schedule more Minnesotas, Michigans, and Denvers, not to mention the BUs, BCs, and Maines.  They need to show stronger at the holiday tournaments.  Basically, they need to give hockey the attention we all know it deserves.

[ben03]

For those who made it to Woostah a few years back ... Hahvard(sucks) did everything to not embarrass themselves and the ECAC losing to Maine 4-3 in overtime and coming within inches of winning in regulation. Just might think to give'em some credit and maybe, dare I say, some support from a fellow Ivy and ECAC colleague ... even if it is Sucks.

just my $.02

[jtwcornell91]

[Q]ben03 Wrote:

 For those who made it to Woostah a few years back ... Hahvard(sucks) did everything to not embarrass themselves and the ECAC losing to Maine 4-3 in overtime and coming within inches of winning in regulation. Just might think to give'em some credit and maybe, dare I say, some support from a fellow Ivy and ECAC colleague ... even if it is Sucks.
[/Q]
I'd love to see Hahvahd lose 4-3 to Maine, although I'd prefer they did it in regulation to cut down on Howard's minutes.  Two 3-goal games would be enough to push his GAA back above Lenny's.

[ben03]

yes, I agree ... a repeat performance would be nice:-)

[ninian '72]

[Q]Will Wrote:

 Well, the simplest thing Cornell and other teams can do to bring the ECAC back to national prominence is win all of its out-of-conference games, including the NCAA tournament.

Barring that, the Ivies need to play more OOC games (and win them), and not just against AHA or CHA teams, either.  They need to schedule more Minnesotas, Michigans, and Denvers, not to mention the BUs, BCs, and Maines.  They need to show stronger at the holiday tournaments.  Basically, they need to give hockey the attention we all know it deserves.
 [/Q]

Agreed!   I think performing well in the holiday tourneys is the way to do this in the short run. although I would love to see some stronger WCHA or CCHA teams play at Lynah.  Right now there's not a lot of incentive for major powers in other leagues to schedule stronger teams from the ECAC and risk losing to them in individual matchups.  There may be some exceptions.  The old BU rivalry may still have a pulse and is worth reviving.  

[Tom Pasniewski 98]

Since we only get 7 OOC games, playing two teams twice is not a good idea IMO.  If you can coordinate with another relatively nearby school to play a Western team, that might help convince a team to come east.  But, as we've learned, a road OOC win can be better than a home OOC win.  

You also have to consider that Atlantic Hockey teams are also trying to bring their teams up in the spotlight and calling on nearby ECAC schools to do so and again, you only have seven games.  You want to bring the ECAC to a more prominent position but deny another conference the chance to do that?

I'd say Cornell is doing it's part.  They didn't win either game down in Florida last year, yet wound up #1 in the final USCHO poll and didn't embarass themselves at the Frozen Four.  A player wins the Humanitarian Award and another is a Hobey Hat Trick winner.   This year they played in a holiday tournament in which all three other teams are in the NCAA tournament and won the tournament and went 4-1 against NCAA tournament teams during the season.  I think the non-Ivies who get more OOC games, need to win more of those games.  

Anybody have a clue if UVM games will be replaced with OOC games when they ship out?

[ben03]

I'd love to see a Michigan home and home ... has the potential to develop into a good rivalry and would certainly make for an interesting road trip :-D

[Will]

[Q]Tom Pasniewski 98 Wrote:

You also have to consider that Atlantic Hockey teams are also trying to bring their teams up in the spotlight and calling on nearby ECAC schools to do so and again, you only have seven games.  You want to bring the ECAC to a more prominent position but deny another conference the chance to do that? [/Q]

Yes I would, because our prominence is more important to me than their prominence.  There would seem to be only a finite amount of prominence to go around--I'd rather take it from the Big Three, since they already have a lot of it.  Atlantic Hockey doesn't have it right now, so there's not much to be gained for the ECAC by playing them...or worse yet, they'll take however little prominence we have left.

[KenP]

If I were Phil Buttafuoco I'd do the ECAC a favor and jump off the top of Taughannock Falls.  Adam W's articles on USCHO suggest that the ECAC is going absolutely nowhere with Buttafuoco at the helm.  He's a control freak with a knack for burning bridges.  He can't even get a decent TV contract for the playoffs, for crying out loud!

DISCLAIMER -- With most of my knowledge on the subject based exclusively on Adam's reporting, my opinions aren't entirely mine.  But if you believe what he writes then the title of this thread ignores the real problem.

http://www.uscho.com/news/2004/01/08_007637.php
http://www.uscho.com/news/2003/02/18_006220.php
http://www.uscho.com/news/1997/11/17_000739.php

[ninian '72]

[Q]ben03 Wrote:

 I'd love to see a Michigan home and home ... has the potential to develop into a good rivalry and would certainly make for an interesting road trip  
 [/Q]

I second this one.  Would be a great matchup.  Both teams are physical and have traditions of solid goaltending.  Would be fun to see Schafer's defense first style matched up against Berenson's preference for speed, finesse, and offense (if he has the horses, which he hasn't recently).  Makes sense geographically, and we all know their fans are cloned from ours.  

[Beeeej]

[Q]Will Wrote:
[q]Tom Pasniewski 98 Wrote:
You also have to consider that Atlantic Hockey teams are also trying to bring their teams up in the spotlight and calling on nearby ECAC schools to do so and again, you only have seven games.  You want to bring the ECAC to a more prominent position but deny another conference the chance to do that?[/q]
Yes I would, because our prominence is more important to me than their prominence.  There would seem to be only a finite amount of prominence to go around--I'd rather take it from the Big Three, since they already have a lot of it.  Atlantic Hockey doesn't have it right now, so there's not much to be gained for the ECAC by playing them...or worse yet, they'll take however little prominence we have left.
 [/Q]

The problem with that, Will, is that the three conferences we want on our schedule to a large extent don't want ECAC teams on their schedules any more than we want AHA or MAAC teams on ours.  You have to give a little to get a little.

Beeeej

[nyc94]

[Q]Beeeej Wrote:
You have to give a little to get a little.
[/Q]

The western schools have more OOC games to schedule then we do so they have a little more to give.  Even if they lose to an ECAC team it should do less damage to their RPI and Pairwise than a loss to an AHA team does to us.  And they might even pick up "bonus points" with a win.  Notre Dame's scheduling really paid off for them this year.  Someone on USCHO said they won't schedule more road games because the rinks are smaller and therefore the financial incentive is much lower.  Thoughts?  Is it true they split the gate 60-40?

I agree with Tom that playing two games against the same opponent is not a great idea.  I thought the Ohio State - Bowling Green set with Colgate was a great idea.  With Colgate playing well this year this should be exploited.  Get BU and BC or Maine and UNH in for a set.  

[Avash]

When do they usually announce the OOC games for the next season? Anyone remember?