UCONN 2015-2016: The Hockey East Journey Continues..the Future Looks Bright

[brassbonanza]

Re: UCONN 2015-2016: The Hockey East Journey Continues..the Future Looks Bright

XL is not a great place for college hockey. At best, it's sufficient. Cavernous, curtains are an eyesore, seats are falling apart, concourses too small, building is flat out ugly.

[FDNY99]

Re: UCONN 2015-2016: The Hockey East Journey Continues..the Future Looks Bright

Supposedly the new barn will be privately funded so this debate may be moot. But if it isn't, Malloy will have his way.

More importantly I looked at the 2015-2016 official roster today...4 Seniors (3 Forwards, 1 Defenseman); 4 Juniors (2 Defensemen, 1 Forward, and Nichols); 11 Sophomore's (6 Forwards, 3 Defensemen, 2 Goalies); 6 Freshmen (4 Forwards, 2 Defensemen). Cav's next 2 recruiting classes will fill this program with all his recruits, the Sophmore class was pretty much put together before he was hired. Even though he has Thulin and Creel on the roster...one of these next 2 classes needs to yield the replacement for Robby Nichols. Next year he will be at the max 18 scholarships...up from 15 this year. I can see him bringing in 5 or 6 kids the next 2 years.

[CollegeHockeyRinkReport]

Re: UCONN 2015-2016: The Hockey East Journey Continues..the Future Looks Bright

From a neutral observer with no horse in the race... My opinion is all but 1-2 special (ie Beanpot type) should be played on campus. It's what makes college sports so special.

[bottomdweller]

Re: UCONN 2015-2016: The Hockey East Journey Continues..the Future Looks Bright

XL is not a great place for college hockey. At best, it's sufficient. Cavernous, curtains are an eyesore, seats are falling apart, concourses too small, building is flat out ugly.

I've never been to XL, but your description sounds eerily similar to UMass, and that place is horrid to watch games.

[RSTuthill]

Re: UCONN 2015-2016: The Hockey East Journey Continues..the Future Looks Bright

XL is not a great place for college hockey. At best, it's sufficient. Cavernous, curtains are an eyesore, seats are falling apart, concourses too small, building is flat out ugly.

I guess that I do not share this opinion. Have never seen a seat with a problem. The concourses are fine for the college sized crowd. If they ever draw a Whalers sized crowd of 16,000 you might have a point. And although I do not like the first four lower level rows with the aluminum flooring, that is not a big deal.

[UNH_Alum_In_CT]

Re: UCONN 2015-2016: The Hockey East Journey Continues..the Future Looks Bright

XL is not a great place for college hockey. At best, it's sufficient. Cavernous, curtains are an eyesore, seats are falling apart, concourses too small, building is flat out ugly.

I too am going to disagree. When UNH played UConn last season, I attended the game with another Greater Hartford UNH Alum. After the game I commented to him that I forgot how great the lower bowl of the XL Center was to watch hockey. You have great sight lines, very comfortable seating and it's really bright making it easier to follow the puck. Agree that the concourses are fine for the under 10K crowds and I've never heard of any problems with the seats either. Curtains are curtains, less of an eyesore than all the advertising on the boards. In the past few seasons I've also attended games at UMass, PC, BC and MC. I'd prefer to watch a game at the XL Center. One could say that Mullins, Whittemore, Tsongas, Agganis and Conte are cavernous too. Compared to old barns like PC, MC and for old UNH guys like me Snively, they are cavernous too.

UConn should have an on campus facility but it's not because the XL Center is inadequate. With all the state budget issues, I can't see any state money being available for an on campus facility when the XL Center is more than adequate and attracting more fans than an on campus facility would hold. With football playing in East Hartford and men's and women's basketball playing at least half their home games off campus, playing hockey off campus should be significantly less an issue than on most campuses.

[HockeyRef]

Re: UCONN 2015-2016: The Hockey East Journey Continues..the Future Looks Bright

I too am going to disagree. When UNH played UConn last season, I attended the game with another Greater Hartford UNH Alum. After the game I commented to him that I forgot how great the lower bowl of the XL Center was to watch hockey. You have great sight lines, very comfortable seating and it's really bright making it easier to follow the puck. Agree that the concourses are fine for the under 10K crowds and I've never heard of any problems with the seats either. Curtains are curtains, less of an eyesore than all the advertising on the boards. In the past few seasons I've also attended games at UMass, PC, BC and MC. I'd prefer to watch a game at the XL Center. One could say that Mullins, Whittemore, Tsongas, Agganis and Conte are cavernous too. Compared to old barns like PC, MC and for old UNH guys like me Snively, they are cavernous too.

UConn should have an on campus facility but it's not because the XL Center is inadequate. With all the state budget issues, I can't see any state money being available for an on campus facility when the XL Center is more than adequate and attracting more fans than an on campus facility would hold. With football playing in East Hartford and men's and women's basketball playing at least half their home games off campus, playing hockey off campus should be significantly less an issue than on most campuses.

Just thought I'd tell you that at the Big Assist event in Stamford this Wednesday UNH alums (more recent) Kevin Goumas, Justin Agosta, and Brett Pesce will be playing, along with current Wildcat Captain Collin Mac Donald. We expected to see the vR Boys (James and Trevor) on the roster but they aren't on it....a few of us fans are going...

[brassbonanza]

Re: UCONN 2015-2016: The Hockey East Journey Continues..the Future Looks Bright

I've never been to XL, but your description sounds eerily similar to UMass, and that place is horrid to watch games.

It is similar to Mullins in that it's too big for the crowds it draws. UConn hockey would be so much better in a 6,500 seat arena on campus, not in a 16,000 seat arena in a craphole of a city.

I've not once heard anyone call Agganis, Tsongas, Conte, or the Whit cavernous. None are nearly as big on the inside as XL. The curtains muffle and drown out noise, make the program look second-class, and just do no good.

[RSTuthill]

Re: UCONN 2015-2016: The Hockey East Journey Continues..the Future Looks Bright

It is similar to Mullins in that it's too big for the crowds it draws. UConn hockey would be so much better in a 6,500 seat arena on campus, not in a 16,000 seat arena in a craphole of a city.

I've not once heard anyone call Agganis, Tsongas, Conte, or the Whit cavernous. None are nearly as big on the inside as XL. The curtains muffle and drown out noise, make the program look second-class, and just do no good.

My suggestion is just not to come to CT, then. I mean really. The only way UConn can average 6,000 per game is to have 8,000-9,000 in the barn for big games to compensate for the nights against lesser known opponents when they have only 4,000. And if the team gets really hot in a couple years, those extra seats will be highly valued. Keep in mind too, that no matter where the building is, there will always be a limited number of student tickets because they don't make money on those. And money is in short supply at UConn until they are able (if ever) to move to a power five conference. Football outside of the power five is an even bigger drain than FCS football.

[HawkStar12]

Re: UCONN 2015-2016: The Hockey East Journey Continues..the Future Looks Bright

http://www.theuconnblog.com/2015/8/3...-maxim-letunov

Another top notch recruit for UConn, coming this fall.

[FDNY99]

Re: UCONN 2015-2016: The Hockey East Journey Continues..the Future Looks Bright

The benefits of having Cav not have a full HE roster and adding 5 scholarships this season. What ever..I'll take it. Letunov and Masonius are 2 HUGE adds to the roster late in the recruiting game. It will be interesting to see how Cav fills out the lines with the new kids this season.

[RSTuthill]

Re: UCONN 2015-2016: The Hockey East Journey Continues..the Future Looks Bright

http://www.theuconnblog.com/2015/8/3...-maxim-letunov

Another top notch recruit for UConn, coming this fall.

(Y) This is gonna be fun!!

[FDNY99]

Re: UCONN 2015-2016: The Hockey East Journey Continues..the Future Looks Bright

I am excited to see Cav and his staff of Joe P and Buck getting the kind of talent like Letunov Thompson and Masonius. It will allow UCONN to compete on a even level talent wise with a fair amount of the teams in the league. I am also tempering my excitement with a does of reality...these are 18-19 year old kids who while playing a rigorous schedule in the USHL...with Thompson and Masonius both getting the intensive off-ice routine that comes with playing for the USNTDP...they are also not a Jack Eichel. It will be fun to watch them grow throughout the season just as it was fun to watch last years's freshman class. Next season is setting up to be an interesting year...it will be Nichols' Sr campaign and if he plays his next 2 seasons anything like he did last season IMHO it will be a special year and a team like UCONN has never seen.

[HHound]

Re: UCONN 2015-2016: The Hockey East Journey Continues..the Future Looks Bright

I don't quite understand how these guys could get into UConn while being rejected by the UNH and bu admissions guardians. Are the latter schools trying to prove that they have tough academic standards for hockey players? Or is UConn more "flexible" than I have believed they were? I'd like to think that each of these athletes had "baggage" (clearinghouse problems etc.) that UConn was better able to handle. Any thoughts?

Hopefully these guys blend in well, and that your program can be competitive throughout the season (except against the other Huskies, of course).

[FDNY99]

Re: UCONN 2015-2016: The Hockey East Journey Continues..the Future Looks Bright

From what it looks like with Masonius it was a foreign language requirement that he didn't meet at UNH...Letunov it was about whether BU would accept course work that he did in HS when he was in Russia. I know admitting kids into school was a HUGE issue Edsall had right before he left for MD. And after the APR issues with the basketball team...I highly doubt that Susan Herbst and Warde Manuel are going to allow loose admission standards. They both have been pretty adamant about the fact that any athlete at UCONN is a student first and foremost. I think that someone put it best in one of the other threads...UCONN like BC has a much larger athletic department than most of the schools in HE....and therefore have someone who is dedicated to the admissions process and knows the admission requirements for the school. They can by reviewing a kids transcript; know whether they can get into UCONN or not so that coaches don't waste the kids time or their own time in the recruiting process.

I don't quite understand how these guys could get into UConn while being rejected by the UNH and bu admissions guardians. Are the latter schools trying to prove that they have tough academic standards for hockey players? Or is UConn more "flexible" than I have believed they were? I'd like to think that each of these athletes had "baggage" (clearinghouse problems etc.) that UConn was better able to handle. Any thoughts?

Hopefully these guys blend in well, and that your program can be competitive throughout the season (except against the other Huskies, of course).