>>>>> RIT TIGERS 2013-2014 - Rocking The Ritter One Last Time <<<<<

[LtPowers]

Re: >>>>> RIT TIGERS 2013-2014 - Rocking The Ritter One Last Time <<<<<

As as Quinnipiac alum and fan let me just say that when the Polisseni Center is completed your team will have the top rink in the AHA.

At least until the HarborCenter gets completed...


Powers &8^]

[Tom Naeger]

Re: >>>>> RIT TIGERS 2013-2014 - Rocking The Ritter One Last Time <<<<<

The new rink will beat out the HarborCenter, but speaking of which...

This was talked about a lot and is not a surprise but will be interesting to see how it impacts Canisius and the new rink they are moving into. The Buffalo Jr. Sabres of the OJHL announced on Tuesday that they will move from the Amherst Northtown Center (Formally the Pepsi Center) to the new Harbor Center which Canisius is also moving into. In addition the Junior Sabres program will expand to 7 teams covering different age groups. It will be interesting to see how Canisius schedule shapes out sharing the rink, what kind of priority they take compare to the Jr Sabres. heck wonder if they will finally have their logo on the ice.

http://buffalojrsabres.pointstreaksi...ive/news_89444

[TigerFan86-87]

Re: >>>>> RIT TIGERS 2013-2014 - Rocking The Ritter One Last Time <<<<<

We aren't going to fool recruits into thinking that RIT will be a team that will constantly be talked about as a Frozen Four team as it stands today.

I don't think anyone thought that growth would come from an illusion that RIT was going back to the FF any time soon. I think it was more of an exposure factor. Prior to the FF run, many recruits probably said "R I Who?". So the coaches had to spend time explaining who RIT is, where RIT is, where they play, etc., etc. and hope that when they're done with that the recruit is actually interested in coming to a program like RIT at all. After the FF run, recruits that might be considering a school like RIT wouldn't need to be weeded out as much by the RIT coaches as some may actually contact RIT themselves or at least be much more open to conversations with the coaches when they are approached. I can't imagine anyone thought RIT would become a national power overnight just because they upset their way into the national semifinals once, but many of us did expect the talent level of recruits to maybe tick up somewhat. What worries some is that the on-ice performance shows no evidence of that happening. Now that 2010 is quickly becoming a distant memory, especially for recruits that were younger and younger at the time every year, they may be returning to the "R I Who?" stage.

[RITProf]

Re: >>>>> RIT TIGERS 2013-2014 - Rocking The Ritter One Last Time <<<<<

The new rink will beat out the HarborCenter,

That is a big, huge, giant, understatement!

(My idea of college hockey doesn't happen on the 7th floor of a hotel a few miles from campus. Regardless, good for Canisius.)

[lmg6841]

Re: >>>>> RIT TIGERS 2013-2014 - Rocking The Ritter One Last Time <<<<<

I don't know that the R-I-who? feeling really ever went away. At least with a lot of other fans and schools. You're right- we upset a few teams and made some waves. I just don't think we currently offer enough to get high caliber talent. Playing in front of ~4k funs, okay that's cool, assuming people actually show up with the new rink. Nice new facilities, woo. Playing one, maybe two big-time hockey schools a year, that's kind of cool. I'm not sure that out weighs playing in the worst conference in college hockey and not even being the best team in that conference.

I don't think anyone thought that growth would come from an illusion that RIT was going back to the FF any time soon. I think it was more of an exposure factor. Prior to the FF run, many recruits probably said "R I Who?". So the coaches had to spend time explaining who RIT is, where RIT is, where they play, etc., etc. and hope that when they're done with that the recruit is actually interested in coming to a program like RIT at all. After the FF run, recruits that might be considering a school like RIT wouldn't need to be weeded out as much by the RIT coaches as some may actually contact RIT themselves or at least be much more open to conversations with the coaches when they are approached. I can't imagine anyone thought RIT would become a national power overnight just because they upset their way into the national semifinals once, but many of us did expect the talent level of recruits to maybe tick up somewhat. What worries some is that the on-ice performance shows no evidence of that happening. Now that 2010 is quickly becoming a distant memory, especially for recruits that were younger and younger at the time every year, they may be returning to the "R I Who?" stage.

[komey1]

Re: >>>>> RIT TIGERS 2013-2014 - Rocking The Ritter One Last Time <<<<<

I don't know that the R-I-who? feeling really ever went away. At least with a lot of other fans and schools. You're right- we upset a few teams and made some waves. I just don't think we currently offer enough to get high caliber talent. Playing in front of ~4k funs, okay that's cool, assuming people actually show up with the new rink. Nice new facilities, woo. Playing one, maybe two big-time hockey schools a year, that's kind of cool. I'm not sure that out weighs playing in the worst conference in college hockey and not even being the best team in that conference.

I think this is a great point. RIT is not a brand name in hockey - or a school that is recognizable to the casual fan because they are DIII in other sports. People see Air Force or Army or UConn they know who they are. They may know Holy Cross, Niagara, or Sacred Heart from mid-major basketball.

Without scholarships or playing in a better conference, it's going to be tough to get higher caliber talent than what they get now. It may improve some with the new arena - it certainly would help when going up in recruiting battles with teams at RIT's level. That does remain to be seen.

[RITProf]

Re: >>>>> RIT TIGERS 2013-2014 - Rocking The Ritter One Last Time <<<<<

The question is not whether RIT is recognizable to the casual fan (an oxymoron by the way), but whether RIT is recognized as the good hockey school to real bona fide recruits.

I am not a recruit so I can't say, but I can say that RIT is very well recognized by any actual college hockey fans and I would expect any recruits we actually want at RIT to be at least as knowledgeable.

[LtPowers]

Re: >>>>> RIT TIGERS 2013-2014 - Rocking The Ritter One Last Time <<<<<

I am not a recruit so I can't say, but I can say that RIT is very well recognized by any actual college hockey fans and I would expect any recruits we actually want at RIT to be at least as knowledgeable.

The Norrish twins appeared to know nothing of RIT until they were contacted.


Powers &8^]

[RIT Winters]

Re: >>>>> RIT TIGERS 2013-2014 - Rocking The Ritter One Last Time <<<<<

The Norrish twins appeared to know nothing of RIT until they were contacted.


Powers &8^]

Yet they still decided to come here, which sort of invalidates a lot of the bleeting here, eh?

[RITProf]

Re: >>>>> RIT TIGERS 2013-2014 - Rocking The Ritter One Last Time <<<<<

Perhaps they were quick learners? Maybe they didn't know anything about any colleges? But once they learned about RIT, and the landscape of college hockey, they still decided to come to RIT, as Winters so nicely pointed out.

How many of us would know the difference between Denver and Colorado College (or that they even existed) ... or Bentley and AIC (or that they even existed),* if we weren't college hockey fans? Some, of course, but probably not all. One learns when it becomes of interest and I would hope, at least, that RIT-caliber recruits would be interested in learning about their choices to at least that same level.


*And to be fair, many from other areas could/should say the same about RIT and Canisius (or Niagara or Mercyhurst) if they all weren't having some impact on the hockey world (like beating Minny, hosting Mich., getting at large bids, etc.)

[Rochester]

Re: >>>>> RIT TIGERS 2013-2014 - Rocking The Ritter One Last Time <<<<<

Don't forget to join in on the fun! Pick'em!

http://board.uscho.com/showthread.ph...013-2014/page5

[RIT Winters]

Re: >>>>> RIT TIGERS 2013-2014 - Rocking The Ritter One Last Time <<<<<

Perhaps they were quick learners? Maybe they didn't know anything about any colleges? But once they learned about RIT, and the landscape of college hockey, they still decided to come to RIT, as Winters so nicely pointed out.

How many of us would know the difference between Denver and Colorado College (or that they even existed) ... or Bentley and AIC (or that they even existed),* if we weren't college hockey fans? Some, of course, but probably not all. One learns when it becomes of interest and I would hope, at least, that RIT-caliber recruits would be interested in learning about their choices to at least that same level.


*And to be fair, many from other areas could/should say the same about RIT and Canisius (or Niagara or Mercyhurst) if they all weren't having some impact on the hockey world (like beating Minny, hosting Mich., getting at large bids, etc.)

That's the thing, right? The majority of the best recruits are Canadian. Canadians don't grow up following the NCAA or rooting for a particular team...their first experience with American schools is going to be as soon as schools start coming and talking to them. I'm quite sure that most Americans, let alone Canadien teenagers, have never heard of the majority of hockey schools sans the absolute juggernaughts that are known, typically, for other sports as well.

There are good schools/teams like Quinnipiac, Union, and UMASS Lowell whose names I'm sure don't echo around the rinks in Canada. So really it's the quality of your scouting and recruiting that comes into play. Most schools start with a blank slate, it's up to WW or his staff to draw the prettiest picture on ours.

[Scott Biggar]

Re: >>>>> RIT TIGERS 2013-2014 - Rocking The Ritter One Last Time <<<<<

That's the thing, right? The majority of the best recruits are Canadian. Canadians don't grow up following the NCAA or rooting for a particular team...their first experience with American schools is going to be as soon as schools start coming and talking to them. I'm quite sure that most Americans, let alone Canadien teenagers, have never heard of the majority of hockey schools sans the absolute juggernaughts that are known, typically, for other sports as well.

To carry the analogy further, how many RIT fans would know that Queens, Brock, Wilfred Laurier, or Ryerson even existed if these Canadian schools never came to the US to play exhibition games against NCAA schools?

Expecting Canadian fans to be any better informed about mid-market NCAA hockey schools is a bit too much.

[QUAlum2004]

Re: >>>>> RIT TIGERS 2013-2014 - Rocking The Ritter One Last Time <<<<<

That's the thing, right? The majority of the best recruits are Canadian. Canadians don't grow up following the NCAA or rooting for a particular team...their first experience with American schools is going to be as soon as schools start coming and talking to them. I'm quite sure that most Americans, let alone Canadien teenagers, have never heard of the majority of hockey schools sans the absolute juggernaughts that are known, typically, for other sports as well.

There are good schools/teams like Quinnipiac, Union, and UMASS Lowell whose names I'm sure don't echo around the rinks in Canada. So really it's the quality of your scouting and recruiting that comes into play. Most schools start with a blank slate, it's up to WW or his staff to draw the prettiest picture on ours.

Yes but with Quinnipiac and Lowell they both play in very good facilities and top end leagues respectively. That alone in itself will sway more prospects towards us and Lowell but making the FF and having 15 straight winning seasons in D1 helps as well.

[blazer777]

Re: >>>>> RIT TIGERS 2013-2014 - Rocking The Ritter One Last Time <<<<<

Yes but with Quinnipiac and Lowell they both play in very good facilities and top end leagues respectively. That alone in itself will sway more prospects towards us and Lowell but making the FF and having 15 straight winning seasons in D1 helps as well.

Getting to the facilities in Lowell, now that's another story!

In 2008, the violent crime Rate for Lowell was 1,126.3 per 100,000 of the population, ranking it the 7th most violent city in Massachusetts right ahead of Boston with 1,104 per 100,000.[31]