So, How Did The Campus Site Work Out?

[KnightsOfTheRound]

I agree Agganis is probably too big. I actually really like the idea of Matthews from a historical perspective (sight lines are another story) but it may also be too big for the event.

Walter Brown Arena is probably a more appropriately sized option. There is also Bright Arena but I don't know if Harvard rents it out by the hour

Happy Patriots Day to all who celebrate

[Birdwatcher]

The Glens Falls Civic Center in Glens Falls, NY may be a good fit. The State High School basketball playoffs were held there up until a couple years ago.

[Scott_TG]

The Glens Falls Civic Center in Glens Falls, NY may be a good fit. The State High School basketball playoffs were held there up until a couple years ago.

If they're going to do it in Glens Falls, they might as well use Lake Placid with all the history it has.

[joecct]

If they're going to do it in Glens Falls, they might as well use Lake Placid with all the history it has.

My one objection to Lake Placid is the ice size. Finals should be on 200x85.

[Birdwatcher]

If they're going to do it in Glens Falls, they might as well use Lake Placid with all the history it has.

I agree, but capacity at GF is around 4700 and is easier to get to with 4 exits off I87 directly to the Glens Falls area.

[bakdraft21]

My one objection to Lake Placid is the ice size. Finals should be on 200x85.

agree

[Fishman'81]

Those arenas are WAYYYYY too big to host the D3 finals site.

XL is a 15000 or 16000 seat arena as is Nassau. That’s way too big. The sweet spot is 3K to 4K in my opinion.

Utica is a good fit in a geographical sense, and seats 4,000.

The Aud is an absolute palace vs. any other D-3 barn I've ever seen. (2 Jumbotrons, decent beer, an attached restaurant, etc.) It's not too a bad bus-trip from 95% of the Eastern teams, and an hour from both the Syracuse and Albany airports via the Thruway for the few Western fans who might make the trip. And lodgings abound.

While I do realize that the FF here was poorly attended recently, there were still more tickets sold here back then than there were in Point... And that narrative would have been very different had Hobart (or maybe they were there, I forget), EC, or any of a number of SUNYAC teams qualified. There was just zero local interest in the field that year, and that could happen at any venue in any given season.

I have no idea if Utica is considering bidding again, but I think it's worth another shot.

[PrezdeJohnson09]

Utica is a good fit in a geographical sense, and seats 4,000.

The Aud is an absolute palace vs. any other D-3 barn I've ever seen. (2 Jumbotrons, decent beer, an attached restaurant, etc.) It's not too a bad bus-trip from 95% of the Eastern teams, and an hour from both the Syracuse and Albany airports via the Thruway for the few Western fans who might make the trip. And lodgings abound.

While I do realize that the FF here was poorly attended recently, there were still more tickets sold here back then than there were in Point... And that narrative would have been very different had Hobart (or maybe they were there, I forget), EC, or any of a number of SUNYAC teams qualified. There was just zero local interest in the field that year, and that could happen at any venue in any given season.

I have no idea if Utica is considering bidding again, but I think it's worth another shot.

Norwich more than made up for it carrying a very large presence, especially for the final on Saturday.

[ExileOnDaytonStreet]

An idea I bandied about in the past is having the Frozen Four and either the D-III or Women’s championship in the same city on the same weekend.

https://twitter.com/exileondaytonst/...463843840?s=21

Basically: Imagine the Frozen Four at the new Bucks arena in Milwaukee, then having the D-III championship two blocks away at the UWM Panther arena. The DI arena would be too small, and the DIII arena too big, but you get the idea. It sort of becomes a full hockey extravaganza to have everything clustered together like that. You’d probably get some cross-pollination between the events.

Until last weekend, I might’ve guessed that Buffalo was another ideal candidate tor something like this.

[ExileOnDaytonStreet]

But, more directly on topic: I have to agree that neutral sites are better to allow for people to better plan their trips.

[PrezdeJohnson09]

An idea I bandied about in the past is having the Frozen Four and either the D-III or Women’s championship in the same city on the same weekend.

https://twitter.com/exileondaytonst/...463843840?s=21

Basically: Imagine the Frozen Four at the new Bucks arena in Milwaukee, then having the D-III championship two blocks away at the UWM Panther arena. The DI arena would be too small, and the DIII arena too big, but you get the idea. It sort of becomes a full hockey extravaganza to have everything clustered together like that. You’d probably get some cross-pollination between the events.

Until last weekend, I might’ve guessed that Buffalo was another ideal candidate tor something like this.

The D1 season is 2-3 weeks longer than the D3 men’s and women’s hockey seasons. They arent going to extend the season out longer just to align with D1 men.

[ExileOnDaytonStreet]

Given how poor attendance is with the D-I tournament as it is, there’s a good argument for moving the D-I season back a week. Not enough for full alignment, but not nothing.

I tend to think details like this are easily solved when scheduling things a few years in advance.

[Scott_TG]

Given how poor attendance is with the D-I tournament as it is, there’s a good argument for moving the D-I season back a week. Not enough for full alignment, but not nothing.

I tend to think details like this are easily solved when scheduling things a few years in advance.

I disagree with the idea of treating the DIII championships as the opening act, which is how they would be treated in this scenario. These players deserve to be the main the event of their championship that they worked for.

[Fishman'81]

Norwich more than made up for it carrying a very large presence, especially for the final on Saturday.

It's tough to beat Utica as a neutral site in the East, by almost any yardstick. Probably would have sold-out had an Oswego or Geneseo been there, too.

[PrezdeJohnson09]

It's tough to beat Utica as a neutral site in the East, by almost any yardstick. Probably would have sold-out had an Oswego or Geneseo been there, too.

Both definitely would have helped attendance.

[Fishman'81]

Both definitely would have helped attendance.

My guess is that it would be a long-shot to pack a house for any D-3 FF, barring a perfect storm of geography and local interest.

Having said that, The Aud might have a great shot at a such a circumstance during a given year.

[Birdwatcher]

Only issue if we are talking neutral....the Aud is not a neutral site for D3 hockey...

[capswon]

This kind of dovetails into this topic. Yesterday I umpired a softball game at a top college D3 program. Great facility, city, campus.....etc. When talking to coach, the topic came up about hosting a regional or super regional. He said he did it once, never again. He said he couldn't enjoy it because any and every question came to him. Also when his team travels to a site all he needs to worry about is feeding them and making sure they are in their rooms at night. Hosting he said hes gotta worry if some kids make it home after the game😂. He said league playoffs he'll host but that's it. He said put me on a bus and tell me where I'm going.

[KnightsOfTheRound]

Were they allowed to sell beer when the Aud hosted the FF?

[PrezdeJohnson09]

Were they allowed to sell beer when the Aud hosted the FF?

99 percent sure they were not allowed.