Why Doesn't Boston College Hockey Host A Holiday Tournament?
by Brian Favat on Jan 4, 2012 5:00 PM EST
in Boston College Hockey
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The UMass hockey blog Fear The Triangle recently learned that the men's ice hockey team will be playing in the 2013 UConn Hockey Classic with Sacred Heart, Quinnipiac and host UConn. But forgive Fear The Triangle if they aren't completely blown away at the prospects of playing a holiday tournament against two AHA opponents and a ECAC program.
"I can't say I'm exactly blown away at the prospect. After going to this tourney twice, I do not look forward to it. I've never understood why UConn even has a tournament. Their facility is awful. Atmosphere is non-existent. And as a college town Storrs is pretty boring and lacks decent beer bars (though Willimantic has a good one within driving distance). And the matchups are never compelling. But UMass seems to be there every three to four years. It's almost like [UMass coach] Toot [Cahoon] feels sorry for UConn and their crappy hockey program."
FTT isn't thrilled and with good reason. There's really no benefit to playing Atlantic Hockey programs during the season. Nine times out of 10 any non-Air Force AHA program isn't under consideration for the NCAA's PairWise rankings and the program's PWR and TUC records take a hit. It's a missed opportunity, especially for Hockey East programs who wind up with precious few non-conference dates.
Jerry York knows this and does his best to fill the non-conference schedule with marquee programs that have the Eagles battle tested come March and April. Just look at this year's non-conference schedule -- the Ice Breaker, Great Lakes Invitational and Beanpot Tournaments, Denver (WCHA), at Notre Dame (CCHA) and at Yale (ECAC).
This is a big reason why BC rarely faces an Atlantic Hockey opponent in non-conference play. Of the 12 current AHA members, the Eagles have never faced five in the program's all-time history -- Bentley, Canisius, Connecticut, Robert Morris and Sacred Heart.
This whole UConn Hockey Classic got me thinking. Why should a crappy New England hockey program -- that doesn't even offer scholarships -- host a crappy holiday tournament when a program could host a better holiday tournament right in the heart of the greatest college hockey city on the planet?
There are a few mainstays on the college hockey holiday tournament scene, but the nation's premier holiday tournament is the Great Lakes Invitational co-hosted by Michigan Tech and Michigan. The GLI has been played annually since 1965.
Other holiday tournaments and host schools:
-- Ledyard National Bank Classic f.k.a Auld Lang Syne Tournament (Dartmouth)
-- Catamount Cup (Vermont), played since 1990
-- Mariucci Classic (Minnesota), played annually since 1991
-- UConn Hockey Classic (UConn), played annually since 1993
-- Florida College Classic (Maine and Cornell), played annually since 2000
Notre Dame took over hosting duties for the Lightning College Hockey Classic for the 2008-09 season, but the rebranded Shillelagh Tournament only lasted three seasons.
With six holiday tournaments on the 2011 schedule, a total of 24 of the 59 Division I-A programs participated in a holiday tournament over the Winter Break. Seems like there is room for BC to host another three programs in an annual Boston-based holiday tournament.
There will also likely be an opportunity to schedule more non-conference games after Hockey East moves back to a 22-game schedule with the additions of Notre Dame and a 12th program. Why travel to Detroit, Hanover or Minneapolis when the Eagles can host three marquee opponents over the holiday break right in their own backyard?
The trick, of course, will be to make the tournament significantly different than the annual Beanpot Tournament. But I can't imagine it would be difficult for Boston College to bring in some big-time programs to Conte Forum (or the Garden) over the Holiday break. In the new college hockey world (2013-), BC could invite an NCHC, WCHA and Big Ten Hockey Conference / ECAC program to the Heights for the holidays.
The best part? We'd never invite the drop-kick dogs from down the B Line.
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J-Yorks Super Badass Christmas Invitational
by DCash on Jan 4, 2012 5:08 PM EST via mobile reply actions
I’ve also wondered why BC doesn’t host a holiday tourney. I think there may be a few reasons:
1. We already have the Beanpot, which is just a few weeks after the holiday season
2. There’s also the HEA tourney in March
3. York seems to like to take his teams out on the road to challenge them
4. If held at BC over a student break, attendance would be pretty bad
Not sure I agree with #4. If the tournament field was BC, one of BU / Northeastern / Harvard and two western powers, I think attendance could be strong.
If we can sell out Conte Forum for a BC hoops game against a ranked Harvard team between Christmas and New Years, I think a tournament like this could do well.
A good barometer will be the turnout for Frozen Fenway this weekend with four out of town programs participating.
Editor, BC Interruption
by Brian Favat on Jan 5, 2012 8:43 AM EST via mobile up reply actions
Looks like there are options, but the reasons why they dont work are many
1. Host at Conte – Students are gone, its the holidays, and it will probably be tough to get fans to a tournament, unless you have big names. You would have to compete with the GLI and Marriucci to get the big guns.
2. Garden – Tough. With the Bruins and Celtics playing, scheduling a tourney would be difficult. They also have some Disney ice show over the break for the kiddies.
3. Out of town , neutral site (MSG, etc.) – Have a Boston school host a tourney in another city. Yeah, that won’t alienate the local fans…
Honestly, we’re probably better off playing in these other tourneys once in a while and playing the occasional game against a lesser opponent over the break. With the success of the program comes good players. With good players you are almost always guaranteed to lose guys to the World Juniors, which is always played at the same time. Its not such a bad idea to sit back and get some rest for the HE stretch run, get healthy, and watch some of the higher ranked teams get upset because their rosters are depleted.
Though on point 3, this is exactly what Maine and Cornell do with the Florida College Classic.
Editor, BC Interruption
I’m not a fan of the alternatives to playing in a holiday tournament over the break.
Playing two exhibitions games against a team from Canada or Russia, even with a depleted roster, seems to kill any momentum the team has going into the second half. So does playing a bunch of AHA creampuffs.
Only three HEA programs didn’t participate in holiday tournaments — Vermont (exhibition vs. Russian Red Stars), BU (vs. Notre Dame) and Providence (Mayor’s Cup vs. Brown).
Worrying about the World Juniors is a problem for successful programs. Imo BC can’t afford to play in exhibition games over the break.
Editor, BC Interruption
Shillelagh Tournament
An idea for BC is to go in with Notre Dame on the Shillelagh Tournament. Host the tournament in alternate years in Chicago (Sears Center) and Boston (Conte Forum). Invite two teams from the NCHC, BTHC or the WCHA to participate along with Notre Dame and BC.
Only fitting that the Shillelagh Tournament is hosted in alternate years by the real Irish Catholic school.
Editor, BC Interruption
funny, I was just thinking of something similar: an all-Catholic tournament. They could even use the word Christmas in the name of the tournament! BC, ND, Merrimack, Holy Cross, Providence, (others?). Only problem is those are nearly all HEA schools. Then again, the Beanpot is nearly all HEA schools, and that seems to have worked out ok.
I think the key is that the tournament ends up being beneficial to both Boston College and Notre Dame, so you want to bring in high profile programs that will help your PWR rankings. Plus BC and ND will be soon playing Holy Cross, PC and Merrimack annually anyway.
Editor, BC Interruption
Catholic schools playing D-I hockey
More than you think …
- Boston College
- Notre Dame
- Merrimack
- Providence
- Holy Cross
- Canisius
- Mercyhurst
- Niagara
- Sacred Heart
Editor, BC Interruption
Thanks for the list
Too bad most of them are low-level programs. I wonder if, with a revised HEA schedule that includes less conference games, we’d have more room in our OOC schedule to play a couple lower-tier teams (like Holy Cross) while still playing the big boys for PWR purposes? I think an annual game against HC (assuming they don’t join HEA) would be fun.
Holy Cross
Well, maybe. I think Holy Cross is Hockey East’s backup 12 if UConn decides it’s not worth it to go from zero to 18 scholarships and join a big boy hockey conference.
Editor, BC Interruption
I think schools with Major College Football should let their football team be the focus over the holidays, instead dangling a hockey tournament in front of their fans in September ticket sales, then finding out their football team is in a bowl game that night. Michigan is doing it, but I don’t think it would work for a school with less fan support. Leave the holiday hockey tournaments to the hockey only schools like No Dak, Maine, and Michigan Tech.
speaking of football / hockey schools...
This is somewhat off-topic, but I’ve always wanted to see BC arrange more football/hockey combo weekends, like we usually have with ND. Imagine Wisconsin invades Chestnut Hill for a Friday night hockey game and Saturday football game, with a return trip by BC the next year. Or Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, Minnesota, and in the near future, Penn State. What a blast.
Hockey East / Big Ten Challenge
Similar to the new Pac-12 / Big Ten deal, I’d like to see Hockey East strike a similar arrangement with the Big Ten Hockey Conference starting in 2013.
Especially with fewer HEA games after moving back to a 22-game sched, I think a BTHC-HEA Challenge weekend would be great for the sport.
When Hockey East goes to 12, send 6 programs to one of 3 BTHC schools for a weekend series, while sending 3 Big Ten schools back east (or Notre Dame) for a two game series.
Something like this, with games on Friday, Saturday and Sunday:
Wisconsin at Boston College
Wisconsin at Boston University
Connecticut at Ohio State
Maine at Ohio State
Minnesota at Massachusetts
Minnesota at UMass Lowell
New Hampshire at Michigan
Northeastern at Michigan
Michigan State at Merrimack
Michigan State at Providence
Notre Dame at Penn State
Vermont at Penn State
Editor, BC Interruption
Leave the holiday hockey tournaments to the hockey only schools like No Dak, Maine, and Michigan Tech.
Minnesota, Michigan, Michigan State, Notre Dame and UConn say hello. (Until recently, Wisconsin used to also host a tournament).
Editor, BC Interruption
BC’s bowl games are usually wrapped up well before New Years Day (or after, Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl), so no conflict there.
Editor, BC Interruption
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