URI's D1/Atlantic Hockey Candidacy

[RF1]

Anyone predicting quick success and thinking an AHA program in Kingston will make money is being very over optimistic. No one is going to be excited to see a team play in a league with the following:

AHA MEMBERSHIP (going forward)
American International
Bentley
Canisius
Holy Cross
Mercyhurst
Niagara
Robert Morris
Rochester Institute of Technology
Sacred Heart
USAF Academy
West Point


To those that think URI will immediately be successful because it is located in a hockey hotbed such as new England, how do you explain how the much better funded UConn was not able to do much in AHA? How do you explain how the longtime programs at nearby Brown and PC have had little success in the last two decades?




AHA Wiki Page Link:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlantic_Hockey

[hrstrat57]

Precisely why they want URI....and why URI will quickly compete for the title in this league. Which leads to an NCAA appearance, which makes the program hot. Properly marketed Boss will fill up for students and alumni for games in this league.

PC and Brown are in Hockey East and ECAC very difficult to compete for NCAA bid. Both were strong this past year though and right on the cusp of competing. Both need to be marketed better though.....should be doing better at the gate.

The biggest obstacle to joining this league will be title IX (no women's division) Thanks for posting, I was not aware of that.

Broken record request (5th time): URI Blue Line Commission.....??? Hello your forum awaits!
Chime in!!!

[RF1]

Precisely why they want URI....and why URI will quickly compete for the title in this league. Which leads to an NCAA appearance, which makes the program hot. Properly marketed Boss will fill up for students and alumni for games in this league.

Why then did success not come so easy to UConn? They were in AHA hockey for nearly 15 years and won the conference just once in their only finals appearance ever back in 2000. Their program never gained traction on or off the ice after that. The UConn administration and the residents and CT have a much better track record of support for UConn athletics than is the case with URI and RI. Why do people think URI will easily succeed when nearby UConn couldn't?

[hrstrat57]

UConn rink is a dump. They played without a roof until late 90's.....

RI has local HS talent CT only dreams of....

Quinnipiac and Yale just played for the national title....UConn will spend money to join the party.

[RF1]

UConn rink is a dump. They played without a roof until late 90's.....

RI has local HS talent CT only dreams of....

Quinnipiac and Yale just played for the national title....UConn will spend money to join the party.

Yes. I am aware of the old outside rink and actually saw it when I visited the UConn campus in the 90's. That however was a long time ago. The Huskies opened up Freitas Ice Forum in the fall of 1998. It is a 2000 seat venue that is not all that different from Boss (2.500 seat venue opened in 2002).

The State of Ct has more than three times the population of RI. Are you saying that RI produces more numerous hockey talent?

[Ramulous]

With the emphasis on junior hockey these days a lot of local talent goes off for a couple of years to play before heading to college....it takes away some of the hometown advantage of local colleges.....how many RI'ers play for pc and Brown?

[RF1]

With the emphasis on junior hockey these days a lot of local talent goes off for a couple of years to play before heading to college....it takes away some of the hometown advantage of local colleges.....how many RI'ers play for pc and Brown?

A combined total of just THREE Rhode Islanders played for PC and Brown this past season.

PC Roster for 2012-2013 had two Rhode Islanders:
http://www.friars.com/sports/m-hockey/m ... y-mtt.html

Brown Roster for 2012-2013 had one Rhode Islander.
http://www.brownbears.com/sports/m-hock ... -13/roster

[hrstrat57]

Blue Line Commission all the usual negativity is herewith for you to argue against. Can' t fight it off for you unfortunately I am not an insider just a humble U R I alum who as been crying out for varsity hockey since 70's.

You have a captive audience and all the usual objections are here.

In basketball terms it is a layup.

Please join the discussion!

It could make a difference a lot of rabid Ram followers need convincing.

I can do no more for you.....

[rhodyfan3]

Everyone is concentrating on RI as being the pipeline for players. We are in New England, we would be able to recruit kids from Mass, NJ, CT, Maine etc. Massachusetts has phenomenal high school hockey and NJ has a few top high school programs. New England loves hockey, it is easy to find talent locally unlike most sports we have. RI has a rich hockey history from what I have learned since I've gone to school here. If we would be able to raise the money to make the move and take care of title IX, adding hockey would be a no brainer. So what if we struggle in the AHA for a while? The best hockey schools in the country are in New England, we will see success after some time.

P.s
Now that uconn is joining hockey east, I think that makes us the only New England state school without a Division 1 hockey program in the Hockey East.

[hrstrat57]

Everyone is concentrating on RI as being the pipeline for players. We are in New England, we would be able to recruit kids from Mass, NJ, CT, Maine etc. Massachusetts has phenomenal high school hockey and NJ has a few top high school programs. New England loves hockey, it is easy to find talent locally unlike most sports we have. RI has a rich hockey history from what I have learned since I've gone to school here. If we would be able to raise the money to make the move and take care of title IX, adding hockey would be a no brainer. So what if we struggle in the AHA for a while? The best hockey schools in the country are in New England, we will see success after some time.

P.s
Now that uconn is joining hockey east, I think that makes us the only New England state school without a Division 1 hockey program in the Hockey East.

You are correct. Vermont jumped from E C A C a few years ago. U mass (both Amherst and Lowell are in.

Friars are in hockey east and were strong last year, looks llike they are ready for a nice run. Brown is ECAC.

If there is varsity hockey at URI talent will not be a problem.

[hrstrat57]

Interesting links re the topic of the day! Good new is this thread popped up pretty early in my internet search for topics....

http://www.uscho.com/2002/09/17/uri-bui ... -i-hockey/

http://ripr.org/post/uri-no-interest-varsity-hockey

http://wewanturihockey.com/

http://blogs.gazette.com/collegehockey/ ... sociation/

http://www.newenglandsportsjournal.com/ ... nselm-uri/

http://uribluelineclub.webs.com/

http://excalibursportspage.com/2013/05/ ... ckey-talk/

http://forum.siouxsports.com/topic/1835 ... st-anselm/

http://boston.sbnation.com/2012/11/15/3 ... ode-island

http://www.niagarasports.net/forum/view ... =17&t=2922

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/potential- ... --nhl.html

[SGreenwell]

Over BC/BU etc? I'd rather have a coaching staff that has some experience grabbing these kids.

But my point wasn't that URI can't compete in Atlantic Hockey...they aren't close yet. Say they made the jump for 2015-16 season...when is the earliest they could contend in that league? I would say anything before 2020-21 is pretty optimistic.

They just don't have the structure or name or money that Penn St. does to pull in the talent needed to just jump in with both feet.

I'm guessing that the correct comparison isn't vs. BC and BU, which are hockey powers in a much better conference, no? URI and PC normally compete over the same basketball recruits, but usually, not against Bryant.

Your guess of needing five years to build up a program seems needlessly conservative to me, even with the caveat that I'm no expert on the college hockey landscape. Per Wiki, RIT moved up to D1 around 2004 or 2005, and they've have several winning seasons since then.

[Ramulous]

I am trying to be realistic.....as much as I love the idea of URI playing D1 hockey......the reality is finances and Title IX make it a virtual impossibility......how many sports like wrestling were cut at URI to get into compliance.....and back in the day we had an excellent wrestling team.....

.....look at pc....they don't have baseball anymore because of Title IX...

[hrstrat57]

URI D1 hockey was just discussed on the golocal show on WEEI.

Rook repeated my request to have the Blue Line group come on and discuss Rhody hockey.

Both Rook and Cordishi were very supportive of RI hockey and agreed this is a no brainer. Both agreed title IX is the obstacle but the thought of upgrading the women's hockey program as a solution was not discussed.

I am very troubled that we have not heard from any reps of the Blue Line Commission.....now the door is open to call in and get on the air.....I believe golocal is on until 9 AM.

.....and this thread is now bumped. Could hockey be any more in the buzz zone than it is at the moment?

Regarding an equally important topic URI yard sale is moved to tomorrow, Keaney parking lot, don't miss it!