2023-24 NCAA Division I Hockey Thread

[No Fun Shogun]

So let me get this straight - the NCAA is holding a regional in Sioux Falls but one of the teams in the field of 16 can no longer use the name?

My dad always likes to point out that the NCAA is based out of Indianapolis.

 

[mk80]

The combination of factors of there only being one other Midwest host bid, few arenas in the mid west wanting to bid over the last few years, attendance lacking at past regionals likely causing the NCAA to over correct with a smaller venue, and wanting to host a year prior to the Frozen Four in the same city led to this.

What this shows is that you still need the 5-6k seat sweet spot type of arenas for regionals in this format. Lindenwood alongside the STL Sports Commission has submitted bids for future regionals, and a women's frozen four for 2027 and 2028, I'd expect those not to be awarded though because of the capacity issues plaguing this year now St. Louis Sports Commission Submits Bids for NCAA Championship Events Between 2026 and 2028

While Centene is a nice facility, and it provides a good home for LU the hockey program, it's much to small for an event like this. Hopefully that is the only lesson learned and doesn't just stop LU from bidding in the future.

Lindenwood is going to have to utilize arenas outside of St. Louis to host hockey events like this. The best would be the following in my opinion would be:
Cable Dahmer Arena, Independence MO- 5800 Seats, Home to ECHL KC Mavericks, and NHL Exhibitions
FM Bank Arena- Clarksville, TN- 5000 Seats, Home of Austin Peay Basketball, can host ice hockey
Ford Center- Evansville, IN- 9000 Seats, Home to SPHL, Evansville Thunderbolts (LU has somewhat of a connection here as their primary conference the OVC hosts their basketball tournament here)

Other potential candidates could be:
XTream Arena- Coralville, IA, 5100 seats for ECHL Iowa Heartlanders hockey
Carver Arena- Peoria IL- 9000 Seats, SPHL Peoria Rivermen among the tenants
Grossinger Motors Arena- Bloomington IL- 6000 Seats, Bloomington Bison ECHL as the tenants starting next year.

As a disclaimer for anyone who may wonder, why don't they just Family Arena where Lindenwood hosted the women's Frozen Four in 2017? The Family Arena removed it's ice plant a few years ago so it can no longer host hockey. Another reason to just tear down that dump.

 

[JMCx4]

The combination of factors of there only being one other Midwest host bid, few arenas in the mid west wanting to bid over the last few years, attendance lacking at past regionals likely causing the NCAA to over correct with a smaller venue, and wanting to host a year prior to the Frozen Four in the same city led to this.

What this shows is that you still need the 5-6k seat sweet spot type of arenas for regionals in this format. ... While Centene is a nice facility, and it provides a good home for LU the hockey program, it's much too small for an event like this. Hopefully that is the only lesson learned and doesn't just stop LU from bidding in the future.

Lindenwood is going to have to utilize arenas outside of St. Louis to host hockey events like this. The best would be the following in my opinion would be:
Cable Dahmer Arena, Independence MO- 5800 Seats, Home to ECHL KC Mavericks, and NHL Exhibitions
FM Bank Arena- Clarksville, TN- 5000 Seats, Home of Austin Peay Basketball, can host ice hockey
Ford Center- Evansville, IN- 9000 Seats, Home to SPHL, Evansville Thunderbolts (LU has somewhat of a connection here as their primary conference the OVC hosts their basketball tournament here)

Other potential candidates could be:
XTream Arena- Coralville, IA, 5100 seats for ECHL Iowa Heartlanders hockey
Carver Arena- Peoria IL- 9000 Seats, SPHL Peoria Rivermen among the tenants
Grossinger Motors Arena- Bloomington IL- 6000 Seats, Bloomington Bison ECHL as the tenants starting next year. ...

I like your train of thought, if I'm not impressed by all of the train cars. I've been to 5 of 6 of those venue suggestions several times each for hockey games (FM Bank Arena excluded, but maybe someday). Ford Center-Evansville was the alternate venue that first leaped to my mind before your list popped up; attractive venue in a downtown setting, and VenuWorks seems to have done a decent job of facility/event management. Cable Dahmer Arena (or whatever the name would be by the time of the next 4-year decision cycle) would seemingly be even more suitable for the purpose based on central location outside a 2nd-tier metro area, though I reckon their arena public spaces & staff could be easily overwhelmed by an enthusiastic NCAA crowd. Xtream ... they'd need another few years to sort out parking & traffic control, as a minimum, so maybe they could get there for the next solicitation. Carver @ Peoria Civic Center ... the city fathers can't even manage respectful accommodation of a home team that has continued a PEO hockey franchise tradition that is currently in its 50th consecutive year. GMA-Bloomington ... another downtown venue which is at least an intriguing option now that The Halletts have invested in returning minor pro hockey to the town, but I'm not sure the Central IL location & the historically "small town" tendencies of municipal management could handle a national event.

 

[mk80]

I like your train of thought, if I'm not impressed by all of the train cars. I've been to 5 of 6 of those venue suggestions several times each for hockey games (FM Bank Arena excluded, but maybe someday). Ford Center-Evansville was the alternate venue that first leaped to my mind before your list popped up; attractive venue in a downtown setting, and VenuWorks seems to have done a decent job of facility/event management. Cable Dahmer Arena (or whatever the name would be by the time of the next 4-year decision cycle) would seemingly be even more suitable for the purpose based on central location outside a 2nd-tier metro area, though I reckon their arena public spaces & staff could be easily overwhelmed by an enthusiastic NCAA crowd. Xtream ... they'd need another few years to sort out parking & traffic control, as a minimum, so maybe they could get there for the next solicitation. Carver @ Peoria Civic Center ... the city fathers can't even manage respectful accommodation of a home team that has continued a PEO hockey franchise tradition that is currently in its 50th consecutive year. GMA-Bloomington ... another downtown venue which is at least an intriguing option now that The Halletts have invested in returning minor pro hockey to the town, but I'm not sure the Central IL location & the historically "small town" tendencies of municipal management could handle a national event.

You have astutely expanded on my train of thought.

Mostly I was just making a rough circle around St. Louis based on Omaha being the host of the Sioux Falls Regional which is 189 miles from their campus. My simple criteria was drawing that circle at 200-250 miles around STL, with the exception being Clarksville, TN at 289 miles, but the Predators who manage the arena could be a good partner for a regional, especially since they have shown a desire to grow hockey in central TN. APSU's president has also shown an interest in hockey himself.

There are some other options or future options for anyone looking to host a Midwest regional.... looking at Indianapolis maybe when the new Indy Fuel Arena comes online, it also leaves Indiana Farmers Coliseum with the ability to host hockey and no tenant taking up dates at this time of year.

Again some options may not work in terms of the municipal areas, or logistics as you have illustrated, but looking around at the Mid West, if hosts/the NCAA get creative there are arenas that exist to provide more options for the regionals to rotate between. And the capacity issues at this year's regional at Centene is at least now something the NCAA can point at to say, we at least need midsize arenas for our hockey events, especially in years like this where there is at least one or two blue blood programs in each location.

We should note my bias in the following statement, but I admire Lindenwood's ambition to take on a hockey regional like this, and clearly wanting to do more as indicated by those 2027 and 2028 bids. I just hope the takeaway from this is not "we don't have an arena in St. Louis that is big enough, so let's not do it ever again."

Edit: Not to turn this into a Family Arena discussion, but on the subject of creativity, it might be worth exploring following the Family Arena's proposed renovations which doesn't include a new ice plant. But Lindenwood and the STL Sports Commission could consider utilizing a portable ice making system to host there in 2027 and 2028. It wouldn't be a first as the 2010 Frozen Four took place at Ford Field using a portable system, and the technology has only improved since then. 2010 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey tournament - Wikipedia

 

[JMCx4]

... Edit: Not to turn this into a Family Arena discussion, but on the subject of creativity, it might be worth exploring following the Family Arena's proposed renovations which doesn't include a new ice plant. ...

Reading that Dec. 2023 Fox2Now report you linked has inspired me to take them up on their "Suggest a Correction" solicitation ... "Another reason to just tear down that dump."

 

[JMCx4]

DI Men's Regional Previews from College Hockey News ...

• NCAA Tournament: Maryland Heights Regional Preview

• NCAA Tournament: Providence Regional Preview

• NCAA Tournament: Sioux Falls Regional Preview

• NCAA Tournament: Springfield Regional Preview

 

[JMCx4]

REFER TO THE NHL DRAFT - PROSPECTS FORUM FOR GDT DISCUSSIONS.

 

[JMCx4]

Day 1 game recaps from the NCAA DI men's Regional semifinals ...

• DU Defeats UMass 2-1 in Double Overtime at NCAA Regionals

• No. 2 Terriers Double Up No. 17/18 RIT, 6-3, in NCAA Regionals

• Mack's Two Goals Lifts #12 Men's Hockey Past #6 Maine

• Nelson Fuels Gophers' NCAA Rally over Omaha, 3-2

 

[Rob]

Back to back overtime games.

Quinnipiac gets to face BC next. If SMU tran can pull off the upset I think they can with their experience.

 

[JMCx4]

Friday 3/29 recaps in Providence & Midwest Regionals ...

• Boston College vs. Michigan Tech:
Boston College rolls by Michigan Tech 6-1 in NCAA regional opener

• Wisconsin vs. Quinnipiac:
‘No worry on the bench’ as Czerneckianair pots overtime winner to send Quinnipiac to Providence regional final with 3-2 win over Wisconsin

• Michigan Tech vs. Western Michigan: MSU hockey wins overtime thriller 5-4 over Western Michigan for its first NCAA Tournament win since 2008

• North Dakota vs. Michigan: Michigan storms past North Dakota, advances to face Michigan State in NCAA regional final

 

[JMCx4]

Re. ticketing for the 2024 DI men's Midwest Regional, the St. Louis Sports Commission event page mentions standing room only tickets. So I guess Centene Ice will be able to squeeze in more than the advertised 2500-seat capacity, up to the facility's municipal fire safety limit. Now where did I put my turnout gear-slash-hockey jersey ... ?

Follow-up on this tangential topic - from my perspective as a Maryland Heights, MO resident hockey fan & a frequent visitor to Centene Community Ice Center - after attending Friday's Midwest Regional games ...

1. Overall event atmosphere & organization gets a B+ from me, not bad for a first attempt of hosting this NCAA national event @ Centene Ice. Doors to the facility opened nearly 10 minutes late per published time, but the late-arriving crowd (see 2. below) mitigated that annoyance. The "Fanfest" feature touted by the St. Louis Sports Commission was all but invisible. Entry security routine was relatively smooth, but that might've changed after I arrived; I was perturbed but not surprised by the "once you're in you're in for the duration" security/facility management policy, which spoiled my plan to eat in my car between games but generated more concessions revenue for Legacy Ice. The number of concession points in the arena & on the facility's central lobby floor - especially for beer & other alcohol - seemed to serve & satisfy the consumers. St. Louis local legend & retired U.S. Navy petty officer 1st class Generald Wilson was an excellent choice of National Anthem singer, getting each game off to a rousing start. In-game music mix was very good, and the PA announcing quality was clear. Last but not least, the energetic & dramatic gameplay established a solid basis for future fan support of NCAA events (hopefully).

2. Initial crowd inside the arena space wasn't as big as I expected (based on speculative main stream & social media traffic prior to the event), and glances at the single bowl seating 6 to 10 minutes into the first game showed a significant number of empty seats in most sections (see photos at bottom). There was minimal fill-in as Game #1 progressed, with still noticeable gaps in all but the section hosting the WMU contingent (see 3. below). I speculate that a combo of late arrivals by NoDak & Michigan fans (2nd game matchup), plus a tendency of college hockey fans who prefer to mingle around the open concourse, resulted in delays filling in the bowl.

3. Western Michigan provided the loudest & the most sustained audible support of the four fanbases, encouraged by a large & loud band plus cheerleaders. North Dakota gets my honorable mention in that category, despite the Fighting Hawks/Sioux being the only team without a band (my wife's initial & lingering attraction to college hockey); they made up for it with their usual fan enthusiasm. Ironically each of those teams went home early, so I guess fan support isn't the primary factor in team success.

 

[The Grim Reaper]

Sparty/Michigan is going to be crazy

 

[Rob]

Sparty/Michigan is going to be crazy

Just too the game isn’t in Michigan. Hopefully plenty of fans get to travel to St. Louis

 

[JMCx4]

The first DI men's Frozen Two have played their way to St. Paul ...

• No. 1 Denver Defeats Cornell to Punch Frozen Four Ticket

• BACK TO THE FROZEN FOUR! Terriers Top Gophers, 6-3, to Win NCAA Sioux Falls Regional

 

[JMCx4]

Just too (bad) the game isn’t in Michigan. Hopefully plenty of fans get to travel to St. Louis

Just two skinny states between them & us, and Missouri starts with Mi just like Michigan. It was meant to be.

 

[JMCx4]

While we wait for the Final 2 to join the Final 4, here's an impassioned perspective piece from the Lansing State Journal's Graham Couch that I reckon reflects the lingering sentiments of many NCAA Division I men's hockey fans ...

... I’ve been waiting 26 years to write this column — ever since I watched MSU as a 1 seed lose to Ohio State in overtime in its NCAA tournament opener in 1998. I remember thinking, “What was the point of that whole season?”

I understand the same could be asked about the end of the season for many teams in many sports many years. And, frankly, about life in general.

But hockey is best served up as a series — especially at this stage of the tournament. Sure, basketball is a single-elimination NCAA tournament, where the best team doesn’t always win. But basketball is a sport with more data points impacting the outcome — where teams are combining for 150 points rather than five goals, where one bad bounce isn’t as likely to be so punitive, where there’s often time to make up for a turnover that leads to a fast break or any other number of mishaps.

At the Frozen Four, single-elimination is fine. Necessary for TV and for the excitement of the weekend and to contain the event to one weekend. At that point, the teams have already earned their way there and are usually more evenly matched and, no matter what happens, they’ll hang a Frozen Four banner.

The rest of the 16-team tournament should be best-of-three series, beginning this weekend on eight different campus sites, on the home ice of seeds 1 through 8. The quarterfinals should follow next weekend, best-of-three again, on the campuses of the four remaining top seeds.

There is no reason to take next weekend off before the Frozen Four in mid-April, as is the case. No reason to avoid playing college hockey quarterfinals the same weekend the NCAA men’s and women’s basketball tournament’s Final Fours. You’re not worried about this weekend’s basketball games impacting audience. Why worry about the Final Four? You’re not worried about losing audience to Major League Baseball’s opening day — a sport with more crossover to hockey than hoops. You’re not even that worried about people seeing your hockey games at all. Three of your four regional finals this Saturday and Sunday are relegated to ESPNU, including Sunday night’s game here at Lindenwood.

So play next weekend. ...

 

[Rob]

While we wait for the Final 2 to join the Final 4, here's an impassioned perspective piece from the Lansing State Journal's Graham Couch that I reckon reflects the lingering sentiments of many NCAA Division I men's hockey fans ...

I’ve been seeing this sentiment a lot on social media from quite a few NCAA hockey fans. I’m not sure how the logistics of it would work but there really needs to be a playoff round instead of the regionals. Maybe start the season earlier or even shorten it?

 

[The Grim Reaper]

Anything can happen in a rivalry game, regardless of ranking. I think this comes down to how Augustine performs. He was shaky against Michigan at the start of the season, but has been great there on out.

Go Green

 

[seafoam]

BC has speed, skill, size but is struggling to check with the Bobcats.

Gauthier is a bum and Perrault is a slug. Smith will be an NHL player but I’m not sold on him being high-end.

Leonard has been the best player on the ice tonight.

 

[AUS Fan]

The wheels came off MSU pretty quick in the 3rd.

 

[Rob]

The overtime winner was such an awkward play. Terrible clearance by the QU player in the crease.

 

[AUS Fan]

I predict an all Boston final on the 13th.

 

[AUS Fan]

The overtime winner was such an awkward play. Terrible clearance by the QU player in the crease.

Are you doing the TSN+ streaming? I have a Firestick and get all the ESPN feeds.

 

[JMCx4]

Sunday night's game summaries linked below. I can vouch personally for the MSU vs. Michigan game: great atmosphere inside Centene Ice, high energy on the ice throughout, amazing response by the Wolverines to avenge their loss to the Spartans in the B1G conference championship.

• MSN/Providence Journal: Boston College men's hockey turns away upset bid by Quinnipiac, wins regional final in OT

• MLive: Michigan hockey knocks off No. 1 seed Michigan State to reach Frozen Four

 

[swoopster]

Are you doing the TSN+ streaming? I have a Firestick and get all the ESPN feeds.

Do you then have to pay ESPN to gain access?