Nothing short of last year's effort and execution in two playoff wins versus the Gophers will likely result in success this year. There are plenty of guys on the squad that know exactly what that took. There's more than a couple of rookies who could step up in big ways. Everyone has to play their best hockey game of the year as individuals and combine that with a committed team effort. Nothing short of that.
That's what I think. Share your thoughts in the comments. I won't be doing any sort of live chat during the games other than the Chatango box in the right column. If I can work the iphone magic. The game is on GCI Channel 1 and Fox Sports North (whatever channel).
252 comments:
«Oldest ‹Older 201 – 252 of 252I agree, Mike. And a reno would be better than nothing at all. The new arena thing I was waxing on was just wishful thinking.
Alaskana I know...hard to believe that the University dropped the ball on ice for the new sports complex. Well maybe not as mismanagement seems to be one of our specialties. we could grind that into oblivion but accomplish...well nothing.
Donald can you start a new topic? " Post your wants on a Sully upgrade." Let's see what people are thinking.
Mike, yeah the time window for getting the arena was pretty short, and when the dust settled we got.. nuthin (at least from a hockey standpoint). My hopes were so high after seeing the concept/design art for the new combined basketball/hockey arena.
I guess all we can hope for at this point is that maybe the new arena will accommodate either an expansion later or have enough room on the property to have a separate rink. I don't know enough about the project to say if this is feasible or not.
One thing that I wonder is how being in the 'NWCHA' will affect our chances of getting an on campus rink. Will it help it if we do better in the new league? Hurt it by not being in the NCHC or Big 10? I would be interested in hearing opinions on this.
Oh, and yeah I think a dedicated Sully upgrade topic would a good idea. I know this has been discussed to death but not talking about it won't further it either. (Not to say that Donald hasn't encouraged discussion of the new rink, he has actually done a great job in promoting the idea), along with Suze and JimJamesAK.
Alaskana, come over to DD's other place (UAA Forum).. I started a Sully thread yesterday.
Course I'm the only one that's responded to it so far, but that's ok.. I know you all will show up sooner or later.
LOVE being able to add photos & links there as well as being able to start new topics.
DROP BY WHEN YOU'RE IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD!! :0)
DD's other place, the UAA Forum > http://uaa-hockey-forum.969416.n3.nabble.com/
Thanks for the invite, arcticfox! It's good to hear that there is some activity over at the UAA forum, I'll be sure to check it out.
Danny Smith from the Sherwood Park Crusaders Commits to UAA
http://ajhl.ca/news.html?newsID=968
Ok make that 2 more guys according to doyle woody
http://community.adn.com/adn/node/161220
Word on the street is mellor won't be returning next year.....chalk up another one
Scheid confirmed he's not coming back next year and now Mellor. Best of luck guys. 2 young promising players that would have been key to team success in the near future. I have a feeling this isn't the last names you'll hear accepting other options especially after the conference change. (Bailey, Cameron, Docken, Allen in my opinion)
The new conference isn't going to be quite the powerhouse that it was, but it's still a very strong conference and UAA will get their share of talented players who want to play at the DI level.
I really do not think the new WCHA is what is causing this exodus of young talent. Other schools that are in the same situation are not having this problem.
I was thinking the same thing anon @ 8:13. Something else is going on. We all have our suspicions, but this next season is going to be a make or break one for the university if you ask me.
Yep, seems to be a mutiny of sorts going on. Really sad too, as these players that are leaving were going to be keys to success in the upcoming season. I'm not going to go so far as to already call next season a loss, but these defections are not helping -- regardless of the cause. I hope we make it to see the NWCHA, as these are some dark days for the Seawolves.
But then again, it is always darkest before the dawn is it not? :)
P.S, not suggesting that there IS a mutiny going on, just that the defection rate *seems* high. I could be wrong according to average summer defection rates among div 1 NCAA hockey teams. Speaking of which, it would be interesting to see those numbers as I would love to be proven wrong.
Board of Regents Meeting - Public comments accepted - More info at the UAA Hockey Forum:
http://uaa-hockey-forum.969416.n3.nabble.com/
Does anyone know about new information on the coaching staff at UAA. Last I heard was the alumni going to Cobb to force a coaching change.
Way to update your site. You should be in charge of the nWCHA's website beginning in 2013.
You could have helped it by posting some useful information or something entertaining, but no just whining about nothing new...
I heard from one of the alumni that the meeting with the AD did not turn out as they had hoped.
I urge all concerned to email the Chancellor with your thoughts.
If anyone doubts that Cobb needs to go, just read the article anout the 2 million boondoggle for the shoot out! It's all about the bouncy ball, forget they're already getting a new arena!! Cobb is UAA hockeys worst nightmare.
Wow, other college blogs around have far more comments about the new WCHA playoff format and how it's disadvantageous for UAA and UA_. Either we have all just thrown in the towel on our Seawolves or nobody looks at this thing during summer. Come on people, this is ridiculous.
Anon @ 9:45~ I'm thinking that most Seawolves fans are just taking a breather..
When you re-cap what we've been through, it's easy to see why. We had a crappy-ass season which was followed by the exodus of several good players... We're entering our last year of the current WCHA and are heading into the great unknown.. We're watching a 100+++ million dollar sports arena being built as we speak which includes everything BUT ICE... Our attendance has hit rock-bottom while the *Aces attendance has continued to grow... Instead of a facelift for the Sully, they're dumping 5 million dollars into a new parking lot.. And now, the first news to come out since Mellor split is this lousy new playoff format.
I don't generally give kudos to Cobb, but hey-- at least he was the lone AD to vote against the format. What's up with Fairbanks anyway? Why the hell would they want it?
Welp.. maybe when we have something more upbeat to report, people will start dropping by to weigh in again?
In the meantime, don't forget that DD still has the other UAA forum up too and at that one, you can create new topics yourself: http://uaa-hockey-forum.969416.n3.nabble.com/
I'm blue in the face trying to get people to drop in over there and am about ready to bag trying.. I'm glad Donald has that forum up and even though it gets a lot of views, I feel like I'm talking to myself.. :0(
Anyhoo- I responded to your post! :D
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*Aces attendance report 2011-2012: http://www.mib.org/~lennier/hockey/leagueatt.cgi (An increase of 2.27% over the 2010-2011 season)
The Aces may have an increase in attendance, but they didn't even sell out for the playoffs. They have NEVER had the loyal fanhood that UAA used to enjoy. I think people are still waiting for the day when UAA is on top again and then the fans will return. They see the Aces because there is not much alternative.
And now that the Avs have left Alaska, maybe UAA will get some new fans from the Valley. UAA hockey is more of a family night out, like it was for Avs fans.
We've been through bad periods before and the team always comes through it. We survived Talafous and Hill, we can survive this too.
Although some key players have left, we have a great freshman class coming in ... you just never know how much this team can surprise us!
You summed up the situation well Arctic Fox (and good points too, Suze). I think it's safe to say that given the circumstances morale is low (as well as general interest since it's smack dab in the middle of the off season). But as Suze said things will pick up as sure as the sun will rise.
And Donald will post again when he is good and ready, and his loyal readers will still be here when he decides to post. :-)
Oh, and +1 on the nibble forum. It's a great place to further the hockey discussions while this blog is on break.
Er, make that 'nabble' forum. ;-)
Hayden Trupp just committed to Seawolves for next season.
http://nahl.com/news/story.cfm?id=5708
Great to see a local player stay home!!
I went to high school with Hayden. He's got a good head on his shoulders. He alone well get more fans to the Sully, friends and family. Not a huge number though-mind you. Kinda surprised to see him commit here, much not had much of a sniff elsewhere. Nonetheless, good dynamic player who can only help the team if he stays the entire four years.
Seawolves are going to be great next year I have good feeling
Did the NCHC finally kill this blog?
What will be interesting in the NCHC is who will finish in the bottom of that league?
Yep, programs that have been used to a winning tradition are going to be on the bottom of the standings. Will their fans stand for it when that happens, or will there be a mass exodus for their programs as well? It will be very interesting to keep an eye on. I think they are shooting themselves in the foot.
Maybe / maybe not, but you can rest assured that they will thump their chests cause being last in their league will be as good as 1st place in ours. Count on it.
Sam Mellor back with the Trail Smokeaters of the bchl for next season.
All these guys who left and go back to juniors certainly aren't speaking well of UAA, this mass exodus is going to hurt the Seawolves for years and years. Thanks Coach!
I heard that Matt Bailey went to the Washington Capitals Development Camp last week - good for him.
Lawson signed a 2 way deal with the Senators
I know Nate didn't want a 2-way deal, but he hasn't exactly been tearing up the NHL.
Top player/highly touted prospect Sam Mellor going back to play with his junior team, the 'Trail Smokeaters' = WTF is wrong with this scenario? Coaches, Fans, anyone? Correct me if I am wrong, is this player thinking he is playing for a better team? Holy shnikes, this program may have officially derailed..
Sam will red shirt as a 20 year old and then hopefully receive a scholarship to another div. 1 school. Eric will be doing the same thing in the USHL. If YOU were eligible, wouldn't YOU do the same thing?
I was thinking it would be good for a 2012-13 Q&A with Coach Shyiak here on this blog. This is the #1 hub (besides UAA's own site) for UAA hockey on the net and I think it would be good to have a dialogue between him and us fans here. I know this may seem untenable due to criticism that have been leveled at him here, and that it would be impossible to have a civilized chat with him due to all the fur flying lately, but I think a well moderated, neutral q&a session would be good for everyone who cares about the Seawolves program. This is not to say that we should lob only softball questions at him, I think this is a time for tough questions to be asked and answered.
I only bring this proposal up as it seems like the good ship UAA Seawolves is floundering in a chaotic sea due to internal and external events and that a fair and open dialogue would at least help to get the good ship pointed towards land again.
What say you, fellow Seawolf fans? Could an AMA (Ask Me Anything) style conversation with Coach Shyiak be a possibility here? Or would it just be more dust in the wind? Of course, I know ultimately the answer ultimately depends entirely on his willingness to participate in such an admittedly risky forum. But it is a fascinating concept to me, and that is why I bring this up today.
I think that would be a great idea Alaskana. But would Shyiak actually answer our questions? And, I doubt that bozo Cobb wouldn't allow it to happen either.
Thanks Seawlves Fanatic, and that's a very good question.
My thinking is what is there to lose at this point by Shyiak not being honest? I think as long as the questions are moderated (for example, no questions pertaining to sensitive intra team staffing matters, etc) I don't see why he couldn't be perfectly honest. I know that some here don't think he would be forthright but I am definitely willing to give him a chance as to me he seems like a stand up guy, even if some have viewed him as more or less defensive. As to Cobb, I would hope that he doesn't have that much power that he could muzzle his (now) most prominent coach. Yeah, I'm sure there are some legal restrictions on paper somewhere that limit what Shyiak can and can't say, but as long as there were some ground rules put out regarding the types of questions that could be asked, I really don't see Cobb stopping (or being able to stop him) from doing this.
Anyways, I really hope this happens. Hopefully someone (I know it won't be me as I don't have the clout) can make this happen. :)
To clarify one of the points in my last post, I don't mean to say that the questions should be scrubbed and squeaky clean. If they were, then there would be no point to this exercise. I think to get something from this q&a, there has to be some real commentary from the coach himself on some of the hot topics that have been clouding the skies over the Sully lately. So yes, I think there should be some hard hitting (but respectful) questions asked.
Oh and to correct my first sentence, I meant to say "what is there to lose at this point by Shyiak being honest?"
Food for thought.
4 players with eligibility are not returning to the Badgers, and UAF loses 3 as well. UAA is not the only team with defections.
UAF:
Michael Hill : Freshman. All NAHL in 2010-11, but never played last year because of continuing injury. Good luck Michael.
Robert Monfore: Freshman. Mid-season walk-on/practice player from Wasilla – helped cover for injured D-corp. I never saw him take a shift. Kuddos to him for helping out.
Matthew Gates: Freshman. 17 games, 0-0-0. Not sure what the story is here, or if there is one.
No drama here as far as I know.
Indeed, AKfan. I think it's easy for us here (including me) to think the sky is falling every time we have defections but they happen elsewhere too.
Alaskana - our defections are ugly. They are worse when your team is bottom of the division as its tough to get recruits here anyway, and now it's even going to be tougher. And to think that their seems to be no concern from the UAA athletic department. It's like hockey doesn't even exist!
The UAA athletic dept. has their heads buried in the sand. They keep saying all is well, they just like to tickle our ears. Cobb needs to be replaced with an AD that cares and has some passion for HOCKEY!!!!!!!!!!!
They're offering $5 on concessions, a free $1 value program and a USB port to all those who renew tickets by the deadline. Wow. Some incentives. Too bad Cobb doesn't take some of that 2 million dollars that he can spend any way he likes and comes up with something meaningful. **rollseyes**
I'll have a post in the next couple of days. For real.
YAY!! I'm holding you to that DD. ;)
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