College club hockey - share insights

[Ynot02]

As I talk with more people who expect their kid will play club hockey in college, I’m finding there are a lot of misconceptions and overall lack of knowledge. I found this recent article that really provides some good insight related to both ACHA and AAU. 

https://www.neutralzone.net/mens/2023/06/21/get-to-know-non-ncaa-club-college-hockey/

Not looking to debate what teams are mentioned (or not) and who’s better than who locally. There is another thread for that. The goal of this post is to educate those hoping to play club in the future. By sharing our experiences and lessons learned, let’s provide knowledge (and opinions of course!) about the landscape and where it is headed. 

[Saucey]

This is a great article but it only really touches on the very top tier of club hockey, which, just like few kids are gonna play DI, few are going to get on these teams. It didn't delve into anything else that you might find.

[Ynot02]

22 hours ago, Saucey said:

This is a great article but it only really touches on the very top tier of club hockey, which, just like few kids are gonna play DI, few are going to get on these teams. It didn't delve into anything else that you might find.

That’s one of the reasons why I wanted to share it. It’s one piece of the whole picture. For those who pursue Juniors and don’t get a sniff at NCAA D3, these are good options - and many are much better quality schools than you find in NCAA D3. 

Several points in the article are valid even for the lower divisions in ACHA and AAU. The variety of fees, possible student run/student coached, etc. Also, depending on the school, some struggle to field a team, while it can be very competitive to make any team at others. Even lower division schools “recruit” and have prospect skates. Getting in touch with the coach in advance is important. Assuming because you’ve played a decent level of hockey here in western PA is no guarantee you’ll make a team. I’ve just encountered a lot of disappointed players/families lately who didn’t have enough insight, and figured it might be a helpful topic for this board. I’m just trying to encourage others to share their insights on college club hockey to show the full picture. 

[ice is cold]

On 11/29/2023 at 3:58 PM, Ynot02 said:

That’s one of the reasons why I wanted to share it. It’s one piece of the whole picture. For those who pursue Juniors and don’t get a sniff at NCAA D3, these are good options - and many are much better quality schools than you find in NCAA D3. 

Several points in the article are valid even for the lower divisions in ACHA and AAU. The variety of fees, possible student run/student coached, etc. Also, depending on the school, some struggle to field a team, while it can be very competitive to make any team at others. Even lower division schools “recruit” and have prospect skates. Getting in touch with the coach in advance is important. Assuming because you’ve played a decent level of hockey here in western PA is no guarantee you’ll make a team. I’ve just encountered a lot of disappointed players/families lately who didn’t have enough insight, and figured it might be a helpful topic for this board. I’m just trying to encourage others to share their insights on college club hockey to show the full picture. 

My thoughts... you pick the school based on your future and where you will be happiest, not your desire to play hockey for 4 years to be better at beer league, but not enjoy your 4 years at college or come out with a degree that you didn't enjoy getting because the college you chose for club hockey didn't have the major you wanted 🤷. Good news is a ton of colleges have club hockey, so start with what campus and majors make your 4 years enjoyable and your future bright. 

Edited December 1, 2023 by ice is cold

[Saucey]

Hockey should be a bonus with club hockey, nor the reason that you picked the school and for sure.

Edited November 30, 2023 by Saucey

[Zarg]

On 11/29/2023 at 4:48 PM, ice is cold said:

My thoughts... you pick the school based on your future and where you will be happiest, not your desire to play hockey for 4 years to be better at bear league, but not enjoy your 4 years at college or come out with a degree that you didn't enjoy getting because the college you chose for club hockey didn't have the major you wanted 🤷. Good news is a ton of colleges have club hockey, so start with what campus and majors make your 4 years enjoyable and your future bright. 

Bear League?!

Don't tell Bryzgalov about that one 🙃

[stickboy]

Beer league has better ice slots.  Apparently Pitt M1 plays at Liberty tonight with midnight puck drop. 

[Spear and Magic Helmet]

2 hours ago, stickboy said:

Beer league has better ice slots.  Apparently Pitt M1 plays at Liberty tonight with midnight puck drop. 

This may not be true anymore, but way back in the 2000s, Liberty used to only allow students out of their dorms to attend a school event. One way to get kids interested in hockey, which at the time was something like 45 minutes from campus, was late starting hockey games. I have never personally been there for a game, but I have heard stories of a fairly rough crowd at Liberty games.

Liberty has an on-campus rink, so I imagine that this tradition is at least partially why they are playing at midnight.

[Law]

All this is true. SRO crowd of 4,100 tonite. The football team that just won their conference championship across the street and brought their trophy over between periods. Great crowd, great atmosphere. Liberty won 5-3 in their Midnight Mayhem game

[Saucey]

4 hours ago, Law said:

All this is true. SRO crowd of 4,100 tonite. The football team that just won their conference championship across the street and brought their trophy over between periods. Great crowd, great atmosphere. Liberty won 5-3 in their Midnight Mayhem game

That sounds like it was so much fun. 

[aaaahockey]

4 hours ago, Saucey said:

That sounds like it was so much fun. 

Hockey isn't about fun.  It's about getting to the NHL. You obviously haven't been to a white mite game lately. 

[stickboy]

That does sound cool. And looks like Pitt gave them a game. Isn’t Liberty typically one of the top teams?

[Rewster]

On 12/1/2023 at 11:39 PM, Spear and Magic Helmet said:

This may not be true anymore, but way back in the 2000s, Liberty used to only allow students out of their dorms to attend a school event. One way to get kids interested in hockey, which at the time was something like 45 minutes from campus, was late starting hockey games. I have never personally been there for a game, but I have heard stories of a fairly rough crowd at Liberty games.

Liberty has an on-campus rink, so I imagine that this tradition is at least partially why they are playing at midnight.

I can attend to this. I remember playing Liberty University at the Roanoke Civic Center (not sure of the exact name) in 2001/2002. It was the same arena that their ECHL team played. One one hand, it was kind of awesome and memorable to play in a 6,000+ (estimated) arena. But on the other hand, it was such a huge and cavernous arena to play in front of less than 100 or so fans/students. Their coaches (Liberty’s) warned us ahead of time that everything echoed and the stands looked so dark because they didn’t turn all of the lights on since nobody would sit in the seats.

It’s really awesome to see how much support they get now with their own on-campus arena and ESPN+ coverage. Great work by all involved in building that program. 

[Law]

Just a follow up from Lynchburg.  Between 3,000 and 3,500 fans for a Saturday 7PM start. They love their hockey at Liberty. It is a 1st class organization and the game day experience is amazing. Very profesional! Game was tied 1-1 with 10 minutes to go before Liberty pulled away for a 3-1 win.

[ANKLEBENDER]

Liberty previously used PGH officials exclusively for their games for over a decade when they when they independent before temporarily joining a conference. No joke because of all the places they played, they felt we were the best.  Game fees were great, paid for our travel, and provided hotel rooms.  They would schedule the top programs and it was amazing to officiate games between those teams in that environment.

The LaHaye Center opened in 2006 and renovated in 2015 to add more seating and private suites which were already sold out prior to the season.

I have a video of us taking the ice during a midnight madness game in 2015, I'll try and post it below.

 

Edited December 4, 2023 by ANKLEBENDER

[ANKLEBENDER]

Link to Video

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/nnpmt3e4h5338gg4o78yb/IMG_5102.mov?rlkey=yrtbsu2yvr3511007mzze9tax&dl=0

[Happy Hockey Fan]

1 hour ago, ANKLEBENDER said:

Link to Video

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/nnpmt3e4h5338gg4o78yb/IMG_5102.mov?rlkey=yrtbsu2yvr3511007mzze9tax&dl=0

Very cool

[ANKLEBENDER]

UNC arena plans

[sarampage]

Minot State played the 20th ranked NCAA team, Colorado College, last night and lost 7-1.  I did not watch the game, but from looking at the box score, CC played their 2nd and 3rd string goalies.  Shots were 31-15.  Minot plays #5 Denver tonight..a NCHC.tv subscription is needed to watch.

https://cctigers.com/sidearmstats/mhockey/summary;team=away;category=goalies

 

 

[Rewster]

There’s still a pretty big gap between NCAA D1 and ACHA D1…especially when we’re talking top-20 NCAA. Now, the gap between NCAA D3 and ACHA D1 is not significant. I’d like to see Minot St play Chatham University men’s team. That would be a competitive game.

[Law]

Doubtful

[PUCKCOVID19]

3 hours ago, Rewster said:

There’s still a pretty big gap between NCAA D1 and ACHA D1…especially when we’re talking top-20 NCAA. Now, the gap between NCAA D3 and ACHA D1 is not significant. I’d like to see Minot St play Chatham University men’s team. That would be a competitive game.

can I have what drugs your on?   not even close.  Chatham would lose by 3-5 goals.   And let's be honest Pittsburgh isn't a hot bed for these NCAA or Jr tams.  The Forge only lasted a year here and got out..... RMU isn't exactly the destination for JR players to wanna come.... Heck they don't even get a great turn out anymore...  PGH just isn't the city for these types of teams and never will be. 

[Rewster]

1 hour ago, PUCKCOVID19 said:

can I have what drugs your on?   not even close.  Chatham would lose by 3-5 goals.   And let's be honest Pittsburgh isn't a hot bed for these NCAA or Jr tams.  The Forge only lasted a year here and got out..... RMU isn't exactly the destination for JR players to wanna come.... Heck they don't even get a great turn out anymore...  PGH just isn't the city for these types of teams and never will be. 

I think that you’re obviously missing my point. I was generalizing ACHA D1 and comparing the overall level of play to NCAA D1 and NCAA D3. The gap between ACHA D1 and NCAA D3 is small…generally speaking. I gave an example of a local, Pittsburgh area, school-sponsored NCAA D3 hockey team. A school that most locals would at least be familiar with. Would it make you feel better if I swapped, say—Hobart, Trinity, or Norwich in place of Chatham? I’m pretty sure that most of our average hockey fans aren’t familiar with many (if any) NCAA D3 hockey programs. Chatham University was simply the proverbial local example that I used for my broad point of reference.
Oh, and by the way…just say ‘NO’ to drugs.

[ice is cold]

1 hour ago, Rewster said:

I think that you’re obviously missing my point. I was generalizing ACHA D1 and comparing the overall level of play to NCAA D1 and NCAA D3. The gap between ACHA D1 and NCAA D3 is small…generally speaking. I gave an example of a local, Pittsburgh area, school-sponsored NCAA D3 hockey team. A school that most locals would at least be familiar with. Would it make you feel better if I swapped, say—Hobart, Trinity, or Norwich in place of Chatham? I’m pretty sure that most of our average hockey fans aren’t familiar with many (if any) NCAA D3 hockey programs. Chatham University was simply the proverbial local example that I used for my broad point of reference.
Oh, and by the way…just say ‘NO’ to drugs.

Can we all just agree the player "kid" should pick a school for academics and happiness.... I mean WTF... Let your kids go to a school they will thrive at vs one you may think has "better hockey". SMH

[sarampage]

...and DU has a player and head coach at the IIHF World Junior Championships....