The Pros & Cons of the 2012-2013 Schedule

It’s been a while since I’ve posted anything of substance here. Given the way things were going, I guess no news is good news, though.

But alas, some new topic for conversation – the schedule (click here). Last night at the Friends of NU Hockey Annual Meeting, the tentative 2012-2013 was released so I’ll share my thoughts on the positives and negatives of it.

PROS:

– The waiting game is over: I’ve been trying to piece together NU’s schedule for a while now when other schools release theirs. No more guessing, no more speculating. Obviously things can change (it is tentative, after all) but this the season.

– Weak Out of Conference Schedule: If you want this team to make the playoffs, this is a definite bonus. NU ran through some big OOC opponents last year (ND, Minn, Mich) and it appeared going into January this team had turned it around. Then January happened and…not so much. Looking back at the season in review, many of the positives centered around the OOC games – how the team played, the strength of their opponents.

Now even if NU plays a more Merrimack-style schedule, they still play 27 Hockey East games and I seriously doubt it’ll crush any post season considerations (last year all 10 HE teams were in the top 30 on strength of schedule). Yes, Mack’s weak schedule likely cost them a bid from the NCAA tournament, but if NU goes from last season to that, we can all agree it would be a great step forward, yes?

Wins. In. Conference. That has to be the goal of this team this year and the schedule reflects that. Don’t sleep on Harvard, though, that’s one OOC game I am eagerly looking for.

– All Lowell and Merrimack Away Games on Saturdays: This is great for fan travel. Obviously, I’m speaking from a personal stand point of avoiding traffic, but there are additional opportunities presented. Given the close proximity of these schools, this is an opportunity for Athletics to get some sort of road trip together for students.

The proximity is not only beneficial to the feasibility (time, gas, cost, co-op schedules), but you can also guarantee the students they’ll still have their weekend night to do whatever because they’ll definitely be back on campus by 11 at the latest. Roadtrips are how you create connections and this would be great way to improve the fanbase’s interest in the team.

CONS:

– Lots of Holidays: When I took a close look at the schedule I wanted to slam my head against the wall. Here’s a list of holiday weekends that NU hockey will be competing with for fans…

• Oct. 7 v. St. Xavier – EXHIBITION (Columbus Day)
• Nov. 10-11 v. UAH (Veteran’s Day)
• Nov. 23 v. St. Lawrence (Thanksgiving’s Day)
• Jan. 19 v. BC (MLK Day)*
• Feb. 15-16 v. UVM (President’s Day)

* Jan. 18 @ bu (not a home game, but a game very accessible to NU fans)

The coaching staff stressed a desire for home games. Well, they got them. Unfortunately, six of them are on holiday weekends where the attendance will be less than desired – even if the team’s doing well.

If there was no way around it, at least it’s three OOC games that likely wouldn’t have packed the house anyway and a UVM series that, while still mean four crucial Hockey East points, is not the most appealing.

But my goodness. BC at home? For someone who works consistently at getting students in the door, this is awful. This is ALWAYS a top attended game, never mind a year where they’re coming off a quad. This hurts. As does the night before’s game at agganis, which is always fun when NU brings a good crowd.

– bu at the End of the Season (Again): Fourth straight year. Sick of this. I thought this was supposed to change? Guess not. Well, once again, the rat dogs to close out the season, hopefully with something on the line for both games this year.

But, along the lines of the last point, this series will likely be engulfed in Northeastern’s spring break. Another marquee series that will be seen by no one. It’s a shame, no way around it.

And while we’re talking breaks, Bentley on Jan. 5 will likely be dress like a seat night because that’s surely between semesters which means no one will be there. I have a hard time believing students’ rush back for the juggernaut of Bentley.

– Weak Out of Conference Schedule: Yeah I know I put this in the “pros” column, but that was from the team perspective. As far as fans go, it’s boring. I understand Michigan & Notre Dame aren’t coming for political reasoning (and I commend Madigan for his stance of not letting NU be used by big programs) but outside of Harvard, there’s nothing here that will excite a casual fan. And even with Harvard (scheduled during the between semester break, I’ll add), some of the allure is gone due to Beanpot familiarity. If a fan compares this year’s schedule to last year’s, the reaction would surely be disappointed.

– Jan. through the Beanpot: In about a month you’re looking at a run of Maine, bu, BC, Lowell, Lowell, UNH, bu. The Huskies are going to be put through the meat grinder of Hockey East for a month. This could be a time we look back on as to how it impacted the season, or it could be where the post season aspirations began spiraling downward. This could devolve into a huge losing streak (hey, Hockey East is tough) and then you’ve got to worry about recovering the team’s psyche for the remainder of the season. It’ll definitely be interesting.

– No Roadtrips: As I said before, road trips are fun. It’s like a mini vacation – for fans and the team. For both, it serves as a bonding experience and as far as the team is concerned, is often cited as a moment where the members were brought together. None of that this year until the beginning of March. By then, I would hope the team doesn’t need to be brought together, though.

– All UNH, UMass and Providence Away Games on Fridays: Traffic…the traffic…the traffic. Vanflip x1000.