The discussion is getting a little beyond the point here.  Nostalgia for
old time rinks vs. sterile modern sports edifices has nothing to do with
how to handle a 16 team tournament.  I may enjoy some of the old barns,
even Houston Fieldhouse has its charms.  But in a first round at campus
sites, none of those quaint old ice surfaces are going to see any action.
 
If the NC$$ opts for a campus site first round, the top four teams in the
PWR will get a game or games, depending on what format is chosen.  A quick
review of which teams have been in the first eight for the past decade or
so would indicate the following teams would probably get first round
hostings: Boston University, Boston College, Michigan, Michigan State,
Wisconsin, Minnesota, Maine, North Dakota, maybe New Hampshire.
Coincidentally these are the biggest schools with the biggest hockey
programs, and certainly the most prestigious.  Coincidentally they also
have the biggest arenas, like the Kohl Arena, and have the biggest home
ice advantage.  So if you are a team like RPI, perhaps win the ECAC
tournament and make the field of 16, your next game is
probably...Madison, Ann Arbor, Minneapolis...  in front of 8,000+ fans
screaming for their home town favorite.
 
I don't begrudge that these big schools deserve the right to be in the
tournament and grab high seedings.  But I don't much see the value in
virtually awarding them a first round victory and I certainly don't see
how that creates a fair match-up.
 
Four Sub-Regionals probably offers the fairest solution to all the teams
involved.  And maybe you skew the seedings just a little to ensure that
the teams play close to home for the first round.  Two Sub-Regionals of
eight would make a great buy for the college hockey fan, but I'm not sure
there is any arena in the country that would want to schedule eight games
in a weekend.
 
No matter how strong the allure to return to those old first round
weekends in your home building, I think when you examine the reality, it
doesn't cut it.
**************************************************************************
Brian Morris                RPI Engineers--First in the ECAC
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