After having been to both Albany and Worcester in 96 and 95, repectively, I just wanted to support
the NCAA's decision for using these two sites.  I prefer Worcester for a variety of reasons: much
wider range of entertainment and restaurants, more familiar surroundings closer to 'home', and more
central to eastern collegiate hockey, IMO.  The Centrum did feel a little flatter than the Knick though
as far as the atmosphere or the seating.  Now that I think about it, the Centrum reminds me a lot of the
Hartford Civic Center with its higher and steeper seating.  I think the Knick wins hands down as being the
better arena from which to view the game.  I walked to the upper level and felt like there weren't any,
bad seats in the house.  In the Centrum, the third tier would be terrible, the second only passable.  But
downtown Albany really struck me as being: Quiet, Deserted, and, frankly, run-down.  I prefer the more
vibrant downtown Worcester to celebrate in after a good pounding of an opponent.  As far as
Boston, the Fleet Center is really over booked for this type of event and it is Expe$ive in the Beantown.
It's really all the extras which you get hit with which make it harder on the purse.  If you want a hotel
close to the new garden, you're going to pay (I'd hazard) about $100 or so, and if you go further out
to get a price break then you have to either fight traffic and parking (tough in the Hub) OR do the trains
which can be time consuming.  In either of the other two locations, moving farther away from downtown
brings down your costs w/o driving up your commuting frustrations.  All in all, the East regionals are
well of where they are.
 
Dan
 
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