(Becka)It's always great to have a game where so many players from each side grew up together. It adds a personal touch. You aren't just playing to win the game, your playing for bragging rights. Many of ECU's fans and family live in the Triangle and you can be sure that there will be a lot of purple in the stands on February 1st.
I don't consider ECU's rink to be an advantage for either team. Both teams have to play on it and it is the responsibility of the coaching staff to make sure their respective teams are ready for any conditions. With that said, I'm not sure games should be played on a rink that small whenever possible because it takes away from the creativity and speed that make hockey great. One of amazing things about college hockey is how talented so many of these kids are. You don't get the fighting and dirty play that plagues many leagues and the ACHA should do everything it can to ensure our level of play stays that way.
ECU is a very talented team and a lot of teams are fooled by the fact that they play division III. They could be extremely competitive in the ACCHL. I personally take responsibility for the outcome in October. I did not have my team ready to play and it showed early on in that game. When you play from behind, you have to take more chances and end up in the box more often. We won't make that mistake again.
Game starts at 9:00, be there.
