Well, what is new in the CCHA? Aside from the fact that the LSSU Lakers are not in the CCHA Top 10, there's not really a whole lot. Well, maybe there's the fact that Ohio State has a new arena. The Buckeyes have finally moved out of the 1400 seat OSU Ice Rink. They moved into the 17,500 seat Jerome Schottenstein Center/Value City Arena. That's the first problem. Everyone is calling it something different. Why not just stick to one or the other? Or, you could call it the Jerome Value Schottenstein City Center Arena. Or, how about the Jerome Schottenstien Value City Arena Center? What's wrong with the Value Jerome Schottenstein City Arena Center? Actually, maybe that is a little long. How about a nickname or something? It's a very nice arena, but it has some problems. First of all, how can you stand and face the flag for the National Anthem when there's not a flag? Secondly, there is no penalty clock on the center ice scoreboard. They do have penalty clocks on the end scoreboards, but since they have a very nice video scoreboard at center ice, you'd think they could put a penalty clock in it. Another scoreboard problem is that Shots on Goal aren't identified as such. They are recorded, but in the section of the scoreboard marked "Team Fouls" Couldn't they have added a line so it would be "Team Fouls/Shots on Goal"? The arena does have some nice features. These include nice sightlines and padded seats. The seats even have backs, which is a luxury not found at Yost. But, the rows are a little too close together, so knees are perpetually rubbing the seat in front of you. The arena is a multi-purpose facility. This means it can be changed from hockey to basketball, and vice versa. It's supposed to be a smooth change, but when I went, there had been a basketball game earlier that day, and the ice was a bit of a mess. It was in puddles at some points, and slush in other places. It did not seem like good ice for a hockey game. Maybe next time they should schedule the hockey game first. Maybe some of the problems will improve (flag, scoreboard) Only time will tell. Speaking of time, I'm currently out of it. See ya next week, same Internet, same URL. So, that's what's new in the CCHA.
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