Since nobody asked, I thought I'd share my thoughts.
I had SO much fun Saturday night. The two most fun NCAA hockey games I've ever been to were last year's B10 semifinal and this year's B10 championship (I wasn't at last year's final or this year's semi because St.Patrick's Day weekend is a family/neighborhood holiday for me). Now, we are going to move on to even bigger games. But it won't feel the same, because most of them are going to be played in bland, sterile rinks with about 25% occupancy.
College hockey is good hockey, but it isn't elite hockey. It shares the developmental role with Canadian Juniors, and most truly top players don't come to college...or especially stay long in college. And that's OK. I think college sports should be for people who want to be in college, and there SHOULD be a developmental route open to those prospects who don't want college. But that's a different argument for another day. Part of what makes college hockey great is that it is COLLEGE hockey. The rinks, the students, the bands, the campuses...COLLEGE. That's what made Saturday great. That is what is missing in the tournament.
I've heard the idea of the #1 seeds hosting the regionals floated. That's fine...a definite improvement. But I still think you can do better. I was at women's basketball yesterday, and the way the NCAA takes over the building and experience for a "NCAA Event," it still has a different feel to it. Plus, the regional system isn't perfect in it's bracket purity (beyond the first round, or even in the first round if you avoid conference matchups), and, let's be honest, deciding a hockey championship round by one game is kinda silly and stupid.
So...my plan...
Same 16 teams get in. Conference championship autobids, decide the at-large bids and rank the teams according to Pairwise.
FIRST ROUND: Best of three, campus sites, higher ranked team hosts: 1 vs 16, 2 vs 15, 3 vs 14...8 vs.9. No alterations for anything. Two conference rivals facing each other? AWESOME, hockey is all about rivalries. These are TRUE home games. Home teams control the buildings like they do every other game...STH get their seats, full student sections, bands, warm-ups, control of the music/scoreboard/PA announcer. Everything. A real home game.
SECOND ROUND: The next weekend, best of three, campus sites:
Re-seed the eight teams left: 1 vs 8, 2 vs 7, 3 vs 6, 4 vs. 5. Same thing, full home game experience.
Honestly, I'd love to continue this through the Frozen Four, but I know that is a sacred cow that isn't going away. The TV argument could be made...but all the games aren't on TV anyway (2 aren't), and with ESPN+, all the games would be relatively easily available for anyone who wants them. The only real issue would be the first weekend with 8 series, but that could be mitigated by having some of them be THR/FRI/SAT.
Do what you do best. Show off the unique experiences so many college hockey teams have. It's a fringe sport...doing the basketball model just doesn't work.
I also think it makes the regular season matter more, which is a nice side benefit.
Flame away.