>>>>> "Eric" == Eric J Burton <[log in to unmask]> writes:
Eric> I have Watched a lot of NCAA hockey 1,2 and 3 and There
Eric> is a big difference from II to Div I, For instance Div I players
Eric> are much quicker and faster and play for teams that can spend
Eric> money recruiting the top players.
 
There are plenty of division II/III players that can keep up with the
better division I players.  I believe the difference is that there are
fast division II/III players and there are big division II/III players,
but there are rarely any fast *and* big division II/III players while
division I is full of them.
 
Bowdoin (ECAC division III East) used to play Maine when I was an
undergraduate.  Bowdoin used to be able to keep pace with the division
I guys for the first period or two.  Eventually, the size disadvantage
took its toll and Bowdoin would collapse in the third period.
 
My point is that I don't believe the disparity between division I and
II/III is a large as you seem to imply.  Take two examples from last
season:
 
1) January 17th, Bowdoin tied UMass-Amherst 3-3 at Amherst
 
2) The weekend after Princeton upset the University of Maine, Colby
   College (also ECAC III East) defeated Princeton.
 
I'm not saying that division II/III is competitive with division I in
general -- it isn't.  I'm saying that on any given day, a good
division II/III team can play as well as, if not better than, a decent
division I team.
 
Pete Kester
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