© 2001 Lewiston Sun Journal




Time to expand tourney
By Justin Pelletier

Staff Writer



When the powers-that-be in college hockey convene next week after the Frozen
Four is over and I am on my way back home from St. Paul, they have an
opportunity to do something that will benefit the sport. On the table is a
proposal to expand the national tournament from its current 12-team format
to 16 teams, and it's about time.


The expansion would eliminate the need for a first-round bye currently
enjoyed by four teams in the national tournament and ensure that at least
some of the bubble teams that deserved a shot at the title got that chance.
This summer, it is expected that College Hockey America (CHA) will be
granted an automatic bid to the tournament, bringing the total to six auto
bids, and leaving room for only six at-large teams.


This year that would have meant that either Colorado College or Cornell, two
teams that posted first-round victories, wouldn't have even made the
tournament.


The problem (and that's what it has been over the last couple of years, a
problem) arose four or five years ago, when the MAAC joined NCAA hockey as a
fifth conference, and CHA followed suit shortly thereafter. The MAAC was
granted an automatic bid in 2001.


One of the primary issues facing the committee is justifying expanding the
men's hockey tournament in the face of stagnating budgets. But even the NCAA
director of championships, Tom Jacobs, admitted in an interview earlier this
season that "hockey is one of the few sports that generates net profit." He
went on to say that the sport would be over $1 million in the black.
Conservative committee estimates showed that adding two more regional sites
under an expansion plan could add a quarter of a million more dollars to
that.


Last year, the proposal was shot down in part because the committee wanted
to focus more on expanding women's opportunities in college sports. Wouldn't
it make sense then that the extra revenue generated by the expansion of
hockey could actually benefit women's sports by increasing the NCAA's cash
flow?


Jacobs acknowledged that the committee was in fact looking at the
self-sustaining nature of hockey as an advantage.


Likely scenarios


Let's assume that this year had been the first in the 16-team tournament
era. UMass-Lowell, Alaska-Fairbanks, and Northern Michigan would have earned
at-large bids, and Wayne State would have received the other automatic bid
by virtue of its finish in the CHA tournament.


Because of the regionalization of the brackets implemented in the wake of
the Sept. 11 attacks, not much would have changed in the East. UMass-Lowell
would be added in as the fifth team, and since Alaska-Fairbanks would have
to fly anyway, it would be the most likely candidate to head to the East
Regional from the talent-rich West.


Strictly by the national pairwais rankings, the eastern seeds would fall in
this order: UNH (1) vs. Harvard (8), BU (2) vs. Quinnipiac (7), Maine (3)
vs. Alaska-Fairbanks (6), and Cornell (4) vs. UMass-Lowell (5).


Looking at the sites available to the East Regioinal, Worcester, Albany,
Hartford, Providence and even Lowell jump to mind. The last two sites to
hold an East Regional were Albany and Worcester, so let's use those to set
up this version of the tournament. The obvious choice would be to put
Cornell and UMass-Lowell in Albany to attract the most possible people. That
means that No. 1 UNH and its large and mobile-fan base would also be in
Albany with Harvard. With seeds holding, it would be Hockey East vs. ECAC to
decide which team went to St. Paul. At the other Eastern site in Worcester,
you have Boston University and Maine facing two relatively unknown
opponents. Some people might say that it defeats the purpose to have two
Hockey East teams meet for the other Eastern berth in the Frozen Four, but
it turned out that way this year, anyway.


In the West, Northern Michigan and Wayne State would be the seventh and
eighth seeds, respectively.


The biggest difficulty in the two-regional site plan would be the location
of the Western tournaments. Michigan always puts on a good showing when it
hosts the regional in Ann Arbor, but aside from that there are some tough
choices to be made. Unless its teams are good, Minnesota and Denver fans
would be less likely to show up for a regional not involving their local
teams.


One positive sign pointing to the possible expansion of the tournament as
early as next season is in a list. Last year, the Championships and
Competitions Cabinet had expansion seventh on its list of priorities. This
year it's No. 1.


Here's to hoping that they get it right this time. It's time to expand.




Justin Pelletier is a staff writer who can be reached at
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