Being a Bemidji State grad ('96) and being able to see every one of their
championship series but one (the first one in Huntsville), I would hate to
see them go to a combined D-I D-III tourney.  It would be nice to know
where the site is more than a week in advance, but I really enjoy the "on
campus" games.  Would enough people with D-I tickets fill a large arena to
make it seem like a D-III championship game? I would think the teams would
rather play in front of 3,000-5,000 fans that care about the game in a
small arena than 5,000-8,000 fans, many who don't care, in a large arena.
I don't think travel and hotel is that much of a problem.  When BSU had to
travel, there was usually a charter bus or many people car pooled and drove
straight through and rented a cheap hotel room to crash in for a night.
 
With the ticket package, the participating schools would have a block of
tickets reserved for them, but would that include tickets to the D-I games?
 If I was going to drive to Anaheim or Providence knowing the D-I
championship was going to be on the same weekend, I would want to go. Or
would that mean I would have to send my money in months in advance and hope
my D-III team makes it?
 
Probably the worst thing I could see happening is a loss of identity to the
 D-III tourney playing in the shadow of the Phrozen Phour.  For small
colleges, the tourney is a big deal.
 
Just some of my ramblings
 
Troy Mills
Minnesota
 
HOCKEY-L is for discussion of college ice hockey;  send information to
[log in to unmask], The College Hockey Information List.