>Furthermore, my comparison between the quality of ACHA teams and
>NCAA Division III teams is right on target: check this year's records to
>see how many ACHA teams have knocked off NCAA D-III opponents. However,
>in most cases I agree ACHA teams wouldn't be able to beat NCAA Division I
>teams. There are exceptions, though. Last year Penn State lost -
>just 5-4 in overtime - to the No. 1 nationally-ranked NCAA Division II
>team. This year, I believe, Penn State beat them. But I also think ACHA
>teams could give many NCAA teams quite a scare.
I hate to keep beating this horse, but the facts don't bear this out. A
search of the D-II/III composite schedule cross referenced against a
list of ACHA D-I teams found in the College Hockey Guidebook show the
following games:
11/3 Delaware (ACHA) 3, Villanova (NCAA) 2
11/4 Lehigh (ACHA) at Scranton (NCAA) - no score available
11/29 Penn State (ACHA) 4, Hobart (NCAA) 3
1/10 Mercyhurst (NCAA) 14, Penn State (ACHA) 3
1/26 Scranton (NCAA) at Lehigh(ACHA) - no score available
2/6 Penn State(ACHA) at Villanova (NCAA) - no score available
Ok, let's look further:
Villanova - is technically a D-I team, but can't hold it's own against
D-III competition, where they are 3-11-1 based on the composite scores
available. Some scores from this season: Oswego 13, Villanova 2,
Canisius 14, Villanova 1, UConn 15, Villanova 1, etc etc. Villanova is
NOT representative of a typical D-III program.
Scranton - is by far the worst varsity program in the nation. They have
not won a varsity game in 4-5 years and routinely lose by 20 goals a
game to D-III schools. They play more ACHA teams than any other
varsity program for a reason. Scranton is NOT typical of an NCAA
D-III program.
Hobart - is 4-18-2 playing a D-III schedule. Lost to Plattsburgh 13-1
last weekend and Hamilton 12-4 last night. Hobart finished last in the
ECAC West and is ranked 45th out of the "top" 52 programs playing a
D-II/III schedule in the latest RPI ratings (Villanova and Scranton
aren't even listed).
Mercyhurst - Is 16-6-1, good for 3rd place in the ECAC West. They're
ranked #16 out of 52 in the RPI. And look at the score (MH 14, Penn
State 3). You are correct that Penn State lost by only a goal to
Mercyhurst last year, but my understanding is that MH rested a lot of
starters. Penn State also lost to Hobart last year, and Hobart's
record was similar to their record this season.
In conclusion, my opinion is that a top ACHA team would be a slightly
below average D-III program. Once again, I'm not bashing the ACHA - I
think their organization and promotion puts D-III to shame - the ACHA
Division II championships this year involve 16 teams and are being
held in Tampa, for example. Wow! But the quality of hockey isn't the
same. And who cares? Penn State - Iowa State makes for a very
exciting game between evenly matched teams. Why not leave it at that
and stop making comparisions to the NCAA.
Chris Lerch
US College Hockey Magazine
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