Jim Love <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
 
>  (1) the handful of schools currently competing at a (grand-fathered; but
>      soon to be disallowed) lower classification than the remainder of their
>      athletic program: UConn, Villanova, Iona, etc.
>
>  (2) Army, and
>
>  (3) several new programs, including Rutgers, Bridgeport, and several other
>      schools that he couldn't remember.
>
>   While the formation of such a loose conference/confederation has been
> discussed in passing on the List before, the inclusion of heretofore unmen-
> tioned programs such as Rutgers, etc., coupled with the indication that
> progress has been made beyond the talking stage, was news to me.  It'll be
> interesting to see how fast and in what direction this initiative eventually
> plays out, and to what degree these DivI "newbies" can/will compete with the
> rest of the DivI hockey community.
 
Hmmm, no disrespect to Jim, but I am suspect of this due to the information
provided.  First of all, there is no "grandfathering" of the programs of
UConn, Villanova, etc.  They are still considered Division I schools, and
thus cannot compete in the Division III national tournament.  They can
compete in the Division I tournament as long as they meet the qualifications
-- 20 games against other Div. I games, which they don't.  Why would the
NCAA care if these schools take themeselves out of contention?
 
As for playing in "lower" conferences, the NCAA has no say in how a
conference wishes to set themeselves up.  Hockey is not the only sport
that has mixed conferences.  Even basketball has some conferences that
mix Division II and III schools due to geographical reasons.  The ECAC West
has teams from all three divisions.  Canisius does give scholarships out
since they are a Division I school and are allowed to follow the Division I
rules.  It is up to the conference to say otherwise to be a member if they
choose to do this.  The ECAC West, and it's member schools, don't seem to
mind.  The NCAA cannot force the ECAC West to kick out Canisius nor can they
force Canisius to leave that conference.  Those are matters between the
conference and the school.
 
As for schools like Rutgers and Bridgeport, I again remain highly skeptical.
They don't have any varsity programs.  Only club teams.  To make a move to
varsity requires a lot, and you would think that we would have heard something
about it now.  Just look at all the publicity when Nebraska-Omaha and
Niagara started varsity programs.
 
As for this Div. I alliance-conference, yes we heard it before.  And, from
sources I have heard following Div. III hockey, there are quite a few of
these Div. I schools who have no desire whatsoever to join in.  Call me a
skeptic, but I'll believe it when I see it.
 
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