I have no knowledge of Bentley or its resources so I can't comment on the wisdom of their move.  But, what appears to be happening is what has already happened to basketball. D-1 basketball contains a number of teams that will never win a national championship but are D-1 and occasionally pull off an upset in the tournament.
 
Now hockey, with the advent of the MAAC, may be, in a smaller way, moving in that direction.  Certainly neither Bentley nor many of the other MAAC schools will, at least for a while, be competitive in recruiting with Michigan, BU, etc.  But then when was the last time Hofstra beat out Kentucky or UNC for a recruit.  On the other hand every time a team like Valparaiso manages to pull off an upset or two in the tournament it livens things up even if realistically Valpo couldn't have won the tournament.
 
Even though hockey requires more players we all know that a hot goalie combined with a hustling bunch of overachievers can cause the occasional upset.  I look forward to the day when Quinnipiac or some other MAAC team pulls off that upset in the NCAA's.  It will happen.  Also, to all those who say that there aren't enough players to go around they should note the increase in youth hockey participants and the increase in junior leagues.  There are players out there.  They may not be ready for a scholarship at BU but just as the Hofstras and Valpos must recruit those perceived to be too small or a step slow so will the MAAC schools.  And, some of those players will surprise us all.
 
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