Ok Adam we can respect plucky little Princeton.  In fact what they achieved at the end of the season was indeed impressive.  Somehow this poor little Ivy League team stuff doesn't wash, however.  Princeton and the other Ivies have many advantages (ones that I suspect teams like Union and SLU, for example, wish they had)--fabulous endowments and impressive alumni networks among others.  As to the attitudes of many ECAC'ers you must have not read many of the posts here if you think there is not a sanctimonious attitude.  As to the West, yes many are surprised here when an ECAC team does well (we haven't had too many surprises lately, however).  Few here are surprised when HE teams like BU, BC or UNH do well, however.
 
If the ECAC wants more than our sympathies at the hurdles they have to surmount to recruit good hockey teams they have to earn that on the ice.  Performances like the ECAC had at the Christmas tournaments and in the NCAA's this year don't do that.  Nonetheless it is a good conference and as someone pointed out the differences among hockey conferences are slight when compared to football or basketball (the MAAC I suspect will be, at least initially, more like some of those.)
 
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