Just don't count on it!
 
Indiana, Penn State, and Illinois have well supported club level teams (re:
Big Ten hockey conference), but Title 9 WILL KILL any serious discussions.
The athletic budget just isn't big enough to offer two scholarships for
every Men's Div I hockey program (one for the program; one for the
corresponding Women's program), and IMHO, there just aren't enough popular
women's sports to attract the athletes (mainly because every female sport
has it's male equivalent ALREADY and male football sucks up a HUGE amount of
budget and scholarships).  It just ain't gonna happen!
 
From the "let's expand the ECAC" front, and the discussions about travel
partners and costs to the WCHA, start by reading the above paragraph.  It
ain't gonna happen!  Even if it did (women's rodeo, lacrosse, and
cross-country skiing) happen, the fact that travel among ECAC partners isn't
as much as their western counterparts ISN'T IMPORTANT; what IS important is
that travel will be *MORE* than they're now experiencing.  If the added cost
is $20,000/yr, where is it gonna come from?  And how many other
organizations will vie for it?  Can your school justify a single scholarship
or professorship less to let your team travel more?  What about every
handicapped-equity, gender-equity, sexual-preference-equity, minority-equity,
 native-american-equity, angry-white-male-equity  group wanting any
"fall-out" $20,000 from the budget?  It just ain't gonna happen.
 
Lesson:  we're lucky.  We get to watch, enjoy, and support college hockey,
whether Div I, Div III, or ACHA.  Do it.
 
Steve the Pessimist (or is it realist?)
 
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