>>U.S. College Hockey Online Preseason Div. II-III Poll
>>Minneapolis, Minnesota (October 20, 1997)
>>
>>   Team (First Place Votes)   Pts
>> 1 Middlebury (11)            119
>> 2 RIT                         76
>> 3 Plattsburgh                 66
> >4 St. Norbert (1)             61
> >  Bemidji State               61
> >6 Norwich                     57
> >7 St. John's                  45
> >8 Alabama-Huntsville          44
> >9 Wisconsin-Superior          42
>>10 Niagara                     25   <------HUH??????
 
>I thought Niagara was a D1 program.  They are in the Syracuse
>Invitational (ok they may be cannon fodder, but they're there) aren't
>they?
 
>Joe
 
You are technically correct, and we went back and forth on this when we
 put the poll together. Most of the coaches felt that Niagara should be
 included (along with Canisius, UConn, Iona, etc.) for two main reasons:
 
1. They aren't eligible for the D-I NCAA tournament because they're not
 playing 20 Division I games.  However, they're much closer than the
 other pseudo-DI programs in this regard, since they're playing 14
 games against teams eligible for the D-I nationals, and that made the
 decision difficult. Still, because of their schedule, Niagara is
 considered "College Division" by the American Hockey Coaches
 Association, meaning that they are either D-II, D-III, or D-I electing
 to play a D-II/D-III schedule. Teams eligible for the D-I NCAAs are
 considered "University Division" by the AHCA. We almost called the
 poll the "College Division" poll, but the name seemed ambiguous.
 
2. They are a full fledged member of a D-II/D-III conference (ECAC
 West). This I think was the main consideration.
 
We are adding a disclaimer on future versions of the poll that says:
 "Note: The USCHO Division II/III poll may also include Division I
 schools electing to play a primarily Division II/III schedule."
 
Fortunately, this problem virtually goes away next season when Niagara
 leaves the ECAC West and becomes a full-fledged D-I Independent, and
 when all the other pseudo-DI programs (except Villanova) will band
 together to form the MAAC.
 
Chris Lerch
US College Hockey Magazine
US College Hockey Online -- www.uscollegehockey.com
Color Voice of RIT Hockey on 89.7 WITR
 
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