I haven't particualrly noticed schools from the Northwest or Southwest clamoring to add D-1 hockey only to be denied by established schools.  To the contrary, college hockey still is a regional sport and one played at the D-1 level by many schools that are not household names, at least to the TV sports fan.  The fear that small schools will be somehow be squeezed out of D-1 by TV contracts is dreaming at best. (Although the small schools will still struggle to be competitive in the NCAA's) I see no evidence that college hockey is moving to national coverage like football or basketbal in the near or medium term.  In fact, the schools that have been adding D-1 hockey have been the smaller schools, UNO, Mankato, Niagara, Bemidji and the MAAC schools, nary a UCLA ,USC, Kentucky or UNC in the bunch. National TV is a long way off, the smaller schools will still be welcome in D-1 and the dominant hockey schools will continue to dominate the NCAA's.
 
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