Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm. ..... very interesting!
Thanks for passing this along.

[log in to unmask] wrote:

>Its official: UVM moves to Hockey East.
>
>
>
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Subject:
> Vermont To Join Hockey East in 2005-06
> From:
> "Gordon W.T. Woodworth" <[log in to unmask]>
> Date:
> Thu, 8 Jan 2004 11:00:00 -0500
> To:
> [log in to unmask]
>
>
> For Immediate Release
> Contact: Gordon Woodworth
> January 8, 2004
>                 802/656-1110
>
> Vermont to join Hockey East in 2005-06
> BURLINGTON, Vt. - The University of Vermont has accepted an invitation
> from The Hockey East Association and will play in the nation's premier
> college hockey conference in men's and women's hockey starting with
> the 2005-06 season.
> Hockey East Commissioner Joe Bertagna and Dr. Robert Corran, director
> of athletics at Vermont, made the joint announcement today at a press
> conference in Gutterson Fieldhouse. Corran and Mike Gilligan, special
> assistant to the director of athletics and the former men's hockey
> coach at Vermont, met with the 10 Hockey East athletic directors
> Tuesday in Andover, Mass.
>
> "It is an honor to accept Hockey East's invitation and we look forward
> to competing for a Hockey East championship beginning with the 2005-06
> season," Corran said. "This is an exciting time for our staff,
> student-athletes, and the entire UVM community. We have sincerely
> enjoyed the many wonderful years we have spent in the Eastern College
> Athletic Conference (ECAC) and look forward to continuing our
> association with the ECAC and its member schools through the 2004-05
> season and in non-conference play in 2005-06 and beyond."
>
> "This is absolutely the right move at the right time for Vermont,"
> University of Vermont President Daniel Mark Fogel said. "Athletics is
> a window into the life of our university and this opportunity
> demonstrates that we are serious about our drive to raising the
> institution's competitive metabolism and enhancing our national
> profile as a school known for its academic excellence."
>
> Vermont men's hockey coach Kevin Sneddon is equally excited about the
> move to Hockey East.
>
> "I am very pleased with the decision to move to Hockey East," Sneddon
> said. "I had complete faith and trust in President Fogel and Dr.
> Corran during this process. Their vision has always been to provide
> our student-athletes with the best competitive experiences possible.
> We all feel that Hockey East is a great fit for the University of
> Vermont, and that the University of Vermont is a great fit for Hockey
> East.
>
> "We realize we have a lot of work and planning ahead of us in order to
> build our program into a national contender once again," Sneddon
> continued. "Our staff and student-athletes are committed to this
> challenge."
>
> Sneddon, like Corran, made it clear that Vermont will still continue
> to play many ECAC teams.
>
> "The ECAC is comprised of great academic and athletic institutions and
> we look forward to continuing competition with those elite programs,"
> he said. "I know everyone here at the University of Vermont will
> always value the relationship we have had and will continue to have
> with the ECAC."
>
> "This is an exciting time for collegiate women's hockey, as the game
> continues to grow," Vermont women's hockey coach Dennis Miller said.
> "Hockey East is poised to grow as well, and we are excited to be
> joining the existing programs in the conference in 2005-06. Like Dr.
> Corran and Coach Sneddon, I also look forward to continuing our
> relationships with ECAC schools in the future."
>
> Vermont has played Division I men's hockey in the ECAC since moving to
> Division I in 1974-75, and was ECAC Division II champion in 1972-73
> and 1973-74. The Vermont women's hockey program was upgraded to
> varsity status in 1998-99, and has shown consistent improvement as it
> moved into Division I competition in 2001-02. Like the men's program,
> the Catamount women's hockey program has produced standout players and
> All-Americans, ECAC All-Stars and record-holders.
>
> "We are thrilled that the University of Vermont is joining the Hockey
> East family," Hockey East Commissioner Joe Bertagna said. "It is rare
> that such an opportunity is met without the slightest trace of
> reservation. I can say with all sincerity that everyone associated
> with Hockey East has embraced this development with unusual enthusiasm
> and a sense of anticipation. The great tradition of UVM Hockey will
> fit perfectly within our own record of success."
>
> Hockey East has continued a steady rise to prominence since its
> founding charter on July 11, 1983, when the Athletic Directors from
> Boston College, Boston University, New Hampshire, Northeastern, and
> Providence announced the formation of a new Division I men's ice
> hockey conference. Later that same summer, the Board of Directors
> approved the additions of the University of Maine and the University
> of Lowell (now UMass Lowell).
>
> Official conference competition of the seven-team league began with
> the 1984-85 season, and expansion broadened the league to nine teams
> with the additions of Merrimack College (1989) and the University of
> Massachusetts (1993). The league is celebrating its 20th anniversary
> season this year, and enjoys a reputation as the strongest and most
> competitive conference in Division I hockey. Hockey East teams have
> compiled a .655 winning percentage in non-conference play in the last
> 14 seasons, including a .705 mark in 2002-03. In addition, Hockey East
> has earned 18 of 44 spots in the last 11 NCAA Frozen Fours and
> produced four national champions: Maine in 1993 and 1999, Boston
> University in 1995 and Boston College in 2001.
>
> The Women's Hockey East Association was founded in 2001 and is
> comprised of six teams: Boston College, Connecticut, Maine, New
> Hampshire, Northeastern and Providence. Although the women's league is
> still in its infancy, its member programs have storied histories that
> include several championships and individual awards at the highest
> levels of play. The first 14 ECAC championships were shared among New
> Hampshire, Northeastern and Providence, all charter members of Hockey
> East.
>
> Northeastern forward Brooke Whitney was named the recipient of the
> 2002 Patty Kazmaier Award as the nation's top female collegiate
> player, an honor first won by New Hampshire's Brandy Fisher in 1998.
> Had the award been in existence beforehand, it very likely would have
> been won at some point by Cammi Granato, a three-time ECAC Player of
> the Year who led Providence to back-to-back championships in 1992 and
> 1993. Five years later, alongside nine other alums of what are now
> Hockey East programs, Granato captained Team USA to the Olympic gold
> medal during the first Olympic tournament that featured women's ice
> hockey as a medal sport.
>
> For more information, please check the web at
> http://www.uvmathletics.com or http://www.hockeyeastonline.com.
> --30--
>
>--
>
>
> Gordon W.T. Woodworth
> Director of Athletic Communications
> University of Vermont
> Phone: 802-656-1110
> Fax:    802-656-8328
> [log in to unmask]
> http://www.uvmathletics.com