>The Fighting Illini, like most of the ACHA's top teams, regularly beat
>NCAA Division III teams
 
I don't want to start a big controversy here, but I don't think so.
I've tracked every D-III team's records for the past few seasons in
order to produce the D-III RPI ratings. I can remember no games between
Illinois and any D-III team. I know that Penn State plays a few games
against D-III opponents, and generally loses, but the games are
competitive.  North Dakota State also has been about .500 against some
D-III teams from the MIAC, and UW-Stout has had some success, enough so
that they return to varsity status next season.
 
Another example would be the Buffalo State, who won the ACHA D-II
national championship and then was something like 8-17 against D-III
competition the next year when they went varsity.
 
If I had to take a ballpark estimate, I'd say that in ACHA-D-III games
(the few that are played), the ACHA team wins about 25% of the time.
I'm not taking anything away from the ACHA - in some areas of the
country the popularity of the team's do rival D-I...but not the talent level.
 
Chris Lerch
EDS
RIT '84 & '91
 
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