There has been sporadic discussion over the last month about the '93
RPI Xmas Hockey Tournament.  After reports that UMass-Lowell had
dropped out, posted schedules for UMass-Lowell, UMass-Amherst and RPI
all indicated that it was UMass-Amherst, not UMass-Lowell that had left
the tourney.  While it would have made some sense for Lowell to drop
out, not wanting to play independent Army, it is hard to understand why
Amherst would choose to leave.  It would seem to me that it would
benefit their program this year to play any of the other three teams
(RPI, Lowell, Army).
 
Perhaps, this is a case of the main campus of a state university
(Amherst) not wanting to play and probably lose to another branch
(Lowell).  However, with UMass-Amherst scheduled to join HE in 1994,
this also does not make sense as in the future they will be playing
several times a year.
 
Having followed RPI hockey for almost 30 years, I can say that the RPI
tourney has rarely had more than one quality team outside of the host
team (which itself was often not a quality team).  In the 1960's and I
think into at least the early 70's the tourney usually consisted of
RPI, one other eastern team, one western team, and one Canadian team.
Often the western team was one that recently had picked up the sport on
a Division I basis.  The tourney at that time was three-day affair with
each team playing each of the others.  Because of teams not being able
to use three games for the tourney, it eventually became a two-day
tourney like most others.  Interestingly, the very first tourney
consisted of eight teams with winners playing winners the second day
and losers losers, and third day matches resulting in first through
eighth place finishes.