> > I'm sure more will be available on this in coming days but
certainly
> > the UMaine athletic department isn't planning on going to the
HEA's.
> > I think there is something to be said for that, especially since
> > hockey exemptions are apparently part of the sanctions (or are
they
> > standard for hockey prohibition?) and they were not discussed at
all
> > during the teleconference.
>
> That was only my speculation.  Remember that exemptions encompass
much more
> than just postseason conference play.  You get exemptions for
playing in
> Alaska, for hosting a foreign team, etc.  There doesn't seem to be
an
> effect on Maine's use of an exemption to play Dalhousie in the JC
Penney
> Classic.  I was just suggesting that in effect, Maine won't be able
to use
> the exemption for postseason HE tourney games.  I haven't seen
anything
> official which says that a limit on exemptions is part of the
sanctions.
 
Exactly.  Swank and Robin Green dubbed the postseason conference
exemptions as "automatic exemptions."  Meaning, I suppose, that they
are understood to be granted to all school --
 
Deron's confusion with what Green and Swank were saying lie because
... the pair were discussing the exemptions. --- Swank said the
postseason conference tournament games were counted as regular season
games -- and therefore, it was up to the conference to decide Maine's
participation.  Green corrected him by saying that they fell under
"automatic exemptions" and Swank responded to that by saying "Same
Thing." Green said nothing further.
 
So yes, there was an unclear exchange between the two - but I took
that to mean it was just a battle of semantics, and that, in effect,
they are the exact same thing as regular season games, it's just that
teams are given automatic permission to play in those games without
it counting toward the regular-season limit.  The two of them were
saying the same thing, Swank was just putting it in more simplistic
terms.
 
Therefore, I am pretty certain that the ruling to exclude Maine from
the HEA Tournament came from HEA itself --- I am hoping to confirm
this one way or another this week - but that's my best guess.
 
> > > It's possible that HEA has already decided but didn't make any
> > > official announcement.
> >
> > I doubt this has happened.  First, Tyler told me that they knew
this
> > as soon as the penalties were announced, so her frame of
reference is
> > from the NCAA's ruling, and second with Mike so close to Hockey
East
> > if they made an announcement or even a statement he would have
more
> > then definately reported it.
>
> Not necessarily.  For one thing, I have not talked to Tim or Bob
lately, so
> I am out of the loop there.  Also, it is quite possible that a
decision has
> been made on how to handle the situation but that it has not been
> announced, as Adam said.  This could be because, as I suggested to
Deron
> and Adam, HE is simply going to abide by the NCAA decision.
 
Exactly -- maybe HEA told Maine in advance that they would go along
with whatever the NCAA decided.  I wish someone would say so one way
or another - I don't know why that's a secret.
 
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