There is nothing so fine as a summer Saturday morning in Connecticut after
a cool front has passed through the night before.   Accordingly,  it was
time to take a trip out through the countryside to Storrs to check out
progress on the rink.
 
        Things look to be right on track.   The roofs are on.   The main building
walls are up.   The masons are on site and have started the walls on the
appurtenant facilities (the floorspace of which looks absolutely huge
compared to the completely inadequate warming house they replace).   If I
had to guess,  I'd say construction is right on schedule perhaps even a bit
ahead.   I still can't believe that this is actually happening.   The folks
in the UConn hockey office have got to be on cloud nine.
 
        There has been a lot of conversation recently about expansion in D-1 in
general and the MAAC in particular.   My attitude is to just wait and see
how things develop.   I don't think that there is any serious debate about
whether or not this league is good for hockey.   It is.   Full stop.   What
I find fascinating is the prospect of the first couple of MAAC seasons and
the shakedown process.   Five schools currently look to be at about even
strength.   Iona,  Fairfield,  and Sacred Heart appear to be not quite as
strong for the first season.   When Mercyhurst and Bentley join,  one will
join the upper five,  one the latter three.
 
        Some schools have joined the MAAC for fairly defensive reasons.   At least
one however,  Quinnipiac,  looks like it wants to drive to high profile
status within a decade and has decided this is the quickest way to do it.
  (With a very attractive campus,  a rising academic reputation,  and
perhaps a new hockey building on the horizon,  it may just do it.)   I
suspect that UConn,  with its new building in place and with the football
question still not settled,  will wait to gauge the competition before
restructuring upward its hockey program.   A lot will depend on the success
of the schools which decide to give out lots of rides immediately.   If
they are very successful,  and if the NC$$ decides to give the league a
berth in a couple of years as is rumored,  that will quickly escalate the
level of competition in the MAAC.
 
        The Chinese have a way of insulting folks in a very indirect way,  I am
told.   They use a phrase,  "May you live in interesting times" when they
intensely dislike someone.   In this case,  it certainly won't be an
insult.   These are very interesting times indeed.   I am looking forward
to this coming season.
 
        -- Dick Tuthill
 
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