I would love to see the ECAC teams expand their schedules,
as I think it would help them improve their strength of
schedules.  Luis Valente says the feeling from some people
at Brown is that it may not be a good idea because players
already miss a lot of class time.  I don't think this would
be a problem for Cornell, as long as the team was able to
schedule the extra games over winter break.  Cornell usually
has fewer games in January than in February, when classes
are in session.
 
I realize some of the other Ivies may not have the long
winter break that Cornell has.  (I know Harvard's is different.
I think they have exams after the holidays.)  However,
schools such as Harvard and Brown might be able to schedule
nearby opponents (there are how many schools in the greater
Boston area Mike?  I think you said 17 within 3.5 hours).
Having a choice of so many close opponents would cut down
roadtripping time drastically, which is why players miss
most of those classes.
 
As for the non-Ivy ECAC teams, I doubt they'd have a problem
fitting two more games into their schedules.  I would think
that teams like Clarkson and RPI, who generally have good
non-conference records, would look at it as a way of helping
them get tournament bids.
 
Paulette Dwen
Cornell '89 and hopefully sometime this century
Let's Go Red!