I'm not sure what the concern really is.  No one in basketball seems to
object to teams like Valparaiso or Gonzaga playing D-1 and making the
occasional Cinderella run.  So what's wrong with expansion in hockey, even
if the teams can't challenge the big boys right away.  College hockey is
less of a feeder league than college basketball or football in large part
because of Major Juniors but also the European leagues, so "watering down"
shouldn't be a significant concern there. And, expansion would raise college
hockey's profile. The real shame is that some large schools in areas where
hockey is popular show little sign of establishing hockey as a varsity sport
(e.g., Syracuse, Penn State, Illinois).  The other shame is that with the
growth in popularity of womens hockey both mens and womens teams could be
established at the same time and avoid gender equity concerns.
 
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