Not long ago, I put in my annual order for the NC$$ Ice Hockey Rules
Book, a good investment at $3.  This year, I also decided to spring
for the 512-pg 1994-95 NC$$ Manual at $11, a good deal as it includes
operating bylaws and regulations for the entire NC$$ - Divisions I,
II, and III.  This book (paperback) arrived last week.
 
Among the interesting items:
 
* Section 17.10 deals with regulations on the length of the playing
season and number of games in hockey per division.  The entire list of
exemptions (games in Alaska, etc.) is also outlined.  17.10 is a
section set aside specifically for hockey - about 5 pages worth.
According to 17.10.5.3-(l), Division III teams may only travel to
Alaska (and not count the games towards their 25-game limit) once
every four years - I did not know this before.
 
17.10.5.3-(a) allows competition in only one conference tournament.
This may be a reason why the SUNYAC teams split off and stopped playing in
both the SUNYAC tourney and the ECAC West tourney.
 
* Section 18.2 outlines the criteria for establishment or continuation
of championships.  This criteria was changed this year.  As far as
hockey goes, 18.2.3 says that a division with 40 institutions
sponsoring the sport can still have a championship.  This is new; also,
previously DivII hockey had a specific exemption in 18.2.3.1 which
allowed it to conduct a championship even though it did not meet the
necessary requirements, but this was deleted.  18.2.10 says that a
championship which does not meet the criteria for sponsorship at the
end of an academic year shall automatically be discontinued, and this
is the problem DivII will face after 1994-95.
 
As well, any *new* championships to be established will need *50*
schools sponsoring, so DivII would need 50 and not 40 schools
participating if it was to re-establish a championship at some point
after it was discontinued.
 
18.2.4.1 is an exception for women's sports.  From 1994-95 through
1998-99, a National Collegiate Championship (or division championship)
can be established in a women's sport if only 40 (not 50) institutions
sponsor the sport.  This is a plus for women's hockey.  I also noticed
that in a section which I conveniently can't find right now :-), the
NC$$ listed women's hockey as an up and coming sport.  Regulations are
also given on women's hockey as far as number of scholarships, etc.
 
* Section 20.4.1.2 says that DivII or III schools may petition to be
classified as DivI in any one sport other than football or basketball
(men's).  I recall there being some discussion about whether RIT, for
example, had to move everything to DivI to have its hockey team jump up.
As we have discussed, there is no provision for a school to have a
team play below its division.
 
* 18.5.1 says that a conference can receive an automatic qualification
into a DivI championship if it has at least 6 members classified in
DivI in that sport, as long as it meets criteria in 31.3.4 which is
long and convoluted. :-)  Other divisions must also have conferences
meet the criteria in 31.3.4.  An example is 31.3.4.1-(e), which says
that competition in the sport "must be of sufficient quality to
warrant automatic qualification...won-lost record and strength of
schedule of both the conference as a whole and its individual member
institutions...".
 
I do not see anything requiring a conference to have all members in
the same division.  However, 31.3.4.1-(f) requires all eligible member
institutions to "agree to participate in the appropriate NCAA
championship.  If a conference champion is ineligible to compete
[could be for other reasons, such as non-compliance with NC$$ rules],
declines to compete or cannot compete for any reason, automatic
qualification shall be withdrawn for that year and the remaining
conference members shall be considered at large."  (g) says that "if a
conference comprises members of more than one division, it may be
granted automatic qualification for a championship either in the
division in which the conference holds membership or in a different
division, provided the conference or a subdivision of the conference
meets the automatic-qualification requirements."
 
* 31.6.1 - the famous Phinal Phour rule. :-)  "The NCAA owns or
controls all rights and interests in its name...including ..."The
Final Four".  ...no use of the marks by others will be permitted in
advertising, in association with commercial services or related to the
sale of merchandise without the specific approval of the NCAA."
 
Little of this is new, but it is nice to know where all of these
things are laid out in the regulations.
---                                                                 ---
Mike Machnik                                          [log in to unmask]
Cabletron Systems, Inc.                                  *HMM* 11/13/93