Chris Lerch posted this to hockey3, and since it concerns the newest DivI program, Niagara, I thought it would be of interest here. ---------- Date: Wed, 21 Feb 1996 11:34:16 PST From: "Lerch,Chris" <[log in to unmask]> Subject: Blaise MacDonald Interview I was switching channels the other night in the hopes of finding some hockey, any hockey, as an alternative to the 57 channels of college pituitary, er, basketball that was on, when I spotted a familiar face on the Empire Network - Blaise MacDonald, former BU assistant and now head coach of the new varsity program at Niagara. He was being interviewed before the televised Niagara basketball game, and had some interesting comments: 1. The new rink is almost finished. Seating capacity will be 2,300, with plans to expand to 4,000 ("in 3-4 years when we go true Division I"). 2. He talked about quickly wanting to establish hockey rivalries with teams from the area. Canisius was specifically mentioned ("Brian Cavanaugh has a great program" etc. etc.). This led to the bigger issue of why college hockey isn't more popular in the Buffalo area, and how the added interest in Niagara's program will help. 3. Lots of talk about the Western NY/Southern Ontario area as an untapped resource for talent as well as an untapped market for college hockey. Blaise says he expects to have a quality team right off the bat and fill the barn from the get-go. 4. Blaise said multiple times that Niagara is committed to developing a true D-I program in a short period of time. He said his vision is "in 10 or 11 years to be one of the premier college hockey programs in the country". He said he learned a lot from Jack Parker (pronounced it "Paaaaker" and then translated it for the Western New York audience), and plans on using some of the same systems, etc. that have made BU successful. All in all a good interview, and a pleasant surprise before the endless squeaking of sneakers that followed ;) Chris Lerch ---------- --- --- Mike Machnik [log in to unmask] *HMM* 11/13/93 >> Co-owner of the College Hockey Lists at University of Maine System << ***** Unofficial Merrimack Hockey home page located at: ***** ***** http://www.tiac.net/users/machnik/MChockey/MChockey.html ***** HOCKEY-L is for discussion of college ice hockey; send information to [log in to unmask], The College Hockey Information List.