-- [ From: Adam Wodon * EMC.Ver #2.10P ] -- I apologize if this isn't NEWS in the classic sense, but I was at the Penn St.-Villanova game tonight (a 7-1 win by PSU). It was the renewal of a rivalry that ended five years ago because 'Nova didn't want to play a club team. Through a lot of work from the people in the suburban Philly area, especially from the man who runs the local rink whose son, Mike Pietrangelo, plays for PSU, everything finally happened. Anyway - I asked PSU coach Jim Battista about the prospects of ever moving to Division I NCAA level. I talked at length about the same topic with new Villanova head coach Todd Sharinn (1987 BU grad - never heard of him - does anyone remember him?). The bottom line is - it's gender equity/Title IX that is stopping these programs from becoming D-I, a lot moreso than the money. Maybe that's not true for a smaller school, but the big schools could support D-I hockey - but they'd have to support another women's sport as well. Schools like 'Nova and PSU could probably draw good crowds and at least break even. In PSU's case, Battista said they have an on-campus rink, they don't have to pay to use any facilities, and he's a salaried employee. Further, they have 22 sponsorships, including NIKE (thanks Joe Paterno) and fill a 1,500 seat arena. Battista thinks they could draw 3,000 easily. He said, if he had his druthers, he would be in a Division I- independent conference with UCONN, Army, Niagara, etc... However, not only would everyone have to agree, but he says that Penn State's administration, giddy over the Big 10 move, wants to be in a major conference or nothing, if it would ever happen at all. 'Nova, while it doesn't have an on-campus rink, also believes it could draw to support a D-I program. Sharinn said Pennsylvania is a goldmine waiting to happen, and dreams about the day 'Nova and Penn State could host Pennsylvania's version of the Beanpot. He also says it's all Title IX. I don't say this to berate the concept of gender equity. I just offer this as news (if it even is). Personally, I don't know how I feel about Title IX. The basic concept is 100% good, but I flip-flop on the details. It appears, however, that it is unquestionably, for the bigger schools, what is holding back the expansion of D-I hockey. Please correct me if you think that's wrong, or tell me if this is just old news. AW HOCKEY-L is for discussion of college ice hockey; send information to [log in to unmask], The College Hockey Information List.