> Why is it a sad day? A terrible hockey program died. Much like a New Orleans funeral, have > a party and mourn the loss of a program that tried but failed. As has been mentioned on > the list before, there are a number of schools that would love to have the chance that UIC > did. Let's give it to them. If they have been "a terrible hockey program" to this point, that isn't to say that someone couldn't have turned it around. I'm not familiar with the UIC specifics, but it seems that UMass-Lowell was probably in worse shape five or six years ago than UIC is now. With the right guy, perhaps things could have been fixed. Also, these other schools "that would love the chance" have never been held back by UIC. To say that some other program is mutually exclusive with UIC doesn't make sense. No program had to disappear for UMass-Amherst to go Division 1. Perhaps the CCHA will be more willing to grab one replacement team, but if UIC had stayed then these "other teams" could have gone to Div 1 as independants until some conference accepted them. I just don't see this as an either-or situation. DaveH HOCKEY-L is for discussion of college ice hockey; send information to [log in to unmask], The College Hockey Information List.