The idea that the NCAA sanctions mean lost scholarships is a false one. The NCAA never told Maine that they could not offer the same number of scholarships as they did before, only that a few of the people who receive these scholarships may not play hockey. There is nothing stopping Maine from taking exactly the same dollars and giving a scholarship to someone who is academically qualified to go to school, even if he (or she) has never seen a puck. Now, we all know that this isn't going to happen (though it might be a good PR move for the school), but that's Maine's decision. Saying that the NCAA is responsible for there being fewer opportunities to go to school, in a case like this (as opposed to their lobbying for how large amounts of money will be spent by nominally educational institutions to build athletic facilities) is incorrect. J. Michael Neal HOCKEY-L is for discussion of college ice hockey; send information to [log in to unmask], The College Hockey Information List.