Deron wrote: "it is the NCAA Selection Committee that can give the MAAC a chance, not necessarily by giving them an automatic bid, but perhaps making it less harmful statistically to play a MAAC school in the next couple of years." ==== Now here is a fine idea. We have a new conference with a bunch of new teams, but we're hoping (I think) that Div hockey will continue to expand. That is, the number of new teams here may be unusual, but the situation isn't. I would love to see a change in the selection process (PWR or RPI or anything else they may decide to use) that will not penalize a team for choosing to play a (probably) poor team for the first two years of that team's Div I status. Maybe even 3 or 4 years. Give those teams a chance to play a few games against high calibur opposition by making it less costly for the big boys to play them and you will shorten the time they need to become competitive with them. Tom Rowe [log in to unmask] ==================================== Home of Division 3 National Champion Pointers 89, 90, 91 & 93 and National Runners Up 92 & 98 ==================================== HOCKEY-L is for discussion of college ice hockey; send information to [log in to unmask], The College Hockey Information List.