Atlantic Hockey Adds to Scholarship Limit, Mulls Expansion

[FlagDUDE08]

Re: Atlantic Hockey Adds to Scholarship Limit, Mulls Expansion

And yet... they've never bolted, have they?

Yet.

[joecct]

Ya, I think you'd be more likely to see the Liberty League group up with Niagara (or Colgate) than the Ivies bolt.

Liberty League + Canisius, Niagara, Colgate gives the ideal 8 team league. RIT pairs with 'gate.

[RITProf]

Re: Atlantic Hockey Adds to Scholarship Limit, Mulls Expansion

Liberty League + Canisius, Niagara, Colgate gives the ideal 8 team league. RIT pairs with 'gate.

Yes ... but can't we please have Mercyhurst instead of Canisius?? I know, my bias is showing.


115 miles: Niagara Falls to Erie
132 miles: Rochester to Hamilton
(Neither are "ideal" travel partners, but Mercyhurst-Niagara is comparable to RIT-Colgate. There are probably some other options.)

[electpuck]

Re: Atlantic Hockey Adds to Scholarship Limit, Mulls Expansion

It is fun to speculate. However, just because its possible, doesn't mean its even remotely probable. All indications are that the ECAC is sound with its current membership. I've never heard anything about the Ivies bolting. I've been around ECAC Hockey for 30 years.

[5hole]

Re: Atlantic Hockey Adds to Scholarship Limit, Mulls Expansion

Agree, fun to speculate but that is about all it is. And if we are speculating, as much as I hate Canisius, I would not see NU leaving them behind. I am expecting Cantisius to step up their program a bit with their new arena deal.

[MattS]

Re: Atlantic Hockey Adds to Scholarship Limit, Mulls Expansion

Yet.

I hope your not holding your breath waiting.

[FlagDUDE08]

Re: Atlantic Hockey Adds to Scholarship Limit, Mulls Expansion

Yes ... but can't we please have Mercyhurst instead of Canisius?? I know, my bias is showing.


115 miles: Niagara Falls to Erie
132 miles: Rochester to Hamilton
(Neither are "ideal" travel partners, but Mercyhurst-Niagara is comparable to RIT-Colgate. There are probably some other options.)

How about bringing in a travel partnership of Mercyhurst and Robert Morris? I hear at least one of those schools would also like to go up to 18 schollies...

[ExileOnDaytonStreet]

Re: Atlantic Hockey Adds to Scholarship Limit, Mulls Expansion

It is fun to speculate. However, just because its possible, doesn't mean its even remotely probable. All indications are that the ECAC is sound with its current membership. I've never heard anything about the Ivies bolting. I've been around ECAC Hockey for 30 years.

It's not even remotely likely, but since it's fun to daydream it's amazing to think that we could conceivably have 8 relatively stable conferences with very minimal change to college hockey's conference landscape:

BTHC, NCHC, WCHA and HE can stay as they are.

Ivies split from ECAC, forming two 6 team conferences. AIC and Bentley split from the AHA to form a new conference with their NE-10 brethren currently playing "D-II" hockey (St. Anselm, St. Michaels, SNHU, Assumption, Stonehill, Franklin Pierce). Merrimack can join the NE10 party if they really want to... but why would they?

There's not a lot of space in there for potential foldings: a 6-team ECAC is likely to take a few programs from the 9-team AHA and put that one in a CHA-level of instability. But, all in all, there's a fairly large amount of theoretical stability in such an alignment with a relatively small amount of shuffling.

One can play around with this to see what might be likely possibilities based on non-hockey conference affiliation: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/...UE&usp=sharing

[SNHUPenman]

Re: Atlantic Hockey Adds to Scholarship Limit, Mulls Expansion

In this case, the remaining D-II/NE-10 Schools are just joining the AHA, right? Is there a scenario where they all come up and form their own conference? They could probably steal AIC and Bentley from the AHA easily enough, but I doubt that they'll get their hands on Lowell or Merrimack ever.

Would a NE-10 hockey league be able to survive?

I would assume that if the NE-10 were to make such a move, Merrimack could be forced to rejoin the conference for hockey. However, it is most likely Merrimack is leaving for D1 anyways so they won't be in the NE-10 for very long.

Lowell as of July 1st will no longer be in the NE-10 as they begin their move to the AEast conference.

[Patman]

I would assume that if the NE-10 were to make such a move, Merrimack could be forced to rejoin the conference for hockey. However, it is most likely Merrimack is leaving for D1 anyways so they won't be in the NE-10 for very long.

Lowell as of July 1st will no longer be in the NE-10 as they begin their move to the AEast conference.

Merrimack would likely leave the NE10 before they would join with them in D1 hockey.

---

Not that such a thing wouldn't have been possible five years ago when there were Div 3 rumors floating around

[SNHUPenman]

Re: Atlantic Hockey Adds to Scholarship Limit, Mulls Expansion

Merrimack would likely leave the NE10 before they would join with them in D1 hockey.

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Not that such a thing wouldn't have been possible five years ago when there were Div 3 rumors floating around

Absolutely. Merrimack will be leaving the NE-10, they will make the announcement in the next three years. I am sure of it. I am also sure they will fail miserably and suffer thru horrid seasons in most sports at the D1 level.

Unlike UML, who is big enough and built for the next level.

[Patman]

Absolutely. Merrimack will be leaving the NE-10, they will make the announcement in the next three years. I am sure of it. I am also sure they will fail miserably and suffer thru horrid seasons in most sports at the D1 level.

Unlike UML, who is big enough and built for the next level.

Well, again, its been a work in progress for us which people don't understand that it is important to have that kind of commitment.

That being said, I meant that they'd protect the hockey program at all costs even if that meant going division 2 independent

[SNHUPenman]

Re: Atlantic Hockey Adds to Scholarship Limit, Mulls Expansion

Well, again, its been a work in progress for us which people don't understand that it is important to have that kind of commitment.

That being said, I meant that they'd protect the hockey program at all costs even if that meant going division 2 independent

Totally agree. I wish if Merrimack were truly interested in being a big boy they would aleast spend some money. They need a new ice arena. They get the luxury of playing in the HEA and they play in the worst facility in the country.

[joecct]

Totally agree. I wish if Merrimack were truly interested in being a big boy they would aleast spend some money. They need a new ice arena. They get the luxury of playing in the HEA and they play in the worst facility in the country.

There are some pretty dumpy AHA rent a rinks

[CollegeHockeyRinkReport]

Re: Atlantic Hockey Adds to Scholarship Limit, Mulls Expansion

http://www.westerncollegehockeyblog....er-tyler-walsh

It can only be seen as good news for the conference when one of its member schools invests in the program. Canisius will be moving to the HARBORCenter in Buffalo for the 2014-15 season.