LeMoyne discussing hockey

[AMC]

LeMoyne has been announced as the newest member of the D-I Northeast Conference. In the accompanying article, the AD suggests that hockey may be on the horizon:

https://www.syracuse.com/sports/2023...takeaways.html

[ExileOnDaytonStreet]

That article makes it look more likely than CHN’s Mike McMahon was thinking in his newsletter

[AMC]

If we were to make an "Adding Hockey Defcon Scale" it would probably be:

1. Non-athletic department/president's office declaration of interest (UNLV club team says they want to move up, UCLA student paper says they should add hockey)
2. Athletic department/president's office declaration of interest (LeMoyne AD says they have interest, High Point's president's office releases sketches of arena)
3. Commissioning studies (Tennessee State partners with College Hockey Inc.)
4. Starts talking to money people/partnering with developers (Illinois includes hockey in its redevelopment of downtown)
5. Actually raises the money, hires staff and starts a team

Obviously, we've seen this fail all the way to Defcon 4, but 2 is a step!

[fr. joe]

Wouldn't be a hoot and a half if the Le Moyne Dolphins had a D1 Men's team before Syracuse?
It would be the 4th Jesuit university to field a team (Boston College, Holy Cross, and Canisius).

[pdt1081]

Wouldn't be a hoot and a half if the Le Moyne Dolphins had a D1 Men's team before Syracuse?
It would be the 4th Jesuit university to field a team (Boston College, Holy Cross, and Canisius).

It would be even better with them going from not on the radar to having a team before Illinois.

[DavidNardolillo]

If we were to make an "Adding Hockey Defcon Scale" it would probably be:

1. Non-athletic department/president's office declaration of interest (UNLV club team says they want to move up, UCLA student paper says they should add hockey)
2. Athletic department/president's office declaration of interest (LeMoyne AD says they have interest, High Point's president's office releases sketches of arena)
3. Commissioning studies (Tennessee State partners with College Hockey Inc.)
4. Starts talking to money people/partnering with developers (Illinois includes hockey in its redevelopment of downtown)
5. Actually raises the money, hires staff and starts a team

Obviously, we've seen this fail all the way to Defcon 4, but 2 is a step!

Good list but you've got the DEFCON scale upside-down. DEFCON 5 is actually the lowest state of readiness.

[DavidNardolillo]

Wouldn't be a hoot and a half if the Le Moyne Dolphins had a D1 Men's team before Syracuse?
It would be the 4th Jesuit university to field a team (Boston College, Holy Cross, and Canisius).

Le Moyne would be an intriguing potential travel partner with Utica.

[Snively65]

Le Moyne would be an intriguing potential travel partner with Utica.

So Le Moyne and Utica would be joining ECAC in your scenario?

[Wicked Slappaahs]

So Le Moyne and Utica would be joining ECAC in your scenario?

Don't sleep on Binghamton. Their intention is to add D1 men's squad within two years as part of their major athletics upgrades... There are three ice sheets within a 10 min drive of campus -- including the downtown rink where they'd likely play home games.

[rpi82]

Don't sleep on Binghamton. Their intention is to add D1 men's squad within two years as part of their major athletics upgrades... There are three ice sheets within a 10 min drive of campus -- including the downtown rink where they'd likely play home games.

Unless the Ivies decide to go their own way there won't be a new travel pairing joining the ECAC. The other possibility would be for one to join if HE and QU match up, but all I've heard from the QU world is that they are quite happy in the ECAC and to have a Whitney Ave rivalry with Yale.

[Snively65]

I was just trying to be provocative with DN’s travel partner suggestion, as the AHA does not have travel partners. With all these new teams looking for a conference, probably makes sense to consider splitting up the AHA.

[fr. joe]

Unless the Ivies decide to go their own way there won't be a new travel pairing joining the ECAC. The other possibility would be for one to join if HE and QU match up, but all I've heard from the QU world is that they are quite happy in the ECAC and to have a Whitney Ave rivalry with Yale.

From time to time it is speculated the Ivies would like to go on their own (their own conference gets an auto bid, branding, consistent with most other Ivy D-1 teams being in all-Ivy conferences). This might be the time for the ECAC 'core' to keep Le Moyne, and Utica... and RIT, Canisius, AIC, and Holy Cross on speed dial.

Hey, just sayin.'

[ExileOnDaytonStreet]

It’s speculated by random people on the internet.

Not necessarily by anyone involved in the ECAC.

Every time you see an ECAC coach, admin, commish, etc. on the USCHO, CHN, or any other college hockey podcast, they are always saying how satisfied they are with the status quo. In fact, even when it comes to membership, the ECAC is the most status quo league in college hockey. They added Union when they came on board and took in Quinnipiac when Vermont went to HE. And that’s the only changes they’ve made since the birth of HE. They’ve even been the last holdouts in shootouts and the like. They don’t change easily.

Thats not saying that they never would (especially if Penn came back and/or Columbia apparated from nothingness), but the Ivies have had the ability to split off if they so chose for A LONG TIME at this point and haven’t.

[Basement Bias]

Wouldn't surprise me with lacrosse going to D1 for the Dolphins. Am surprised Syracuse doesn't but Canisius has a D1 program.

[Lost_Husky]

It’s speculated by random people on the internet.

Not necessarily by anyone involved in the ECAC.

Every time you see an ECAC coach, admin, commish, etc. on the USCHO, CHN, or any other college hockey podcast, they are always saying how satisfied they are with the status quo. In fact, even when it comes to membership, the ECAC is the most status quo league in college hockey. They added Union when they came on board and took in Quinnipiac when Vermont went to HE. And that’s the only changes they’ve made since the birth of HE. They’ve even been the last holdouts in shootouts and the like. They don’t change easily.

Thats not saying that they never would (especially if Penn came back and/or Columbia apparated from nothingness), but the Ivies have had the ability to split off if they so chose for A LONG TIME at this point and haven’t.

Why should the ECAC change? Whatever they have/are doing is working.