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D3 or ACHA

B

Big Panda

New member
Just to get the juices flowing as we await the start of a new season.
D3 vs ACHA. As a large number of the recruited players to D3 are serious players who have not had the opportunity to play D1, the question is why go D3 instead of ACHA?

Obviously certain schools do not offer ACHA but, the ACHA in many circumstances offers better educational and hockey opportunities than D3. For example, ACHA schools can and do offer scholarships. Most ACHA teams play 36-40 games vs the very limited D3 schedule. Many ACHA schools play in front of large crowds. The ACHA teams start skating as soon as they get to school while D3 can't skate other than "capt." practices Oct. 1. The level of play for many of the ACHA teams is quite high as evidenced by the 2 games played by Ariz and Penn St. last year.

Seems to me ACHA may be a better sports opportunity than D3 and many schools are tops academically.
 
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Re: D3 or ACHA

Big Panda said:
Just to get the juices flowing as we await the start of a new season.
D3 vs ACHA. As a large number of the recruited players to D3 are serious players who have not had the opportunity to play D1, the question is why go D3 instead of ACHA?

Obviously certain schools do not offer ACHA but, the ACHA in many circumstances offers better educational and hockey opportunities than D3. For example, ACHA schools can and do offer scholarships. Most ACHA teams play 36-40 games vs the very limited D3 schedule. Many ACHA schools play in front of large crowds. The ACHA teams start skating as soon as they get to school while D3 can't skate other than "capt." practices Oct. 1. The level of play for many of the ACHA teams is quite high as evidenced by the 2 games played by Ariz and Penn St. last year.

Seems to me ACHA may be a better sports opportunity than D3 and many schools are tops academically.
Click to expand...

Start with the fact that many ACHA teams are pay to play.
 
Re: D3 or ACHA

Add in many ACHA teams lack their own rink or are second, third - or worse fiddle for ice time.
 
Re: D3 or ACHA

The top end ACHA Division 1 clubs are, IMO, around middle of the road D-III teams in terms of talent. That's the top end. I think there are over 300 ACHA teams that range in commitment level from varsity like to "what? we have a hockey team?" Some have rinks, some are like NCAA teams that are in rent a rink situations where they may or may not be the prime tenant.

However, if you wish to play hockey while attending college, there is probably an ACHA program at a school that fits your academic desires. There may not be a place for you at the 125+ NCAA schools.

In the ACHA's favor, I have yet to see an NCAA team with a hockey schedule poster like the University of Kentucky's.
 
Re: D3 or ACHA

That's pretty fair. Adrian was ranked #1 in ACHA D-1 at the end of the season and was the #1 overall seed in the tournament. During the season I told someone else that they were probably a middle of the pack MCHA team. Also this year I saw Oklahoma and Minot State (the eventual D-1 national champ). Oklahoma was pretty good, and Minot State was okay, although I have no idea how they won the whole thing (different topic for another day). In the past I've seen Arizona State and Lindenwood play at Arrington as well, and those games were well worth my time and dollars. So, yeah, middle of the pack D-3 is probably about right. Could these teams give, say, a Plattsburgh, Oswego, SNC, Adrian a run for their money? They'd have a puncher's chance once in a great while......maybe.....but I wouldn't bet on it.

Now, on the other end of this, the bottom of ACHA D-1 is....brutal. And that's being generous. I worked both Adrian-Western Michigan games this year. WMU is horrid. Sorry. That's the only way to put it. Adrian beat them one night 17-2, and that was after letting off the gas in the 3rd. WMU put their backup goaltender in, and the kid that came in hadn't even broken a sweat. Literally. Had WMU tried to play any D-3 varsity team, 20 would have been a near certainty, and some teams would put up 30+. A good defensive team like SNC or Norwich would be upset if they gave up 5 shots on goal to this team. In a weekend. And no, I'm not exaggerating. It was rough to watch.
 
Re: D3 or ACHA

Hammer said:
That's pretty fair. Adrian was ranked #1 in ACHA D-1 at the end of the season and was the #1 overall seed in the tournament. During the season I told someone else that they were probably a middle of the pack MCHA team. Also this year I saw Oklahoma and Minot State (the eventual D-1 national champ). Oklahoma was pretty good, and Minot State was okay, although I have no idea how they won the whole thing (different topic for another day). In the past I've seen Arizona State and Lindenwood play at Arrington as well, and those games were well worth my time and dollars. So, yeah, middle of the pack D-3 is probably about right. Could these teams give, say, a Plattsburgh, Oswego, SNC, Adrian a run for their money? They'd have a puncher's chance once in a great while......maybe.....but I wouldn't bet on it.

Now, on the other end of this, the bottom of ACHA D-1 is....brutal. And that's being generous. I worked both Adrian-Western Michigan games this year. WMU is horrid. Sorry. That's the only way to put it. Adrian beat them one night 17-2, and that was after letting off the gas in the 3rd. WMU put their backup goaltender in, and the kid that came in hadn't even broken a sweat. Literally. Had WMU tried to play any D-3 varsity team, 20 would have been a near certainty, and some teams would put up 30+. A good defensive team like SNC or Norwich would be upset if they gave up 5 shots on goal to this team. In a weekend. And no, I'm not exaggerating. It was rough to watch.
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So basically they are as good as Utica ;)
 
Re: D3 or ACHA

Russell Jaslow said:
Just because youre a D3 school athletically, doesn't mean your academics is chopped liver.


That attitude just blows my mind.
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Im with ya Russ....we have 2 new next door neighbors and both are Doctors............SUNY Genny alums.....great education can be had in the SUNY system......... as well as athletics.....also have a buddie from my old firehouse whose 4 daughters went to SUNY Binghampton.....all 4 Dr.'s :D...the 5th daughter is at Oswego chemical engineering/biology, and he said she is the smartest of the bunch:eek:
 
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Re: D3 or ACHA

bakdraft21 said:
Im with ya Russ....we have 2 new next door neighbors and both are Doctors............SUNY Genny alums.....great education can be had in the SUNY system......... as well as athletics.....also have a buddie from my old firehouse whose 4 daughters went to SUNY Binghampton.....all 4 Dr.'s :D...the 5th daughter is at Oswego chemical engineering/biology, and he said she is the smartest of the bunch:eek:
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Well she chose Oz, after all....so yeah - she's the smartest!:D
 
Re: D3 or ACHA

bakdraft21 said:
Im with ya Russ....we have 2 new next door neighbors and both are Doctors............SUNY Genny alums.....great education can be had in the SUNY system......... as well as athletics.....also have a buddie from my old firehouse whose 4 daughters went to SUNY Binghampton.....all 4 Dr.'s :D...the 5th daughter is at Oswego chemical engineering/biology, and he said she is the smartest of the bunch:eek:
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I don't know which is scarier -- being a NYC fireman or raising FIVE daughters. Wow!
 
Re: D3 or ACHA

I know someone who's got 7 daughters. :eek: All of them very pretty, one of them is drop-dead gorgeous.
 
Re: D3 or ACHA

I think calling the top ACHA teams comparable to middle of the road D3 teams is giving them a bit too much credit. The most recent example I can think of is back in 06 or 07 Rhode Island was the defending ACHA National Champ and got invited to the Times Argus tourney up at Norwich. In the tourney they lost to Amherst and Utica (two decidedly middle of the road D3 teams that year) by a combined score of 15-3 (7-3 vs.Amherst and 8-0 vs. Utica) and were nowhere near competitive in those games. Generally the issue for ACHA teams is depth. Most have about one forward line and one pair of D that could be competitive in D3, but the talent drop off to the second/third/fourth lines and second/third D pairings is massive and those players likely wouldn't even be able to make a D3 roster.
 
Re: D3 or ACHA

Okay, I get that.

The biggest thing I've noticed between ACHA and D-3 is not the speed of the players (of which there's not that much difference, even though D-3 is a bit faster game), but the reaction time on the ACHA players and the execution and puck handling. The top ACHA teams I've seen skate and hit well enough for D-3, but moving the puck and seeing the play is where I've really seen the difference.
 
Re: D3 or ACHA

Hammer said:
Okay, I get that.

The biggest thing I've noticed between ACHA and D-3 is not the speed of the players (of which there's not that much difference, even though D-3 is a bit faster game), but the reaction time on the ACHA players and the execution and puck handling. The top ACHA teams I've seen skate and hit well enough for D-3, but moving the puck and seeing the play is where I've really seen the difference.
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Might that be a function of the difference in coaching?
 
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