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Imagining League Realignment

Re: Imagining League Realignment

Nick Papagiorgio said:
Let me ask you, as an RPI supporter, what are your thoughts on a hypothetical move from the ECAC to Hockey East? Good? Bad? Neutral?
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I believe it's in the hockey program's best interests. Obviously I'll be disappointed in losing rivalries (not saying that it couldn't be continued non-conference, of course), and there's always the administration's thoughts (and let's face it, they have the final say, not me).
 
Re: Imagining League Realignment

FlagDUDE08 said:
I believe it's in the hockey program's best interests. Obviously I'll be disappointed in losing rivalries (not saying that it couldn't be continued non-conference, of course), and there's always the administration's thoughts (and let's face it, they have the final say, not me).
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I have a feeling it will be quinnipiac, not rpi if they go to 12.
 
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Re: Imagining League Realignment

Shirtless Guy said:
I have a feeling it will be quinnipiac, not dpi if they go to 12.
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What's a dpi?

Anyway, to answer Nick's question, as an RPI supporter, I would like to see RPI at least explore the option, even if they should make sure they're doing the right thing before jumping in.

Quinnipiac, it would seem, would be the only other real likely choice for a 12th team, but they don't offer a great deal that RPI doesn't outside of having a brand spanking new facility (though RPI's building is in the midst of a major renovation/modernization) and geography (RPI's not in New England? So what, they're a touch closer than Notre Dame).
 
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Re: Imagining League Realignment

Nick Papagiorgio said:
Let me ask you, as an RPI supporter, what are your thoughts on a hypothetical move from the ECAC to Hockey East? Good? Bad? Neutral?
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Outside of some negativity on the RPI threads, most of the conversations I have had about the possibility of RPI moving to HE are extremely positive. HE membership would undoubtedly be a boost to recruitment, visibility, and strength of schedule. Ultimately, if RPI wants the best shot at succeeding on the national stage, it will need to be aligned with the best conference it can be.

My biggest reservations are that RPI would have an uphill battle every season to succeed in HE, in addition to losing our regular association with the Ivy league and conference ties with some of our chief rivals. Those things, though, take a back seat to the prospect of joining a league that will at least put us in a position to compete for a national title. This becomes even more important if the rift between "have" and "have not" conferences grows.

The question becomes, are we what HE is looking for? We certainly have the history, commitment to hockey, and facilities to fit in with other Hockey East schools. The biggest obstacle, then, is to buck the stigma of being a small school. If HE were to extend an invitation...we would be foolish to not accept it...
 
Re: Imagining League Realignment

Timmah! said:
The biggest obstacle, then, is to buck the stigma of being a small school.
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Merrimack is less than half the size of RPI. Providence is slightly smaller. UM-L is not a whole lot bigger. BC and UVm are less than twice the size. So it's not like trying to squeeze a tiny school like LSSU into the Big Ten or anything. There are a few schools with similar profiles to RPI (although without as much of a technical academic pedigree, IMO).
 
Re: Imagining League Realignment

Sean Pickett said:
RPI already rejected the idea of joining HE once.

Sean
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That was under different administration. Since we're on the rise again, I would think that the administration would seriously consider it, especially given their recent financial commitment to athletics (East Campus Athletic Village).
 
Re: Imagining League Realignment

Sean Pickett said:
RPI already rejected the idea of joining HE once.

Sean
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Understood. Though that was a long time ago, and a lot has changed since then. The ECAC isn't what it used to be... What might have made sense in the 80's or 90's doesn't make any sense now.
 
Re: Imagining League Realignment

TigerFan86-87 said:
Merrimack is less than half the size of RPI. Providence is slightly smaller. UM-L is not a whole lot bigger. BC and UVm are less than twice the size. So it's not like trying to squeeze a tiny school like LSSU into the Big Ten or anything. There are a few schools with similar profiles to RPI (although without as much of a technical academic pedigree, IMO).
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Mostly I am referring to the stigma of being a Division 3 school playing up in Division 1. Regardless of enrollment, the D3 tag makes people think small market/small money. I don't think our Division 3 status has any bearing on our ability to compete in HE, but as long as the tag is there, we will take criticism for it.
 
Re: Imagining League Realignment

Timmah! said:
Mostly I am referring to the stigma of being a Division 3 school playing up in Division 1. Regardless of enrollment, the D3 tag makes people think small market/small money. I don't think our Division 3 status has any bearing on our ability to compete in HE, but as long as the tag is there, we will take criticism for it.
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Yeah, I know. Many on here keep lumping RIT in when they mention/list "small schools" despite the fact that RIT has the 13th (approximately) largest enrollment in all of Division I hockey and the second or third largest amongst private schools in D-I hockey. Not to mention that they're located in the 39th largest media market in the country, bigger than many D-I hockey locales.
 
Re: Imagining League Realignment

TigerFan86-87 said:
Yeah, I know. Many on here keep lumping RIT in when they mention/list "small schools" despite the fact that RIT has the 13th (approximately) largest enrollment in all of Division I hockey and the second or third largest amongst private schools in D-I hockey. Not to mention that they're located in the 39th largest media market in the country, bigger than many D-I hockey locales.
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But they can't offer scholarships so they probably deserve that tag.
 
Re: Imagining League Realignment

Shirtless Guy said:
Why are you getting all defensive with me?
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I'm not, I'm just asking an honest question. RIT is a fairly large school but they don't get to qualify as such because they don't have scholarships, which they could offer if they were D-I. I figure one leads to another.

I could ask why you're getting all combative all of a sudden, but I'm sure this is just a misunderstanding on your part.

I think Quinnipiac is a better fit for Hockey East...What are you trying to get at?
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RPI's got a bigger enrollment than Quinnipiac. So I'm just confused as to what you're driving at with the "small" schools vs. the "large" schools. It clearly revolves around Division I status.

EDIT: I take that back, Quinnipiac's total enrollment is slightly higher. They are of comparable size.
 
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Re: Imagining League Realignment

Red Cloud said:
I'm not, I'm just asking an honest question. RIT is a fairly large school but they don't get to qualify as such because they don't have scholarships, which they could offer if they were D-I. I figure one leads to another.

I could ask why you're getting all combative all of a sudden, but I'm sure this is just a misunderstanding on your part.



RPI's got a bigger enrollment than Quinnipiac. So I'm just confused as to what you're driving at with the "small" schools vs. the "large" schools. It clearly revolves around Division I status.

EDIT: I take that back, Quinnipiac's total enrollment is slightly higher. They are of comparable size.
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There is no doubt in my mind that it's either Quinnipiac or RPI. It could very easily be RPI in the eyes of HEA schools. I really don't know but it seems to me that adding a school in connecticut probably has more appeal than adding a school near Albany. I certainly could be wrong.
 
Re: Imagining League Realignment

Shirtless Guy said:
There is no doubt in my mind that it's either Quinnipiac or RPI. It could very easily be RPI in the eyes of HEA schools. I really don't know but it seems to me that adding a school in connecticut probably has more appeal than adding a school near Albany. I certainly could be wrong.
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If they wanted to remain tied to New England, sure. Of course, if those ties remained, why would they look to invite a school from Indiana?

All of this Hockey East talk revolves around one thing: Hockey East looking to invite other teams in. All of this RPI/Q-Pac/UCONN/East-Bum**** only came up because Notre Dame was thinking of going to HEA and the possibility of a 12th team joining in. Who knows? Maybe at this point, HEA would like to stay at 10 teams. I know they originally wanted to get a way to get more NC games in for their members, but maybe they don't want to spoil a good thing that they currently have going.
 
Re: Imagining League Realignment

Shirtless Guy said:
There is no doubt in my mind that it's either Quinnipiac or RPI. It could very easily be RPI in the eyes of HEA schools. I really don't know but it seems to me that adding a school in connecticut probably has more appeal than adding a school near Albany. I certainly could be wrong.
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What's the intrinsic benefit of Connecticut (or New Haven) over Albany? Is it just that one's in New England and one's not?
 
Re: Imagining League Realignment

FlagDUDE08 said:
Who knows? Maybe at this point, HEA would like to stay at 10 teams.
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How many times does it have to be said that Hockey East WANTS Notre Dame? That's not something that needs to be questioned any more, it's well established.
 
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