Johnson & Wales to add women's hockey

[Hux]

Re: Johnson & Wales to add women's hockey

You are right - lots of assumptions in here but so is this whole topic! Holy Cross definitely is interested in and has investigated over and over going D1 but it just hasn't worked out - rink isn't suitable for Hockey East and ECAC at this point so CHA is the only option and the geography too big a hurdle without other New England teams in the league - they need a cataclysmic event like getting kicked out of the ECAC to move them off their currnet status. St. A's by all accounts is very interested in D1 mens hockey and would need D1 womens to do it - I'm betting that cutting a couple of other peripheral sports would not be as big a concern to them as you think (keeping in mind the need for gender equity compliance). Sacred Heart is a D1 school at heart and in practice in all other sports and applied to the ECAC when Quinnipiac was selected by accounts - but they won't put in money and time until they have a league to play in. Like Holy Cross, they likely just need some New England mass to join the CHA.

Have heard from several sources over the past few years that at some point Atlantic Hockey will have a women's division. If St. A's does move its men's program into Atlantic Hockey I think you will see the women's side quickly gain momentum.

 

[WIrinkrat]

Re: Johnson & Wales to add women's hockey

You are right - lots of assumptions in here but so is this whole topic! Holy Cross definitely is interested in and has investigated over and over going D1 but it just hasn't worked out - rink isn't suitable for Hockey East and ECAC at this point so CHA is the only option and the geography too big a hurdle without other New England teams in the league - they need a cataclysmic event like getting kicked out of the ECAC to move them off their currnet status. St. A's by all accounts is very interested in D1 mens hockey and would need D1 womens to do it - I'm betting that cutting a couple of other peripheral sports would not be as big a concern to them as you think (keeping in mind the need for gender equity compliance). Sacred Heart is a D1 school at heart and in practice in all other sports and applied to the ECAC when Quinnipiac was selected by accounts - but they won't put in money and time until they have a league to play in. Like Holy Cross, they likely just need some New England mass to join the CHA.

A couple points to consider...the AD who was a big part of the push at St A's recently resigned. I also dont know that cutting sports is going to be an easy thing to do. A small school like St A's is reliant on enrollment. Cutting any number of athletics programs means they have to find other ways to bring in X number of students just to keep things status quo. Not an easy thing to do, even for a good school like St A's. Also not sure they could just cut "peripheral sports"...funding 36 scholarships plus the increased travel and day to day operational costs of running two D1 hockey programs is going to be substantial. A lot of the talk I've heard centers on Football and then several women's sports getting the axe. All speculation, but the point is for it to happen they would have to drastically change the landscape of their athletics program. Some people are on board but I'm not sure they are nearly at the point where they have enough people on board to make it happen.

 

[hawkhockey]

A couple points to consider...the AD who was a big part of the push at St A's recently resigned. I also dont know that cutting sports is going to be an easy thing to do. A small school like St A's is reliant on enrollment. Cutting any number of athletics programs means they have to find other ways to bring in X number of students just to keep things status quo. Not an easy thing to do, even for a good school like St A's. Also not sure they could just cut "peripheral sports"...funding 36 scholarships plus the increased travel and day to day operational costs of running two D1 hockey programs is going to be substantial. A lot of the talk I've heard centers on Football and then several women's sports getting the axe. All speculation, but the point is for it to happen they would have to drastically change the landscape of their athletics program. Some people are on board but I'm not sure they are nearly at the point where they have enough people on board to make it happen.

St. A's is not joining Atlantic hockey. They are , as is St. Mike's , actively exploring reclassifying as DIII.
Two major stumbling blocks, finding or creating a new league and there is still support for the basketball program, a scholarship situation.
Something has got to give. We will know what is going to happen early 2014. My bet is reclassification