Skidmore may have been a better choice than Connecticut College for the last NESCAC spot in 1982(Union left in 1977), as they both transitioned from the women's college world in the 70's, but I'm thinking the door is closed to new entrants. Skidmore is a great member of the Liberty League which is a strong league on its own with slightly lower average SAT scores (Although no one requires them anymore)
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LEC (Little East Conference) - Keene State - Conference Realignment 2025-26
- Thread starter Jlhockey11
- Start date
Skidmore may have been a better choice than Connecticut College for the last NESCAC spot in 1982(Union left in 1977), as they both transitioned from the women's college world in the 70's, but I'm thinking the door is closed to new entrants. Skidmore is a great member of the Liberty League which is a strong league on its own with slightly lower average SAT scores (Although no one requires them anymore)
Skidmore may have been a better choice than Connecticut College for the last NESCAC spot in 1982(Union left in 1977), as they both transitioned from the women's college world in the 70's, but I'm thinking the door is closed to new entrants. Skidmore is a great member of the Liberty League which is a strong league on its own with slightly lower average SAT scores (Although no one requires them anymore)
Fishman'81
Black Bear since D-2
Tom, it's quite possible that several top-10 PW teams could be displaced by BS "tournament champions".
That is the single most ridiculous aspect of the "selection process", not that isn't doesn't happen in other NCAA sports.
D-3 pretends to be above the money-fray... Ergo, it looks even more ridiculous when no money is involved, and the same crap is in play.
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Hobart plays at the D3 level in Hockey but also plays at the D1 level in Lacrosse.Playing at the D1 level is becoming extremely challenging with well endowed sports minded universities going all in on NIL and other forms of competing for Athletes and $$$ where money can be made. Hobart probably made a mistake moving up to D1 in lacrosse, they have not made an NCAA tournament in 10 years and are basically a .500 team over time. Hobart competes in the Liberty League and our lax program would be well served to reconsider the move to D3. That said, I wonder if our other Liberty League members that have opted for D1 hockey might reconsider moving back to D3, Clarkson, Union, RPI , RIT...with Hobart and Skidmore it would make one helluva conference. It is probably just smoke thinking they would consider moving to D3, but the new NIL world is creeping into sports other than just Football, and the NCAA is becoming more political at all levels.
Lord_Zubin
Puck Flattsburgh!!!
When d3 lacrosse was started in 1979-80 Hobart won 12 straight national titles and 13 out of 14 I have a feeling they were voluntold to get out of d3 cause other teams were sick of them winning everything for a decade. Hobarts board of trustees actually voted to move the team back down to d3 in 2008 but so many alumni (lacrosse and non lacrosse) complained that they reversed the decision a week later. https://www.mpnnow.com/story/sports/2008/05/04/hobart-lacrosse-to-stay-division/45633581007/
Interesting one. I'd think historically Conn College probably had closer associations to other NESCAC schools, particularly the Connecticut schools, so an easier fit. (It was actually founded because Wesleyan stopped accepted women.) But I don't think of the more western NESCAC schools like Middlebury, Williams or even Amherst playing Skidmore historically, though could be wrong. And agree Skidmore makes a lot of sense in the Liberty League.
Regardless, don't sense the NESCAC has any desire to expand in the slightest, though would be great to see Bates add DIII hockey!
Russell Jaslow
Registered User
Bartman, have you lost your mind?
I love your posts, but this one must have been done by a body snatcher.
The sun will supernova before Clarkson and RPI ever consider dropping hockey to D3. I don’t see Union changing course either. And RIT didn’t spend tens of millions of dollars on a new arena just to go back to D3.
As for Hobart lax, we had this discussion before, didn’t we? About how they once did consider going back to D3, but there was an uproar from the alum, and they raised more money to keep them in D1. But like you said, NIL is changing the landscape even though there isn’t much of that in lacrosse.
Especially with Shirley Jackson gone from RPI (not exactly a supporter of the hockey program) and Marty Schmidt as President (class of 81 and a self-professed hockey fan), think the question is how RPI can strengthen hockey rather than drop back down.
Union has just agreed with with City of Schenectady and Schenectady County to build a new 3,000 seat rink at Mohawk Harbor on the Mohawk River, so again not likely to drop down.
And while I believe Clarkson has had some enrollment issues and has scaled down academic programs, hockey is their premier sport. Feel like it would take a lot to change that. Same goes for St Lawrence.
There's clearly hockey ambition at Hobart. Figure out the league situation, then would wonder if they'll think about how to upgrade that rink so it is more competitive compared to similar schools.
I highly doubt that Hobart would move it's hockey to DI. Would they even be allowed to play in the Cooler. It has terrible accomodations. Little fan seating/standing. It is a municipal rink. Plus other issues. Can't see the city of Geneva poning up millions for a new rink. Lastly Hobart would have to upgrade all sports to DI. A huge expense. Just my opinion.
Oswego '88
Oswego '88
PrezdeJohnson09
Proud supporter of Osmirwich hockey
Just would have to upgrade all sports to D2, but yes, still a huge jump and I don't think makes any sense for H/WS to do.
Remember, William Smith on the women's side is VERY successful in women's soccer and lacrosse and I believe a few other sports.
Heavens do we think alike which may or may not be good!!!
I brought up this very point up in the RPI's Houston Fieldhouse during the early part of the 23-24 season to a number of acquaintances who, like me, are knowledgeable multi decade college hockey fans. Also pointed out that in this new era of college sports I thought it was absolutely futile and silly for smaller schools mostly located in well past their primes smaller cities and towns (excluding Rochester size wise and Saratoga prime wise) to continue trying to compete with the big boys of college hockey.
Also reminded them that in this new reality of D1 college sports bigger schools with more resources in bigger cities are now poaching players from the have nots of D1 and that it has only just begun and will only get worse. In the two seasons since RPI shut down their program (20-21), RPI has lost several players each of the last two years to what I now call the gigolo portal and I am not expecting it to get any better a few weeks from now. What follows, of course, is that RPI then has go the in to the very same now depleted portal and sift through everyone else's' leftovers, washouts and rejects for replacement gigolos.
Also pointed out that the resulting "trades" RPI has made over these last two years has most times resembled being on the losing end of trades like Ernie Broglio for Lou Brock, Danny Cater for Sparky Lyle, Rick Omby and Neil Allen for Keith Hernandez and Hubie Brooks, along with three other nobodys, for Gary Carter. Many of our outgoing, while playing elsewhere, have since played in the NCAA Tournament with one actually winning a natty last year with QPAC.
Quite bluntly, the reaction to all the above arguments was that they fell on deaf ears and I ended up getting laughed at. If the reaction in Troy is any indication, there is not going to be a D3 Liberty League hockey conference anytime soon.
Ok , based on Tony/troy's and other comments....there will be no D3 Liberty League Hockey Conference(I really was just smoking something), Hobart hockey will remain D3( I never really advocated for D1 as I love the Cooler
) and Hobart lacrosse will never win 13 D1 championships in a row like they did in D3(old and gray Hobart ex laxers constantly re-live those glorious days as they sit back and take a hit on their now legal weed) Lax will never win even one D1 Championship ......the Hockey team has a better chance of winning 13 D3 Championships in a row....this year we'll settle for a simple back to back.Russell Jaslow
Registered User
Ok , based on Tony/troy's and other comments....there will be no D3 Liberty League Hockey Conference(I really was just smoking something), Hobart hockey will remain D3( I never really advocated for D1 as I love the Cooler
But do you realize the Liberty League is just one team away from forming a D1 hockey league? Bring in an affiliate, and it's done.
Though, the ECAC schools will never leave to do that.This is all true , the alums went nuts mainly because they wanted to keep playing traditional Syracuse and Cornell rivals and back in the D3 days , Hobart beat them, now it is a rare occurrence....in the 70's the best activity was throwing Lake Trout at the opposing players benches in front of 2000 fans....the players were fast, fierce and serious M*****F****** ....now you're lucky to get 500 fans, with signs that say No Fish Throwing and the players are good but they lack the crazy Seneca spirit of the old days....our Hockey team has some of the old Seneca spirit( not sure about the weed??)
Can someone please help me with this? I realize that some of these new conferences like the LEC have been functioning in other sports for some time and teams may be required to join them in hockey. But, what is causing the frenzy to change leagues? Is this St Thomas on steroids? A few years ago STT was asked to leave the MIAC for competitive reasons. It may have been football driven since they were winning all their games 45-0, but it led them to go D1 in hockey, too. Are colleges leaving the NEHC and other conferences because they are tired of being dominated by Hobart, Norwich, Babson and see an easier path to the NCAAs? Some of these team schedules will have a completely different feel to them. New England College could go from playing the bulk of their schedule on Fridays and Saturdays to a mish-mash of mid-week games with weekends off.
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Lord_Zubin
Puck Flattsburgh!!!
yes and no. There was a vote somewhere along the way that decided 6 teams was the minimum now for a conference with an autobid to the national tournament. so while yes crappy teams are getting to avoid better teams the main reason for moving is that if a schools conference starts sponsoring a sport, theyre obligated to leave whatever conference their in and join that conference. keep in mind every team had a vote in this matter so they all agreed to this nonsense
Combine the above with the idea that in DIII, new sports = new tuition paying students (the athletes themselves).
So you have schools looking to boost enrollment. They look around at their multisport conference and they see that if they start hockey, their conference is close to an autobid under the new rule and that becomes their choice. And I'm sure that on average the family wealth of a kid who plays ice hockey is much higher than kids who play other sports isn't lost in the calculus either...
one of the things I learned this year is that when schools add these teams the coaches are told they have to have a certain number of players on the roster. I know of one school that required the coach to carry 30 players on the hockey team. seems a bit excessive to me, but at the end of the day it is a business.
PrezdeJohnson09
Proud supporter of Osmirwich hockey
That is the exact reason why you are seeing a ton of college hockey teams being added right now despite the fact it's an expensive sport to operate.
If you get 30 kids paying around 25-30K a year, that's $750-900K to the school revenue.
Utica added Men's and Women's wrestling and Women's gymnastics this fall. I had three athletes from those teams in my intro course of 32 this fall. (It does look like we have room for several more women wrestlers for next season)