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Niagara drops women's hockey!!

Re: Niagara drops women's hockey!!

LtPowers said:
I disagree; in 2010, the CHA champion was a lower seed in the national tournament than the AHA champion. It really wasn't that much of a step down, especially not when you consider going from a weakening 4-team league to a strengthening 12-team league.
Powers &8^]
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When you go from a full scholarship league to a reduced scholarship league, then yes, most people will consider that a downgrade.

Not only that, but the CHA had 2 teams in the tournament that year. Curious that you would pick a tournament where the CHA had the tournament champ and an at-large team in the field. UAH may not have been higher ranked than RIT that year, but Bemidji certainly was much better.
 
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Re: Niagara drops women's hockey!!

OnMAA said:
Dunno about Findlay, but IIRC, the demise of Wayne State's Hockey programs was for a large part driven by reduced funding coming in from the State. At first glance, it appears the Niagara decision was driven more from an internal "manage resources with the funds we have" kind of trigger, and the decision appears to have been to support more athletes ~35 vs ~20 with the same amount of funding, but choosing cheaper sports on a per athlete basis. Not suggesting it is right or wrong, but as a former track athlete myself, know full well the ins and outs of that sport, so this is a mixed emotions decision from my point of view.
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I disagree about the WSU situation, granted the state funds may have gone down BUT they have been dumping money into the football program like crazy.
 
Re: Niagara drops women's hockey!!

giwan said:
I disagree about the WSU situation, granted the state funds may have gone down BUT they have been dumping money into the football program like crazy.
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Sad news about Niagara. Can't say I didn't see this coming as I mentioned last May in the WS thread that more would follow. Sad indeed. Also, further to above point on allocated funds, I heard a while back that WS moved funds into new sports(previously not offered) at the school after dropping the women's hockey program at the last minute. Cruel, yes, but money rules. Hockey is just too expensive unfortunately. :mad:
 
Re: Niagara drops women's hockey!!

WestsideTigersFan said:
The conference crumbled around them, parts had already left and the whole thing was on life support by 2010.
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That's kinda my point, man. Niagara had already been "downgraded" before they ever joined Atlantic Hockey. It's not AHA's fault the CHA crumbled, but it did, and by the time the move took place -- which was in 2010 -- Niagara was making a lateral move at worst.


Powers &8^]
 
What's a joke is the track isn't even a full year sport at this point -- what true track athlete improves doing only spring/summer meets. Niagara is no better the Wayne State in their actions
 
Re: Niagara drops women's hockey!!

LG4 said:
What's a joke is the track isn't even a full year sport at this point -- what true track athlete improves doing only spring/summer meets. Niagara is no better the Wayne State in their actions
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On the defense of Track for a moment. Some Track athletes compete in three seasons, and most in two season. There is Cross Country, Indoor and Outdoor. I recall reading somewhere that Niagara already had a Cross Country team. Most on that team would run 800 or 1500 indoors and anything from 800 to 5/10K outdoors.

While it may not seem like a real sport to the standard hockey type, it requires a lot of dedicated training, often by your lonesome, specially if you are into LD type stuff.
 
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Re: Niagara drops women's hockey!!

LtPowers said:
That's kinda my point, man. Niagara had already been "downgraded" before they ever joined Atlantic Hockey. It's not AHA's fault the CHA crumbled, but it did, and by the time the move took place -- which was in 2010 -- Niagara was making a lateral move at worst.


Powers &8^]
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And did you happen to notice the crumbling conference actually sent 2 teams in 2010 to the NCAA tourney...one actually qualified for an at large, something that could never happen in the joke of a conference the AHA is.
 
Re: Niagara drops women's hockey!!

LG4 said:
What's a joke is the track isn't even a full year sport at this point -- what true track athlete improves doing only spring/summer meets. Niagara is no better the Wayne State in their actions
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Speaking as a student of a school with only a Cross-Country team (No Indoor or Outdoor seasons), the NCAA allows teams at schools that only participate in 1 of the 3 seasons to have practices throughout the other 2 seasons(albeit to a limited extent). So it's not a total loss.
 
OnMAA said:
On the defense of Track for a moment. Some Track athletes compete in three seasons, and most in two season. There is Cross Country, Indoor and Outdoor. I recall reading somewhere that Niagara already had a Cross Country team. Most on that team would run 800 or 1500 indoors and anything from 800 to 5/10K outdoors.

While it may not seem like a real sport to the standard hockey type, it requires a lot of dedicated training, often by your lonesome, specially if you are into LD type stuff.
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Never said not a real sport -- quite aware of the training involved having dabbled in high school track. Just don't believe that this new found support of track is what it should be.
 
Re: Niagara drops women's hockey!!

WestsideTigersFan said:
And did you happen to notice the crumbling conference actually sent 2 teams in 2010 to the NCAA tourney...one actually qualified for an at large, something that could never happen in the joke of a conference the AHA is.
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Yeah, the team that qualified at-large was Bemidji, which knew they were going to the WCHA and had already started upgrading their program. And last time I checked, your favorite team plays in this "joke of a conference", so show some respect.


Powers &8^]
 
Re: Niagara drops women's hockey!!

PurpleEagles said:
Nope, poor guy is still in shock. He did provide releases to all those that requested one and seek a transfer.
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What happens to the two recruits for 2012/2013? Will their scholarships be honoured if they choose to stay?
 
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Re: Niagara drops women's hockey!!

pakidnyc said:
Yes, but that is on the men's side....I don't think there is a women's hockey program, or a single women's sport at any school, for that matter that "makes money." There are a few hockey examples, but it is mostly football (even at schools such as ND UM and MSU) that carries the rest of teh sports. Think of how many tickets they can sell (and do) in a season as compared to how many hockey tickets (men's or womens). THere are a very few exceptions for hockey, but not sure in those cases, even then that they "make money" for the school.
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Even at Boston College the men's hockey program does not make money. They do not lose much at all but they are still not a money maker even drawing over 6000 fans a game. Travel budgets for hockey are a lot more expensive than for basketball(fewer players on a squad) as well as equipment and facilities. A program on a marginal sports budget just cannot maintain expensive sports unless they bring some other value back to the school. A tighter regional focus of teams would have been helpful but the expansion that included airline travel to St. Louis and a bus ride over non interstate roads in winter would have added to the cost of the program as well as competing with some schools that have much bigger pockets. Women's hockey will be an elite sport at mostly well funded schools. There will be exceptions as always but as can be seen by the miniscule increase in men's programs I do not forsee much expansion and perhaps a few more other programs to drop women's teams as well.
 
Re: Niagara drops women's hockey!!

For that matter, unless you're a mutant you can count the number of schools that make money on football on your fingers and toes, and possibly not need your toes. Never, ever trust financial numbers that come out of an athletic department. They have an immense number of ways to shift expenses out of athletics and onto the rest of the university, and many schools take advantage in order to make football look profitable when it isn't. In many instances, maintenance falls under the university wide buildings and grounds budget. In some, most medical expenses are put into the general student health services. And while university administrations have bloated salaries everywhere, nothing comes close to those in the athletics department.
 
Re: Niagara drops women's hockey!!

Cali said:
What happens to the to e

What happens to the two recruits for 2012/2013? Will their scholarships be honoured if they choose to stay?
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I doubt either one would matriculate. Unfortunately, most programs have completed their recruiting for the coming season, and are pretty full on 2013-14 recruiting class. I wouldn't be surprised to see those players doing a PG year with their current team if they don't land somewhere in the next two weeks.
 
Re: Niagara drops women's hockey!!

Hux said:
I doubt either one would matriculate. Unfortunately, most programs have completed their recruiting for the coming season, and are pretty full on 2013-14 recruiting class. I wouldn't be surprised to see those players doing a PG year with their current team if they don't land somewhere in the next two weeks.
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The 2013-14 class already full ???. That does not bode well for many in next years HS senior class, that have yet to land a spot, including the two Niagara recruits now looking for a place to land
 
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