Saint Anselm won't be eligible for D-III playoffs until 2019-20 IIRC. But yes they should do well right away and compete for NEHC title. It's a good move for them.
Holy Cross and Sacred Heart should do the same thing. The D-II programs would also be smart to follow suit. Then they'd all have a real championship title to shoot for.
Pardon my ignorance, but: where were St Anselm before? And which are the other DII programs?
Holy Cross and Sacred Heart would have to move their entire athletic programs down to D-III for that to (not going to in a million years) happen.
What Holy Cross, Sacred Heart and the remaining D-II programs should bite the bullet, form their own league, and become cannon fodder for the 1st few years in the Women's National Collegiate Championship.
Eventually a rising tide will lift the boats.
Eventually a rising tide will lift the boats.
Respectfully disagree. What Holy Cross and Sacred Heart should do is bite the bullet and decide they will be real D1 programs (like they are in EVERY other sport they play) and join the CHA with Syracuse, Penn State, Robert Morris, Lindenwood, Mercyhurst, and RIT. And before you say that's too much travel, Sacred Heart regularly played Lindenwood prior to Lindenwood going D1. They would be on the long road every third weekend or so (assuming 1 league weekend home, 1 non-league weekend in northeast, 1 league weekend away), but they'd really be part of the sport instead of screwing around like they are doing now. Holy Cross harbors hopes of joining Hockey East but it ain't never going to happen - rink is still too small and they have enough members.
This would leave St Mikes and Franklin Pierce in the wind. St Mikes has talked about going D3 and probably should. FP I don't know about but there is no room in women's hockey for D2 teams and won't be anytime soon. In fact, aside from basketball and football, there is less and less need for D2 at all and I have seen discussions about getting rid of D2 altogether.
I see your point about going D-1....but just don't really see that as a realistic possibility for most of these schools [save maybe for Holy Cross who has a "real" D1 program across the board in all other sports]. Schools like St. A's simply are never going to be D1. Better off going D3 and having a successful program. As for places like Sacred Heart....they may be better off either committing the $$ to be a real D-1 program, or dropping the sport, because what they're doing now is laughable.