What's new
By:
USCHO Fan Forum

This is a sample guest message. Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

  • The USCHO Fan Forum has migrated to a new plaform, xenForo. Most of the function of the forum should work in familiar ways. Please note that you can switch between light and dark modes by clicking on the gear icon in the upper right of the main menu bar. We are hoping that this new platform will prove to be faster and more reliable. Please feel free to explore its features.

State of D-II Hockey

Re: State of D-II Hockey

hawkhockey said:
For the 2016-2017 , Saint Anselm will be not awarding any non need based athletic scholarships in any sport, including basketball and football .
One thought is by making this move now, the NCAA may reduce the waiting period by one year .

As to what league St.A's is looking at . there are at least two existing leagues that have expressed an interest in adding colleges , with NEWMAC being one.
The option that still exists is in starting a new D 3 league.

St.Mike's explored the NEWMAC but lack of football and distance did not help them.

NEWMAC, I am told is looking at 3-4 colleges and will be asking one or two to join their league . Two of the requirements are that the college have a football team and they are within a two hour drive for most teams . NEWMAC has received a formal letter of interest from St.A's, has had meetings are are awaiting a site visit, that should happen in the next 2-3 weeks. After that the Presidents vote. St.A's has been in contact with another league as well and some of the other DII are seriously looking at a D3 option and creating a new league.
Click to expand...

Can you add whom those DII's might be? What have you heard?
 
Re: State of D-II Hockey

Buckeye22 said:
Ya that's what I've heard as well. You would think they would've announced it by now though. Maybe they're having problems getting accepted.

As for the other DII schools, I'm not convinced there will be any major shakeup. Its certainly possible. I heard a lot of people say that St. Mike's might want to move down, but as far as I know the school itself hasn't done anything. As for the others, I don't think the loss of St. A's or even St. A's and St. Mike's, would force them to change things. If they've been content with the limbo they're in now for as long as they have been, who's to say they would want to change things now? They would just lose one or two teams, but they could still play their little NE-10 tournament with 4 or 5. I don't see Stonehill and Assumption just up and cutting their programs after all this time just because one or two more DII schools have left. SNHU going DI isn't totally ridiculous when you consider all the money and brand recognition they have now from their online programs, but I still wouldn't call it likely. Plus, If Post comes in and St. Mike's stays, they could just stick with the 6 team format they have now.
Click to expand...

True. I was unaware of Post. But there has been no word from the conference. I'd assume something will be coming out soon if they are to enter the league/St. A's leaving the league.
 
Re: State of D-II Hockey

SNHUPenman said:
Can you add whom those DII's might be? What have you heard?
Click to expand...
There is no secret that more than a few current NE-10 members are less than enthusiastic about the direction the league has taken since 2000.
This is not hockey driven but more of an issue relative to full non need based athletic scholarships in all other sports. As a result a number are looking at leaving
D 2 and move to D 3, following the lead of St.A's or splitting off and starting a new D 2 league and adhering to the partial, not full, scholarship model of D 2.
As to who these schools are, most were members of the NE`10 prior to 2000. We'll see.
 
Re: State of D-II Hockey

The article quotes the AD's email as saying "will continue to explore, both Division II and Division III." Since they already have been accepted into D-3, I wonder if they might decide to stay D-2?
 
Re: State of D-II Hockey

ExileOnDaytonStreet said:
What an odd order of events.

The author is dead on in noting the illogic of applying for DIII without having a home to go to.
Click to expand...

I may be wrong, but I would imagine applying to DIII is probably a prerequisite to applying to a DIII conference. I thought I read somewhere that the process is 1.) you apply to join DIII 2.) you enter a transitional period in which you'e still technically DII 3.) IF you get accepted to a DIII conference then you get confirmed as DIII member.

But ya, this isn't good news for them. I wonder what the holdup was?
 
Re: State of D-II Hockey

Buckeye22 said:
I may be wrong, but I would imagine applying to DIII is probably a prerequisite to applying to a DIII conference. I thought I read somewhere that the process is 1.) you apply to join DIII 2.) you enter a transitional period in which you'e still technically DII 3.) IF you get accepted to a DIII conference then you get confirmed as DIII member.

But ya, this isn't good news for them. I wonder what the holdup was?
Click to expand...
St A's will get in somewhere during the next 3 years. Wasn't the Liberty League mentioned as a possibility? That will probably mean more travel than they want. Perhaps if two teams wanted to join the NEWMAC and be travel partners, the league might be more receptive?
 
Re: State of D-II Hockey

[ Story ]

Just a follow up to the previous article. Basically says the same thing, but I feel like the tone of this one is leaning much more towards St. A's staying in DII for the longterm.
 
Re: State of D-II Hockey

This article has little credibility - the mere mention of St. Anselm to the the NESCAC is beyond absurd. It calls into question anything else that was said. The facts are that even under the exploratory program, St. Anselm would continue to be a member of DII, so for "the foreseeable future" St. As will be in the NE-10. The exploratory year is exactly that. It looks like student journalism with an agenda.
 
Re: State of D-II Hockey

NUProf said:
This article has little credibility - the mere mention of St. Anselm to the the NESCAC is beyond absurd. It calls into question anything else that was said. The facts are that even under the exploratory program, St. Anselm would continue to be a member of DII, so for "the foreseeable future" St. As will be in the NE-10. The exploratory year is exactly that. It looks like student journalism with an agenda.
Click to expand...

I mean now that the NEWMAC is off the table I don't think its ridiculous to the think that Saint Anselm would at least try and look at the NESCAC. The article acknowledges that it would be extremely unlikely. I don't think it would ever happen, but with the NEWMAC off the table St. A's would be stupid to not at least ask and give it a shot. There aren't many other conferences that make a whole lot of sense, at least if they're going to continue to claim that the school's academic profile fits into the equation.
 
Re: State of D-II Hockey

Buckeye22 said:
[ Story ]

Just a follow up to the previous article. Basically says the same thing, but I feel like the tone of this one is leaning much more towards St. A's staying in DII for the longterm.
Click to expand...
I think you are reading too much into this . Saint A's will go to D 3 if it can find a league. NEWMAC not a good fit but was best available, for a lot of reasons, all non hockey related.
The CCC is an option , also not perfect, but could work. Unintended consequence from a hockey perspective , is if accepted, St.A's would then leave the NEHC and be a member of CCC. I would think that St.A's and St.Mike 's might ask to join together , with St.Mike's starting the reclassification process next year.
This might be a win /win/ for St.A's. It would provide a conference, allow for a AQ if they were to win the league and allow them , and this is what is important and a driver, to play a very attractive out of conference schedule (NESCAC, NEWMAC , Minnesota etc.) schedule in all sports, including hockey.

They they might , 2,3,4 years down the road explore starting a new conference as the word is more than a couple of NEWMAC teams are not happy with the conference and might be interested in starting a league. More to come.
two things. NESCAC is not even talked about as an option . More than a simple majority of Trustees, President, faculty et al are all committed to D3, question still remains where to go.
 
Re: State of D-II Hockey

hawkhockey said:
I think you are reading too much into this . Saint A's will go to D 3 if it can find a league. NEWMAC not a good fit but was best available, for a lot of reasons, all non hockey related.
The CCC is an option , also not perfect, but could work. Unintended consequence from a hockey perspective , is if accepted, St.A's would then leave the NEHC and be a member of CCC. I would think that St.A's and St.Mike 's might ask to join together , with St.Mike's starting the reclassification process next year.
This might be a win /win/ for St.A's. It would provide a conference, allow for a AQ if they were to win the league and allow them , and this is what is important and a driver, to play a very attractive out of conference schedule (NESCAC, NEWMAC , Minnesota etc.) schedule in all sports, including hockey.

They they might , 2,3,4 years down the road explore starting a new conference as the word is more than a couple of NEWMAC teams are not happy with the conference and might be interested in starting a league. More to come.
two things. NESCAC is not even talked about as an option . More than a simple majority of Trustees, President, faculty et al are all committed to D3, question still remains where to go.
Click to expand...
So, even if St A's plays D-2 this coming year, it will not give scholarships to incoming 2016-17 freshmen athletes because, league or not, they are starting the reclassifaction process now?
 
Re: State of D-II Hockey

neumyer said:
So, even if St A's plays D-2 this coming year, it will not give scholarships to incoming 2016-17 freshmen athletes because, league or not, they are starting the reclassificacion process now?
Click to expand...

St.A's has started the process of reclassifying to D 3 and has been accepted to D 3, provided they can find a D 3 league in one year.
Beginning this year , 2016-2017, no athletes, including basketball, football etc. have been offered any non need based athletic scholarship money, which is consistent with the D 3 model.
 
Re: State of D-II Hockey

Buckeye22 said:
As for the other DII schools, I'm not convinced there will be any major shakeup. Its certainly possible. I heard a lot of people say that St. Mike's might want to move down, but as far as I know the school itself hasn't done anything. As for the others, I don't think the loss of St. A's or even St. A's and St. Mike's, would force them to change things. If they've been content with the limbo they're in now for as long as they have been, who's to say they would want to change things now? They would just lose one or two teams, but they could still play their little NE-10 tournament with 4 or 5. I don't see Stonehill and Assumption just up and cutting their programs after all this time just because one or two more DII schools have left. SNHU going DI isn't totally ridiculous when you consider all the money and brand recognition they have now from their online programs, but I still wouldn't call it likely. Plus, If Post comes in and St. Mike's stays, they could just stick with the 6 team format they have now.
Click to expand...

Well this article from 2003 sort of throws a wrench in my previous statement. Apparently NCAA rules state (I'm assuming they wouldn't have changed since 2003) that a conference must have a minimum of 6 teams to hold a postseason tournament. So without St. A's, that means they would have to stop the NE-10 tournament, thus eliminating what little postseason the DII schools have left. I still don't know if that would be enough to shake the other 5 schools into doing something. Again if Post does come in (there have been no new updates to the hockey page of their athletics site since February) the NE-10 could stay at 6. I honestly don't know how accurate that 2003 article is, because I know for a fact that some DI and DIII conferences, both before and since, have had postseason tournaments with fewer than 6 teams. The WIAC for example currently has one with only 5. I guess you can't trust everything on USCHO.
 
Last edited:
Re: State of D-II Hockey

Buckeye22 said:
Well this article from 2003 sort of throws a wrench in my previous statement. Apparently NCAA rules state (I'm assuming they wouldn't have changed since 2003) that a conference must have a minimum of 6 teams to hold a postseason tournament. So without St. A's, that means they would have to stop the NE-10 tournament, thus eliminating what little postseason the DII schools have left. I still don't know if that would be enough to shake the other 5 schools into doing something. Again if Post does come in (there have been no new updates to the hockey page of their athletics site since February) the NE-10 could stay at 6. I honestly don't know how accurate that 2003 article is, because I know for a fact that some DI and DIII conferences, both before and since, have had postseason tournaments with fewer than 6 teams. The WIAC for example currently has one with only 5. I guess you can't trust everything on USCHO.
Click to expand...

It may (or may not) be a DII rule that a conference has to have a minimum of 6 teams for a post season tournament, but it doesn't apply to DIII. When the ECAC West had 4 and 5 teams, they had a postseason tournament. The WIAC women have only 4 teams and they have a post season tournament, and the men have 5 teams. Of course it could also be inaccurate reporting.
 
What St. As does will be most interesting as its new athletic director doesn't care about what's good for the school or athletic department. So long as whatever he does can be dropped into a bullet point on his resume so he can move on to the next place, he'll do it.
 
Re: State of D-II Hockey

SUNY Fredonia released their schedule and they're playing a pair of games against Post, so apparently Post will be a thing this year.
 
Re: State of D-II Hockey

Buckeye22 said:
SUNY Fredonia released their schedule and they're playing a pair of games against Post, so apparently Post will be a thing this year.
Click to expand...

NCAA.com has also added pages for Post Men's and Women's ice hockey. Both teams are listed as Division II Independents. I'll be interested to see how their schedule works out this year. Their men's team was pretty terrible last year against mostly ACHA DII opponents and I'm not sure if their women's team even played. There's no schedule listed on their website.

Also more news out of Saint A's. They don't seem to be going DIII any time soon. Athletic scholarships are being reinstated for 2017. Story here.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top