Niagara Article and Outdoor Harvard Game

With it being way too premature to start speculating or pointing fingers as to what occurred in Canton tonight, I figured a change in subject might work best.

There was an interesting article in the Buffalo News today about Niagara hockey, but I thought it was a bit off base in suggesting that Niagara and Canisius could survive as independents before the ECAC or Hockey East welcomed them with open arms:

[www.buffalonews.com]

Here’s the message Niagara University sends in descending to Atlantic Hockey for the 2010-11 season:

Don’t take us seriously anymore. What a shame. If there was a single area college athletic program with legitimate national title hopes, Niagara hockey was it. There’s no beating its location from a recruiting standpoint. Three NCAA Tournament appearances and victories over many big-time programs further underscored its potential.

The financial commitment put forth by alumni Bob and Connie Dwyer fast-forwarded what’s typically a long and arduous process. All Niagara needed to complete the journey was for a major conference to grant it admission.

Forget it, now.

And then there was this week's ECAC column on the potential for Harvard to play in an outdoor game to coincide with an NHL Winter classic. (Coincidentally, it might have been best had the first segment of the article never been written.)

[www.uscho.com]

“I think it would be great. I’ve been told that the lack of a crown on a field is really a positive attribute, as far as hosting the game,” said Harvard head coach (and alumnus) Ted Donato. “I think the sightlines would be spectacular, and it really is just a historic, great, traditional venue. I think an outside game in Boston is in the near future, and if it were at Harvard stadium we would certainly be very excited.

“It would be nice to also have some tie-ins, whether it was with college hockey or high school hockey or youth hockey, to make it more of a hockey experience, weekend-wise,” he added. “We had actually even tossed around the idea of us playing North Dakota this year out in Chicago at Wrigley Field, when the NHL was tossing around the (idea) that they might want someone to break in the ice for them the night before. We were licking our chops to be the guinea pig on that one,” he grinned.

I actually speculated a bit about Cornell being able to play in an outdoor game on my blog a year ago, what with the excitement of the Sabres-Pens match-up. I doubt Cornell would ever put something on at campus, and it probably wouldn't be the natural choice to play in a Harvard outdoor game, Love Story be damned, but it could happen.

[www.metaezra.com]