Vermont IS leaving the ECAC

Good riddance.

UVM's move to Hockey East will take place for the 2005-06 season, so the ECAC has a year and a half to find a replacement.

But not till the season after next...gives the ECAC lots of time to think about what to do.

USCHO is reporting that Vermont is expected to join HE in the 05-06 season. Presumably they couldn't join the league next year without major scheduling problems, since league schedules are presumably set. I assume this would mean that Vermont will be back in the ECAC for one more lame duck season, allowing the league a year to line up a replacement.

News conference tomorrow for the official announcement.

I think this shows how eager Hockey East is to get to an even number of teams. It's only been 3 weeks since it was first reported that Vermont had approached HE and as recently as Monday USCHO was reporting that a vote by the AD's of HE schools wasn't likely to take place at this week's meeting.

If things don't get much better at UVm soon, this will presumably help the conference record against HEA opponents in '05-'06.

The elephant walk was their Hockey East proof of concept.

Why didn't Vermont jump ship at the time of the Great Divorce?

Sounds like the ECAC already knows what to do. Can't we get UVM out and Holy Cross in now instead of later?

What's the over/under on the number of points the Cats manage in their last 37 ECAC games?

Everyone together, now!

AhhhhhhhHHHHHHHHHH... SEE YA!

[Q]Sounds like the ECAC already knows what to do. Can't we get UVM out and Holy Cross in now instead of later?[/Q]I think the best possible answer to Vermont's defection would be to make them play as independants next season. A little spiteful and petty? Sure, why not!

Good for the players....now they get paid to play like those at the other Hockey East state schools.

RedMan wrote:

Good for the players....now they get paid to play like those at the other Hockey East state schools.

I think they've always been.

Is there even a remote possibility that the ECAC lines up another team, such as Holy Cross, to take Vermonts place immediately? It would be kind of "amusing" if Vermont had to cancel another season.

Screw UVM.

A new team for the '04-'05 season? Not likely. Unless they're totally new to D-I like Robert Morris, they probably have their own conference schedule already set up just like the ECAC does.

and BU too

But with Findley dropping out, doesn't that screw up other league schedules as it stands?

No Cats no!

No Cats no!

Ahhh...ha ha ha ha!

Mercyhurst to the CHA... that's my prediction.

Probably Holy Cross to the ECAC... Eventually, UConn, and maybe Quinnipiac to Hockey East...

< enter death of Atlantic Hockey stage right >

If the CHA stays viable - that is, if Mercyhurst jumps to the CHA - what's the future of the other Atlantic Hockey teams?

IMO, UConn is going to follow to Hockey East SOON, and I agree with the likelihood that the Fighting Deerticks will follow them - travel partner, intra-state rivalry, and it keeps HE at an even number of teams.

Holy Cross to the ECAC. That seems to be the concensus.

That leaves Canisius, Sacred Heart, Army, Bentley, and AIC.

AIC is Div II, they'll provavbly drop back down. Probably Bentley, too. My guess is Canisius and Sacred Heart jump to the ECAC, upping it to 14 teams.

Hopefully the dumbass Ivy League presidents recognize that we'll need to play more games with more schools.

JH

We can't play 26 games... it's had to be an unbalanced schedule... yuck.

Actually, another possibility... with the CHA facing losing their auto-bid... the CHA breaks up with Canisius and Niagara joining AH and the rest going with 'western' conferences.

And Canisius can't jump to the ECAC without a western travel partner... so at the very least you'd need a Canisius/Niagra to the ECAC, with Sacred Heart and Army (welcome back Army!)... that'd be 16 teams. Two divisions of 8... play your own twice, others once... is 22 games still.



Post Edited (01-07-04 19:12)

Well, it's not like the ECAC doesn't have practice playing a season without Vermont.

DeltaOne81 '03 wrote:

Actually, another possibility... with the CHA facing losing their auto-bid... the CHA breaks up with Canisius and Niagara joining AH and the rest going with 'western' conferences.

I don't know...even with the CHA losing a necessary sixth team, I think they're still more stable than AH right now. I just don't think it would be a huge problem for the CHA to snatch up a current AH team, or perhaps Robert Morris, to fill their gap. If anything, I agree with Fred that AH is closer to collapse, with some teams rumored to be bolting for other conferences, and other teams perhaps following in Iona, Fairfield, and Findlay's footsteps and canceling/downgrading their hockey programs.

And Canisius can't jump to the ECAC without a western travel partner... so at the very least you'd need a Canisius/Niagra to the ECAC, with Sacred Heart and Army (welcome back Army!)... that'd be 16 teams. Two divisions of 8... play your own twice, others once... is 22 games still.

Oh geez, not Army again...although maybe third time's the charm for them...nah, probably not.

I'm not a big fan of unbalanced schedules, but the way you propose it, that doesn't sound too bad. What would the divisions be?

West(/North?)
-------
Niagara
Canisius
Cornell
Colgate
St. Lawrence
Clarkson
RPI
Union

East(/South?)
------
Harvard
Brown
Dartmouth
Holy Cross
Yale
Princeton
Sacred Heart
Army

I guess I use the Hudson River as the major dividing point, even though I believe RPI is actually on the east bank and of course Army is on the west bank. But, with travel partners, I think this arrangement makes the best sense.

I guess you can't call it the EZAC anymore, you stupid facetimers.

I guess we'll have to ammend the Screw BU cheer...

No, please no divisions. I hate that kind of setup. Besides, we all know the way the divisions would end up breaking down - Ivy and non-Ivy. That's how they did it for a couple of seasons in the early 80's and that's how it would work now. Which is way too close to an Ivy League only "conference" for hockey, whcih would be terrible.

Fortunatley I don't see this happening (for now).

Since the Cross seems to be the consensus joining ECAC, it begs the question of what cheers will we be using?

B.C. Wannabees...Clap, clap....clap, clap, clap!

JH

And if all of the Ivy League schools aren't in the same division and thus play different schedules, it makes awarding an Ivy title near impossible.

The Ivies will not go for giving up home-and-homes. That is the one thing that has remained constant lo these many years, league sizes, and systems.

I'd be surprised to see any result other than a simple replacement of UVM with another school. But then again, I'm surprised UVM actually left.

It's doable if the Ivies are willing to use up some non-conference games playing each other. I came up with a scheme a while back for a 16-team ECAC including six Ivies; the teams were a little different, but it still works. Basically, you split into four 4-team quads and rotate divisions:

North/West/Empire:
Clarkson/SLU and Niagara/Canisius

South/West/Ivy:
Cornell/Colgate and Yale/Princeton

North/East/Ivy:
Dartmouth/Holy Cross and Brown/Harvard

South/East/Empire:
RPI/Union and Sacred Heart/Army

You play everyone in your quad twice a year and everyone else four times every three. So each season you play a 2x7+1x8=22 game ECAC season. In the two out of three years when they're not all in the same division, the Ivies use three of their non-conference games to round out the Ivy home-and-home.

Still, I prefer a 12-team league with Holy Cross replacing UVM.

[q]Everyone together, now!

AhhhhhhhHHHHHHHHHH... SEE YA![/q]

Assgoos!

So who's up for a relegation/promotion playoff series between Holy Cross and Vermont? ("Aufsteiger! ... Absteiger! ... Aufsteiger! ... Absteiger!" "Which team is the promoted team?" "Which team is the relegated team?"

interesting, i didnt see any headline on uscho with this story. am i blind?

anyway, i am surprised that it happened so quickly. they may have been chatting for a while before adam wrote the "talks" story.

i would be disappointed if cornell only played hahvahd once per year.

would it make more sense for atlantic hockey to fold or the cha? could the teams who do not elect to leave for any of the other conferences decide which name/organization they want to be?

oh, and one more thing, hahvahd sucks

oh and another thing, anyone else think that we should give vermont a nice welcoming when they come to town? ok, gonna start a vermont cheer thread now i think i may buy two stuffed elephants, link them trunk to arse and put them on two sticks so i can hold them up. not sure if i will be able to get into the gut with it but i will get into lynah with it

EDIT:
now the story is there



Post Edited (01-08-04 13:16)

jy3 wrote:

i think i may buy two stuffed elephants, link them trunk to arse and put them on two sticks so i can hold them up.

Make sure you paste the Hockey Least logo on 'em for maximum effect.

Yeah, that would be good. In those off years Cornell would end up with a grand total of 4 non-conf games.

I also don't think RPI would want to be separated from Clarkson.

Pretty sure we'll just get a straight replacement of UVM.

I don't think anyone has brought this up, but maybe the upcoming DIII proposal influenced the folks at Vermont to go ahead with the switch. If the proposal passes then three of the tams in the ECAC are going to suddenly (well gradually) be without scholarships. That's likely to hurt the ECAC as a league further. If the UVm folks expect this to pass (and it's pretty close from what I've read, though not a done deal), then maybe that was the factor that gave them the final push (or the new AD the necessary ammunition).

Just a thought...

There was a mention of this whole story on ESPN2 tonight during the Rangers-Hurricane game. During a cut-in to the Tampa-Bay Lightning game, they showed Martin St. Louis grabbing a goal and mentioned his status as starting the NHL all-star game....and that his alma mater was switching conferences.

anyone hear anything about the conference call today??

from ecac.com

Commissioner Buttafuoco's Statement Regarding ECAC Hockey Membership



January 8, 2004

The ECAC recognizes the contributions the University of Vermont has made to the league over the past 30 years. It is our understanding that Vermont's decision was based solely on the strategic analysis for the betterment of the university.

The ECAC appreciates the fact that Vermont is about to begin a $250 million capital campaign to include a new state-of-the-art arena and that its alumni base is largely located in Hockey East communities. We also understand the existing partnerships Vermont has with America East institutions and the fact that Vermont is a public land-grant institution played pivotal roles in this decision.

Although several schools already have contacted us, the league will work through its committee structure to review the membership criteria and the philosophical and institutional fit of any prospective member. It is our goal that this initial process will be concluded prior to the ECAC Championship in March, and that any decisions regarding membership are made not later than the conclusion of the spring meetings.

Built on tradition and success, the ECAC Division I men's and women's hockey leagues comprise the nation's most prestigious member institutions. The men's league, which was formed in 1961-62, includes Brown University, Clarkson University, Colgate University, Cornell University, Dartmouth College, Harvard University, Princeton University, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, St. Lawrence University, Union College, the University of Vermont and Yale University. The women's league, which has been in existence since 1993-94, includes Brown University, Colgate University, Cornell University, Dartmouth College, Harvard University, Princeton University, St. Lawrence University, Union College, the University of Vermont and Yale University.

I think there is a plethora of poll topics that one could pull out of this issue. How about some Age?

i bet age is pahking his cah in hahvahd squah right now