Unfair DII

[nickstur]

It is a joke that teams like Stephen Austin get a chance to go to San Jose and play in Nationals just because they won their region.

The best 16 teams in the United States should be playing and it pisses me off. 18-0 game. Ridiculous.

[dan sangiorgio]

There is always a team or two that doesn't belong because they lack the skill to compete but really it is because the better secrhl d2 teams of years past made the jump to d1. So maybe it is acutally Austin U. That belongs and there oppsition who doesn't

[mustachemarty5]

There is always a team or two that doesn't belong because they lack the skill to compete but really it is because the better secrhl d2 teams of years past made the jump to d1. So maybe it is acutally Austin U. That belongs and there oppsition who doesn't

Agreed, couldn't have said it better.

[teamcarramrod]

There should be the same rules for all of the NCRHA, because it makes a lot sense for different regions having different rules. It should have been a mercy at 10. They won their region, nothing you can do about it except win yours, or move up to D1.

[William Bourque]

There should be the same rules for all of the NCRHA, because it makes a lot sense for different regions having different rules.

The national rule is that there is no 10-goal mercy rule.

[oldschool22]

William Bourque:
Did the cream rise? A lot of good DII teams are sitting at home while DI teams that went 4-13 are playing at the national tourney in DI. The attempt to make teams move up has been a bust. DII needs to be expanded and given more births to the tourney. DII will always be the biggest division.

[Patn Lawton]

William Bourque:
Did the cream rise? A lot of good DII teams are sitting at home while DI teams that went 4-13 are playing at the national tourney in DI. The attempt to make teams move up has been a bust. DII needs to be expanded and given more births to the tourney. DII will always be the biggest division.

It doesn't make sense to have more DII teams than DI teams. The best teams should be playing in D1. Hopefully the large amount of D1 teams getting bids will motivate other teams to move up if they have the talent/organization. If a DII team didn't make it to nationals it is because they didn't win enough games. There will always be arguments about how one team is better than another for national bids and yadda yadda, but that can be fixed with a tissue box.

[uconnhockey1]

Pat-

Couldn't agree with you more. Teams should not be motivated to stay down in DII and then complain when a team gets killed here. Challenge yourself and move up to Division One. Then maybe your "good D II teams" would be here competing at Nationals. It's getting old having everyone complain about the gap between the two divisions and how amazing D II is. If you are so ticked off about how "bad" some of the division one teams are, then why don't you move up? If you are one of the division two teams that gets snubbed all the time, then you should easily make nationals at the division one level.

[CraigBrodz]

I think that's retarted. As a whole D-1 is much better then D-2. Yea the top teams in d-2 are good but the talent descrepency between the top and bottom teams is much bigger in D-2 then D-1, from what I have seen looking at the Scores in Nationals. Yea there will always be games where teams get killed but it is what is. And as for teams with under .500 records in D-1 being in nationals if you look those teams were pretty competitive. Yea Stony Brook and Hofstra got killed against two of the top teams in the nation but I think they proved that they belong. If teams like Stony Brook and Hofstra were playing in D-2 they would be two of the top teams in the nation if you ask me. I can only speak for the ECRHA but when looking at the standings the only teams that play each other close are Brockport, Rowan, Neumann, and West Chester. If you are going to talk smack about D-2 being better then D-1, then move up and prove it. Talk is cheap. Besides Hockey is fun, be thankful you have the opportunity to be playing still at a pretty competitive level.


Craig Brodmerkel
Long Island 495ers #31
Stony Brook Seawolves National Champs 2007
Brockport Roller Derby 2002-2005

[nickstur]

I agree with most of what's been said here, but what some people don't understand, is that some schools (especially state schools) no matter how talented they are, will never be organized enough to move up to D-1.

Most of the teams are run solely by students, with absolutely ZERO outside help by a coach/parent/or faculty. That means booking hotels and scheduling transportation and everything from making a roster to buying pucks. The schools without these resources but with talent simply cannot move to D-I. Yet when they're competitive and have a good team, they have to sit at home while other teams are getting killed 18-0 at nationals.

I dont know WHAT should be done, but SOMETHING should be done.

Whether that's expanding D-II or literally forcing certain teams to move up. I dont know much, but I know that.

[DannyG]

(disclaimers) I have known many of the people in the national organization for many years, so I know that this has been discussed ad infinitum many times before. I have never been involved as a player or coach at the collegiate level, so I plead some level of ignorance, but this also makes me an unbiased, "outside" witness to the situation. (disclaimers over)

Division play continues to be defined by "wherever you want to play, and can make the travel commitments."

Until and unless division restrictions are defined by such factors as school enrollment, money/resources spent on items such as travel, training, coaching, etc., there are going to be disparities involved.

Every school in each of the 88 sport/divisions of NCAA sanctioned play know exactly how they are to be placed into whichever division they participate in. They also know how to change divisions appropriately.

For example, a school such as Michigan Tech plays in all three divisions (D1, D2, D3) in various sports, dependent upon what the restrictions are for any particular sport. I am sure that all the people on this forum set know of many more examples.

This is absolutely not a criticism, but defining division participation parameters is a necessary step in progession of the sport at the collegiate level. For what it's worth, I have several players from my coaching past playing in this years' collegiate ranks. I am thoroughly enjoying the season, and that is thanks to all you players who are making the present system work as well as it does. Good job.

Everybody keep playng and have fun.

[Patn Lawton]

I agree, there are definitely some teams that will never have the organization/funding to move up but do have the talent. However, I am not sure what needs to be done about it. There are still a decent amount of teams that make DII nationals. I think that all the top teams are at nationals. I think that there are probably 1-3 teams at home right now who could beat the bottom 1-3 teams at nationals right now. That happens every year and is a product of autobids along with not having enough inter-regional play. (Inter-regional play has increased over the years and has been great, but obviously no team is traveling every weekend in a plane to go to cali, florida, NY, etc.)

Maybe it would be beneficial to sit down and identify what is needed to be done to move from DII to DI. I know it could be difficult, but not impossible. A dedicated group of 12 young men in college could probably be able to achieve this via fundraising and being proactive if they knew exactly what needed to be done.

I call upon the powers of AJ FREY to discuss Hofstra's move from DI to DII. Let's be proactive ourselves and get some information to these talented DII teams to help them move up.



I agree with most of what's been said here, but what some people don't understand, is that some schools (especially state schools) no matter how talented they are, will never be organized enough to move up to D-1.

Most of the teams are run solely by students, with absolutely ZERO outside help by a coach/parent/or faculty. That means booking hotels and scheduling transportation and everything from making a roster to buying pucks. The schools without these resources but with talent simply cannot move to D-I. Yet when they're competitive and have a good team, they have to sit at home while other teams are getting killed 18-0 at nationals.

I dont know WHAT should be done, but SOMETHING should be done.

Whether that's expanding D-II or literally forcing certain teams to move up. I dont know much, but I know that.

[alex]

I agree with most of what's been said here, but what some people don't understand, is that some schools (especially state schools) no matter how talented they are, will never be organized enough to move up to D-1.

Most of the teams are run solely by students, with absolutely ZERO outside help by a coach/parent/or faculty. That means booking hotels and scheduling transportation and everything from making a roster to buying pucks. The schools without these resources but with talent simply cannot move to D-I. Yet when they're competitive and have a good team, they have to sit at home while other teams are getting killed 18-0 at nationals.


Disagree, we're a state school runs solely by students with absolutely zero outside help and we've played D1 every year. I'm sure there are others.

And auto-bids make sense. If 2 teams from the southwest made D2 nationals this year, there'd be a case to make. But they got 1 bid and that's it. If you don't give them a bid for winning their entire region, then why even have a region?

[Sinister Soup]

I agree with most of what's been said here, but what some people don't understand, is that some schools (especially state schools) no matter how talented they are, will never be organized enough to move up to D-1.

Most of the teams are run solely by students, with absolutely ZERO outside help by a coach/parent/or faculty. That means booking hotels and scheduling transportation and everything from making a roster to buying pucks. The schools without these resources but with talent simply cannot move to D-I. Yet when they're competitive and have a good team, they have to sit at home while other teams are getting killed 18-0 at nationals.

I dont know WHAT should be done, but SOMETHING should be done.

Whether that's expanding D-II or literally forcing certain teams to move up. I dont know much, but I know that.

most D-I teams are solely run by students and have to book there own hotels and buy there own pucks... so on and so on. so, really there's no excuse for a talented D-II team to say in D-II.

[mustachemarty5]

William Bourque:
Did the cream rise? A lot of good DII teams are sitting at home while DI teams that went 4-13 are playing at the national tourney in DI. The attempt to make teams move up has been a bust. DII needs to be expanded and given more births to the tourney. DII will always be the biggest division.

That's on the DII teams, not the league. DI is the premiere division. It's time for teams to jump up if they are good. Things worked out for UMSL pretty well. And stop whining about the "weak" teams getting in because each of those "weak" teams made it to the sweet 16. Like CraigBrodz said, Hofstra and Stony Brook proved they should be there. They are not on a level to beat teams like Lindenwood or Buffalo yet, but at least they tried. That's more than a lot of other teams can say. And both those teams were DII teams not too long ago. Every team is not going to be the best team in the league, it is impossible. But when teams build up for years, eventually they will get there. Teams like Buffalo and Arizona St. who weren't National power houses a few years ago are now in the Final 4 and you can make the case that either one of them can win it all. So if your at home right now because you just missed out in DII, or if your in the top of DII, take a chance. Just having an opportunity to play and giving yourself a chance to beat a great team like UMSL or Lindenwood is an unbelievable opportunity and to stay scared and chill in DII is a waste of talent and time.

[hockeykid12]

there should be no griping about D2, just look at it the league is wide open. There are no more powerhouses every year. This year was a great nationals for d1 and d2 I dont think the league could have made the competition any better than it was. Almost every playoff game was decided by 2-3 goals. And all the ECRHA teams came to play hell two of the three were taken out by one another and neumann was stunned in OT. I think the Ecrha proved its strength and the whole D2 field for that matter. Now if SIUE goes and beats WCU tomorow, than that really shows the strength of d2 all around

[MasonHockey]

there should be no griping about D2, just look at it the league is wide open. There are no more powerhouses every year. This year was a great nationals for d1 and d2 I dont think the league could have made the competition any better than it was. Almost every playoff game was decided by 2-3 goals. And all the ECRHA teams came to play hell two of the three were taken out by one another and neumann was stunned in OT. I think the Ecrha proved its strength and the whole D2 field for that matter. Now if SIUE goes and beats WCU tomorow, than that really shows the strength of d2 all around

This is an interesting former-Neumann player propaganda "spin" on how the league is "wide open" and yet you continue to tout the ECRHA teams (West Chester, Neumann, Brockport, Rowan) that are continual powerhouses.

I think most of us are smart enough to see that you are simply trying to set up your excuse to stay in D2 next year and continue to sandbag in D2 when you know you are good enough to compete in D1. At least you are realizing that there are good teams outside the ECRHA like Tampa, SIUE, and Missouri State to name a few.

[Patn Lawton]

If hockeykid12 is a former player then he isn't sandbagging because it isn't his decision where Neumann plays next year. Granted, the stuff I have read from him makes me think he is a moron but everyone should be able to express themselves. Not sure we should be getting upset about an alumni on the computer talking about divisional placement. Bourque talked with me about trying to use a voting system to encourage teams to move up in ECRHA...interested to see how that goes.


I think a discussion should be started about what it takes for a school to move from DII to DI.

Those Lensing kids need to hit the weight room.

[William Bourque]

I would expect that Neumann, Rowan, Brockport and West Chester will give serious thought about moving up, only time will tell.

The ECRHA will do everything it can to help/aid the teams going up.

[rowanhockey]

rowan is not a powerhouse, this is only our second year of playing.




This is an interesting former-Neumann player propaganda "spin" on how the league is "wide open" and yet you continue to tout the ECRHA teams (West Chester, Neumann, Brockport, Rowan) that are continual powerhouses.

I think most of us are smart enough to see that you are simply trying to set up your excuse to stay in D2 next year and continue to sandbag in D2 when you know you are good enough to compete in D1. At least you are realizing that there are good teams outside the ECRHA like Tampa, SIUE, and Missouri State to name a few.

[BEEZERAL]

rowan is not a powerhouse, this is only our second year of playing.

Thats not an excuse. FAU is only in its second year of existance and they moved up to DI.

Everyone knows that certain teams are sandbagging because they want to win DII instead of a "guaranteed" loss to lindenwood. Just admit it. There is nothing anyone else can do about it.

[NCSU17]

rowan is not a powerhouse, this is only our second year of playing.

Rowan has proved its one of the top teams in the nation, D2 or not.

[socalhockey]

rowan is not a powerhouse, this is only our second year of playing.

Arizona State was only in their second year of playing as well.

In my opinion a D2 Championship in (most cases not all) is meaningless because there will always be people who believed the winning team was sandbagging. Schools that have D1 teams will only get better because many of the top players in the country will choose schools with D1 teams over D2 teams if given the choice. And with such a wide variety of D1 programs from coast to coast, it looks like there are many choices out there.

It's time for more teams to step up for the good of the game!

[Alex Kozik]

What about teams that are sandbagging in B division instead of moving up to D1?

[MasonHockey]

What about teams that are sandbagging in B division instead of moving up to D1?

All the teams that have B teams also have D2 or D1 teams that are better... Thus I don't think anybody is "sandbagging" in B.

[thereal54]

...Everyone knows that certain teams are sandbagging because they want to win DII instead of a "guaranteed" loss to lindenwood. Just admit it. There is nothing anyone else can do about it.

The only guaranteed loss to a Lindenwood or any other team is when you approach your league / team with that attitude. I think all D2 teams are right. The best way to improve the sport is to sit around and complain that "no one can beat Lindenwood" so stay out of D1. I totally agree, UMSL definitely should have stepped down last year instead of BUSTING ASS, PLAYING HARD, AND BEATING SOME SCHOOL YOU ALL WORSHIP FOR SOME REASON. THERE ARE TWO KINDS OF PEOPLE, THOSE THAT SIT AROUND AND COMPLAIN, AND THOSE THAT TRY AND MAKE A DIFFERENCE.

{fill in the blank} team is only better then you if you approach the situation that way. I was sick of hearing that argument 6 years ago when I first joined this league and still am. It's not their fault for being a really good program. IF you want to be crowned a National Champion at the highest level, start building your program and your players around accomplishing that goal. I'm not saying you necessarily will but you owe it to yourself and to {gasp, shudder, swoon} Lindenwood to try and knock Lindenwood off every year. Every year the title is a lock on them only because all of you are on here buzzing as if they've already won. Have some pride in your own programs and go out and try to take them and everyone else in the country down every season the way so many D1 teams do.

That said, Hat's off to WC for winning D2. I hope they move up, they're a great team but so are a lot of other teams and it's everyone's responsibility to play to their potential.

Also keep in mind that some schools base funding on performance so it's not purely a talent / school size reason for some teams to stay in the divisions they do.

------
Bryan Ollendyke
PSURH Coach

[Alex Kozik]

What about teams that are sandbagging in B division instead of moving up to D1?

Before this gets out of control, I am being sarcastic about this. This is in reference to Penn State and I am just having a little fun with it. You guys do have a great B team.

[thereal54]

Yeah that's why I didn't address that comment :p. WC's had two great teams in their program for several years now. Congratulations on Winning D2, seems like we both were able to overcome recent title game mishaps to bring it home this year.

-----
PSURH Coach

[rowanhockey]

first off, you never seen us play and you dont know our situation, second off god for bid a team makes nationals two years in a row and has talent they are automatically sand bagging, sounds like your a little jealous because you weren't at nationals, and no loss is guarentied, buffalo beat up on lindenwood this year with six guys. anyone can lose to anyone on any given day. we shall see what our situation is next year than make our decision


Thats not an excuse. FAU is only in its second year of existance and they moved up to DI.

Everyone knows that certain teams are sandbagging because they want to win DII instead of a "guaranteed" loss to lindenwood. Just admit it. There is nothing anyone else can do about it.

[RowanPhil]

"The ECRHA will do everything it can to help/aid the teams going up. "


What exactly are you aiding us with? The prices are just going up...
and i know team gloves and helmets aren't going down either...

[Hockey1982]

I had to register just to respond to you. First off, you can't spell "guaranteed" and it was spelled correctly in what you quoted. Understand the difference between "than" and "then." I know, call me out for grammar or spelling police.

Secondly, stop whining. You can't save money all year to buy a new helmet and gloves? You use that money in one weekend at the bar. Look, I don't know you or care what division you play, but the "premier" division, or at least the direction it is taking is to D1. Simple. If you don't want that, stay D2.

Nothing against you buddy, but when you whine that 'what has the ECRHA done for me lately' or 'who is going to buy my equipment' it kind of pisses me off.


first off, you never seen us play and you dont know our situation, second off god for bid a team makes nationals two years in a row and has talent they are automatically sand bagging, sounds like your a little jealous because you weren't at nationals, and no loss is guarentied, buffalo beat up on lindenwood this year with six guys. anyone can lose to anyone on any given day. we shall see what our situation is next year than make our decision

[Patn Lawton]

"The ECRHA will do everything it can to help/aid the teams going up. "


What exactly are you aiding us with? The prices are just going up...
and i know team gloves and helmets aren't going down either...

I think it is good for each team to talk with the ECRHA about this if they have the interest/talent/organizational skills to play D1. I am going to make some guesses based on Rowan's sick jerseys and say they don't get much school funding. Also, there are a lot of AIHL teams in NJ and I am wondering if some guys are more committed to those teams than the college team.

I think the majority of players on most teams have black helmets. I am wondering if ECRHA has ever talked with any equipment companies or suppliers about discounts for equipment (similar to revision).

I know that one year Brockport talked with some dude from mission and he gave us a discounted pants/gloves set. It was like $60 for decent gloves and pants.

Overall, I think most guys who are involved with this sport are able to put a little money aside to get different gloves or a helmet...or maybe borrow some (equipment, not money) from a buddy for games. When there is a will, there is a way.

[RowanPhil]

obviously Division 1 is the "premier division". same as NCAA, no one hardly gives a shirt about the division II and III schools (meaning media coverage). when it comes to the league governing the league, they arent biased against those schools because they are DII and DIII. Thats why i dont think its right for all these perks for DI and all the praise for DI.

Dont get me wrong, you can definitely look at this debate both ways. Yes i believe schools should move up but at the same time i feel like schools develop themselves in certain divisions and become the face of that division. Nationals for DII was great this year. tons of close games. However most of those teams could not compete with the top 4 in DI, but they can compete with those power houses in DII. It sucks because most regions only have 2-4 solid DII teams because the regular season is not as competitive (coming from ECRHA where DII doesnt play DI schools). Maybe this should be changed. i dont know, this can be discussed until the world ends and never be settled. I guess we will see how this pans out next year..

[rowanhockey]

I had to register just to respond to you. First off, you can't spell "guaranteed" and it was spelled correctly in what you quoted. Understand the difference between "than" and "then." I know, call me out for grammar or spelling police.

Secondly, stop whining. You can't save money all year to buy a new helmet and gloves? You use that money in one weekend at the bar. Look, I don't know you or care what division you play, but the "premier" division, or at least the direction it is taking is to D1. Simple. If you don't want that, stay D2.

Nothing against you buddy, but when you whine that 'what has the ECRHA done for me lately' or 'who is going to buy my equipment' it kind of pisses me off.

The only thing i see is that you must have no life, this is a hockey forum not a spelling/grammer contest, and whining? you have no idea who we are or our situation so why don't you stay out of this, this debate is in every damn forum, everybody always bashes teams if they are good in d2, what is the point of even having division 2? every person on this damn forum will argue that your sand bagging anyway. i can only speak for rowan, we don't get much funding and we are a very new organization trying to get more organized in order to move up. once we get organized and feel we have full commitments from our whole team, than it will be a different story.

[RichardGraham]

Hi Guys,

Keep it cool, please. Thanks!

[BEEZERAL]

rowan is not a powerhouse, this is only our second year of playing.


first off, you never seen us play and you dont know our situation, second off god for bid a team makes nationals two years in a row and has talent they are automatically sand bagging, sounds like your a little jealous because you weren't at nationals, and no loss is guarentied, buffalo beat up on lindenwood this year with six guys. anyone can lose to anyone on any given day. we shall see what our situation is next year than make our decision

You used only having a team for 2 years as your excuse. I gave you an example of a team in the same situation that made the jump. you are right by saying I know nothing about your team, but I do know that you are full of it when you say that being a new team is your reason for staying in DII

[BEEZERAL]

I think it is good for each team to talk with the ECRHA about this if they have the interest/talent/organizational skills to play D1. I am going to make some guesses based on Rowan's sick jerseys and say they don't get much school funding. Also, there are a lot of AIHL teams in NJ and I am wondering if some guys are more committed to those teams than the college team.

I think the majority of players on most teams have black helmets. I am wondering if ECRHA has ever talked with any equipment companies or suppliers about discounts for equipment (similar to revision).

I know that one year Brockport talked with some dude from mission and he gave us a discounted pants/gloves set. It was like $60 for decent gloves and pants.

Overall, I think most guys who are involved with this sport are able to put a little money aside to get different gloves or a helmet...or maybe borrow some (equipment, not money) from a buddy for games. When there is a will, there is a way.

its not hard at all. Our whole team got Bauer One55 gloves and Bauer5500 helmets for about $110 a person.

[Patn Lawton]

Maybe we can given Rowan time to figure out if they are moving up or not before people give them a bunch of crap?

[William Bourque]

"The ECRHA will do everything it can to help/aid the teams going up. "


What exactly are you aiding us with? The prices are just going up...
and i know team gloves and helmets aren't going down either...

We can give you ideas to save/fund-raise money.
DI schedule preference helps ease the costs of travel and could possibly eliminate a large amount of the hotels you will need.
The league sets up sponsorships to help reduce the costs of required equipment. (Mission and Revision)
The channels are there for the teams in our region to use, however, we can hold the door open for you, but can't force you to walk through it.

[GoRangrHky]

Catching up with all of this, and yes, Pat, I will eventually talk about the Hofstra move to DI.

Here's where I'm at a loss- Everyone says that everyone has to buy new gloves and helmets. What we did was pretty simple. Looked at our whole team, saw that 75% of them were wearing black helmets already, and went with it. Most of the guys that weren't had them at home anyway. I think 2-3 guys had to buy a new helmet. Same with the gloves. Has anyone bothered to read the requirement? All it says is that it has to be black, white, or a school color. So that means the two idiots with the pink gloves or those Rinky fur ones need to dig up a new pair. In the ECRHA, you already need matching jerseys and pants anyway, so that's not a concern. You already have a coach, so you're set there. So we're talking about what, 3 helmets and 3 pairs of gloves (maybe?) that are keeping you from DI.

But what about the WCUs and Neumanns out there, who were head to toe matching? Neumann even had a team order of NHL style helmets that didn't have the manufacturer's logo on the side. They sure looked the part out there- talented, organized, committed. To me, that's sandbagging. Believe me, there are teams out there that should be playing DII hockey, and there should be a spot for them. It was said best earlier when someone said that Austin St. shouldn't be playing- maybe the teams that they were playing should have been there to begin with.

[letsgoisles89]

i thought that d-1 was supposed to be the model for the other teams to follow regarding how they run their organizations on and off of the rink...a team shouldnt be rushed up if theyre ready to move up on the rink but not off of the rink.. i'm not sure of their situation but maybe they arent getting good funding from their school. there are a couple of d2 schools that have sustained longterm success on the rink and have shown good organization off the rink that could make a seamless transition to d-1, but rowan isnt one of them yet give them a break.

[hockeykid12]

Neumann and wcu can be a model for all D2 teams, that's why they're there :)

year in year out everyone knows to look out for those two, and it gives people something to talk about, I mean what else would you guys do if there wasn't Neumann to moan and groan about.

Granted they did just finish there worst season/nationals run in recent history but hey continue talking and next year wcu and Neumann will just reload and have another run so everyone can continue moaning and groaning

[GoRangrHky]

Their worst season ever pales in comparison to those teams out there that really struggle and get killed by them every time they play them. Part of the reason we didn't want to play DII was so that we could stop wasting our weekends playing 13-0 games. Is that really fun?

[catch]

To West Chesters coach Bon Jovi sucked in the 80's get over it. Thanks though for having the classless players who say crap like "what does it feel like to know were sending you home with 16 seconds left" Well it sucks going home, but I had a good time and I know West Chester is a team full of dirty douche bags

[train]

To West Chesters coach Bon Jovi sucked in the 80's get over it. Thanks though for having the classless players who say crap like "what does it feel like to know were sending you home with 16 seconds left" Well it sucks going home, but I had a good time and I know West Chester is a team full of dirty douche bags
oh snap...

[Hockey Coach]

Catching up with all of this, and yes, Pat, I will eventually talk about the Hofstra move to DI.

Here's where I'm at a loss- Everyone says that everyone has to buy new gloves and helmets. What we did was pretty simple. Looked at our whole team, saw that 75% of them were wearing black helmets already, and went with it. Most of the guys that weren't had them at home anyway. I think 2-3 guys had to buy a new helmet. Same with the gloves. Has anyone bothered to read the requirement? All it says is that it has to be black, white, or a school color. So that means the two idiots with the pink gloves or those Rinky fur ones need to dig up a new pair. In the ECRHA, you already need matching jerseys and pants anyway, so that's not a concern. You already have a coach, so you're set there. So we're talking about what, 3 helmets and 3 pairs of gloves (maybe?) that are keeping you from DI.

But what about the WCUs and Neumanns out there, who were head to toe matching? Neumann even had a team order of NHL style helmets that didn't have the manufacturer's logo on the side. They sure looked the part out there- talented, organized, committed. To me, that's sandbagging. Believe me, there are teams out there that should be playing DII hockey, and there should be a spot for them. It was said best earlier when someone said that Austin St. shouldn't be playing- maybe the teams that they were playing should have been there to begin with.

You are one funny guy, Neumann didn't team order NHL style helmets. The players took white tape and didn't advertise the brand of helmets whoever you are getting your information from is leading you on. Next thing you are going to say is that they took a private jet to San jose that the NHL paid for.:D

[GoRangrHky]

Ok, whatever. NHL style helmets aren't that much more expensive or anything, they're just a different style. But the point is that they have EVERYTHING you need to play DI. Except for the pair to actually do it.

[Hockey Coach]

Maybe your team should play Neumann in an Exb. You can sell tickets as part of a funraiser.

[train]

Maybe your team should play Neumann in an Exb. You can sell tickets as part of a funraiser.
funraiser? not sure how having more fun is gonna make it easier to play d1.

[Hockey Coach]

funraiser? not sure how having more fun is gonna make it easier to play d1.
Having fun is part of the game. The fundraiser would be for a "cause" that both teams can donate the money. Maybe we can donate to South Africa for the wonderful work that Brian Sobel(Ex-WCU Coach) is doing for the kids there. They need new gear and supplies.

[kevinsmithAZ]

Why doesn't the league just mandate that a team has to move up after X amount of succesful (winning season + nationals bid) seasons? especially if they know the program's history and if the school is returning players/people running the team from a previous successful year.

[GoRangrHky]

Our team does plenty of charitable work. Fundraisers for childhood cancer research, work with the Special Olympics, and volunteering to coach local youth teams are all part of our season and expected from our players. But if they want to play us, tell them to play where they should be playing.

[hockeykid12]

if d2 isnt worth squat compared to d1 then why do people always talk about Neumann/wcu/rowan/Brockport? its only d2 remember?

[Ben Lambert]

I think UMSL and LU should move to D2 next year.

[Ben Lambert]

if d2 isnt worth squat compared to d1 then why do people always talk about Neumann/wcu/rowan/Brockport? its only d2 remember?


Many of the things I hear about these teams is others calling them out to get them to join the division in which they belong.

It is just d2. D1 is better. Those teams belong in D1. End of story.

[iwearstripes]

I think it is good for each team to talk with the ECRHA about this if they have the interest/talent/organizational skills to play D1. I am going to make some guesses based on Rowan's sick jerseys and say they don't get much school funding. Also, there are a lot of AIHL teams in NJ and I am wondering if some guys are more committed to those teams than the college team.

I think the majority of players on most teams have black helmets. I am wondering if ECRHA has ever talked with any equipment companies or suppliers about discounts for equipment (similar to revision).

I know that one year Brockport talked with some dude from mission and he gave us a discounted pants/gloves set. It was like $60 for decent gloves and pants.

Overall, I think most guys who are involved with this sport are able to put a little money aside to get different gloves or a helmet...or maybe borrow some (equipment, not money) from a buddy for games. When there is a will, there is a way.

When you and I were playing in the ECRHA Bauer Nike Hockey had a package that was available to all the teams offering pretty much any piece of equipment you could want at a massive discount. They had several options for each piece (so some players could get Bauer 5000 helmets, while others could get 4000s, etc.) I think we paid like $30 for a pro stock (blacked out sides) Bauer 4000 helmet, and $35 for a pair of Bauer Supreme 3000 gloves. We didn't require anyone to buy anything, but probably half the guys on our two teams ordered something, because it was cheaper than going through a retailer.

As far as I know we were the only team to ever actually order through the program. Which is a shame, because it was a great opportunity for the teams.

[oldschool22]

Ben, Have either LU or UMSL move to DII, but only one of them. I wonder if the league could find a way to make them play an early round elimination game at nationals under that scenario. At least that way, they'd bring home both championships most years (unless the league would institute a cross divisional playoff between LU and UMSL).

Has anyone looked at the DII list of teams and realized that SIUE would've never even been there had they not won the region? Year after year, GPCIHL gets 2 or 3 teams and despite strong showings, they get short changed (bid wise) time and time again. To sum it up, the NC runner up would've been at home had they not won the division. I wonder how some other GP teams would've fared.
Oh, the cream has risen, as proclaimed by "whatever his name is" Borque. It really looks like teams are falling all over themselves to play D1.

[CUDangled]

There is always a team or two that doesn't belong because they lack the skill to compete but really it is because the better secrhl d2 teams of years past made the jump to d1. So maybe it is acutally Austin U. That belongs and there oppsition who doesn't

Good point!