So in summary . . .

[cakeuneke]

Listen, I ran a team in the CRHL for four years. Overall, I think it's a fantastic league with a ton of potential. I think guys like Mackert, Haschel, and people that run these boards help develop the sport tremendously, and it is amazing the time and effort they put into something that really gives little back.

However, there has been a long standing discussion on whether or not the CRHL should have moved to the Premier format this season, and whether or not that helped the league grow at all. So let's take a step back and summarize some of the ideas over the last few months, and more specifically NCT Premier.

- The final game sucked.
- LU blew out people all season.
- "It seemed more like a regional tournament than a national tournament."
- Kids that came to watch the finals will "never give college hockey a chance again."
- There appeared to be poor sportsmanship on all sides.
- Only two teams were really ever in the running for the championship.
- The tournament took away the excitement of competing against ALL of the teams in the country.
- The stands weren't exactly packed for the finals (I wasn't there, the few pictures I've seen suggest there was a much smaller crowd than in St. Louis)
- Michigan State and Lindenwood weren't forced to play inferior teams though (unless you count 20-0 games as proof of superiority)

I hope this is just a first year thing. Lord knows it took a while for the league to develop to where it is today, so maybe it just takes time. It seems like not too many goals were accomplished this year, and I would just like to hear some perspective from the CRHL side. I want to hear somebody say something besides it couldn't have gone better, or wait for the future. I think many people, especially team members obviously (whose close relatives are 90% of the CRHL fan base) are looking forward to the first weekend in April to see 12+ hours a day of exciting, national championship, nail biting hockey, in which I guarantee nobody will sit behind the net for an entire quarter waiting for a team to chase them.

Anyway, I'm not trying to offend people, I'd just like to get a decent, intelligent debate going about this, and I want to know WHY the Premier league, right now, is best for the CRHL.

[mackertm]

Yes, the final game sucked (in a lot of people's opinion) and LU was blowing out a lot of teams all season. They did have some close games, though.

Regarding the NCT specifically, a few things... First, all along people knew that this would be a TRANSITION YEAR. It's likely that next season there will be more teams and more divisions in Premier. As for less fans in the stands, it's rather dense (in my opinion) to compare this NCT to previous NCTs, as there were only six (instead of 30+) teams. Most "fans" that have been in the stands for all the previous NCTs were just players that were already eliminated. So that's hardly a valid point, to me.

As for only two teams being in the running... First, Purdue gave us a great run both games we played them in this tournament, we had to come back from a 6-0 deficit in the semifinal to make it to LU. Also, in past years, there have almost always been a few teams that had a seriously legit chance at winning the title - no one was surprised in 1999 when MSU and UCSB met in the finals. No one was surprised in 2002 when MSU and LU met in the finals. I'm figuring much the same could be argued for teams that advanced far into the tourneys in 2000 and 2001, too.

Premier, as it grows, should elevate the level of college hockey among the top teams in the country. We won't have insanely talented players attending schools with teams and not playing for them (like Jamie Bufalino, Tour Mudcats goalie, who got bored playing with MSU). This was a transition year, and the vast majority of the season was a positive for the CRHL Premier program.

Mike Mackert
Michigan State University

[MDE3]

It was my understanding that the premier league was developed in part as a precursor to gaining NCAA status for collegiate roller hockey - perhaps to see what the "best of the best" in college roller hockey could offer if given the opportunity by way of competition and fan interest etc, etc.

Overlaying that whole scene was the introduction of a program which offered a "grant" system to it's palyers - obviously Lindenwood University. From the point of view of "is offering grants or scholarships going to make a team more competitive?" I think the answer is self evident. However as this was the only school offering a program, the answer is also very skewed.

No doubt lengthy meetings will be taking place about "how to level the recruiting playing field"

Obviously there are two roads - have other premier schools offer the same kind of program or ban these subsidies at least until the other schools who compete in this division can offer equivalent incentives to their players.

No doubt there will be copious amounts of the written and spoken word spewed forth in the coming weeks and months on both sides of this subject. I think parity in incentives will be difficult to achieve unless these grant programs can be isolated from the mainstream of NCAA scholarship funds in some way - in many cases due to existing restrictions on the application of funds as well as the mechanisms in place within existing schools to accept donations and apply same.

Perhaps a unilateral fund administered by CRHL would be fair but certainly difficult to secure funding from local boosters who want to see their donations help only their "Alma Mater" or local school. Perhaps though a local accounting of donations from each school supporter and subsequent proportional remuneration to that school's team such a system could work.

By having the "fund" administered and disbursed by the CRHL the league might be able to avoid the conflicts inherent in starting any such program. Maybe too ambitious?

The other alternatives are obviously to A) let the status quo remain - which will probably not be acceptible to most other than the players and fans of LU, or B) either of the two choices above.

Whatever happens it will be a fascinating few months.

[DannyG]

I just want to put in the nomination for the media name for the championship event:

"The Final Floor"

please give me the footnote if you use it...

[CoachChrisG]

CRHL needs to do the following things:

1) Dump the whole premier league completely. It allienates the entire country and only one team was good enough to justify a so-called superior league. Let the D1 regionals and a final four determine who the National champion is.

2) Restrictions on scolarships have to be put in place now. One school, (maybe MSU to a very lesser extent,) can afford to put an entire team on a free ride and you are seeing what happens when this is allowed. It isn't very exciting and Lindenwood's arrogance is resulting in bad hockey and a bad example for the sport. This needs to change because Lindenwood would be winning just 4 games a year again if the playing field was leveled.

3) CRHL has to change the rules regarding delay of game. Never should the disgrace that happened this past weekend ever happen again.

4) CRHL's main board needs to be represented by more then one region. There are more regions in the nation then just the Midwest and seeing a Midwestern "Nationals" is a black eye for the league and the game.

5) CRHL has to accept the idea that more teams want NCAA status then not. Holding the sport back to be top dog is not doing the sport any favors.

In short wholesale changes are needed. One team getting by on cheating and destroying everyone isn't competitive or is it good for the sport. Beating one NARCh team by hiding behind the net isn't good for the sport either. Lindenwood lowered the bar this season and many other teams are going to follow suit and hide behind the net for 1-0 wins unless there are immediate changes.

C.C.

[STLHockey]

Chris,

The score between Lindenwood and the Mudcats was 2-1 (not 1-0) and that game was one of the most exciting games you will ever see. Lindenwood did not simply sit behind their net the whole game, actually the game was tied 1-1 late and they scored to take the lead with about 2 minutes left if I'm not mistaken. Keep in mind that this game was played under a tournament format 2-17 minute running clock periods, much shorter than the CRHL Premier marathons. Lindenwood also beat the Mudcats 8-4 the next don't think anyone spent the majority of the time sitting behind the net in this one either. The Mudcats were in fact missing a few players for the second game, but were still and always are loaded with talent.

[rollerfan]

Lindenwood beat the Mudcats 8-3 in the final game of the Christmas Cup championship game. Your constant 1-0 reference is proving your ignorance of the facts. I guess you would rather have the schools with 30,0000 to 50,000 undergrads continue to have a huge advantage in putting teams on the floor. Can't stand to see a small school win, can ya?

[CoachChrisG]

You are playing by a completely different set of rules no matter how big your school is. You are buying players year in and year out while not one other school in the nation will allow their teams to have a budget that comes close to competing.

I can't stand to see college teams buy championships. (That's why I refuse to watch college football anymore.) Play by the same rules as everyone else is stuck with and you won't be talking with so much arrogance.

C.C.

[mackertm]

Just figured I'd toss out that for the record that while MSU gave us $3000 this year to pick up some new jerseys and pants for both our teams, that's the first monetary support the school has ever given us. Cheap Spartan administration... ;)

Mike Mackert
Michigan State University