National Champs!

**HockeyFan9** · 05-13-2003, 11:49 PM

Congrats to Pomona! But didn't they come in second in their league? Would that make OCC the National Champs by
default? Isn't that what OCC was trying to say all along? They were always saying they thought they had a chance, now I quess this just shows they weren't blowing smoke. Congrats OCC, it's a shame you couldn't play in Philly.

**bonesy21** · 05-14-2003, 04:45 AM

what about the teams that beat pomona and UCF in vegas, does that say anything about the other teams? just cuz those teams won, doesnt mean you guys woulda been any national champions...and by far, the best team wasnt even there...lindenwood wasnt even allowed to play in vegas, and the premier teams werent in philly either...so keep dreaming buddy...

**WCRHL** · 05-14-2003, 11:51 AM

To clear things up. In the CRHL there are Divisions. Division I and II = 4 year universities (broke down on size)
Division III = Junior and Community Colleges

So at CRHL Nationals, there are 3 Divisions, crowning 3 National Champions. OCC would have competed in a different Division. They chose not to attend; the invitation was open to them. Just like a few other schools in DI/DII/DIII decided not to attend, for various reasons.

In the WCRHL, there are only 2 DIII schools, so therefore, they compete with the DI schools. OCC won the WCRHL Regional Championship, beating Cal Poly Pomona.

**CoachChrisG** · 05-14-2003, 01:07 PM

As far as I'm concerned CPP are the true National Champions. Premier's champions shouldn't even be reconized until they aknowledge the rest of the country. A midwestern tournament isn't a national championship.

C.C.

**JMUDukes26** · 05-14-2003, 11:07 PM

It should be clarified... they are the true DI Champions... just as DII and DIIIs champions were true champions.

Wayne Gretzky once said "You miss 100% of the shots you don't take"

I guess thats what I would say to O.C.C. I wish they could have made it to philly, because I personally really wanted to see what they were made of, but you don't earn National Champion's Respect when you boycott the dance. Maybe we'll get to see them next year, I wanna see these kids skate.

Gary

**paddymac** · 05-16-2003, 06:47 PM

Coach Chris I believe you need to re-evaluate your thoughts about the premier league and its national championship. The premier league was open to ALL DI schools last summer meaning that any school in good standing in DI could have played premier. Please don't make it sound like the six teams that chose to play in premier in its inaugural season were ignoring the rest of the country. They all chose to take a step forward while most schools did not. That's why the premier championship was a "Midwest" tournament. As a premier player I really wish I could have been in Philly playing because our Nationals sucked. However our club made a choice last summer to play premier and stuck with it even though it did not draw as many teams as we hoped. I hope that next season a few more teams will join the league and the negativity that is coming from outside ceases. What is everyone's problem with premier anyway? Is it just because it is a change from what everyone was used to and comfortable with?

**MDE3** · 05-16-2003, 10:26 PM

Good points! I hope the premier league does expand, and I hope it manages to create some more "grant" opportunities for top end college inline hockey programs.

If so it might just have a trickle down effect and help all of college roller hockey to improve it's recognition. Also I believe it will be beneficial in that it may showcase some of the best talent for those looking at whether the sport deserves to go to the next level.

**CoachChrisG** · 05-17-2003, 04:27 AM

If there isn't enough teams for regions to exist then it isn't worth doing until there is. The NCAA D1A ice programs can't afford a national schedule where everyone has to go across the country to play so why does roller hockey have to do it. That's why all the NCAA sports have regions.

Premier was a step backwards because it asked the entire nation to do something they weren't capable of doing and that's fly across the country to play games. Had they done it right they would have just raised the standards of D1 in each region. They didn't do that and only a handful of schools in the midwest joined as a result.

I say drop premier, it failed and it's finals embarassed the nation. The true national champion is the team that actually had to play other regions. Not to mention the fact that Premier's teams weren't head and shoulders ahead of the top teams in D1 anyway. (Yes even Lindenwood wouldn't have had as easy a time as they claim as their B team showed.)

C.C.