The Official D3 Off-Season Thread

[Bill-R-]

Off season is here. Blah.

Anyways, there is a lot to look forward to next season.

As far as the ECAC West goes, Oswego begins their first season. I've already heard the Lakers have the best D3 women's recruiting class for 06-07! :p It will be interesting to see if the Lakers make the play-offs their first season. The ECAC West is on route to become the best league in women's division III hockey. (if not already)

I am looking forward to the Middlebury rematch already. I believe they are in a tournament in Plattsburgh next November. (Elmira/Williams/Plattsburgh/Middlebury)

It will be interesting to see if there are any coaching changes in the off-season. Perhaps a transfer or two? ;)

Peace,
Bill Roberts

PS - here is an article on PSU's Ainsley Brien that appeared in the Niagara This Week online edition.

Grimsby native having successful rookie hockey season at U.S. university (http://www.niagarathisweek.com/na/sports/story/3384359p-3915403c.html)

[hockeyyfan]

Off season is here. Blah.
The ECAC West is on route to become the best league in women's division III hockey. (if not already)


I agree. Utica will be a force, Elmira loses some quality seniors but if everyone gets healed up and they have a good recruiting class they'll be right up there...Plattsburgh is most likely the pre season favorite and Neuman has 'the bandwagon' going for it but showed a lot this year. Chatham has some interesting recruits already so I'll go ahead and predict their first league win for next year.

The November tournament is a definite 'don't miss'. This was a fun year with ups and downs but some really great hockey. Only 26 weeks until practice starts again!

[futurestar]

With the additions of Oswego in the west and Plymouth State in the east, you wonder if there won't be some kind of re-alignment in the ECAC structure.

In the east, you have a definate top three teams and a definate bottom three with the middle teams pretty much just beating up on the bottom. In the west, you have the same pattern with the two top and two bottom. Wouldn't it be a better idea to align or at least schedule the teams so that the competition was a bit more even? Possibly the best bet for a Chatham win would be if they played MIT (or visa versa)!

[SHUCrosscheck]

If you look at it that way then someone will loose a Bid to the NCAA's. If you put Platty, Elmira, Utica, Manhattanville, Neuman and say Oswego in one conference then someone who gets third in the conference will not be happy. I think they should shuffle the lesser teams or add more SUNYAC teams and let there be a SUNYAC conference.

[PrezdeJohnson09]

If you look at it that way then someone will loose a Bid to the NCAA's. If you put Platty, Elmira, Utica, Manhattanville, Neuman and say Oswego in one conference then someone who gets third in the conference will not be happy. I think they should shuffle the lesser teams or add more SUNYAC teams and let there be a SUNYAC conference.

Im betting that in the next 2-3 years you will see the emergence of a SUNYAC conference. Oswego brings the SUNYAC to 4 women's teams. Brockport, Geneseo, and Fredonia could all easily start programs up.

[Bill-R-]

Below is a link to a nice article on freshmen forward Shannon Connors of Plattsburgh State. She has made an impact with the women's softball team at Plattsburgh.

Connors Doubles Up (http://www.pressrepublican.com/Archive/2006/04_2006/04072006s2.htm)

[obserbear]

Bowdoin senior co-captain Rebecca Selden has been awarded a 2006-07 Thomas J. Watson Fellowship ($25,000) to pursue her independent research project "Sea Turtle Ecotourism: Impacting Human and Turtle Populations."
http://www.bowdoin.edu/news/archives/1bowdoincampus/002989.shtml

[puxrex]

Great honor for Rebecca and Bowdoin. Congrats. In case you missed it, SI had two Midd hockey players in "Faces in the Crowd": http://www.middlebury.edu/athletics/news/general/2005-2006/sifaces040606.htm

[Bill-R-]

2005-06 NCAA Div. III
Women's Ice Hockey Attendance

Team Home Games Total Att. Avg.

1. Plattsburgh State, 17 7,645 449
2. Elmira 11 4,549 413
3. Middlebury 15 5,567 371
4. Gust. Adolphus 11 2,921 265
5. Bowdoin 15 3,850 256
6. Williams 14 3,328 237
7. Manhattanville 16 3,198 199
8. Connecticut Col. 9 1,607 178
9. Colby 11 1,935 175
10. Wis.-Stevens Point 15 2,563 170

Plattsburgh ranked ninth in all of women's college hockey, outdrawing nationally-ranked Division I programs Princeton, Mercyhurst, Brown and Boston College.

[carveman]

[QUOTE=Bill-R-]2005-06 NCAA Div. III
Women's Ice Hockey Attendance

Team Home Games Total Att. Avg.

1. Plattsburgh State, 17 7,645 449
2. Elmira 11 4,549 413
3. Middlebury 15 5,567 371
4. Gust. Adolphus 11 2,921 265
5. Bowdoin 15 3,850 256
6. Williams 14 3,328 237
7. Manhattanville 16 3,198 199
8. Connecticut Col. 9 1,607 178
9. Colby 11 1,935 175
10. Wis.-Stevens Point 15 2,563 170

FYI: St. Anselm also averaged 199 this past year. From my vantage point, I'd say they averaged more than that--sometimes I think the same person that counts attendance also does shots on goal ;) But pretty good support for a new program.