Lvc Support

[HockeyFan95]

Tomorrow, the LVC players, students, alumi, parents and fans will be addressing the administration with a plea to keep LVC in DIII. Outside support is greatly needed. Please respond to our thread so we can present all issues to the administration tomorrow.

[NUProf]

Re: Lvc Support

I hope you can succeed. Good luck! The DIII hockey community supports you.

[norm1909]

Re: Lvc Support

As much as I love DIII hockey, I must admit, that LVC has a better chance -in the long run - of having a successful ACHA program, than an ECAC-West program. Maybe as a DIII independent, they might be able to schedule more games with teams of their caliber. The impact on the players? When Minnesota-Crookston switched from NCAA DIII to ACHA DII, 9 of 26 non-senior players remained with the program. Their 2008-09 NCAA DIII Record: 6-21-0, their 2009-10 ACHA DII record: 7-3-1.

Certainly LVC going ACHA isn't in the best interest of NCAA DIII, but I must admit, that unless LVC were to commit more resources to the program, ACHA is probably in their best long term interest. My best wishes to them, that whatever happens, happens for the best.

[mtuck20]

Re: Lvc Support

You need a coach that will go out and get recruits. If they can get top notch talent at Neumann, they can surely get the same at LVC. If you have a team in a top conference, you should always have a shot at gaining the talent.

[Josh Carey]

Re: Lvc Support

You need a coach that will go out and get recruits. If they can get top notch talent at Neumann, they can surely get the same at LVC. If you have a team in a top conference, you should always have a shot at gaining the talent.

Almost every single road trip for LVC is an incredibly long haul. The conference playoffs are set up specifically to exclude them. Their rink is 45 minutes from campus. They play in a top conference (i.e. all the other teams are incredibly good). There are significant reasons why it would be difficult to sell recruits on LVC, even with an expert recruiter.

It will be sad to see them go (one of the few teams Geneseo can beat consistently, since Neumann got all good and such), but it really probably is in the players' and school's best interest to switch out of D3, I'd say.

[cooperalls]

Re: Lvc Support

Neumann entrance standards are very lax compared to LVC's academic standards I would say that Neumann will take anyone that has an SAT score. While LVC would consider themselves more a NESCAC school but in the mid-atantic area. Plus tuition is high at LVC while at Neumann how do you think they got all them great Canadian players in made it very affordable for them. LVC's administration was not willing to support the program like that. I hate to slam Hershey Park arena but it is not really that close to the school and there is a stop light every two seconds getting to the arena. A new rink just went up in the town next to Annville that is much closer to the school and has small seating section which actually makes it look like they have fans now when they play out of that rink. The AD and President want to see Hockey go away I have heard that LVC players are scrambling trying to transfer and think they can just transfer and play at any NCAA Div. III program.

You need a coach that will go out and get recruits. If they can get top notch talent at Neumann, they can surely get the same at LVC. If you have a team in a top conference, you should always have a shot at gaining the talent.

[KnightsOfTheRound]

Re: Lvc Support

I hate to come in and just **** in the thread, but the administration and athletics department at LVC can't have made this decision easily or without consideration of a multitude of issues, and I don't think that anything you can post on the USCHO message board is going to change their minds at this point. It's a shame, but that's the way it is.

Like Josh said, I'll miss LVC for being two easy Ws on Geneseo's schedule every year (and yeah, I remember when it was four easy Ws, back before Neumann said "screw it, we're winning a national title kthxbye")

[berbs91]

Re: Lvc Support

While LVC would consider themselves more a NESCAC school but in the mid-atantic area.

They do? Are they the new Carnegie Mellon? Outside of them dropping hockey, I know nothing about LVC. But I have most certainly heard of Williams, Amherst, Bowdoin, Colby, Middlebury, ect....

[norm1909]

Re: Lvc Support

They do? Are they the new Carnegie Mellon? Outside of them dropping hockey, I know nothing about LVC. But I have most certainly heard of Williams, Amherst, Bowdoin, Colby, Middlebury, ect....

Despite being a DIII hockey fan, in my "top-of-mind awareness", this is what Lebanon Valley brings to mind.

[davinchi]

Re: Lvc Support

How is this for a solution...
Stay DIII as an independent while working on getting Penn State Berks, Villanova, Wagner, Montclair, Stoney Brook, Scranton, and maybe a Baltimore or DC area school to upgrade and make a new league. Neumann, Manhattanville and Elmira could also be considered for their geographic locals as the league develops ( I guess that leaves Hobart and Utica out to dry). They can be more competitive as the ECAC NE right away. Maybe call it the Colonial Conference or the Penn League. I believe Cooperalls is familiar with PA hockey and some of the schools mentioned. Any chance in this becoming a reality? For DIII hockey to survive, there needs to be growth. ECAC NE teams and MCHA teams are already losing the recruiting battle to ACHA teams. Without a more pronounced DIII presence, watch as more and more players elect to play for top flight ACHA teams. Big Schools, good fan base, and competitive budgets are winning the hearts of players from top junior and prep leagues. I believe there are various committees that the DIII coaches belong to...perhaps now is the time to initiate a committee designed to promote the DIII game and get more schools on board? Another thing NCAA DIII coaches need to be in tune to is the growth of the NAHL. They need to get an eastern presence. With the fate of Buff State and Geneseo, I am sure there will be some other teams hearing footsteps in their future of the Canadian Financial Aid packages (eg: Neumann) and they need access to more American players.

[MountieBoyOz]

Re: Lvc Support

Good luck to LVC. When I think of LVC, I think of the old Hey Buddy parties.

[CARDS_rule_the_Burgh]

Re: Lvc Support

How is this for a solution...
Stay DIII as an independent while working on getting Penn State Berks, Villanova, Wagner, Montclair, Stoney Brook, Scranton, and maybe a Baltimore or DC area school to upgrade and make a new league. Neumann, Manhattanville and Elmira could also be considered for their geographic locals as the league develops ( I guess that leaves Hobart and Utica out to dry). They can be more competitive as the ECAC NE right away. Maybe call it the Colonial Conference or the Penn League.

Nova, Wagner, and Stony Brook are of no use: they aren't DIII in other sports

[KnightsOfTheRound]

Re: Lvc Support

How is this for a solution...

Sounds lovely, except its impossible barring major rule changes by the NCAA. Schools that participate in NCAA sports at the Division I level, by and large, aren't permitted to field any teams at the Division III level. For D3 hockey to expand it would need to bring more schools that are already D3 on board. Any such amalgamated league, like you propose, would probably be smaller and less competitive than D3 is right now.

As for getting more D3 schools to play hockey, well, hockey isn't exactly a cheap sport for a school to support, and any school that tries to run a program on the cheap would just wind up another LVC. If you want to improve the visibility and prestige of D3 hockey, it needs to come from within at the schools who already field programs and have hockey tradition, fans, and alumni to help sustain them. That's not to say some realignment and restructuring in D3 can't happen! It clearly needs to, or else the ECAC-W is going to be out of luck. I just don't think the solution is going to be all of a sudden convincing lots of additional schools to field D3 hockey.