By KEN SCHOTT Gazette Sportswriter Reach Gazette sportswriter Ken Schott at 395-3159 or schott-@dailygazette.com.
If Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute hockey coach Dan Fridgen had his way, the ECAC would play more league games when Vermont leaves the conference for Hockey East in 2005-06.
Fridgen will push for that idea when the ECAC conducts its league meetings during the American Hockey Coaches Association convention starting tonight in Naples, Fla.
The future of the ECAC will be the main topic of discussion between the coaches and league administrators. Talks will center on whether the league will replace Vermont with one, two or three teams, or if it will operate as an 11-team conference.
Army, Holy Cross and Quinnipiac of Atlantic Hockey, and Niagara of College Hockey America are believed to be interested in joining the ECAC.
Whatever happens, Fridgen believes the league needs to increase the number of conference games it plays. Each team plays 22 conference games, the second fewest among the six college hockey leagues. The sixteam CHA has the fewest conference games, 20. The 12-team CCHA and the 10-team WCHA play the most league games, 28.
Fridgen would like to see the ECAC increase the number of league games to 24 or 26.
"It would be beneficial to play more league games, considering that [most] other leagues are playing more league games than we are," Fridgen said. "It would cut down on the number of nonconference games we would have to schedule. By playing each other more, it might help us with the RPI [Ratings Percentage Index]."
A stumbling block could be the six Ivy League schools — Brown, Cornell, Dartmouth, Harvard, Princeton and Yale — that play in the ECAC. They are limited to 29 regular-season games. Increasing the league schedule would cut down on their ability to schedule nonconference games.
"I’m sure they don’t want to give up any of their non-conference games," Fridgen said. "The big question mark is how many teams we’re going to have."
Cornell coach Mike Schafer is open to the idea of more league games.
"If it’s proper to play more games because it helps our league out as far as the power rankings, then we should take a look at that," Schafer said. "We’re a league that plays one of the fewest league games in the country. It’s great to talk about it, but it’s even more important that we’re actually making an educated decision when we get there. That’ll be the part where we have to do a lot of research from that standpoint."
As for how the league will look in 2005-06, Fridgen doesn’t have a gut feeling on how things will shake out.
"I’m just hoping that somebody has been proactive with the options we have available, so that when we go to Florida, we can decide upon those options," Fridgen said.
Union coach Nate Leaman would like to see the travel partnership end and have opponents play each other twice on the weekend.
"I don’t know what the right thing is for our league, to be honest," Leaman said. "I’m not sure if 14 teams isn’t wrong for our league, or I’m not sure if 11 teams [is wrong]. When I was in Hockey East [as a graduate assistant at Maine in 1999-00], I really liked how we played the same team on a weekend. I like how the CCHA does that.
"From a coach’s point of view, it really helps you, as far as preparing for your opponents. As far as a travel point of view, it cuts down on your travel between venues. You’re staying at the same hotel. You don’t have to worry about having your student-athletes travel, let’s say between Vermont and Dartmouth."
ECAC commissioner Phil Buttafuoco said no invitations will be extended to interested schools.
"We will talk about membership with the positives or negatives of 11 teams vs. 12 teams," Buttafuoco said. "But I do not expect any decisions to be made."
