The T&G's take on HC hockey bid -- CROSSPORTS: Holy Cross Crusaders Sports Message Board

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Date Posted: 06:22:48 07/15/04 Thu
Author: sader1970
Subject: The T&G's take on HC hockey bid

ECAC says no to HC

By Jennifer Toland Telegram & gazette staff

The Holy Cross hockey program�s hopes of playing in ECAC Division 1 have been dashed � at least for now.
The ECAC athletic directors committee has recommended Quinnipiac as its 12th member institution to replace Vermont, which is leaving to join Hockey East in 2005-06. The recommendation will now go before the ECAC�s policy committee, which will have ultimate approval, and a final decision is expected later this month. There is a chance the policy committee could go in a different direction, but that is not likely.
According to sources, there were two reasons for Holy Cross� rejection. The first was the women�s hockey program, which, in its fifth year in existence, plays in a Division 3 league. Sources said there were concerns on the ECAC�s part regarding the timetable for bringing the HC women�s program up to par with other ECAC schools.
The Quinnipiac women�s program, which gives athletic scholarships, played as a Division 1 independent last year, and will play in the College Hockey America league this year.
The second sticking point was Holy Cross� lack of an adequate on-campus facility. The Hart Center seats 1,600, but Holy Cross said over the winter, when discussions with the ECAC first began, it could play a number of its games at the Worcester Centrum.
Quinnipiac currently plays its home games at the 1,000-seat Northford Ice Pavillion, but plans for a 3,000-seat on-campus arena, scheduled to open in January 2007, are under way.
Holy Cross director of athletics Dick Regan could not be reached for comment last night.
In January, when the ECAC began looking for a new team to replace Vermont and join Harvard, Yale, RPI, Cornell, Dartmouth, Clarkson, Brown, Princeton, Colgate, St. Lawrence and Union in one of the country�s most prestigious hockey leagues, Holy Cross looked like a good fit, academically and competitively.
And the possible prospect of HC joining the ECAC became even more intriguing this spring, following the Crusaders� most successful season in their history.
Holy Cross tied a single season record for wins in 2003-04, won the Atlantic Hockey Tournament title and played in the NCAA Tournament for the first time. The Crusaders battled top-seeded North Dakota admirably in a 3-0 loss before a national TV audience.
Holy Cross has been a Division 1 hockey program since joining the MAAC in 1998. The MAAC dissolved last year and its nine members formed Atlantic Hockey.
Mercyhurst and Sacred Heart, which play in the Atlantic Hockey conference with Holy Cross and Quinnipiac, as well as Niagara, also applied for ECAC membership, but were informed last weekend they were out of the running. That left Quinnipiac and Holy Cross.
There was a chance the ECAC might add two schools to create a 13-team league which would play 24 league games. There is still the possibility of a second ECAC expansion in the near future.
Quinnipiac, which awards the Atlantic Hockey limit of 11 hockey scholarships, won the MAAC Tournament title two years ago.

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Replies:

[> Re: The T&G's take on HC hockey bid -- JRGNYR, 06:45:27 07/15/04 Thu

The article doesn't go as far as others to say that HC refused to commit the same resources to women's hockey as to the men. Also, this is the first we've heard in the last few days regarding big ECAC concerns regarding a home arena for the Cross (although we knew it would be a lingering issue).

Better now to wish Quinnipiac good luck...and also start sending those emails to the athletic department and Fr. McFarland asking exactly how they could have let an opportunity like this slip away.

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[> [> Please Let Your Displeasure Be Known -- Zipp, 08:12:15 07/15/04 Thu

JRGNYR-
I also plan to send an e-mail to Fr. McFarland letting him know I will not contribute to HC and will cease to be a member of the PC. I encourage others to do so as well.

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[> [> [> Re: Please Let Your Displeasure Be Known -- Crossman, 08:43:30 07/15/04 Thu

Does anybody have contact info. for McFarland and Regan? This is a sad day for the Cross.

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[> [> [> I JUST SPOKE TO MCFARLAND ON THE PHONE ! -- HChockeyalum, 10:38:40 07/15/04 Thu

Zipp,
Why are you, especially as a President's Club member, only going to send an email to McFarland? Doesn't membership have its privileges?

Call Father McFarland on the phone! I JUST DID 5 MINUTES AGO AND HAD A 15 MINUTE CONVERSATION WITH HIM ON THIS VERY TOPIC! AND HE DIDN'T EVEN HURRY ME OFF THE PHONE! NOTE: I AM NOT IN THE P.C., THOUGH I HAVE BEEN A REGULAR CONTRIBUTOR EVERY YEAR SINCE I GRADUATED. SO WHY DON'T YOU?

The phone number for the college is 508-793-2011. Ask for the President's office, identify yourself (especially PC members) and, regardless of whether you get through to him, make your displeasure known.

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[> [> [> [> You can't say that and not give us any info... -- HC1843, 11:16:47 07/15/04 Thu

now you've got to share.

Cheers.

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[> [> [> [> [> Re: You can't say that and not give us any info... -- Zipp, 12:18:12 07/15/04 Thu

And the outcome of your discussion?

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[> Still rumors -- sader1970, 08:42:52 07/15/04 Thu

Zipp, and others, I share your disappointment but before we consider holding back financial contributions, shouldn't we at least wait until there is some official decision from the ECAC? I'm still waiting to read a definitive and final decision by those in authority at the ECAC. I haven't seen one yet. In fact, wasn't the QU AD quoted previously to the effect that everything is a still a "hot rumor." All this may well come to pass as reported but what does it hurt to wait until we are 100% sure?

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[> [> Time to Face the Facts -- PatriotFan, 11:21:52 07/15/04 Thu

Money is the issue here guys. The College either doesn't have it, or the Trustees won't give it up, or McFarland doesn't care to allocate it to athletics. Don't blame Regan, because he doesn't have an endless line of credit to fix things. He can't fund a women's hockey program if he doesn't have the money. If he tried to take money away from football or basketball to fund hockey, there would be a long string of comments on this forum about that! He's doing the best he can - he did change out 3 coaches this year. Face it, the facilities aren't up to snuff. Most teams are under equipped. Some teams don't have locker rooms. Several teams don't have adequate assistant coaching support. The only way the problem gets fixed is with money from alums. Somebody, or some group, with passion, needs to step up and say "Here a million, fix the rink." "Here's $500,000, build the soccer field." "Here's $500,000, build the locker rooms." The lack of team boosters, or an overall boosters organization, needs to be addressed, because it is costing the college money. Given the disposition of this alumni body, there are probably many who would give money for athletics, but not other things.

But saying "we've had enough...we're not giving" only exacerbates the problems. The schools that have turned around their athletic programs have done so because while alums have said "we've had enough...", they've also said "...and here's the money to fix it."

Colgate, Bucknell and Lehigh have figured it out. We haven't. Stop griping; get organized, call the Trustees, and do something about it.

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[> [> [> Once forgiven (Big East)...Twice the Fool (ECAC).. -- HC1843, 11:40:52 07/15/04 Thu

B/C most of us are not Park Smith, I can call each trustee until I am blue in the face and I'll be told to have a nice day. I would rather, which I plan on doing, calling the President's office and stating that I do not plan on contributing to the yearly fund until several problems are addressed.

This administration just does NOT listen to the little but up and coming alumni. Several of us have spoken or emailed various departments within HC to offer our thoughts, advice, etcetera, etcetera and to my knowledge we have all been told, "thanks, but we can't do that right now" even if financial constraints are not involved.

Maybe you have $500k to throw around...if so give McFarland a call and we might be in business. Otherwise, expect little. I can't wait for, but will be surprised by, the day some of the little givers big ideas are implemented, but right now HC only listens to the big boys. They won't be here in 25 years, we will (godwilling)and when we don't give b/c we were given short shrift, it will be too late.

Cheers.

P.S. Do you realize how horrid it is to have it put out in the press that we are not willing to match funding for the women's team!? True or false, that is what is being said and it stinks for the Cross!!! We piss away $2 million dollars a year on what has become the PL's football joke team but can't find $500,000 to fund 12 scholarships (3 per year), and at the same time admit to being able to give preferential financial aid packages to our current men's hockey players!!!! I don't know what principles your HC supports, but these are not what my HC supports.

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[> [> [> [> The Issue is Money -- PatriotFan, 13:00:54 07/15/04 Thu

The little guy gets heard when he is part of a bigger group. Thus, my comment on a Boosters Organization. While one guy with $500-$1,000 might not be heard, 500 athletic donors with $1,000 each become pretty important to the College. The College may say "we don't have a boosters group because it interferes with the Lift High the Cross campaign". Maybe they don't know what they are missing. Start one anyway and convice the College it means real money, and more money then we will raise for just "general use". And, if you can't write a big check, provide some horsepower. There seems to be plenty of energy on this board that could be harnessed. The College will listen.

A number of people on this board continue to be hung up on the scholarship issue as well. People need to get off that kick, it's not the problem, or the solution. There are plenty of scholarship schools whose athletic programs suck. It's hard to compete in hockey without scholarships, but most of the Ivies compete very nicely in all sports without scholarships. Good recruiting, hard work, and financial aid for those who need it can work. Seems to work at Lehigh, Colgate and Bucknell. Seems to work for Paul Pearl. But that comes back to money again.....if you don't have good facilities($)and adequate coaching($)for your sports teams or an adequate financial aid budget, you won't be able to recruit.

Random calls to the President's office will be lost in the noise level of other issues at the school. There needs to be an alumni athletic organization formed to bring the message, and the $, to the forefront.

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[> [> [> Re: Time to Face the Facts -- HCFan, 11:45:38 07/15/04 Thu

PatriotFan has it right - these things get done because people step up and give the money. Quinnipiac will build a new rink becasue their alums will give $3-4 million. Regan has nothing to do with this - of course he wants us in the ECAC, but like Ron Perry before him, his hands are tied. As for HC not listening to younger/"little alums", you may be right to an extent, but what school/institution does? When you've got 30,000 alumni who all feel like they have an equal voice, it makes for a difficult situation. The reality of any school is those who are generous gain access...that in no way is unique to our school.

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[> [> [> Re: Time to Face the Facts -- Zipp, 12:51:44 07/15/04 Thu

Whoa! Wait a minute here. That's exactly part of what upsets me. Its not like we DON'T have the money. Granted we can't fund everything, but there are schools out there doing a whole lot more with an aweful lot less. You know how big QU's endowment is? About 1/10 of ours and they don't have a problem with 20-30 scholarships and a new rink.

Look if you think this is only about money, you've only got it half right. What this is about is philosophy; its that tired old Brooks dogma that has haunted us since the 80's. Oh, we've fought this battle before but wasted potential just disgusts me. And that's what this is.

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