I just watched an episode of Game On (which is a totally awsome show) and saw that Liberty was a member of the ACC for men's hockey... club level, and actually won the ACC title in 97. With the popularity and national competitiveness of LU hockey, why haven't we made it an official NCAA sanctioned sport?

(07-30-2017 05:01 AM)army56mike Wrote:  I just watched an episode of Game On (which is a totally awsome show) and saw that Liberty was a member of the ACC for men's hockey... club level, and actually won the ACC title in 97. With the popularity and national competitiveness of LU hockey, why haven't we made it an official NCAA sanctioned sport?

Title IX and scholarships. Upgrading to 1-A probably puts us down even further on the male-female scholarship ratio.

(07-30-2017 10:39 AM)LibertyOrangeman Wrote:  

(07-30-2017 05:01 AM)army56mike Wrote:  I just watched an episode of Game On (which is a totally awsome show) and saw that Liberty was a member of the ACC for men's hockey... club level, and actually won the ACC title in 97. With the popularity and national competitiveness of LU hockey, why haven't we made it an official NCAA sanctioned sport?

Title IX and scholarships. Upgrading to 1-A probably puts us down even further on the male-female scholarship ratio.

+1

In addition, D1 hockey is a very expensive sport. As a WMU alum, D1 hockey is a point of pride for the school but it is a huge expense on the athletic budget.

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We could bring both men & women up at the same time to manage the Title IX concerns. But right now the upside for moving up is not as significant as the expense. That could change in the future.

What is the expense difference between club and sponsored..... besides the scholarships? I mean what makes it more expensive than playing as a club sport?

(07-30-2017 10:19 PM)SlyFox Wrote:  We could bring both men & women up at the same time to manage the Title IX concerns. But right now the upside for moving up is not as significant as the expense. That could change in the future.

I genuinely hope we don't have to wait too long. The Ice Arena is an excellent place to watch a game. I love "Cawlidge Hawkey" and would gladly make the 3 hour drive on a regular basis to see my alma mater play in games that matter. Some of the best memories from my time there are the hockey games. I think bringing up M&W together is a slam dunk and another way to improve recruiting in other sports. Canadians play basketball too!

Moving the mens and women's team to the NCAA is on the agenda for Jr and McCaw. Once the dust is settle with the football program (about 2-3 years) expect some movement.

Having a division 1 hockey team was also apart of Doc's vision as well.

If Liberty is serious about having D1 hockey for both men and women, I think the Hockey East conference should be the goal. Atlantic Hockey, big ten, and NCHC do not have women hockey. WCHA has room for women but is very full for men. It is also a very bad geographical footprint. ECAC would be a decent fit but they are already at 12 members for men and women. Hockey East has room for both men and women. It is definitely one of the two best hockey conferences (men) alongside the NCHC. The geo-footprint is located in the New England region. Hockey East had Notre Dame in it for a while (ND moved to the big ten) so I think the distance to Virginia would not be a problem.

D1 Hockey
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NCAA_Divis...ice_hockey

Hockey East
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hockey_East

As a very casual hockey fan, I am glad to see discussion on the board about positions that will benefit LU with future membership. It is helping me to grasp the options available. I have attended several games and have enjoyed them all, and watch games occasionally online.

And this post give me the opportunity to share a personal experience. In 1980, as a very young buck, myself and a good friend decided we would go to the Lake Placid Olympics. We saw events of bob sledding, lots of skiing and hockey. And you guessed it, he and I saw the USA vs. USSR hockey game live. The arena was electric as reports have stated many times. I've attended a World Series and some high profile NFL games, and high profile NCAA FB games. If one combined all the hoopla and excitement of all the pro sports and NCAA FB and MBB experiences, they would not hold a candle to the Lake Placid experience. To this sports fan, it is and was the holy grail, even to the casual hockey fan.