Story by The Bam, SportsChowdah.
I was very excited to see the new Maine Men’s hockey schedule come out.
I am definitely planning a trip to Denver for the Ice Breaker Tournament. I attended the Ice Breaker in Kansas City back in 2010 and it was an amazing time. I am sure that Denver will provide an equally great experience.
The one glaring negative on the schedule, however, was the fact that our little brother, UNH (University of No Hardware) is not making an appearance in Orono this season. What a travesty. Hockey East has a scheduling problem and this is the poster child.
The Hockey East commissioner and the leagues’ athletic directors have to come together and figure this out. Heated rivalries should be contested, home and away, every year.
Fixing this is not really that hard. I pretty much figured it out this morning over a few cups of coffee.
The first step is to call Quinnipiac University and invite them to become the 12th member of Hockey East. Quinnipiac is a very successful program with multiple trips to the Frozen Four on its resume. They are regionally accessible. They are a perfect fit for the league.
The second step is to divide the 12 teams into two divisions. Enact conference legislation that calls for 26 Conference games. Play everyone in your division in a two-game series, both home and away, every year. Play everyone in the opposite division in a two-game series and rotate the home site from year to year. Not difficult.
Division A, the Shawn Walsh Division:
Maine
UNH
Vermont
Merrimack
UMass Amherst
Quinnipiac
Division B, the Jack Parker Division:
Boston University
Boston College
Northeastern
UConn
Providence
UMass Lowell
This setup would lend some history, with two of the greatest coaches in the league having their names attached to the divisions. This would also enhance the overall competitiveness of what used to be the best hockey conference in the country.
Most importantly, it would ensure that Maine’s little brother would come to Alfond every single year. The teams benefit, the schools benefit and most importantly, the fans definitely benefit.
Time to make this happen.