USU club hockey opts not to join new DI league
While all other in-state university hockey clubs will be playing either a full or partial Division I schedule next season, Utah State will not.
USU and Colorado University declined an invitation to join Hockey West, a D-I league of the American Collegiate Hockey Association. It was formed two-weeks ago as representatives from several Arizona and Utah universities met in Salt Lake City to discuss the matter.
No one from USU attended the meetings.
Aggie Head Coach Jerry Crossley said the USU hockey program could “die a slow death” by making the jump because of the team’s lack of depth in the lineup, a need for more aggressive recruiting, and some players struggling
academically.
Crossley did not give a definite time period as to when USU would be ready to join Hockey West.
“Nobody has told me what it can do for us,” Crossley said. “I want to provide a situation where the guys can be competitive. We can’t compete with the better D-I teams. We are able to compete with D-II teams. That’s as good as we are.”
Hockey West, which begins play in September 2003, will consist of the University of Utah, Weber State, Arizona, Arizona State and BYU (playing a partial schedule with the league). Colorado State was also looking to join the league, but as of Tuesday it had not made a
decision.
Arizona and Arizona State have both established Division I programs.
USU (9-9-1 overall) is a combined 5-6-1 this season against teams in Hockey West, including a 3-2 home win against ASU Nov. 23.
Arizona is considered one of the better D-I teams (a No. 7 ranking in the ACHA polls).
Crossley pointed out the 12-3 road loss the Aggies suffered to AU Nov. 2 as one of the foremost reasons USU isn’t ready for the next level.
What USU’s schedule will look like next season is yet to be determined, but Skatin’ Ute Head Coach Stan Weiss said both his team and Weber State are interested in playing two to four games with the Aggies.
Weiss said the Hockey West schedule for Utah teams will have 18 league games, four BYU games and a home-and-away series with a D-I team in the eastern United States. Each Hockey West team will target a complete schedule of 35 to 38 games.
“The Hockey West members believe USU could easily upgrade their talent base to be competitive in D-I if they chose to do so,” Weiss said. “We are hopeful that USU will reconsider its involvement in Hockey West within the next year or two.
“This has been a great rivalry in the past, and one we’d hope to perpetuate in the future,” he said.
–samhis@cc.usu.edu