Men's Ice Hockey - Mason's Newest D-I Sport

[Pablo]

http://gmuicehockey.pointstreaksites.com/view/gmuicehockey/news-releases-2/news_530317:

"Next season, Mason will move up to ACHA Division I as the newest member of the Eastern Collegiate Hockey Association, facing new division rivals including DMV-area opponents such as the United States Naval Academy and Towson University."

Note: This is not an NCAA program - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Collegiate_Hockey_Association:

"The ACHA offers an opportunity for college hockey programs that struggle with large budgets and Title IX issues, as an alternative to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) financial structure.[1] Sometimes, NCAA and ACHA teams will compete against one another.[2]"

 

[Falco]

http://gmuicehockey.pointstreaksites.com/view/gmuicehockey/news-releases-2/news_530317:

"Next season, Mason will move up to ACHA Division I as the newest member of the Eastern Collegiate Hockey Association, facing new division rivals including DMV-area opponents such as the United States Naval Academy and Towson University."

Note: This is not an NCAA program - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Collegiate_Hockey_Association:

"The ACHA offers an opportunity for college hockey programs that struggle with large budgets and Title IX issues, as an alternative to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) financial structure.[1] Sometimes, NCAA and ACHA teams will compete against one another.[2]"

I was ready to flip out until I saw no scholarships hahah.

 

[FreeGunston12]

My roommate at Mason played and later coached hockey at Mason. Through watching during that time, I have gained so much respect for Steve Hyjek. To move that team from where they were 10 years ago to this - he's really an unsung hero for George Mason.

 

[Pikapppatri8]

I actually don't mind this - I like hockey. Could we kill golf?

 

[sleeperpick]

I actually don't mind this - I like hockey. Could we kill golf?

Talked to my buddy who played mason hockey. They are in a glorified D3 league that uses no athletic scholarships. He said it’s exciting but it’s not what the name might lead people to believe. I don’t know if that’s right but he was captain and still is good friends with the coach

 

[Pikapppatri8]

Talked to my buddy who played mason hockey. They are in a glorified D3 league that uses no athletic scholarships. He said it’s exciting but it’s not what the name might lead people to believe. I don’t know if that’s right but he was captain and still is good friends with the coach

I understand that - but I would rather have this as a scholarship sport instead of golf.

 

[sleeperpick]

I understand that - but I would rather have this as a scholarship sport instead of golf.

College hockey with a scholarship program is a lot harder than golf. What makes you think our inept admin could pull that off? Btw I agree with you it just would never happen.

 

[GMUgemini]

College hockey with a scholarship program is a lot harder than golf. What makes you think our inept admin could pull that off? Btw I agree with you it just would never happen.

I mean, Sacred Heart is building a $60 million arena in an attempt to become a national player in hockey -- Sacred Heart! That's the kind of thing you're up against.

 

[sleeperpick]

I mean, Sacred Heart is building a $60 million arena in an attempt to become a national player in hockey -- Sacred Heart! That's the kind of thing you're up against.

precisely my point. That is their flagship sport for a tiny university in Connecticut. We put nothing into our flagship basketball program, we never would make a real effort for hockey.

 

[Leesburg Chankenstank III]

precisely my point. That is their flagship sport for a tiny university in Connecticut. We put nothing into our flagship basketball program, we never would make a real effort for hockey.

Mason is adding Women's Darts. There is funding for a new dart board and it should be in by August 2022.

There are also talks about Women's Rock Paper Scissors team.

Fingers crossed.

 

[sleeperpick]

Mason is adding Women's Darts. There is funding for a new dart board and it should be in by August 2022.

There are also talks about Women's Rock Paper Scissors team.

Fingers crossed.

they would probably get more fans to attend matches than most of our women's teams currently do

 

[Five Two]

We need an eSports team. This has been discussed by others, but I'm all in. Don't we have one of the better gaming programs in the country?

 

[MasonSAE4]

Man....super frustrating that a school roughly our same age, with a similar endowment and way smaller alumni pool, can drop $60 million on a hockey arena and we can spend a fraction of that to build our soccer/baseball teams the facility they deserve.

 

[Leesburg Chankenstank III]

Man....super frustrating that a school roughly our same age, with a similar endowment and way smaller alumni pool, can drop $60 million on a hockey arena and we can spend a fraction of that to build our soccer/baseball teams the facility they deserve.

That's not fair. I mean we're getting a new dart board in 2022.

Let's see those holly rollers at Sacred Heart compete with that!

 

[mason89]

We need an eSports team. This has been discussed by others, but I'm all in. Don't we have one of the better gaming programs in the country?

Apparently, we do.

https://si.gmu.edu/gmu-esports-tournament-details/

 

[GMUgemini]

Man....super frustrating that a school roughly our same age, with a similar endowment and way smaller alumni pool, can drop $60 million on a hockey arena and we can spend a fraction of that to build our soccer/baseball teams the facility they deserve.

I would guess Sacred Heart is expecting some revenue from their hockey team. Could you say the same thing about soccer or baseball here?

 

[Pablo]

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/30/sports/hockey/sacred-heart-hockey-arena.html:

"FAIRFIELD, Conn. — Sacred Heart, a Roman Catholic university tucked in the tidy suburbs along Connecticut’s southern coast, has been around since 1963 and has had a men’s ice hockey program for 27 seasons — including nine straight losing seasons entering this one.

Sacred Heart is no hockey school, but it is making a big bet that it can be.

The university is building a $60 million, 4,000-seat arena set to open in 2022 for its men’s and women’s teams in an effort to step into the ranks of college hockey’s most competitive programs. With only about 60 men’s teams and 40 women’s teams, major college hockey is a much smaller world than, say, Division I basketball, so it is more likely for a program to improve quickly, and for a small university to compete with big ones.

At least that is the thinking of Sacred Heart’s athletic director, Bobby Valentine. Yes, that Bobby Valentine. The former manager of the Mets and the Boston Red Sox, Valentine is still energetic at 69 years old and is driving the growth of the university’s facilities, with the hockey arena set to be the final jewel in the process.

'There’s a plan now, with the arena being a shining star, for all of our sports having a facility to call home in a short period of time,' he said in an interview.

In an audacious move for a small Catholic university, Sacred Heart is building a 4,000-seat arena for its hockey programs. Undergraduate enrollment is just more than 5,100 students.Credit...Sacred Heart University"

 

[Five Two]

At least that is the thinking of Sacred Heart’s athletic director, Bobby Valentine. Yes, that Bobby Valentine. The former manager of the Mets"

say no more

 

[KAOriginal]

Living here in New England/Maine.....hockey is huge. Basketball and football are just "side door to athletics."

More people go to my sons HS hockey team's games than football (which recently dropped down to 8 man like many in the state are considering) or hoops.

So the "bet" is a plausible one...

 

[MasonSAE4]

Living here in New England/Maine.....hockey is huge. Basketball and football are just "side door to athletics."

More people go to my sons HS hockey team's games than football (which recently dropped down to 8 man like many in the state are considering) or hoops.

So the "bet" is a plausible one...

I'm also from New England and while I concur about college hockey being bigger, it's still relatively small. The big programs all average about 4,000-4,500 a game; SHU waaaaay less than that. They're playing a very long game here that I don't think will work out.