No news is exactly that today — no news — as the athletic directors of the 11 MAAC institutions met on a conference call to discuss league issues.
According to Ken Taylor, director of ice hockey and special events for the MAAC, there was “no formal approval of anything, just discussion.” Thus the league office is staying tight-lipped on the issues.
It is widely expected that the major issue on the agenda was the controversial “start-of-season” legislation that the MAAC filed. If approved entirely by the NCAA, the legislation would limit the length of the college hockey season, creating a firm date that teams can both start practicing and start playing games.
The start-of-season legislation raised a major stir among the other four major conferences, and the MAAC continued to receive a lot of heat at the annual American Hockey Coaches Association convention last month in Naples, Fla.
Even though the legislation has already been approved by the NCAA’s Management Council, and will up for a final vote in October, the MAAC has discussed alternate plans for the legislation.
“[The MAAC is] working on a compromise and is looking for common ground,” said Taylor.
It was also expected that the ADs would discuss the potential membership of Niagara, a full-time member of the MAAC, currently playing hockey in the CHA. Taylor declined to comment on the issue.
Taylor would say that the dates for 2002 MAAC Final Four were discussed, and the league has decided to play the championship game either Saturday, March 16 or Sunday, March 17, depending on which day would result in better television coverage. The tournament will be hosted by Holy Cross in Worcester, Mass., hosts of the inaugural tournament in 1999. The league quarterfinals will remain a single-game elimination and will be played at campus sites on Saturday, March 9.
