<\/a><\/p>\nThe SUNYAC will begin its 2020-21 conference schedule at the beginning of February.<\/p>\n
The conference announced the decision today, following approval by the SUNYAC athletic directors during their weekly conference meeting on Oct. 5.<\/p>\n
The schedule will consist of eight divisional games and a four-team crossover playoff format that features the top two teams in each division.<\/p>\n
“The schedules are designed to provide a meaningful student-athlete experience while at the same time prioritizing the health and safety of the student-athletes and staff,” SUNYAC commissioner Tom DiCamillo said in a news release. “We know full well that the pandemic environment is ever-changing. However, it is important to establish our intent to begin conference play in February which will allow our member-institutions to appropriately prepare for intercollegiate athletic competition.<\/p>\n
“We will not operate in a vacuum, but the strength of the SUNYAC is its athletic leadership and knowledge that will be used to craft the best and safest experience possible for our student-athletes.”<\/p>\n
In addition to health and safety, the divisional schedule reduces costs by cutting travel and the need for most hotel accommodations while preserving NCAA eligibility for student-athletes by playing less than 50 percent of the allowable contests.<\/p>\n
Games will be played mostly on Tuesdays and Fridays with the SUNYAC semifinals set for Thursday, March 4, and the championship scheduled for Sunday, March 7.<\/p>\n
The Western Division will consist of Brockport, Buffalo State, Cortland, Fredonia and Geneseo playing an eight-game, double round-robin schedule starting Sunday, Jan. 31.<\/p>\n
The Eastern Division will feature just four teams \u2013 Morrisville, Oswego, Plattsburgh and Potsdam \u2013 that will play a triple round-robin schedule minus one game beginning Friday, Feb. 5.<\/p>\n
Each team playing the other teams three times produces a nine-game schedule \u2013 one more game than the Western Division \u2013 therefore a decision was made based upon geographical distance to balance the schedule by eliminating one long trip \u2013 Oswego to Plattsburgh. As a result, Potsdam and Morrisville will play each other just two times as well.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The SUNYAC will begin its 2020-21 conference schedule at the beginning of February.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":120,"featured_media":123151,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[820],"coauthors":[901],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
SUNYAC announces 2021 schedule, will entail eight divisional games, four-team crossover playoffs - College Hockey | USCHO.com<\/title>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n