ECAC-Hockey East Schism Reconsidered

When Hockey East began its first season in 1984, it did so in a blaze of heightened expectation. Five schools representing 11 ECAC titles broke off from the old 17-team ECAC, followed by two more teams.

The conference promised to be an exciting alternative to the Ivy-dominated ECAC. With a combination of competitive recruiting, a demanding schedule and a television contract, it seemed that Hockey East would quickly supplant the ECAC as the dominant Eastern College hockey power.

Recent Beanpot Tournaments have shown this to be the case. Not only have the Hockey East teams captured the last three Beanpot titles, but Harvard has posted a 2-4 record in these tournaments.

There are other barometers of the ECAC-Hockey East rivalry, however. In regular season interconference games, the ECAC has the advantage with a 5-2-1 record over the past two years, the most recent of which was a 7-4 St. Lawrence victory over Lowell.

In the NCAA tournament, the ECAC schools have shown a similar margin of superiority. In Hockey East's first year, the two leagues placed two teams in the Final Four. But Providence College fell to RPI, the lone ECAC representative remaining in the tournament. In its second year, both Boston College and Boston University were unceremoniously dumped in the first round, while Harvard earned the runner-up spot.

This year brings much of the same: Harvard is in the Final Four. Hockey East candidates B.C. and Maine are home after falling in the quarterfinals.

Hockey East commissioner Louis Lamoriello isn't worried about the future of the conference.

"We are ecstatic about the shape that the league is in," he said.

By the same token, Joseph D. Bertagna '73, the Executive Director of ECAC Ice Hockey, is not worried that the ECAC will be swamped by Hockey East, either on or off the ice.

"We have good parity," said Bertagna. "Princeton and Brown went to the last week of the season (to determine the playoff teams)."

After three years of competition, both the ECAC and Hockey East seem to be happy with the way that events have unfolded, but at a cost.

Lamoriello seems pleased with the transfer from a large hockey conference to a smaller one. "We cannot have better scheduling," he remarks.

Bertagna, however, is not pleased by the ending of several major rivalries by the ECAC-Hockey East split. "We're going to miss playing teams that we had good relationships with."

The rivalry which has been by far the most affected by the ECAC-Hockey East split has been the Cornell-Boston University series. They have not met since the 1983-84 season after having arguably the most colorful rivalry in the East during the '60's and the '70's.

As for the future of the two Eastern conferences, there are still questions which must be answered. The first is a question of expansion. Bertagna doesn't see much in the way of another 16- or 17-team ECAC. "The executives were happy with the 12-team league...but we would listen to anyone who petitioned," he said.

Lamoriello downplays the prospects for Hockey East's expansion. "Expansion is not a necessity," he said.