NESCAC athletics administrators confirmed long-standing rumors that the 2010-2011 season would be the end of the NESCAC-ECAC East interlock in men's ice hockey. The decision was released on January 6.
In an interview with United States College Hockey Online, men's ice hockey coach and Assistant Director of Athletics Terry Meagher said, "The league approved the change last fall and the schedule has just been finalized for next season, with the NESCAC becoming a separate playing conference and the ECAC East mirroring the change."
Both the NESCAC and ECAC conferences will transition to a home-and-home format, with each matchup occurring twice throughout the regular season.
Meagher explained that this means 18 games of a 24-game regular season schedule will be in-conference matches, and the six remaining games will be nonconference match-ups.
Director of Athletics Jeff Ward said that the idea of splitting the two conferences was developed over the course of three or four years by the NESCAC hockey coaches.
The process "started with the [coaches] group and then went to the administrators then went back to coaches," Ward said.
"The coaching body talked about it in the annual conference calls, eventually coming to a consensus," Meagher said. "The next step was that the athletic directors had to approve it. It appeared to be the right thing to do. I believe in my heart that it's the right decision for the NESCAC ice hockey programs."
According to Ward, Meagher was not the only coach in the NESCAC in favor of ending the conference interlock.
"It was unanimous" among NESCAC ice hockey coaches, said Ward. "But the ECAC schools would love to keep it."
Despite the ECAC coaches' hesitancy toward the decision, Meagher believed it was a necessity.
"We have a responsibility as coaches and administrators to give our athletes a competitive schedule, and we're giving them an opportunity to play the most competitive schedule in the country."
"We share a lot in common with the other NESCAC schools and I think that makes the competitive experience much better and much more fun," Ward added.
Ward thought the change would not only improve the experience of the players but would also attract more spectators.
"Most people seem to get more excited when we play NESCAC teams," he said. "Players, student fans, and the general public will be more interested in the games. It's hard for people to get excited" about games against non-NESCAC schools.
Additional factors were involved in the decision, as well.
"The other NESCAC schools have the same philosophy of sports that we do, the same sort of academic standards, the same sort of sportsmanship standards," said Ward. "Students at NESCAC schools are going through similar patterns and the new conference gives us a little bit more control in the NESCAC league."
Both Meagher and Ward expect that schools in the NESCAC and ECAC leagues will continue to play each other in practice matches despite the changes.
Meagher is optimistic about the new setup.
"It's going to be as challenging and as competitive as any conference in the country," he said. "This will be really exciting, playing everyone at home, and should make for a very competitive league."