The New Haven (Conn.) Register reported today that Fairfield has been declared ineligible for the ECAC playoffs, due to its awarding of athletic scholarships in preparation for a move into the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference.
Fairfield, a Division I institution, currently is a member of the ECAC’s North/Central/South conference, which operates under Division III rules, including the banning of athletic scholarships.
The announcement, made by ECAC hockey commissioner Jeff Fanter, also means that games involving Fairfield will not be counted in the conference’s 1997-98 standings.
Fairfield is the second ECAC N/C/S school to be sanctioned for offering athletic scholarships this season, following Quinnipiac in December. Both schools will move into full-fledged Division I play next year in the MAAC, college hockey’s fifth D-I league.
