Stonehill won’t be included in calculations impacting selection for the 2023 NCAA Division I men’s hockey tournament, USCHO has learned.
The school, which is in its first season reclassifying to Division I from Division II, is ineligible for the tournament but its games against other Division I teams could have factored into the Ratings Percentage Index.
The NCAA Division I Men’s Ice Hockey Committee, however, was presented with the issue of whether to count Stonehill’s games in the RPI on Wednesday but chose to agree with the NCAA’s recommendation to exclude them.
The reasoning relates to part of the Division I championship by-laws, specifically:
- Per Bylaw 20.10.7.1 and 20.10.7.3.1, a school in its first year of reclassification to Division I can only be considered a Division I opponent if they meet the Division I scheduling requirements.
According to the NCAA, the number of minimum games for DI Men’s Ice Hockey is 25 games. Per Bylaw 20.10.7.1 an institution shall schedule and play 100 percent of its contests against Division I opponents to meet the minimum number of contests (e.g., 25 for hockey). If that team plays more than 25 games, the institution should schedule and play 50% of its contests beyond the number (25) against DI opponents.
Stonehill is currently 14-2-2 with seven additional games currently scheduled (with one game postponed and not yet rescheduled) for a total of 25 games. Per the bylaws noted above, all 25 games currently scheduled would need to be against Division I opponents for Stonehill to be considered Division I.
The Skyhawks have played only one game against a Division I opponent — a 7-1 loss to Long Island on Oct. 8 — and have four more on the schedule. Two more of them are against LIU and two are against Lindenwood.
USCHO has adjusted the RPI and PairWise Rankings to take the committee’s decision into account.
