NCRHA divisional restructuring ushers in new era for league
Coaches and league officials hope changes will promote competitive balance
By Ryan Dunn, C2C Media Team
College roller hockey has undergone a major shift, as the National Collegiate Roller Hockey Association enacted sweeping changes to its divisional structure in advance of the upcoming 2018–2019 season.
The league will still offer three divisions for primary teams; a condensed Division I that will feature the top 8–12 teams in the nation, a reorganized Division II that will include mid-tier teams from last year’s Division I and top-tier teams from last year’s Division II, and a revamped Division III that will be comprised of the remaining teams from last year’s Division II and select teams from the now-defunct Division IV.
Secondary teams — which function as additional outfits for schools fielding more than one team — will compete in the new Division IV. Programs fielded by two-year institutions will continue to compete in the separate Junior College Division. All five NCRHA divisions will be represented at the National Championship tournament.
The overhaul, which the league announced last month, is the NCRHA’s first divisional restructuring since the summer prior to the 2008–2009 season. The intervening years have seen programs drop out of the league at an alarming rate, especially on the margins of its top two divisions.
NCRHA Executive Director Brennan Edwards said that he noticed friction amongst teams that hover around the Division I/Division II bubble.
“It’s a low-level Division I and high-level Division II problem — just with several teams every year — and it seems to be getting worse,” Edwards said. “We are seeing Division I contract because nobody wants to play up there with the top few.”
Additionally, Edwards noted that some high-level Division I teams didn’t feel consistently challenged by their competition throughout the year.
Coaches who are high on the NCRHA’s new divisional structure praise its emphasis on facilitating more evenly-matched games.
“I am hopeful that it will help make the divisions much more competitive. ” — Joe Oria, University of Colorado
“I am hopeful that it will help make the divisions much more competitive,” said University of Colorado-Boulder head coach Joe Oria in an email. “There was a feeling of ‘haves and have nots’ in all divisions, but especially Division I and Division II. There was a clear difference in talent between the teams that could offer financial aid and scholarships versus the teams that could not.”
Lindenwood University Division I head coach Ron Beilsten echoed Oria’s sentiment, adding that while it might cause schools competing in smaller conferences (such as the SCHL and RMCRHA) to get creative with scheduling, the league as a whole would benefit from tighter competitive margins.
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“We didn’t want to have an inordinate amount of games in our conference with teams that are out of balance because that does no one any good,” Beilsten said. “I think that at the end of the day that creativity in scheduling will be well worth it for everyone.”
Traveling out of conference has become the norm for Lindenwood, who took trips from St. Louis to Los Angeles and Pittsburgh last season. The Lions went 8–0 in interconference play against other Division I teams. The abbreviated size of the new Division I will call for more interconference travel.
“Every team in the league should play more games per season with teams of similar caliber,” Edwards said.
While the league’s goals for competitive balance certainly seem attainable, the cyclical nature of collegiate club athletics will likely usher in a period of adjustment for some schools.
Programs like Neumann University, a longtime Division I mainstay, must now contemplate where they fit within the new divisional alignment.
“I think everyone’s going to have to find their niche and what works best for their school,” said Neumann head coach Lee Strofe. “At the time of this interview, Neumann is probably looking to stay in Division I — however we might decide to play Division II for a year and return to Division I. Neumann University will support our club either way 100%.”
Divisional mobility will not be confined to the upper rungs of the league. A byproduct of the overhaul is the dissolution of the developmental Division IV, which allowed fledgling programs to play an abridged schedule but did not offer a national championship tournament. Teams formerly participating in Division IV will have the choice between joining the new Division III or opting for part-time affiliate status.
Teams such as Rochester Institute of Technology and Yeshiva University have enjoyed success in higher divisions after initially entering the league in Division IV. Saint Joseph’s College (NY) competed in Division IV for three seasons and will now move up to Division III, according to head coach Dino Virone.
“SJC is looking forward to joining D3 this season,” Virone said in an email. “The new divisional alignments allow us to be even more competitive while attempting to go to Nationals.”
“The Division III might make it easier to enter the league, so I think it makes it more accessible,” Edwards said. “Maybe it makes it more accessible to work your way up the ranks from affiliate to Division III to Division II by creating one more stepping stone in Division III.”
Edwards said he hopes the new structure will make it easier for new teams to break into the NCRHA, while also promoting upward mobility between divisions.
“The Division III might make it easier to enter the league, so I think it makes it more accessible,” Edwards said. “Maybe it makes it more accessible to work your way up the ranks from affiliate to Division III to Division II by creating one more stepping stone in Division III.”
In the immediate future, teams will have to navigate the challenges of a more parity-driven landscape.
“Not everyone will have an immediate shot at winning, but that’s what hard work and practice is for,” said Virone.
