Most hockey fans have no idea what the ACHA is, and probably couldn't care less. When it all boils down to it - the ACHA is the league for club hockey in the United States. Schools like the University of Pittsburgh, Ohio State, Texas, Boston College, and of course... the University of Kentucky - all have hockey teams that compete under the ACHA umbrella. The ACHA has three divisions, conferences, and crowns National champions (one in every division) every year.
Because of my not so secret love for hockey in un-traditional markets, I kind of love the ACHA, because for a lot of college students, the ACHA brings hockey to those markets. But the ACHA doesn't just operate in un-traditional markets... the ACHA brings hockey to colleges all over the Country, even those with decorated Varsity programs.
That brings us to Boston University....
This weekend BU came down to Lexington (They flew!) to play UK. (I had been looking forward to these games since I saw the schedule this past summer.) I somehow came across a video about their team on YouTube which talks about their quest to become affiliated with their University. Upon further research, it seems that BU has some rule that says that a club team won't be recognized by the University if they have a varsity team of the same sport. (BU has a varsity hockey team - a very good one at that - 2009 National Champions good.) Because of this - the BU club hockey team has no official recognition from the school. Because they don't have official recognition from the school - they can't join the ACHA (among other things). They can't compete for National Championships, they're listed as a "Non-ACHA school" on ACHA schools' calendars on the ACHA website.
Pretty much -- it sucks for them.
Schools like Boston College, Bowling Green, Ohio State - all have varsity hockey programs AND club hockey programs.
While I spent my weekend heckling the BU players, I have nothing but respect for that team. They flew to Lexington to play two games in the middle of the night against UK, and they were two great games. I wish that the officials at Boston University who are in charge of these decisions would take the time to check out this team and give them a chance for affiliation. They played two great games and represented their University with class. What more could a school ask for?
While it's very likely that I will never see the BU club hockey team play again, I hope someday in the near future I'll be able to read about Boston University officially recognizing their team. They most certainly deserve it.
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