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Published February 3, 2012
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Editor's Note: Changing Divisions
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During his annual State of the Institute address earlier this week, President Destler announced that the Women’s Hockey team would be making the move from Division III to Division I competition (see “Women’s Hockey Goes Division I” pg. 5). With the move, they will join the Men’s team as RIT’s sole representation in the Division. It’s a move that couldn’t come soon enough.
For a school that prides itself on its devoted hockey fanaticism, it’s pretty astonishing how little regard the population has for the women’s team. Over the course of last week, the tension built as RIT geared up for the first Men’s hockey home game of 2012. All across campus students could be heard griping about how long (a full seven weeks) it had been since the last game — never mind the fact that the team’s female counterparts had played four games in Ritter Arena since the New Year.
It’s not as if the Women’s team is composed of athletic slouches. Last year they finished as the #2 team in the nation after a heartbreaking loss to the Norwich Cadets last March. This year the team is on track for a repeat performance, though hopefully with a happier ending. Plus, a women’s hockey game at Ritter is completely free. No pesky $5 tickets here.
There is, of course, token appreciation for the Lady Tigers. Every season, there’s that one game designated for attendance by the rabid Tigers fans. And sometimes, when the ladies are on a roll in the playoff, the school deigns it appropriate to support the team — though they are still playing an obvious second fiddle to the men.
Maybe with the divisional upgrade, with more games against tougher opponents, some of the stigma against the women’s team will fade. Besides, with their new, busier schedule, there’s sure to be a pair of Division I hockey games filling the forthcoming Gene Polisseni center almost every weekend.
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