The Division III Men's Ice Hockey Committee discussed its desire to parlay a move to predetermined sites for the championship into more exposure for the event during its June 7-10 meeting in Indianapolis.

For the first time, the Division III championship will be held at a predetermined site in 2006, in Elmira, New York, at the First Arena. Committee members will visit the championship site later this year, and hope to explore the possibility of attracting additional exposure for the event through television. Members believe that new cable networks dedicated to college sports pro- gramming could provide opportunities for air time for the championship, and members of the Corporate and Broadcast Alliances staff are currently working on a deal with CSTV to air the 2006 championship.

The committee also reviewed recent changes in championships selection criteria by the Division III Championships Committee.

The changes reviewed by the committee included re-naming the strength of schedule index to better reflect what it is measuring -- "quality of wins" -- and the elimination of the "once-ranked, always-ranked" philosophy, which was controversial because it gave teams credit for victories over in-region opponents that were ranked in early polls but dropped out over the course of the season.

The committee will also publish a ranking the same weekend of championship selections. That ranking will include competition taking place on selection weekend. Currently, the final rankings are completed a week before selections are made.

The men's committee elected Chris Brown of Augsburg College to be the new chair. Al McCormack, men's ice hockey coach at Lebanon Valley College, will be the committee's new member.

The Division III Women's Ice Hockey Committee also met in Indianapolis earlier this year. Both the women's and men's committees voted to request an increase in officials' fees for the next budget cycle. The women's committee also intends to continue to use mixed officiating crews -- including officials from both the East and West regions -- for the semifinal games. The decision to continue was made after the successful use of mixed crews in the 2005 tournament.

Though the women's championship is one of the few Division III championships not played at a predetermined site, the committee believes the fan base for the event is not yet strong enough to support predetermined sites. However, the committee will recommend that the championship go to a site in the West once every four years regardless of geographic proximity.

Currently, the championship is held in a location that meets the division's geographic-proximity requirements, though there is an emphasis on placing the championship in the West when possible. The committee also discussed the Division III commitment to enhancing the student-athlete experience at the championships.

Unlike the National Collegiate Women's Ice Hockey Committee, the Division III committee would like to preserve its third-place game. The committee has sought input from coaches and student-athletes, and committee members don't want to abandon the concept.

Lori Runskmeier, director of athletics at New England College, will be the new chair of the committee.