Colorado College athletic director Ken Ralph said the school will wait until the NCAA announces its guidelines later this month concerning athletic stipends before it decides if it will offer them to its hockey and women’s soccer players.

“We will wait to see what guidance they provide before we (the school’s administration) make a decision,” Ralph said. “We need to decide what fits into our school’s mission and what we can do ethically under the rules.”

At the NCAA convention two weeks ago, the five major conferences voted 79-1 to allow the Big Ten, Pac-12, ACC, SEC and Big 12 to pay athletes funds in addition to scholarships to cover their general expenses.

Estimates have placed that stipend between $2,000-$6,000 per year depending on each school’s cost of living. The National Collegiate Hockey Conference is not expected to dictate a leaguewide amount.

Another wrinkle CC must consider is how to divvy up stipends for players on partial scholarships, which is allowed and common for both hockey and women’s soccer, the other Tigers Division I sport that will need stipends under Title IX rules. Both programs hand out the equivalent of 18 full scholarships. Ralph has said the school has the money for any additional costs.

Another concern for CC is how stipends may affect recruiting. North Dakota athletic director Brian Faison said UND may pay $3,500 per player in stipends.

Ice chips

Five NCHC teams – Nebraska-Omaha, North Dakota, Denver, Miami and Minnesota-Duluth – would make the 16-team NCAA Tournament if the season ended now, judging from the Pairwise rankings. . Ten Huskies were ill with the flu this week but all played Friday and Saturday. . SCSU scored seven goals each of the past two Fridays in a row. . SCSU has outscored CC 48-23 in the past 10 games (8-1-1 Huskies) before Saturday’s contest. . The four power-play goals scored by the Huskies in Friday’s 7-1 loss were the most allowed by CC since five for North Dakota; a 7-2 loss on Oct. 18, 2014. . Former Tiger Rylan Schwartz has 23 points (17 assists) in 20 games since being sent down to the ECHL’s Allen (Texas) Americans by the San Jose organization.

JOE PAISLEY, THE GAZETTE