I understand scheduling OOC home games can be hard for YSU. Especially after learning more from Italian Penguin and Big D, in regards to D1 schools wanting either a paycheck, or a return home game. And, most teams in the HL play at least 1 non D1 team. Playing Geneva is a nice game. Slocum had a long, successful tenure at Geneva. The schol is not far from Ohio, and Slocum still has strong ties to Geneva College It's a win for YSU, and a chance for Geneva to play at a D1 school from a Top 12-14 D1 Conference.
The other games are what baffle me. If not able to schedule a D1 team, then why not play NCAA D2 schools? There are several within a 2-3 hour drive(max) that are quality programs. Many of these schools have name recognition in Youngstown/Warren, not too mention often having 1 or more players from the Ytown/Warren area on their roster. Schools YSU played regularly when D2, and which they have played several times since moving to D1... Slippery Rock, Gannon(place Slocum last coached prior to YSU), Clarion, IUP, Ashland, Findlay, Lake Erie College, Edinboro, just to name a few... Then there are Walsh University which has a history of solid teams at NAIA and Malone, both of whom are in transition period from NAIA to NCAA D2 and now members of the GLIAC).
These just seem to be games that might help draw a bit bigger crowd, give YSU a stiffer test, not require a large monetary payout, and still be games that a YSU team with enough talent to be a top 4 HL team ought to be able to win. Or, is it a matter of these teams now playing Exhibition games against D1 schools, and thus not wanting to schedule D1 teams in the regular season? Asking since the Exhibition games against the traveling teams like Mobile Oil have been outlawed by the NCAA, and notice schools like OSU, Michigan State, PITT and other major D1 programs now often play 1-2 exhibition games against D2 schools?