(02-18-2015 02:39 PM)Miami (Oh) Yeah ! Wrote:  Feb 18, 2015

College Hockey Realignment: Motivations Behind Possible NCHC Expansion

Left out of the equation is if other schools start hockey:

Simon Fraser --> moved to DII and can start DI hockey soon, likely headed to the WCHA
Lindenwood --> same as Simon Fraser, likely WCHA bound
The WCHA commissioner has hinted that a few schools might join soon, with one of them Canadian. The only DII school in Canada that would be eligible is Simon Fraser.
Rhode Island - Although they have denied starting varsity, USCHO has stated the Atlantic Hockey has a 12th team lined up.

(02-13-2015 06:51 PM)Bull_In_Exile Wrote:  

(02-13-2015 04:08 PM)NoDak Wrote:  

(02-13-2015 03:16 PM)Bull_In_Exile Wrote:  

(02-10-2015 11:45 AM)bluesox Wrote:  u of Buffalo should start a program.

We need a Pegula type person to step up.

There was rumors he wanted Buffalo to start a program.

I talked to the sabers after that, actually they called me. The statement from his offices are that he has *0* involvement with anything at UB.

Quote:He's already provided Canisius a new rink across from where the Sabres play.

By "Provided" you means he has leased it to them, they are paying to use the Harbor Center as the primary tenants. Before this the Griffs had to lease from Buff State (DIII program)

Yes, the Sabres have denied involvement. But Let's Play Hockey is standing by its story that Buffalo is getting a gift from Pegula.

(02-18-2015 03:51 PM)MplsBison Wrote:  I wonder what Bowling Green's stance is on all this.

They've essentially been left in the dust by the two other MAC schools with hockey. Now they're in the WCHA with four GLIAC (DII) Michigan schools that they don't play in non-hockey sports.

Their varsity team plays in essentially a community ice rink (also used by the club teams, intramurals and the high school) that is 50 years old.

I don't know what their attendance is like, but we all know hockey is a very expensive sport in terms of operational costs (as opposed to costs like coaching salaries, recruiting budgets and scholarships).


If the NCHC does indeed take Notre Dame as a 10th, instead of BG ... do they drop the varsity program?

If Ariz St joins, and Notre Dame won't, BGSU will be invited to the NCHC.

If Ariz St and ND both join, BGSU could be in the next pair to make the NCHC 12. Arizona is rumored to be waiting to see how Ariz State's launch goes.

The lack of a new rink is what is hurting BGSU, and no new one is in sight. WMU promised that it would have a new rink within a few years when it joined the NCHC. All the other NCHC teams will be playing in large modern college rinks when Omaha moves into their new barn from CenturyLink.

If BGSU fails to get in the NCHC, they can start up a new CCHA with RMU, Mercyhurst, Canisius, Niagara, RIT, UAH, Ferris St, and maybe Buffalo and Syracuse or even Lindenwood. That would be mostly a bus league, with no Alaska or Minnesota trips.

Anything out of the Iowa State camp? There seemed to be some smoke about the Cyclones starting hockey, but I haven't heard anything recently.


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(02-18-2015 08:19 PM)NoDak Wrote:  If Ariz St joins, and Notre Dame won't, BGSU will be invited to the NCHC.

If Ariz St and ND both join, BGSU could be in the next pair to make the NCHC 12. Arizona is rumored to be waiting to see how Ariz State's launch goes.

The lack of a new rink is what is hurting BGSU, and no new one is in sight. WMU promised that it would have a new rink within a few years when it joined the NCHC. All the other NCHC teams will be playing in large modern college rinks when Omaha moves into their new barn from CenturyLink.

If BGSU fails to get in the NCHC, they can start up a new CCHA with RMU, Mercyhurst, Canisius, Niagara, RIT, UAH, Ferris St, and maybe Buffalo and Syracuse or even Lindenwood. That would be mostly a bus league, with no Alaska or Minnesota trips.

ASU is joining the NCHC for sure, correct? It would obviously be nice for the league to have two Arizona schools - although truthfully the way college hockey schedules is just one team for two games on the weekends, right? So in other words, it's not like basketball where a team could go out to AZ and pick up both schools in a weekend. Correct? Probably the same reason the Alaska schools weren't in the same conference for a long time.

BG plus the four GLIAC schools already make for a tight footprint to restart the CCHA. That would leave the WCHA with five as well, but an absolutely horrible footprint with both Alaska's, Huntsville and then Bimidji and Mankato.

So my overall point was, does BG draw well enough (possibly off those old CCHA relationships with Ferris, Northern and Lake Sup.) to make it worthwhile to continue the program, with no new rink in sight?

If not, and if you combine that with Notre Dame not leaving HE, does that mean Bimidji or Mankato is the next up?

NCHC:
Bimidji - UMD
St Cloud - Mankato
Omaha - UND

CCHA:
Northern - Tech
Sup - Ferris
Miami - WMU

WCHA:
Alaska - UAA
Denver - CC
AZ St - AZ

(Huntsville and BG drop)

All this talk about ND leaving HE, but I haven't seen a source. Was there an article I missed?

(02-18-2015 09:26 PM)chargeradio Wrote:  Anything out of the Iowa State camp? There seemed to be some smoke about the Cyclones starting hockey, but I haven't heard anything recently.


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Nothing but specuation, and going on for like 20 years. The NCHC would grab Iowa State obviously, but Notre Dame and Arizona State would come first.

(02-18-2015 09:40 PM)NoDak Wrote:  

(02-18-2015 09:26 PM)chargeradio Wrote:  Anything out of the Iowa State camp? There seemed to be some smoke about the Cyclones starting hockey, but I haven't heard anything recently.


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Nothing but specuation, and going on for like 20 years. The NCHC would grab Iowa State obviously, but Notre Dame and Arizona State would come first.

ND just joined HE. I'm sure they did their research before joining and reviewed all the pros and cons. I doubt they want out now.

ND is many things, but hasty and dumb are not adjectives I would ever use to describe them.

(02-18-2015 09:27 PM)MplsBison Wrote:  

(02-18-2015 08:19 PM)NoDak Wrote:  If Ariz St joins, and Notre Dame won't, BGSU will be invited to the NCHC.

If Ariz St and ND both join, BGSU could be in the next pair to make the NCHC 12. Arizona is rumored to be waiting to see how Ariz State's launch goes.

The lack of a new rink is what is hurting BGSU, and no new one is in sight. WMU promised that it would have a new rink within a few years when it joined the NCHC. All the other NCHC teams will be playing in large modern college rinks when Omaha moves into their new barn from CenturyLink.

If BGSU fails to get in the NCHC, they can start up a new CCHA with RMU, Mercyhurst, Canisius, Niagara, RIT, UAH, Ferris St, and maybe Buffalo and Syracuse or even Lindenwood. That would be mostly a bus league, with no Alaska or Minnesota trips.

ASU is joining the NCHC for sure, correct? It would obviously be nice for the league to have two Arizona schools - although truthfully the way college hockey schedules is just one team for two games on the weekends, right? So in other words, it's not like basketball where a team could go out to AZ and pick up both schools in a weekend. Correct? Probably the same reason the Alaska schools weren't in the same conference for a long time.

BG plus the four GLIAC schools already make for a tight footprint to restart the CCHA. That would leave the WCHA with five as well, but an absolutely horrible footprint with both Alaska's, Huntsville and then Bimidji and Mankato.

So my overall point was, does BG draw well enough (possibly off those old CCHA relationships with Ferris, Northern and Lake Sup.) to make it worthwhile to continue the program, with no new rink in sight?

If not, and if you combine that with Notre Dame not leaving HE, does that mean Bimidji or Mankato is the next up?

Ariz St may have three suitors: the NHCH, the WCHA, and the Big 10. The Big 10 wants more than six teams, and who knows what's going on internally, but the Minneapolis Star-Trib mentioned the Big 10 might have interest in ASU hockey. Having Ariz State in your league would be a big selling point, not only for players, but alumni. For example, when UND plays Arizona State, a big contingent would go down to Tempe for a winter vacation, as well as probably a bigger contingent of Sioux fans that already work or who have retired in the Phoenix metro region.

No league would want the Alaska schools, Bemidji, or the Upper Peninsula schools (Mich Tech, N Michigan, and Lake Superior St): just too strenuous travel, not very good rinks (except Bemidji, and UAA is getting a new one), and low population. Minnesota State, BGSU, Ferris, and maybe UAH could have options later. Ideally, if the WCHA could add Simon Fraser and E Wash (has a rink on campus and could play in Spokane) to make a true Pacific division to limit travel and frequency for eastern teams, that would go a long way towards helping the stability of that league.

BGSU is now winning, is drawing fans, and gets to play occasional games vs OSU and Miami. That fan base doesn't care a lick about Upper Mich schools, and the admin probably hates that its in a defacto DII league.

(02-18-2015 09:32 PM)UConn-SMU Wrote:  All this talk about ND leaving HE, but I haven't seen a source. Was there an article I missed?

The Observer, the student paper, and the BC Interruption had articles about Jeff Jackson's dissatisfaction. Jackson feels like an outsider in HE. He originally wanted the NCHC.

There have also been tweets from media how HE might need to rev up expansion efforts. The NCHC seems to be open to competing cable contracts, which is what ND would bring.

(02-18-2015 09:32 PM)UConn-SMU Wrote:  All this talk about ND leaving HE, but I haven't seen a source. Was there an article I missed?

YOU FOOL! Who needs articles and sources when we have rampant speculation and unsubstantiated rumors propagated by nameless internet avatars?! ...Not I ... not I.

(02-18-2015 10:02 PM)nzmorange Wrote:  

(02-18-2015 09:32 PM)UConn-SMU Wrote:  All this talk about ND leaving HE, but I haven't seen a source. Was there an article I missed?

YOU FOOL! Who needs articles and sources when we have rampant speculation and unsubstantiated rumors propagated by nameless internet avatars?! ...Not I ... not I.

The best threads are always from pure speculation and rumor. That's like oxygen for an internet board.

(02-12-2015 08:26 PM)e-bethMSU Wrote:  

(02-09-2015 09:05 PM)gosports1 Wrote:  do they feel like an outsider because they arent dominating Hockey East like they probably expected they would?

if that's enough of a reason to not be in a conference - then i know why they only kinda joined the acc in football - and why they won't even kinda joined the big 10 or sec in football.

wimps

Notre Dame has a thousand legitimate (historical and present day) reasons not to join the Big 10.

If there is any truth to this rumor, all I have to say to Notre Dame is:

(02-20-2015 02:57 PM)UConnHusky Wrote:  If there is any truth to this rumor, all I have to say to Notre Dame is:

Indeed, why would UConn want any chance to partner with a school that's actually in the ACC (not just wishing it was)?

Particularly a former (old) Big East conference mate?

Indeed.

(02-20-2015 03:14 PM)MplsBison Wrote:  

(02-20-2015 02:57 PM)UConnHusky Wrote:  If there is any truth to this rumor, all I have to say to Notre Dame is:

Indeed, why would UConn want any chance to partner with a school that's actually in the ACC (not just wishing it was)?

Particularly a former (old) Big East conference mate?

Indeed.

Norte Dame is going to do what's in their best interest, like they always do. If they feel it's best for them to leave, that's fine. HE will move on.