Hockey East also wasn't happy having Notre Dame and was happy to let them leave.
Also find it hard to believe BGSU wanted in the NCHC when their head coach at the time was very vocal about not being in the NCHC. BGSU might want to be in the NCHC now, but Bergeron was so against the NCHC he just about killed Miami's program (joking about killing Miami's program).
Mankato was never going to get in and if there was a third team to apply when Mankato and Arizona State first applied. Arizona State and that third team would have been in the NCHC. The NCHC went out of their way and asked St Thomas if they wanted to join, and didn't ask Mankato.