UND and the Changing Landscape of College Hockey

[Big A HG]

Michigan Tech is a VERY smart school. Their academics are not an issue...just their athletics.

[mksioux]

There are a lot of engineering alumni from various schools working in the trona mines out here in Western WYO and they all speak very highly of Michigan Tech. I understand it is a small school with outstanding engineering programs and that they also do a ton of research.

Michigan Tech is in the WCHA. I think Star was referring to Lake Superior State, Northern Michigan, Ferris State, and Western Michigan who play in the CCHA. Those are the Michigan schools left behind with Notre Dame in the CCHA. Most people on this board are aware Michigan Tech has a really good engineering reputation. I'm not sure about the rest of the Michigan schools.

[SiouxMD]

Air Force wants to play Army. They are trying to get Navy to move their hockey program up from club status.

Couldn't Air Force continue to play Army in the WCHA?

[WYOBISONMAN]

Michigan Tech is a VERY smart school. Their academics are not an issue...just their athletics.

Kinda like when the Bison played Montana Tech (cough.......cough .......gag) in football......

[mikejm]

Couldn't Air Force continue to play Army in the WCHA?

They just joined Atlantic Hockey in '06 iirc. They want to be in the same conference as West Point.

[Fighting Sioux Fan]

Why do people keep suggestion that Alaska join the WCHA? I think this is a terrible idea. How expensive is it to go to Alaska for one weekend alone? Just think about the costs for going twice! Also, schools get the bonus of playing and extra two games a season if they go to Alaskan schools to play, maybe the CCHA teams will want to keep this as an option.

[gfhockey]

Our worse case scenario might play out and UND may have to leave a waterd down WCHA>

Bruce Mcloud was on the mcfeely show kinda of bragging about all these options the wcha had. When asked about the schools he was saying that as soon as the bthc was annoucned he was on the phone with doug peters Moorhead state AD. Then he didnt mention any more name but mentioned that hes had sevral conversations with smaller schools that want to add hockey.

Bottom line=if all these small schools want in, UND should get out. Go INDY. Find a new leauge. Start a new league. Do something.

[redwing77]

Our worse case scenario might play out and UND may have to leave a waterd down WCHA>

Bruce Mcloud was on the mcfeely show kinda of bragging about all these options the wcha had. When asked about the schools he was saying that as soon as the bthc was annoucned he was on the phone with doug peters Moorhead state AD. Then he didnt mention any more name but mentioned that hes had sevral conversations with smaller schools that want to add hockey.

Bottom line=if all these small schools want in, UND should get out. Go INDY. Find a new leauge. Start a new league. Do something.

I agree.

If Concordia and/or MSU Moorhead want to go DI, then convince DU, CC, BSU, UMD, UND, Miami, and Notre Dame to form their own conference. Perhaps bring in UNO or SCSU to make 8 teams. Then let McLeod play with the rest.

[star2city]

Michigan Tech is in the WCHA. I think Star was referring to Lake Superior State, Northern Michigan, Ferris State, and Western Michigan who play in the CCHA. Those are the Michigan schools left behind with Notre Dame in the CCHA. Most people on this board are aware Michigan Tech has a really good engineering reputation. I'm not sure about the rest of the Michigan schools.

Exactly.

Western Michigan has good programs, including aviation.

The point about Lake Superior State, Northern Michigan, and Ferris State is that they are all dual community colleges and Universities. No other Michigan university is also a community college, except for those three. Link: http://www.michigancc.net/cci/cclinks/

Again, Notre Dame didn't have a problem with these three schools when it also meant playing Michigan, MSU, and OSU. Without Big Ten schools as part of the equation, Notre Dame won't stay in that association that includes a community college/university mixture . Where Notre Dame goes, Miami will follow. Where Miami goes, Bowling Green and WMU will attempt to follow.

[farce poobah]

Again, Notre Dame didn't have a problem with these three schools when it also meant playing Michigan, MSU, and OSU. Without Big Ten schools as part of the equation, Notre Dame won't stay in that association that includes a community college/university mixture . Where Notre Dame goes, Miami will follow. Where Miami goes, Bowling Green and WMU will attempt to follow.

Notre Dame has to be thinking about expanding its ties with other Catholic universities. (BC, Merrimack, Providence, to name just three.)

I agree they will leave the CCHA, but I see them going to Hockey East. That's the closest thing to their other Big East ties. (Especially if the campaign to add schools brings in Syracuse or Pitt, and if UConn moves up from AHA to Hockey East, etc etc.) I wouldn't be surprised if there's a split of Hockey East and Big East in the coming years; some of those hockey-only alliances are as unlikely as those that exist out west.

Of course, we (North Dakota) would love to have Notre Dame in WCHA. But from Notre Dame's perspective - football is king - I'm not sure they would be interested in coming back to the WCHA after leaving 30 years ago.

I agree with the comments about the MAC schools sticking together; the hard part for them is what coalition can they build ... I think a hockey scheduling arrangement with Big 10 schools and the MAC schools is VERY likely.

[Big A HG]

Why do people keep suggestion that Alaska join the WCHA? I think this is a terrible idea. How expensive is it to go to Alaska for one weekend alone? Just think about the costs for going twice! Also, schools get the bonus of playing and extra two games a season if they go to Alaskan schools to play, maybe the CCHA teams will want to keep this as an option.

I'm almost positive UAF pays for each CCHA visitor to come up and play them. If that carried over, it wouldn't be such a bad thing.

[PhillySioux]

Moorhead St Reaches out to WCHA

I cant bear the thought of this.

[ScottM]

Moorhead St Reaches out to WCHA

I cant bear the thought of this.

I just threw up in my mouth a bit. At least Bemidji and UNO had established programs, with significant support. I don't see Moorhead "doing a Penn State" with respect to the dollars anytime soon.

[darell1976]

I just threw up in my mouth a bit. At least Bemidji and UNO had established programs, with significant support. I don't see Moorhead "doing a Penn State" with respect to the dollars anytime soon.

What makes MSUM think they can start a hockey program and automatically join the WCHA? We are not a minor league conference, at least Bemidji State won hockey titles at other divisions and was in D1 for awhile before being added to the WCHA. I think we will hear NDSU start talking about hockey soon, at least they have a nice hockey facility what does Moorhead have a high school size rink.

[star2city]

What makes MSUM think they can start a hockey program and automatically join the WCHA? We are not a minor league conference, at least Bemidji State won hockey titles at other divisions and was in D1 for awhile before being added to the WCHA. I think we will hear NDSU start talking about hockey soon, at least they have a nice hockey facility what does Moorhead have a high school size rink.

Moorhead would play in the Scheels (Urban Plains) Arena. Supposedly, some deep-pocketed business interests in Fargo-Moorhead are supporting MSU-Moorhead's efforts. If MSU-Moorhead ever started hockey, the idea of NDSU starting it would be dead forever.

UND and Denver won't tolerate an MSU-Moorhead in the same league, as it would mean Denver and UND would rarely play each other. But what needs to happen is for a "beginner" lower-budget league to form.

The one good thing that supposedly should come out of the BTHC is growth of the sport. But the WCHA's membership roles are not attractive to higher profile schools (like Iowa State, or Utah, as examples) that could potentially start a program, because of the presence of low-budget, low-profile schools like Bemidji, Mankato, and Tech. By the same token, lower profile schools like Minot State and Moorhead, are not attractive to the WCHA.

In many respects, it would be helpful for the growth of hockey for an anti-Big Ten conference to form, then what's left of the WCHA and CCHA would have to add entry-level programs. With four leagues in the west, all of them would actively be seeking new schools to join.

[darell1976]

Moorhead would play in the Scheels (Urban Plains) Arena. Supposedly, some deep-pocketed business interests in Fargo-Moorhead are supporting MSU-Moorhead's efforts. If MSU-Moorhead ever started hockey, the idea of NDSU starting it would be dead forever.

UND and Denver won't tolerate an MSU-Moorhead in the same league, as it would mean Denver and UND would rarely play each other. But what needs to happen is for a "beginner" lower-budget league to form.

The one good thing that supposedly should come out of the BTHC is growth of the sport. But the WCHA's membership roles are not attractive to higher profile schools (like Iowa State, or Utah, as examples) that could potentially start a program, because of the presence of low-budget, low-profile schools like Bemidji, Mankato, and Tech. By the same token, lower profile schools like Minot State and Moorhead, are not attractive to the WCHA.

In many respects, it would be helpful for the growth of hockey for an anti-Big Ten conference to form, then what's left of the WCHA and CCHA would have to add entry-level programs.

There is one its called the BTHC.

[mikejm]

If MSU-Moorhead ever started hockey, the idea of NDSU starting it would be dead forever.

Based on several conversations I've had with a very high-up in NDSU's athletic department, a Bison hockey team is a non-starter.

And I truly hope MSU-M starts a hockey program. I'd really like to see 70+ DI teams instead of the 58 we now encompass. I don't think that is attainable, but I'd settle for 64. Eight 8-team conferences would be ideal, with 8 at-large bids into the playoff.

I worry about the NCAA dropping the hockey playoff back to 12 teams, and if the off-campus regional sites continue to stink it up at the box office, that may happen sooner than later. All this NIMBY talk about conferences and new, weak teams could lead to catastrophic results.

[CAS4127]

Were you guys saying the same things about SCSU, Mankato and UNO when they started hockey and wanted to join the WCHA? Keep in mind, Moorhead State IS a D2 school, which is a higher level then many in the NCAA tournament--including your opponent!

Otherwise, and in the FWIIW category, the majority of you should be considering strongly the position taken by mikejm on not only this issue, but the logo issue, at least IMO.

[CAS4127]

Were you guys saying the same things about SCSU, Mankato and UNO when they started hockey and wanted to join the WCHA? Keep in mind, Moorhead State IS a D2 school, which is a higher level then many in the NCAA tournament--including your opponent!

Otherwise, and in the FWIIW category, the majority of you should be considering strongly the position taken by mikejm on not only this issue, but the logo issue, at least IMO.

[star2city]

Were you guys saying the same things about SCSU, Mankato and UNO when they started hockey and wanted to join the WCHA? Keep in mind, Moorhead State IS a D2 school, which is a higher level then many in the NCAA tournament--including your opponent!

Otherwise, and in the FWIIW category, the majority of you should be considering strongly the position taken by mikejm on not only this issue, but the logo issue, at least IMO.

Why do you care when you have an avowed hatred of hockey? Your world is centered around bison football, and you want nothing added at NDSU that takes away from that.

[Ranger]

I worry about the NCAA dropping the hockey playoff back to 12 teams, and if the off-campus regional sites continue to stink it up at the box office, that may happen sooner than later.

And it may very well all come back to when the BTHC was formed.

[CAS4127]

Why do you care when you have an avowed hatred of hockey? Your world is centered around bison football, and you want nothing added at NDSU that takes away from that.

Really??!! Then why, if UND makes the title game, will I in all likelihood be in St. Paul watching, and why will I be watching UND on tv against RPI??!!

And, sorry, but my "world" is not centered around bison football--unlike some who's world IS centered upon a certain sport/nickname-related issue. Am I a huge fan of NDSU football? You bet!! Do I want hockey at NDSU? No? Why not? Because hockey is not a tradition at NDSU. At UND it is. I'm perfectly comfortable with that scenario.

Also, notice I use, and have always used NDSU in reference to sports there. In other words (and perhaps food for thought for some), I always say, when asked where I played FB after high school, "I played for North Dakota State University". I don't say, "I played for the Bison" or even "at" NDSU. I played for the University. Just like NDSU is not Bison University, UND is not the University of Sioux, at least the last time I checked on both.

[fargosioux]

Really??!! Then why, if UND makes the title game, will I in all likelihood be in St. Paul watching, and why will I be watching UND on tv against RPI??!!

And, sorry, but my "world" is not centered around bison football--unlike some who's world IS centered upon a certain sport/nickname-related issue. Am I a huge fan of NDSU football? You bet!! Do I want hockey at NDSU? No? Why not? Because hockey is not a tradition at NDSU. At UND it is. I'm perfectly comfortable with that scenario.

Also, notice I use, and have always used NDSU in reference to sports there. In other words (and perhaps food for thought for some), I always say, when asked where I played FB after high school, "I played for North Dakota State University". I don't say, "I played for the Bison" or even "at" NDSU. I played for the University. Just like NDSU is not Bison University, UND is not the University of Sioux, at least the last time I checked on both.

If UND makes the title game, are you still going to claim that the Force are a better team than UND?

[CAS4127]

If UND makes the title game, are you still going to claim that the Force are a better team than UND?

I never actually "claimed" that. I started that thread on BV as a joke when I was completely bored one day, and I requested the admin to shut it down after it started took a turn south. BTW, I have not even seen the Force play, but I've seen UND play several times on TV, and I'll be watching the RPI game, despite being the avowed hockey hater that I am.

[star2city]

Really??!! Then why, if UND makes the title game, will I in all likelihood be in St. Paul watching, and why will I be watching UND on tv against RPI??!!

And, sorry, but my "world" is not centered around bison football--unlike some who's world IS centered upon a certain sport/nickname-related issue. Am I a huge fan of NDSU football? You bet!! Do I want hockey at NDSU? No? Why not? Because hockey is not a tradition at NDSU. At UND it is. I'm perfectly comfortable with that scenario.

Also, notice I use, and have always used NDSU in reference to sports there. In other words (and perhaps food for thought for some), I always say, when asked where I played FB after high school, "I played for North Dakota State University". I don't say, "I played for the Bison" or even "at" NDSU. I played for the University. Just like NDSU is not Bison University, UND is not the University of Sioux, at least the last time I checked on both.

So you actually like hockey, even though you would claim to disavow funding NDSU athletics if they ever went ahead on even began studying adding hockey? That's real open minded. Guess if you had been at Wisconsin in 1970 you would have been vehemently opposed that then and there too?

Perhaps, in spite of being as supposedly enlightened as you claim, you are "close-minded", not the nickname supporters, as you claim.