College Hockey Expansion

[MafiaMan]

13 hours ago, Benny Baker said:

Dear Mankato and ASU,

Thanks for the free $40k that your state's taxpayers gave to us!

Love,

NCHC

The process of refunding the application fee is already in the works.  

I, for one, am happy that this wasn't an automatic "yes" vote just because some Fighting Hawks fans think a winter weekend flight to sunny Arizona is a good enough reason to have the Sun Devils in the NCHC.

[NoiseInsideMyHead]

22 minutes ago, MafiaMan said:

The process of refunding the application fee is already in the works.  

I, for one, am happy that this wasn't an automatic "yes" vote just because some Fighting Hawks fans think a winter weekend flight to sunny Arizona is a good enough reason to have the Sun Devils in the NCHC.

I'm guessing that there weren't photos of campus co-eds on the ballot.

[Benny Baker]

1 hour ago, MafiaMan said:

The process of refunding the application fee is already in the works.  

I, for one, am happy that this wasn't an automatic "yes" vote just because some Fighting Hawks fans think a winter weekend flight to sunny Arizona is a good enough reason to have the Sun Devils in the NCHC.

Saw that.  Strange.  They might as well call it refundable earnest money instead of an application fee if they are going to just return it anyway.

I'm also happy this was not a "yes" vote.  The NCHC is not broken; there is no need to fix it with new teams.

[cberkas]

Wilkes University adding men's and women's DIII hockey for 2017-18.

http://www.uscho.com/2016/08/30/wilkes-university-to-add-mens-womens-d-iii-hockey-for-17-18-season/

[Cratter]

1 hour ago, Benny Baker said:

Saw that.  Strange.  They might as well call it refundable earnest money instead of an application fee if they are going to just return it anyway.

I'm also happy this was not a "yes" vote.  The NCHC is not broken; there is no need to fix it with new teams.

While it's good to keep the money in principle.

It's would probably hinder future applicants.

[BigGreyAnt41]

Not all of the money is refunded.  Some of it was spent on some travel and doing research on the teams applying to join.  It's basically a school saying "Here's some money that you'll need to find out if we're a good fit for your conference".

[petey23]

3 hours ago, MafiaMan said:

The process of refunding the application fee is already in the works.  

I, for one, am happy that this wasn't an automatic "yes" vote just because some Fighting Hawks fans think a winter weekend flight to sunny Arizona is a good enough reason to have the Sun Devils in the NCHC.

Hey.

downvote for you!

[NoiseInsideMyHead]

53 minutes ago, Cratter said:

While it's good to keep the money in principle.

It's would probably hinder future applicants.

Which principle is that? It's not like the applicants were simply not selected...there was no selection at all. Giving back the money was the only proper thing to do.

[NoiseInsideMyHead]

29 minutes ago, BigGreyAnt41 said:

Not all of the money is refunded.  Some of it was spent on some travel and doing research on the teams applying to join.  It's basically a school saying "Here's some money that you'll need to find out if we're a good fit for your conference".

What's next? Car dealerships charging for test drives?

[farce poobah]

12 hours ago, cberkas said:

I think they wanted Arizona State and by adding Mankato the NCHC might as well add all the old WCHA teams they left behind. Adding Arizona State gives the NCHC power against the B1G. If it was me, I would have added Arizona State and told Mankato no. I still could see the WCHA trying to work out a deal with the NCHC involving the Alaska schools like there was with the WCHA and CCHA (that's if the both get saved). The WCHA could have made the whole Alaska thing easier on the other teams by sending two teams up there to play UAA one night then switch and play Alaska the next night. Then the Alaska teams would play some teams 3 time a year and other teams would only have to go up to Alaska once and not play them at home (Basically the WCHA could benefit by using travel partners) .

Agree with most, especially the bolded portion.   The next time the Big Easy pulls a fast one on the rest of college hockey, at least Arizona State via Pac-12 has a seat at the P5 table. 

If it was me, I would have told Arizona State that the NCHC agrees to a scheduling agreement for the next 2 years.  Each NCHC to play 2 nonconference games vs. ASU.   Gives us a foot in the door.   Gives them time to get their arena done.  

 

[Godsmack]

4 minutes ago, farce poobah said:

Agree with most, especially the bolded portion.   The next time the Big Easy pulls a fast one on the rest of college hockey, at least Arizona State via Pac-12 has a seat at the P5 table. 

If it was me, I would have told Arizona State that the NCHC agrees to a scheduling agreement for the next 2 years.  Each NCHC to play 2 nonconference games vs. ASU.   Gives us a foot in the door.   Gives them time to get their arena done.  

 

Maybe what you're suggesting is already in place? I believe ASU has series against DU, St. Cloud and Omaha this coming season.

[farce poobah]

Just now, Godsmack said:

Maybe what you're suggesting is already in place? I believe ASU has series against DU, St. Cloud and Omaha this coming season.

Yeah, and now that I think about it, most of this year's nonconference has been set up for a while now. (doh)   

[MafiaMan]

23 hours ago, petey23 said:

Hey.

downvote for you!

  Well, seriously, it's a valid point.  Plenty of fans here mocked Minnesota's move to the B10 to play with college hockey dregs of society Ohio State and Penn State, yet they're all-in on Arizona State joining the NCHC since it's a large Pac-12 school.  Can't have it both ways, sorry.  

[ArchyAlum11]

Some non-NCHC things to watch in the 2016-2017 season.

1. How committed is ASU? - While the arena and facilities are a big question mark for the NCHC, I think you also need to look at their coaching staff. I don't want to take away anything from their current coach, because as I understand it, he was instrumental in helping to get the support and funds needed to take the program to D1. However, if you want to recruit top tier talent, you need more than just a great climate and good facilities, you need an experienced coaching staff that can develop players and get them ready for the next level. IF ASU is serious about creating a top tier program, they should consider bringing it a coach with more experience, whether that is someone from the Pros, College hockey or the developmental leagues.

2. How soon will Rebel hockey make the Jump D1 - While UNLV may not be as well know as ASU, regarding a potential prospect hockey school they do have a leg up on ASU. One major advantage they have is that UNLV has several close options for where it can play all of which would be acceptable to the NCHC. However, the Rebels would need to bring in the right coaching staff and have a good showing as an independent team.

3. The great Alaskan crisis - Perhaps one of the saddest notes in college hockey is the situation with the Alaska schools hockey program. Having an uncertain future for your programs makes it hard to recruit especially for Fairbanks which is still dealing with NCAA sanctions from what amounted to a minor paperwork error. Hopefully, a final decision will be made soon, while there is a possibility that hockey will survive at both schools my guess is that one of the programs will be cut. I had to guess it would probably be the Seawolves of UAA, UAA has only recorded one winning season in the last seven seasons, compared to UAF which has had four winning seasons. Another factor is attendance in which UAF completely dominates UAA. The Carlson Center in Fairbanks averages about 70% capacity for games, UAA is closer to 20%. If Alaska can only have one college hockey program, let it be in Fairbanks, and Let them get to work on improving their program.

4. Wake-up call for the WCHA - If the parting comments made by former UAF and current UMD player Peter Kreiger weren't enough of a warning to the league that it needs to change, and its members need to adopt a more skilled style of play, then MNSU application to the NCHC was. While Michigan Tech and Bowling Green did not apply to join NCHC like Minnesota State, I am sure there were some in the coaching staff and athletic departments at all three schools that had thought about it. To the credit of the league they seem to have gotten the message, The three on three overtime and the NHL-sized nets are a good start. However they need to do more to increase competitiveness in the league, that starts with putting an emphasis on developing the weaker programs like Lake Superior State and UAF. The probable loss of UAA maybe a blessing in disguise as it would mean the WCHA would lose one of its consistently worst teams, however right now UAH is probably a bigger drag on the WCHA as a whole that UAA, being consistently ranked the bottom five teams in the NCAA. While adding UAH was a nice thing to do to even the league out to ten teams back during the conference realignment, it may have been a short-sighted move that is now hampering the league as a whole. However the WCHA's options for UAH are quite limited, I am not sure if the WCHA has any bylaws that allow member institutions to vote out a school, the only other option would be for another league to try and recruit UAH, the only conference that might do that would be Atlantic Hockey, which already includes American Internation, Niagra, and Canisius, which are ranked 60th, 58th, and 55th respectively. You could argue that Atlantic Hockey doesn't have a lot to lose by adding UAH or that they would be compounding an existing problem by adding UAH. Of course, this is all hypothetical.

[Blackheart]

54 minutes ago, MafiaMan said:

  Well, seriously, it's a valid point.  Plenty of fans here mocked Minnesota's move to the B10 to play with college hockey dregs of society Ohio State and Penn State, yet were all-in on Arizona State joining the NCHC since it's a large Pac-12 school.  Can't have it both ways, sorry.  

Upvote for you.:)

[Shawn-O]

4 hours ago, MafiaMan said:

  Well, seriously, it's a valid point.  Plenty of fans here mocked Minnesota's move to the B10 to play with college hockey dregs of society Ohio State and Penn State, yet they're all-in on Arizona State joining the NCHC since it's a large Pac-12 school.  Can't have it both ways, sorry.  

I was just stoked about the winter long weekend in Tempe but that's just me.  

[MafiaMan]

1 hour ago, Shawn-O said:

I was just stoked about the winter long weekend in Tempe but that's just me.  

Why would you want to waste time tanning up that pasty-white skin of yours anyways?  

[SiouxSherm94]

7 hours ago, ArchyAlum11 said:

Some non-NCHC things to watch in the 2016-2017 season.

 

3. The great Alaskan crisis - Perhaps one of the saddest notes in college hockey is the situation with the Alaska schools hockey program. Having an uncertain future for your programs makes it hard to recruit especially for Fairbanks which is still dealing with NCAA sanctions from what amounted to a minor paperwork error. Hopefully, a final decision will be made soon, while there is a possibility that hockey will survive at both schools my guess is that one of the programs will be cut. I had to guess it would probably be the Seawolves of UAA, UAA has only recorded one winning season in the last seven seasons, compared to UAF which has had four winning seasons. Another factor is attendance in which UAF completely dominates UAA. The Carlson Center in Fairbanks averages about 70% capacity for games, UAA is closer to 20%. If Alaska can only have one college hockey program, let it be in Fairbanks, and Let them get to work on improving their program.

4. Wake-up call for the WCHA - If the parting comments made by former UAF and current UMD player Peter Kreiger weren't enough of a warning to the league that it needs to change, and its members need to adopt a more skilled style of play, then MNSU application to the NCHC was. While Michigan Tech and Bowling Green did not apply to join NCHC like Minnesota State, I am sure there were some in the coaching staff and athletic departments at all three schools that had thought about it. To the credit of the league they seem to have gotten the message, The three on three overtime and the NHL-sized nets are a good start. However they need to do more to increase competitiveness in the league, that starts with putting an emphasis on developing the weaker programs like Lake Superior State and UAF. The probable loss of UAA maybe a blessing in disguise as it would mean the WCHA would lose one of its consistently worst teams, however right now UAH is probably a bigger drag on the WCHA as a whole that UAA, being consistently ranked the bottom five teams in the NCAA. While adding UAH was a nice thing to do to even the league out to ten teams back during the conference realignment, it may have been a short-sighted move that is now hampering the league as a whole. However the WCHA's options for UAH are quite limited, I am not sure if the WCHA has any bylaws that allow member institutions to vote out a school, the only other option would be for another league to try and recruit UAH, the only conference that might do that would be Atlantic Hockey, which already includes American Internation, Niagra, and Canisius, which are ranked 60th, 58th, and 55th respectively. You could argue that Atlantic Hockey doesn't have a lot to lose by adding UAH or that they would be compounding an existing problem by adding UAH. Of course, this is all hypothetical.

I hate to be a thorn in your a$$, but you appear to be 100% certain that Anchorage is going to be getting the ax. There's talks about the consolidation of hockey programs in effect to not eliminate the sport completely, but we can't say, at least right now, that they're going to give one the cut and keep the other. Alaska's budget issues are very real and it's unfortunate to see what their universities are facing as a result, especially in respect to their athletic programs which have been a part of the national hockey landscape for decades. They need our support now more than ever, even if it isn't possibly enough to save. 

[petey23]

8 hours ago, MafiaMan said:

  Well, seriously, it's a valid point.  Plenty of fans here mocked Minnesota's move to the B10 to play with college hockey dregs of society Ohio State and Penn State, yet they're all-in on Arizona State joining the NCHC since it's a large Pac-12 school.  Can't have it both ways, sorry.  

You make a pretty good argument.

 

Allow me to retort

 

 

[Frozen4sioux]

And Petey for the win.

[MafiaMan]

2 hours ago, petey23 said:

You make a pretty good argument.

 

Allow me to retort

 

 

"NCHC headquarters, how can I help you?"

"It's MafiaMan.  Get me the Commissioner.  NOW."

(short pause)

"Mafia...it's Josh.  What's up?"

"Uh, Josh...I think I am reversing my previous opposition to Arizona State joining the NCHC..."

"WOW!  Why is that, can I ask?"

"Never mind that.  Just get the Sun Devils in...NOW!"

Click.

[ArchyAlum11]

2 hours ago, SiouxSherm94 said:

I hate to be a thorn in your a$$, but you appear to be 100% certain that Anchorage is going to be getting the ax. There's talks about the consolidation of hockey programs in effect to not eliminate the sport completely, but we can't say, at least right now, that they're going to give one the cut and keep the other. Alaska's budget issues are very real and it's unfortunate to see what their universities are facing as a result, especially in respect to their athletic programs which have been a part of the national hockey landscape for decades. They need our support now more than ever, even if it isn't possibly enough to save. 

That's a good point about consolidation of the programs, the only problem is that it would require at wavier from the NCAA and from the articles I have read on the situation it seems unlikely that the NCAA would grant such a wavier. Especially considering that both schools are D-II outside of hockey and rifle at UAA, usually the only time the  NCAA cares is if the School is a perennial D-I basketball contender or is a D-1 FBS school. However even if they chose to consolidate the programs into one team, its likely that they would they would base the team in Fairbanks for the reasons listed above. Hopefully the University of Alaska can figure out a way to keep hockey at both schools, but from what i have read about the options they are perusing it seems like at least one team will get cut, possibly both. My only point is that if you are going to cut hockey at one of these schools it seems like it would make more sense to keep UAF and cut UAA.

[siouxforeverbaby]

2 hours ago, petey23 said:

You make a pretty good argument.

 

Allow me to retort

 

 

From left to right we have : Wants fake, wants fake, fake, fake and then taken out, saving, wants bigger, and saving.

[Shawn-O]

8 hours ago, MafiaMan said:

Why would you want to waste time tanning up that pasty-white skin of yours anyways?  

May-September? Hasslehoff's got nothin' on me. 

[ArchyAlum11]

3 minutes ago, Shawn-O said:

May-September? Hasslehoff's got nothin' on me. 

I