College Hockey Expansion

[UNDBIZ]

10 minutes ago, southpaw said:

Plan on scenario 1 happening but if WMU and Miami are going to leave... that would be the end of the WCHA unless they join that conference.  They have to go with other teams, so it would be creating a new conference.  By the time they leave (it's not happening soon) there will be other teams in the west that the NCHC can pick up to replace them.  The NCHC won't add any of the other WCHA teams and Air Force won't leave AFA.

NCHC may as well rebrand itself as WCHA 2.1.

[Cratter]

You want a school who's #1 sport is hockey.

Has a new arena.

Been to the Frozen Four recently.

And Bemidji State is the closest team for UND to travel too..so..they should be equal to Mankato in UND fans eyes.

[southpaw]

3 minutes ago, UNDBIZ said:

NCHC may as well rebrand itself as WCHA 2.1.

Honestly, who would people rather have in their conference... ASU, Western and Miami or Alaska, Tech and Bemidji?

[SIOUXFAN97]

21 minutes ago, southpaw said:

UNLV is not going D1 anytime soon.  This "delay" in announcement is because the athletic directors don't get together until August and the presidents don't get together until early September.  The NCHC, just like all of the other conferences can't unilaterally make decisions to add.  The membership gets together and discusses those options.  They talked about it in Florida but had made no decisions at the time.

yes unlv will add d1 hockey soon...very soon...they want in the pac10 and getting in on the ground floor with asu and or ua strengthens its cause for future membership

[Cratter]

Have to believe Mankato to the NCHC is a done deal. 

It just got leaked sooner than the official announcement thanks to Brads info request.

[southpaw]

1 minute ago, Cratter said:

Have to believe Mankato to the NCHC is a done deal. 

It just got leaked sooner than the official announcement thanks to Brads info request.

Yes, Mankato will be added but it's not a done deal.  If it was, Brad would still see that info in the released documents he requested.  

[siouxfan512]

53 minutes ago, Cratter said:

....just because you know them from before.

Hard to say you'd rather play a team that has never played ones favorite team.

ASU will help increase the exposure for the NCHC 10x than Mankato would.

I'll give you that, and yes in terms of exposure you are correct. Same would be said for Notre Dame.

Personally, I would love to see the Sioux in Mankato though, because it would be a nice quick drive to go watch them play. Though I just don't get much entertainment out of some of the other teams I mentioned. Notre Dame in particular. 

Still don't think we can tell another program they need to anchor a conference that we left because we wanted something better. While they have done well in the WCHA recently and under Mike Hastings, I have to imagine they would be a middle of the pack team in the NCHC, then again they would also get better exposure.

 

[Cratter]

13 minutes ago, southpaw said:

Yes, Mankato will be added but it's not a done deal.  

Well we know it's not officially official. Otherwise they'd have said it was.

[Cratter]

19 minutes ago, siouxfan512 said:

I'll give you that, and yes in terms of exposure you are correct. Same would be said for Notre Dame.

Personally, I would love to see the Sioux in Mankato though, because it would be a nice quick drive to go watch them play. Though I just don't get much entertainment out of some of the other teams I mentioned. Notre Dame in particular. 

Still don't think we can tell another program they need to anchor a conference that we left because we wanted something better. While they have done well in the WCHA recently and under Mike Hastings, I have to imagine they would be a middle of the pack team in the NCHC, then again they would also get better exposure.

 

UND left to anchor another conference. Mankato is not.

Hastings leaves....Mankato tanks back to its old wcha ways....Bemidji hires a new coach...keeps rising....multiple trips to the ncaa tournament and not becoming the first overall #1 seed to lose in the opening round because that belongs to Mankato....buyers remorse?

Mankato is easy road trip for you but Bemidji is easier for all the und fans in gf.

[cberkas]

20 minutes ago, southpaw said:

Honestly, who would people rather have in their conference... ASU, Western and Miami or Alaska, Tech and Bemidji?

I'd take in this order:

Miami, Western Michigan, ASU, Michigan Tech, and Bemidji.

14 minutes ago, Cratter said:

Have to believe Mankato to the NCHC is a done deal. 

It just got leaked sooner than the official announcement thanks to Brads info request.

I've heard this too.

If Mankato is added I see them being in the bottom three in the NCHC year in and year out. If they are throwing away NCAA appearances just to be in a tougher league, then I don't see the point.

[UND1981]

Add ASU and purple cows and lose Miami and WMU does not improve the NCHC.  Not good, but that looks like the likely scenario.

[southpaw]

6 minutes ago, UND1981 said:

Add ASU and purple cows and lose Miami and WMU does not improve the NCHC.  Not good, but that looks like the likely scenario.

WMU and Miami are not leaving. This isn't a trade, it's adding two more teams to make the conference 10.

[UNDBIZ]

9 minutes ago, southpaw said:

WMU and Miami are not leaving. This isn't a trade, it's adding two more teams to make the conference 10.

They may not be leaving soon, but they will certainly have every right to be upset.

[Cratter]

9 minutes ago, southpaw said:

WMU and Miami are not leaving. This isn't a trade, it's adding two more teams to make the conference 10.

You know you don't have to take everything literally? 

He's implying those to teams might not be happy with the addition of Mankato and more than likely would have liked to have seen Bowling Green but got outvoted. Which in the future could lead to those two looking for other options with BG to see what is out there.

[WiSioux]

1 hour ago, southpaw said:

Plan on scenario 1 happening but if WMU and Miami are going to leave... that would be the end of the WCHA unless they join that conference.  They have to go with other teams, so it would be creating a new conference.  By the time they leave (it's not happening soon) there will be other teams in the west that the NCHC can pick up to replace them.  The NCHC won't add any of the other WCHA teams and Air Force won't leave AFA.

Isn't there a HUGE buyout if a school wants to leave the NCHC?

[The Sicatoka]

15 minutes ago, southpaw said:

WMU and Miami are not leaving. This isn't a trade, it's adding two more teams to make the conference 10.

But I do believe ASU/MSU-M could drive Miami and WMU away to realign with BGSU and NMU. If they could pull in RIT, RMU, Niagara, and Mercyhurst they'd have eight teams. 

That would probably drive Bemidji and MTU to the NCHC and collapse the WCHA. (Yes, Alaska could be in a world of hurt.)

[cberkas]

Just now, WiSioux said:

Isn't there a HUGE buyout if a school wants to leave the NCHC?

1.5 Million.

[southpaw]

10 minutes ago, cberkas said:

1.5 Million.

As of right now.  It goes up and down depending on how much money the NCHC spends in a year.  It will be a bit lower for this coming year.

[UND1981]

14 minutes ago, Cratter said:

You know you don't have to take everything literally? 

He's implying those to teams might not be happy with the addition of Mankato and more than likely would have liked to have seen Bowling Green but got outvoted. Which in the future could lead to those two looking for other options with BG to see what is out there.

Exactly.  Cratter and I think alike on these threads.

[southpaw]

12 minutes ago, The Sicatoka said:

But I do believe ASU/MSU-M could drive Miami and WMU away to realign with BGSU and NMU. If they could pull in RIT, RMU, Niagara, and Mercyhurst they'd have eight teams. 

That would probably drive Bemidji and MTU to the NCHC and collapse the WCHA. (Yes, Alaska could be in a world of hurt.)

Where does Huntsville go in this?  If the AHA gets plucked by losing RIT, RMU, Niagara and Mercyhurst they'll have to do some adding of teams as well.

I can't see Bemidji or Tech going to the NCHC.  The conference was formed to get away from those two teams.  If WMU and Miami do leave, the conference will sit at 10 until some quality schools come around.

[The Sicatoka]

1 minute ago, southpaw said:

Where does Huntsville go in this?  

World of hurt like Alaska. Best hope would be if LSS would stay with NMU and this new group needed a tenth. 

Rust Belt Hockey Conference: Miami, WMU, NMU, BGSU, RMU, RIT, Mercyhurst, Niagara ... and LSSU and UAH? 

[southpaw]

11 minutes ago, The Sicatoka said:

World of hurt like Alaska. 

So you've got one Alaska team (assume they'll fold the other in the next couple years), Huntsville, Tech, LSSU, and Ferris State on an island.  

AHA would then be AFA, Army, AIC, Bentley, Canisius, Holy Cross, and Sacred Heart.

5 and 7 teams respectively.  I know AHA teams already dislike their flights to Colorado Springs but I think they'll have to add someone.  That might be Huntsville but they balked at it last time.

I don't know the answer to that.

We're seeing Mankato want to join the NCHC despite being pretty successful in the current WCHA.  Would WMU and Miami leave the top college hockey conference to form a new one just to be with BG and some scrubs from AHA?  Outside of Bowling Green, none of those teams bring more fans into Lawson or Goggin Arenas.  

It seems like a great idea to leave because you're allegedly upset that the conference is going more west, but it's another thing to actually leave for a conference that is significantly weaker and would be the 4th or 5th best conference in the country.  This new conference won't have the strength of schedule to get multiple teams in the tournament on a regular basis. 

[UNDBIZ]

Current WCHA - UA-F, UAA, UAH, BSU, BGU, FSU, LSSU, MTU, MnSU, NMU (less MnSU)

Current NCHC - CC, DU, MU, UMD, UNO, UND, SCSU, WMU (plus ASU & MnSU)

 

May as well reshuffle and add ASU, Mercyhurst, and RMU (leaving the AHA intact).....

New WCHA (aka CCHA 2.0) - UAH, BGU, FSU, LSSU, MERCYHURST, MU, MTU, NMU, ROBERT MORRIS, WMU - Bus league of lower MI, OH, PA along with UAH and the Yoopers.

New NCHC (aka WCHA 2.1) - UAA/UA-F (they have to form a class B co-op and will play in Anchorage), ARIZONA STATE, BSU, CC, DU, MnSU, UMD, UNO, UND, SCSU - Duluth is as far east as we go.

[Benny Baker]

So the "National" basically will have turned out to be an excuse to dump three teams: Michigan Tech, Bemidji, and Anchorage.  smh.  And yes, I know the NCHC added Miami, WMU, and potentially ASU.  But that is beside the point considering the "National's" supposed, original intention.  

[InHeavenThereIsNoBeer]

14 minutes ago, Benny Baker said:

So the "National" basically will have turned out to be an excuse to dump three teams: Michigan Tech, Bemidji, and Anchorage.  smh.  And yes, I know the NCHC added Miami, WMU, and potentially ASU.  But that is beside the point considering the "National's" supposed, original intention.  

If they get better, maybe we'll consider their applications as well