University Of Jamestown Hockey

[northernraider]

The U of Jamestown Hockey program is really starting to get organized with 13 players already signed.  2016 will be their first year as an ACHA DI Program, with all other sports still at NAIA. Any thoughts on the potential for athletics to become NCAA D-3 or perhaps D-1 in hockey a few years down the road? 

[petey23]

They are up to something. The coach is telling players for a club team that he expects them to have a year or two of juniors prior to playing at Jamestown.

[Benny Baker]

5 minutes ago, northernraider said:

The U of Jamestown Hockey program is really starting to get organized with 13 players already signed.  2016 will be their first year as an ACHA DI Program, with all other sports still at NAIA. Any thoughts on the potential for athletics to become NCAA D-3 or perhaps D-1 in hockey a few years down the road? 

Yup, they're going to be in that new hockey conference with Minot St., Moorhead St., and the other flavor(s) of the month ready to jump to D-1 hockey! 

But in all seriousness, with some coaching credibility and as a private school, perhaps Jamestown is in a better position to make a jump in college athletics unlike the rest of North Dakota's public universities, apparently.

[snova4]

Living in Jamestown, and being a graduate back when it was Jamestown College, the growth the campus has seen, and the number of buildings that have sprung up, definitely leads me to believe something is up for the future. I can't see them developing this to stay at the ACHA level.

However, the hockey facilities themselves need a vast improvement in order to make that kind of jump, in my opinion. 

I hope they do it, it would be fun to have a place to take the kids for some higher level play, outside High School hockey.

[northernraider]

16 minutes ago, snova4 said:

Living in Jamestown, and being a graduate back when it was Jamestown College, the growth the campus has seen, and the number of buildings that have sprung up, definitely leads me to believe something is up for the future. I can't see them developing this to stay at the ACHA level.

However, the hockey facilities themselves need a vast improvement in order to make that kind of jump, in my opinion. 

I hope they do it, it would be fun to have a place to take the kids for some higher level play, outside High School hockey.

 

 

 

Newman Ice Arena has a nice ring to it 

[The Sicatoka]

Uh ... Don't you have to be an NCAA member to if your end goal to play NCAA hockey? Shouldn't they be making the move to leave the NAIA for the NCAA? Shouldn't they be talking to the (already bloated for membership) Northern Sun to have an NCAA home? 

[BarnWinterSportsEngelstad]

I have a lake place at Devils Lake and neighbor Glen (bait shop/taxidermist, doing walleye for my daughter) has a son playing hockey for Minot. He's been bragging Minot Hockey up, and I've been listening. Of course we've entrenched most of our sports conversations about the best team in the country, being he is also a Sioux fan. He's made comments that hockey is growing in ND. He also claims the number of hockey fans cheering for UND are on the rise in the western half of the state.  He has no stats on this, but talks in hockey circles in DL and Minot.

[snova4]

1 minute ago, The Sicatoka said:

Uh ... Don't you have to be an NCAA member to if your end goal to play NCAA hockey? Shouldn't they be making the move to leave the NAIA for the NCAA? Shouldn't they be talking to the (already bloated for membership) Northern Sun to have an NCAA home? 

Yes to all of it. I'm not on the board, but I would have to feel inclined that these discussions are taking place.

[northernraider]

7 minutes ago, The Sicatoka said:

Uh ... Don't you have to be an NCAA member to if your end goal to play NCAA hockey? Shouldn't they be making the move to leave the NAIA for the NCAA? Shouldn't they be talking to the (already bloated for membership) Northern Sun to have an NCAA home? 

 

Who says they are not already? They could also go D3 and play in the 13 team MIAC conference (yes they are not a Minnesota school, stranger conferences exist) 

[ringneck28]

8 minutes ago, BarnWinterSportsEngelstad said:

I have a lake place at Devils Lake and neighbor Glen (bait shop/taxidermist, doing walleye for my daughter) has a son playing hockey for Minot. He's been bragging Minot Hockey up, and I've been listening. Of course we've entrenched most of our sports conversations about the best team in the country, being he is also a Sioux fan. He's made comments that hockey is growing in ND. He also claims the number of hockey fans cheering for UND are on the rise in the western half of the state.  He has no stats on this, but talks in hockey circles in DL and Minot.

Me being a western ND guy can attest to UND hockey being on the rise.  My ex boss is a wannabe fan, he thinks because he sits in the suites with some other rich guys that makes him a super fan, but he knows nothing about UND hockey other than get me another drink.  Back on point, I saw numerous fans at the Frozen Faceoff from Bismarck.  I have worked with quite a few clients who travel all over the place to see them.  So yes, hockey is on the rise. 

 

[UNDBIZ]

If they were to go NCAA D3, could they play D1 hockey?  I was under the impression the current D3 schools playing D1 hockey were grandfathered in, but now you must be at least D2 to start D1 hockey.

[The Sicatoka]

3 minutes ago, UNDBIZ said:

If they were to go NCAA D3, could they play D1 hockey?  I was under the impression the current D3 schools playing D1 hockey were grandfathered in, but now you must be at least D2 to start D1 hockey.

That's why I brought up the NCAA DII Northern Sun (SCSU, UMD, MSU-Mankato, Bemidji State). 

[BarnWinterSportsEngelstad]

Reply to ringneck28. That is good to hear. Also, free beer at the Ralph is really a good deal.  I'll mention one thing here, when I was a freshman at UND, I and many other freshman new very little about hockey on day 1 at the U. Most of us learned the game and became fans, this learning the game takes some time. I would think this would apply to most  anyone (student or adult) without high school hockey involvement, who is going to START being a hockey fan for these other college teams in ND, wish them the best.

[sioux rube]

2 hours ago, snova4 said:

Living in Jamestown, and being a graduate back when it was Jamestown College, the growth the campus has seen, and the number of buildings that have sprung up, definitely leads me to believe something is up for the future. I can't see them developing this to stay at the ACHA level.

However, the hockey facilities themselves need a vast improvement in order to make that kind of jump, in my opinion. 

I hope they do it, it would be fun to have a place to take the kids for some higher level play, outside High School hockey.

I live here. The rink got a million dollar face lift 5 years ago. It's fine for a club team. 

[SiouxVolley]

If Jamestown wants to go DIII for hockey, they have to get into the MIAC, which is almost impossible for a ND school among pretentious Minnesotan privates.

But if Jamestown wanted to go DI for hockey, they have to get in the Northern Sun, which isn't that much of a leap now.  New DII schools have to be DII for five years before they can move to DI hockey.  If an NSIC team left for DI like Mankato, Jamestown would probably be the odds on favorite to be that replacement.  

For Simon Fraser and Minot St, that five years is over and that's why I think both will get an invite from the WCHA within a year.  Minot St lists m/w hockey along with the rest of their sports on their website, even though they aren't varsity. 

[siouxkid12]

Jamestown does not have the infrastructure to facilitate a full fledged D1 program. I imagine D3 would be the highest they could go.

[SiouxVolley]

11 minutes ago, siouxkid12 said:

Jamestown does not have the infrastructure to facilitate a full fledged D1 program. I imagine D3 would be the highest they could go.

They can go DII and take hockey DI, which was Minot St'S stretch goal too.