The WCHA has invited the five schools (Alaska, Bowling Green, Ferris, Lake State, Western) that would've been left in the dying CCHA starting in 2013-14.
CCHA Link: http://www.ccha.com/five_ccha_member_schools_receive_invitations_to_join...
WCHA Link: http://www.wcha.com/men/pres1112/201108/aug25wcm.php
Well its not dead yet...they
I'm not dead!
I'm getting better!
No you're not you'll be stone dead in a moment.
I don't want to go in the cart.
You're not fooling anyone you know.
Crunch. Zip. Live to fight another day.
sad
sad day for college hockey. I hope Michigan can still play some local teams like ferris, lssu, and western.
"You talk about trust you, gotta trust a player to win a face off, win a battle, get the puck out, or shut somebody down, i put Matt Rust in front of anyone" - Red Berenson
SO who is left
So then who from the WCHA is left that BG, LSSU, UAF, WMU & Ferris are joining?
I know Alaska-Anchorage is there. Who else?
Appreciated
Sad the CCHA is going the way of the do-do BUT essentially two conferences (WCHA and CCHA) have now begat three (Big Ten, the revamped WCHA and the West-of-the-Mississippi-Non-Big-Ten-but-too-good-to-be-WCHA Super Conference)
Did we ever find out what
Did we ever find out what Notre Dame is doing? Did they officially join a conference and I missed it?
Pretty sure they are either
Pretty sure they are either joining the NCHC (and Western would go with them), joining Hockey East, or going independent.
If you can't get into college go to State.
Seeing Western in the list
Seeing Western in the list made me think ND had reached a decision due to their paring in the NCHC rumors. But after re-reading, I realized these are invitations to the WCHA and not acceptance. It will be interesting to see if Western accepts.
ND is still evaluating their options.
The fact that they haven't made a decision yet, which doesn't seem it should take that long, and the reemergence of realignment has gotten me to waste time speculating about B1G things. I know, unlikely.
They'll go independent...
They'll go independent...
"Ohio is like a giant turd that Michigan just can't pinch off"
I think a lot of people saw
I think a lot of people saw this coming. Hopefully the programs can continue in the WCHA because there is no way they could have carried the CCHA on their own.
University of Tom Brady, B.A. '10; University of Peyton Manning, J.D. '13.
As much as certain people
As much as certain people hyped the B1G Ten Hockey conferences formation, it was undoubtedly a bad thing for college hockey as a whole. Mathematically, certain teams are simply going to be left out of conference reformation and close up shop. Even schools that get absorbed into other conferences (Western, for example) are going to face economic crisis not having the same number of home games against the NDs and Michigans of the world.
"Here we are at Ohio Stadium, in front of 10,000 alumni and 74,000 truck drivers." - Bob Ufer
That's only one aspect of it.
That's only one aspect of it. Another is that teams that play against B1G teams will get television exposure they wouldn't get in the past. The same might be said of the other new conference if ESPN or another network decide to pick up those games. That will give college hockey a big boost in viewership and interest, which will probably help spur more schools to create hockey programs. Obviously, certain schools will hurt in the meantime, but it's not all doom and gloom.
The ECAC seems to do pretty
The ECAC seems to do pretty well for itself despite a lack of popularity... just saying
I hope there will still be
I hope there will still be College Hockey at the Joe, the GLI, and the Big Ten hockey playoffs at the Joe
"Ohio is like a giant turd that Michigan just can't pinch off"
I think I remember the B1G
I think I remember the B1G saying the hockey tourney will be at the United Center (or I could be just speculating).
No, the entire tournament is going to be at campus sites:
http://mgoblog.com/mgoboard/big-ten-hockey-tournament-format-announced
Glad that the programs that
Glad that the programs that had been left out in the realignment were able to form some kind of viable conference. I think they have a definite shot at staying going concerns this way.
Chaos is found in greatest abundance wherever order is being sought. It always defeats order because it is better organized.
still a bummer we won't play the d2 schools anymore
D-II doesn't exist in college
D-II doesn't exist in college hockey.. only D-I and D-III
Does Appalachian State have a
Does Appalachian State have a hockey team?
Bless You Boys!
Wrong thread.
Also, too soon...[shudders]
Abort, Retry, Fail?
RIP CCHA
We had some great times.
I think this is probably the best outcome under the circumstances, though. Some things now make sense geographically (both Alaska schools in one conference, for example), and with guaranteed games against B1G schools and others, they'll be ok financially.
Tremendous!
Agree. This is better for
Agree. This is better for college hockey than the dregs of the CCHA being left in an unviable craptastic league a la Atlantic Hockey or the old CHA.
"I just hope Tressel doesn't fire me"
-Gordon Gee
Can someone do a breakdown of
Can someone do a breakdown of what all the conferences will look like if these teams accept the invitation?
With all the stuff going down the past 6 months, I get dazed and confused as to how it will all shake down.
Those Who Stay...
Best Guess
Atlantic Hockey (12)
Remains the same.
Big Ten (6)
Michigan/Michigan St/Minnesota/Ohio St/Penn St/Wisconsin
ECAC (12)
Remains the same.
Hockey East (10)
Remains the same (possibly plus ND)
NCHC (8)
Colorado College/Denver/Miami/UMD/UNO/UND (probably plus ND/Western)
WCHA (9)
Alaska-Anchorage/UAF/Bemidji/BGSU/Ferris St/Lake Superior/Michigan Tech/Minnesota St/St. Cloud State
Left out in the cold
Alabama-Huntsville/Northern
Northern's already been
Northern's already been accepted in the WCHA, haven't thye?
"[T]here were a lot of people predicting glorious heights for Rich; mostly the same people who are predicting doom and gloom [for Hoke]. Excuse me if I doubt their prognostication skills." -- M-Wolverine
Is having two Alaska teams
Is having two Alaska teams going to be a mess for the WCHA financially? I remember reading that they had to be kept in separate leagues to minimize the overall expense to other schools.
I blame
Penn State. In the words of Yost's student section: "It's all your fault!"
"To hell with Notre Dame" ~ Bo Schembechler
God bless your cotton-pickin' maize 'n blue Meechigan hearts!
The New WCHA Doesn't Look So Bad
Maybe no true powerhouses - but they're certainly the Conference-USA of college hockey. And I mean that in a good way.
Not so fast my friend!
These schools may not be perrenial powerhouses, but each has a storied tradition and there are a couple a national championships among these schools. To compare these hockey programs to the CUSA would be an insult. Im glad they were picked up by a major conference and I hope to see these teams at Yost for many years to come! The new WCHA will not be a pushover conference come tourney time!
"Oh, the usual. I bowl. Drive around. The occasional acid flashback." -The Dude
I honestly didn't mean it as an insult
While C-USA is now "just another mid-major" in football, for a long time it was like what the Mountain West was so recently - a strong mid-major, just one step removed from the big boys. I still think of them that way, what with Tulane and ECU holding it down. And to me, the new WCHA is this - a strong college hockey conference. Maybe not a powerhouse, but a strong conference nonetheless.
Well its not dead yet...they received invitations to go join the WCHA. However them not joining seems to be a pointless move. So dying yes, but not yet dead.
Quick! To the Hindenpeter!