CCHA rejects Alabama-Huntsville
As per Maize n Brew:
http://www.maizenbrew.com/2009/8/12/986726/ccha-to-remain-at-11-teams-r…
August 12th, 2009 at 7:05 PM ^
Does this essentially kill their program?
August 12th, 2009 at 7:14 PM ^
They just got a big fund raising boost, so it might not. I can't imagine it working out well. I'm with Blog that Yost Built (who broke this to the mgoblogosphere yesterday) on this one that it seems fishy that the CCHA will stick with 11 going into this season. You have to wonder if this doesn't mean the CCHA is expecting a team like Bowling Green to fold, too.
August 12th, 2009 at 7:23 PM ^
Bowling Green folding would deeply sadden me. I know it's thrown around a lot, but there is so much history in that program.
August 12th, 2009 at 8:43 PM ^
I would miss Bowling Green too, but the rumor about BGSU dropping hockey has been bouncing around to a few years now. CCHA having pre-knowledge that BG is dropping hockey is the only logical reason I can think of not to bring in UAH into the league and get us back to 12 teams.
August 12th, 2009 at 9:00 PM ^
BG folding would be sad. they have been a better program than osu for most of the last 40 years.
i thought i read somewhere that they just got $4M for their arena tho?
August 12th, 2009 at 9:05 PM ^
I thought they were going to host some number of games at Lucas County Arena in Toledo.
August 12th, 2009 at 9:09 PM ^
I'm pretty sure the $4M was Alabama Huntsville.
August 12th, 2009 at 9:30 PM ^
OOOOooooh. that would make sense, but then why would the CCHA site facilities? well, i guess it doesn't. IDK. maybe BG really is gone.
August 12th, 2009 at 9:44 PM ^
Yost Built says the $4 million is for BG...
August 12th, 2009 at 9:48 PM ^
Appears I had them backwards then.
August 12th, 2009 at 7:30 PM ^
can I just dream that we're saving the spot for penn state to join??
August 12th, 2009 at 9:44 PM ^
Since when did Penn State have hockey?????
ON THAT NOTE: I'm dying for just one more Big Ten program to pick up men's ice hockey so we can form a Big Ten ice hockey league. Already have five teams (OSU, MSU, Minn, Wisc, and us). Just need one more.
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August 12th, 2009 at 7:21 PM ^
I don't think it essentially kills their program. More puts them in a dangerous area.
There are still a couple of leagues that they could apply to join up in - Atlantic, ECAC, WCHA and Hockey East. Worse comes to worse, they could always go down to Division 2 again till someone will take them. Obviously not their first choice, but by no means a death blow.
August 12th, 2009 at 7:40 PM ^
I know that it won't happen anytime soon, but I'm one of those people who support a Big Ten hockey conference: we'd get national exposure/respect, a good television deal, and in the long run, strengthen the conference even if two programs would have to be doormats for a while.
The CCHA could have the smaller schools (don't get me wrong, they love their hockey, they're competitive), but we could form a Big Ten with Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, Notre Dame, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and if they go D1 anytime soon, Penn State and Illinois (I've heard those rumors for a while). We'd need two more schools, we could get it done.
Maybe it could also force Notre Dame to join the Big Ten in football and basketball?
I just think it would be in the best interest of everyone.
August 12th, 2009 at 7:43 PM ^
Wisconsin and Minnesota have zero reason to abandon the WCHA. Especially with how hard Minnesota has worked to get all the schools in the state in.
August 12th, 2009 at 7:51 PM ^
That's true, it is one of the best conferences in hockey, I guess the part I overlooked in my post are the consequences to the other conferences. The Big Ten would be one super conference, everyone positioning for three NCAA Tournament bids, with the smaller conferences getting squashed by us in games and recruiting.
August 12th, 2009 at 7:50 PM ^
Along with Brodie's comment, Michigan joining the BigTen isn't going to happen. That and they are already part of the BigEast.
It's obviously not in their best interest.
August 12th, 2009 at 8:08 PM ^
I think I know about college sports, or are you confusing Michigan with Notre Dame? On this blog?
August 12th, 2009 at 8:11 PM ^
Negbang me. That was intellectually disabled of me.
August 12th, 2009 at 8:13 PM ^
That article is retarded.
August 12th, 2009 at 8:26 PM ^
Never.
August 12th, 2009 at 7:50 PM ^
I like that college hockey is the one sport where you have the smaller schools competing with the big guys in the same conference. Getting rid of arguably the two best CCHA teams the past few years (Notre Dame and Miami) for the sake of forming a Big 10 conference doesn't make a lot of sense to me either.
August 12th, 2009 at 9:52 PM ^
From someone who has followed the CCHA extensively for the past 17 years:
1) The Big Ten cannot form a conference until at least six teams from that conference play D-1. Don't hold your breath here.
2) Yes, this is likely the death knell for UAH. They only have 30 total games scheduled this year, only 12 at home. After next season College Hockey America will be down to one team: Alabama-Huntsville. The other schools have found conferences. UAH will be the only independent in D-1. Scheduling 34 games of any kind of quality at all is going to be impossible.
3) Any forming of said BTHC effectively kills off a few more schools that need the big draw of Michigan/MSU/ND, such as WMU, LSSU, BG and likely my alma mater, Ferris. (Note: If you're on USCHO, you have a really good idea of who I am.) This point right here, losing 3-4 schools plus UAH, puts NCAA D-1 hockey at 53-54 teams. That would likely force the NCAA to take the tournament back to 12 teams instead of the 16 we have now.
4) Division II hockey is virtually non-existant. There are 4 D-II schools out east that play down to D-III, and another D-II school just folded their hockey program (Minnesota-Crookston) because they were booted out of their conference (the MCHA in D-III). The Division II schools that play in D-III are barred by the NCAA from playing in the NCAA tourney. The end result: those schools are uncompetitive. I saw Crookston firsthand this past season at Adrian. They were hideous.
Unless there's something really wrong with a few CCHA schools other than BG (who is now likely to survive, assuming they put the $2.5 million into their arena like they announced recently, and they're TRYING to get to $4 million), I think the CCHA really fucked up here.
August 13th, 2009 at 6:58 PM ^
is correct instead of the $2.5 mil that I talked about. My bad.