OT: ASU to announce transition to mens D1 ice hockey
Awesome news for the landscape and growth of college hockey, especially growing the amount of D1 programs out west.
http://www.foxsports.com/arizona/story/arizona-state-to-launch-division-i-hockey-program-111814
November 18th, 2014 at 2:39 PM ^
They're gonna be hard to recruit against.
November 18th, 2014 at 2:41 PM ^
Yesssss! I beat WD to post something! what do I win?
November 18th, 2014 at 2:49 PM ^
My heart.
November 18th, 2014 at 2:51 PM ^
I'll take it, but only if it comes with some of those fancy statistical binders!
November 18th, 2014 at 3:25 PM ^
Damn. So much personality.
November 18th, 2014 at 3:31 PM ^
FYI - So much better that an alternative uni pic. Keep up the good work.
November 18th, 2014 at 3:51 PM ^
..those ARE alternative unis...
November 18th, 2014 at 3:36 PM ^
And they would stand up, errrr I mean out, more in a cold, cold, rink!
November 18th, 2014 at 3:45 PM ^
I had A LOT of fun during my time in Ann Arbor. I probably would've failed had I gone to ASU...or any other warm weather school.
November 18th, 2014 at 2:40 PM ^
I live in PA and my ex is really sexy and she is going to be a freshman there next year so fuck ASU.
November 18th, 2014 at 2:52 PM ^
Cumong man, you can't just say that and not post pics.
Assuming she's of age.
November 18th, 2014 at 2:54 PM ^
Yeah, let's not do that.
November 18th, 2014 at 3:43 PM ^
That's what she's going to do.
November 18th, 2014 at 9:13 PM ^
Stay friends with her, go and visit one time, and have the time of your creepy young adult life. As someone who married an ASU grad and lived in Tempe for 5 years, the rumors about the attractiveness of ASU students is absolutely true.
November 18th, 2014 at 2:47 PM ^
I almost went to ASU for grad school. It's a nice campus, but holy hell their summer is as hot as our winter is cold...It's a good institution, though. Good for them, and good for hockey.
November 18th, 2014 at 2:49 PM ^
I had heard they found a big time donor. Big news for college hockey - especially in the west where it was pretty big decades ago
November 18th, 2014 at 4:12 PM ^
this is huge for college hockey... the number of kids from California and Texas creeping into the WHL over the past few years has astronomical, until now they really only had Denver as an option close to home. Giving them a real name brand school in the west is going to do wonders.
November 18th, 2014 at 5:17 PM ^
Hockey in CA I know is growing, Texas as well. And I have to assume the WHLs presence in the pacific NW means there's talent out there.
ASU gives college hockey a solid presence in the west for the first time in forever. ASU, Denver, Air Force, and Colorado College could be a solid foundation of a future west coast conference.
Oklahoma and Central Oklahoma are both ACHA powers that could be encouraged by ASU's entry. I certainly think the $$ part of moving up means OU is much more likely though. Pac12 schools are probably also raising their eyebrows inquisitively at this
November 18th, 2014 at 7:45 PM ^
And Denver is closer to Michigan than it is to California. They really haven't had any near by option.
November 18th, 2014 at 2:50 PM ^
Have had great success at the club level very similar to Michigan Lax. Great for western expansion of college hockey, hopefully can complete early with Colorado College, Denver, and UND.
November 18th, 2014 at 2:54 PM ^
A lot of the pac12 schools out there draw pretty good crowds for their club games. Hopefully at least 5 other teams from the pac12 jump on the board and they can be a conference that gets an auto bid to the tourney. Would be a huge movement for college hockey.
November 18th, 2014 at 3:00 PM ^
Wonder if a conference with other schools who could make the jump from the Plains wouldn't be a good idea. Oklahoma and Lindenwood also have solid ACHA D1 programs. If you were able to add a school from St. Louis area, or northern Texas?
November 18th, 2014 at 3:30 PM ^
I heard Stanford is considering following suit... They need to make up points lost in the directors cup after harbaughs departure
November 18th, 2014 at 4:53 PM ^
I also heard rumblings of Cal
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November 18th, 2014 at 5:51 PM ^
Those are quite the rumors and I haven't heard anything of Stanford or Cal. (Not that I am an insider by any means)
This is a way cool for college hockey, but the elephant in the room remains that PSU and ASU both needed massive private donations to move up. I think schools will only move up when they have the donors to get them there. All the Pac12 schools have a solid ACHA D-II league called the Pac-8 and I would assume many are comfortable there (unless they get $$$$$)
November 18th, 2014 at 10:35 PM ^
I was joking about stanford... The most rumbling I've heard has been nebraska, illinois, maybe northwestern... How about colorado-Boulder??
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November 19th, 2014 at 5:21 AM ^
I think Nebraska is only a matter of time. They have an arena, a conference, an in-state rival, and local USHL teams to recruit from. It's just a matter of fundraising a bit.
UC-Boulder makes a ton of sense in the same way Buffalo does. Hockey state and a ton of local teams already play. I'm not sure they have a decent ACHA program though, but with ASU in now, they could make a really solid west conference with the colorado schools, Colorado, ASU, and perhaps Arizona
November 18th, 2014 at 2:56 PM ^
Are they planning on building a new arena? I see their basketball stadium dates to 1974 and already hosts MBB, WBB, wrestling, volleyball and gymnastics.
November 18th, 2014 at 3:04 PM ^
I don't feel like clicking. Is this Alabama State? Arkansas State? Appalachian State? Alaska State? Aikido School of Ueshiba?
November 18th, 2014 at 3:16 PM ^
Appalachian State. They hired Red Berenson, Jim Harbaugh, John Beilein and Rich Rodriguez as coaches and the Yost family is allowing them the exclusive right to name their stadium after Fielding Yost.
In related news, the USNTDP is moving to Boone and ASU will be visiting Ann Arbor for the 2015 home opener.
November 18th, 2014 at 3:23 PM ^
JGB on a roll.
November 18th, 2014 at 3:17 PM ^
Just to be safe we'll need HOCKEYBEAR to bomb all of them
November 18th, 2014 at 4:52 PM ^
Everyone knows ASU is Arizona state just like USC is southern cal
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November 18th, 2014 at 5:26 PM ^
Then why do so many people call South Carolina "USC"?
November 18th, 2014 at 3:42 PM ^
I hope this brings more college hockey to the west. Currnetly Colorado is the western edge of D1 hockey in the lower 48. I would like to see Michigan get out here (Colorado) every few years other than just tourney appearances. DU, CC, and AFA all have nice college hockey facilities.
November 18th, 2014 at 3:43 PM ^
There have been rumors of cal and stanford adding hockey. Is there another team out west other than Air Force?
November 18th, 2014 at 3:48 PM ^
Denver, Colorado college... Then you get into the minny/Dakota schools
November 18th, 2014 at 4:51 PM ^
What about that Nebraska school? I can't remember the exact name
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November 18th, 2014 at 5:00 PM ^
Forgot about Nebraska-Omaha... They've been mentioned as the reason nebraska has issues moving forward with a d1 team in Lincoln .. Since they just built an amazing multi purpose arena downtown that would be great for hosting
(They, as in UNL..)
November 18th, 2014 at 4:08 PM ^
Of course. With nothing west of Colorado former DU coach George Gwozdecky recruited well in Alberta and BC. Gwozdecky was a really good coach, back to back NC, 2003-04 and 2004-05. DU lost their mind and fired him 2013 despite only 2 losing seasons in 19 years, the last being 1999-2000 . He has ties to MSU, he was an assistant there in the 1980s. I'm glad Sparty never went after him.
November 18th, 2014 at 7:49 PM ^
Mentioned above but Michigan is as close or closer to Colorado than California and Arizona. Pacific coast kids have been totally neglected. I'm surprised University of Washington doesn't consider a program. I'm sure they could recruit British Columbia pretty well.
November 18th, 2014 at 3:55 PM ^
Awesome news. Let's hope college hockey continues to grow.
November 18th, 2014 at 4:25 PM ^
Hopefully they are more successful than the Coyotes
(curse you Bettman)
November 18th, 2014 at 4:28 PM ^
the title said "OT: ASU announces transition to m"
all I could think of before clicking was "manball?"
November 19th, 2014 at 10:09 AM ^
Their club team could beat some current D-1 teams now.
November 18th, 2014 at 5:07 PM ^
I thought for a second it was Appalacian State and then "The Horror on Ice" and then reality set in. Nonetheless kinda interesting because Phoenix had a hard time supporting a pro hockey team.