The New WCHA, 2014 Offseason: See-ya, Bruce

[Slap Shot]

You're kidding, right? Cincy has some redeemable areas but an old arena...

5th 3rd is good enough and the riverfront area has been completely made over with new bars and restaurants in recent years since new stadiums went up for the Reds and Bengals.

[bigblue_dl]

Re: The New WCHA, 2014 Offseason: See-ya, Bruce

If they fill the building, what percentage of each team's fans do you see making up the 7300 in attendance?

Bowling Green 35% - 2555
Ferris State 20% - 1460
Northern Michigan 14% - 1022
Michigan Tech 14% - 1022
Minnesota State-Mankato 5% - 365
Lake Superior State 5% - 365
Bemidji State 3% - 219
Alabama-Huntsville 2% - 146
Alaska-Anchorage 1% - 73
Alaska 1% - 73

But then, I don't think this league would come close to filling a 7300 seat arena anywhere.

edited to add corresponding number of fans associated with that %, to fill the 7300 seats, since I don't have high expectations for a few posters in this thread being able to do simple math

[JohnsonsJerseys]

Re: The New WCHA, 2014 Offseason: See-ya, Bruce

Interesting rumbling from the Let's Play Hockey Twitter account this morning.
Logical landing areas initially could be the NCHC or WCHA (eventually Pac-12?).
ASU sells out home gms w/ 800 fans.

Let's just fact check this a bit and come back to Earth...
There is zero chance that the NCHC is going to take ASU - just ask UA-Huntsville. The NCHC wants no part of some small-time start-up program. If those teams wanted that, they never would have left the WCHA / CCHA.
You're packing in 800 fans for home games... last I check you going to need a new rink before the WCHA will talk with you (just ask BSU) and you had better convince Arizona to be going D-I as well as the WCHA also has a track record of not wanting an odd number of teams.

I'm all for more college hockey teams, but in the next five years, seeing ASU in ANY college hockey conference is a pipe dream at best (just ask the Red Dragons in MN).

Ryan J

[5mn_Major]

Re: The New WCHA, 2014 Offseason: See-ya, Bruce

I see both the WCHA and NCHC wanting to take ASU if they were to go D1. ASU is a nationally recognized brand has as many students as a half dozen schools put together.

[blackswampboy]

Re: The New WCHA, 2014 Offseason: See-ya, Bruce

over at AZZ, a guy makes the case that Simon Fraser has DI hockey ambitions. huge school, currently at NCAA DII. but their arena only seats 2,000, and they'd have to do the NCAA petition thing to move up.
this season they're making a road trip to BGSU and Miami State.

what conference wouldn't want to stamp their footprint into BC?

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sport...rticle4459441/

[fairbanks hockey puck]

Re: The New WCHA, 2014 Offseason: See-ya, Bruce

University of British Columbia could also join Simon Fraser...Simon Fraser competes in NCAA DIV II Great Northwest Athletic conference with Alaska and UAA in several sports including men's and women's basketball and volleyball...

[MavHockey14]

Re: The New WCHA, 2014 Offseason: See-ya, Bruce

I stated it in the Minnesota State forum a few days ago, but Jr. Defenseman Jon Jutzi is no longer listed on the official roster for the Mavericks.

Jutzi was a nice defensive defenseman, and played in 82 games his first two years as a Maverick. (82 GP 1 G 14 A 15 Pts 29 PIM)

[Squarebanks]

I see both the WCHA and NCHC wanting to take ASU if they were to go D1. ASU is a nationally recognized brand has as many students as a half dozen schools put together.

This.

[Squarebanks]

Let's just fact check this a bit and come back to Earth...
There is zero chance that the NCHC is going to take ASU - just ask UA-Huntsville. The NCHC wants no part of some small-time start-up program. If those teams wanted that, they never would have left the WCHA / CCHA.
You're packing in 800 fans for home games... last I check you going to need a new rink before the WCHA will talk with you (just ask BSU) and you had better convince Arizona to be going D-I as well as the WCHA also has a track record of not wanting an odd number of teams.

I'm all for more college hockey teams, but in the next five years, seeing ASU in ANY college hockey conference is a pipe dream at best (just ask the Red Dragons in MN).

Ryan J

With all due respect to gfmorris and the great Charger fans around here, ASU is a major athletic brand in a major media market, with overall enrollment of over 70,000 studentd. Were they to start D1 hockey it would be a coup not just for whatever conference they join but also college hockey in general.

[bigblue_dl]

Re: The New WCHA, 2014 Offseason: See-ya, Bruce

With all due respect to gfmorris and the great Charger fans around here, ASU is a major athletic brand in a major media market, with overall enrollment of over 70,000 studentd. Were they to start D1 hockey it would be a coup not just for whatever conference they join but also college hockey in general.

I agree. Getting ASU would be a huge boost for either conference, and ASU would immediately be the biggest name, biggest brand in either conference.

[JohnsonsJerseys]

Re: The New WCHA, 2014 Offseason: See-ya, Bruce

Seriously? ASU could have a million students but if only 800 of them are going to hockey games who cares what their enrollment might be. If you think ANY conference is beating down ASU's door begging them to join their hockey conference you're fooling yourself. I'm sure plenty of conferences are begging to get their football, basketball, etc teams into their conference. I get that, but we're talking about hockey. AZ is so hockey starved, they're about to get a second NHL team in Phoenix... oh wait that's right they're on the brink of being yanked out of the state and moved to Canada.

Are we not the same USCHO posters that just spent the last couple seasons crying over the huge travel burden of having to play TWO AK schools AND UAH in the South? All the member teams are going broke (allegedly) and you think the WCHA is looking to get another team 1500+ miles away from everyone else?

If your team had the choice of scheduling a home game with a non-conference opponent of their choice, which do you think they would pick?
A - ASU
B - ANYONE else currently with a hockey program.

Again, I'm all in favor of expansion, but some of this talk is so far off in left field it makes AK seem close-by. Other than having a huge school listed in your conference what other possible benefit do they bring to the table? Sure maybe it works for one of the big conferences of other sports to try and pluck a huge school in a big city, but all they are trying to do is push a cable sports package into another 10 million TV homes. The WCHA is a one sport conference with no TV deal so what does it matter how big the school, or the city is for that matter? Just look back at the past D-I hockey programs that have folded at "major" universities - just being a big school has nothing to do with fielding a successful athletic team, especially in a sport like hockey. If you don't have fans, you won't have a team for long either.

Ryan J

Chance of ANY Canadian school playing US D-I hockey AND getting into a conference >>> Chance of ASU doing the same

[JohnsonsJerseys]

Re: The New WCHA, 2014 Offseason: See-ya, Bruce

"Big" schools playing D-I hockey... Size does not equate to stability or being desired. If you don't have any fans or support, good luck hanging around in the sport.
Kent State, Northern AZ, Wayne State, Pennsylvania, UIC... the list goes on. With the exception of NAU, all of these teams are from the rust belt where there are plenty of other teams to play and hockey fans to try and lure to your games, yet even that wasn't enough to save them. All those schools with enrollments over 25,000 and where are they now? Defunct - just like all the little programs that folded.

I'm just saying...
Ryan J

[5mn_Major]

Re: The New WCHA, 2014 Offseason: See-ya, Bruce

Its all speculation and I doubt either ASU or SF go D1 (but I've been wrong before about this type of thing).

Soo... Penn St is not too far off the size of ASU. Sure they aren't the same school...but Penn St put 6k students in the seats of many a game this year with a losing season. It also got 17k to attend a game against powerhouse Vermont. I have little doubt many a conference would be willing to take a flyer on ASU in part because TV contracts would be involved.

[gfmorris]

Re: The New WCHA, 2014 Offseason: See-ya, Bruce

With all due respect to gfmorris and the great Charger fans around here, ASU is a major athletic brand in a major media market, with overall enrollment of over 70,000 studentd. Were they to start D1 hockey it would be a coup not just for whatever conference they join but also college hockey in general.

None taken, but all the rumors are that there will be more realignment out west because the NCHC underestimated the pain in its travel. Adding another far-flung team doesn't make that any easier on them.

GFM

[FadeToBlack&Gold]

Re: The New WCHA, 2014 Offseason: See-ya, Bruce

the NCHC underestimated the pain in its travel.

What a shame