Big Ten Hockey Conference

[4four4]

Re: Big Ten Hockey Conference

I dont see that happening. A lot of these schools operate on a small budget. Plus, Hockey East, and ECAC dont seem to be too greatly affected by this. I cant see any of those schools leaving. The WCHA will survive on the NoDak's Denver's and the CC's. Lets face it, if the BTHC forms, the CCHA has Miami, Johnny Come lately Notre Dame, and Northern as its top programs. Not to bash my own school here, but its crap.

The East will be effected because the best players who want to play college hockey will play in the Big Ten.

[NMU8405]

Re: Big Ten Hockey Conference

The East will be effected because the best players who want to play college hockey will play in the Big Ten.

I meant Conference shuffling wise. With the addition of new teams, talent is spread thin more and more.

[aparch]

Re: Big Ten Hockey Conference

Moose, I doubt it. NMU's AD did leave the door open during discussions, but I don't see the WCHA throwing a lifeline to NMU, even if we ask for it. Now is the time for NMU to continue to make noise and be the thorn in Anastos's JLA party and make itself valuable.


NMU8405 is right though, NMU isn't a flagship team to hinge the CCHA on.

[GopherBigGuy911]

Re: Big Ten Hockey Conference

The East will be effected because the best players who want to play college hockey will play in the Big Ten.

With the exception of Ohio State... don't the best players already play in the Big Ten?
Minnesota (except recently), Wisconsin, Michigan and to an extent Michigan State already get the top players.

[bigmrg74]

Re: Big Ten Hockey Conference

No, the CCHA can not operate with that 8 team format. Its a large split from ND, Miami and Bowling Green with the "Northern" schools in Michigan. Secondly, I dont see Notre Dame and Miami staying if they cant play the big boys of Michigan and Michigan State, or Ohio State 2-4 times a season. Plus, lets face it....is Miami going to get pumped to play Ferris 4+ times a season?

With the loss of Michigan/State in the CCHA, schools like LSSU, Ferris, and NMU lose that draw. There would be now way in hell that Michigan would travel to the U.P. out of "good faith" to play NMU in a non league game. If the CCHA were to survive, itd be with the addition of a few schools posted above, and the addition of Grand Valley. You'd have to look at a combination of MAAC schools and GLIAC schools for the league to survive. Id really like to see NMU be pro-active here in this before the **** hits the fan, but our A.D. doesnt even know how to check his email, there is no way NMU is doing anything to combat this.

Believe me, its nice to be wanted, but right now, I don't really see where GVSU gets the money for D1 hockey short of myself hitting the next big 100million+ lotto pot. GVSU would have space for it, and we are likely to get a new basketball arena now that we have our turf building for indoor track. But right now they're still scrapping together the funds for a new library that's badly needed, and they're committed to putting shovels in the dirt for photo ops this fall. Then another addition/expansion of Lubbers. We averaged over 11,000 in the regular season last year, and Lubbers Stadium only has 8,500 seats. Plus there's plans of moving the outdoor track to around the soccer field so that they can lower the field at lubbers to make it more of a bowl. Just getting the capital around to get some of the physical property needed for college hockey would be pretty tough to come by right now, in any short order.

[brianvf]

Re: Big Ten Hockey Conference

The East will be effected because the best players who want to play college hockey will play in the Big Ten.

Haha.

[HoosierBBall_GopherHockey]

Re: Big Ten Hockey Conference

I could definatly see USC or UCLA or Stanford or all of them making the jump to D-1 hockey. They certainly have the money and support and local talent to make the jump. That would also save the Alaska Programs add in Boise State and you would have a conference.

Well, looking on the bright side for Boise State, at least they could stop arguing for a playoff.

[Dude Love]

Re: Big Ten Hockey Conference

I meant Conference shuffling wise. With the addition of new teams, talent is spread thin more and more.

New team.

And there shouldn't have to be much shuffling. The WCHA and CCHA stay the same except the CCHA would get UAH and MTU to make two 9-team leagues.

EDIT: Except I honestly forgot about NMU. Sorry, hillbillies, you're out again.

[dxmnkd316]

Re: Big Ten Hockey Conference

Fml...

5-4

[kingdobbs]

Re: Big Ten Hockey Conference

Well its finally happened. Penn State is set to announce the formation of a varsity hockey team. That will make six Big Ten schools that offer hockey. The only question is what Notre Dame does in everything other than football, a move out of the Big East would help most of their other sports, and is a natural choice in hockey...

There's pretty much only one league that Notre Dame could join that would improve* their standing in most other sports (such as would matter, since I don't figure they give a **** where their runners and swimmers play), and it ain't the Big Ten.

*Which would be a marginal improvement at best, and depending on your opinion of them with regards to basketball and Notre Dame's current home, more likely a slight downshift.

[JF_Gophers]

Re: Big Ten Hockey Conference

A 6 team league is pretty small, thats only 20 games (4 vs each) in conference. That leaves 18-20 games to be scheduled.

I don't really want to play a team more than 4 times a year (minus playoffs).

[Sean Pickett]

Re: Big Ten Hockey Conference

A 6 team league is pretty small, thats only 20 games (4 vs each) in conference. That leaves 18-20 games to be scheduled.

?? ?? ??

Sean

[JF_Gophers]

Re: Big Ten Hockey Conference

?? ?? ??

Sean

Which part confuses you? I guess I used league and conference as interchangable words. Sorry if that was it.

[moose97]

Re: Big Ten Hockey Conference

A 6 team league is pretty small, thats only 20 games (4 vs each) in conference. That leaves 18-20 games to be scheduled.

I don't really want to play a team more than 4 times a year (minus playoffs).

Actually, it leaves 14 (34 game limit with no Alaska trip or exempt tourney). Plus, that's the whole point. Those 6 schools would get, oh, I don't know, an aditional 10-12 home OOC games (how many road OOC games do you figure Minnesota or Michigan to do each year?). Just look at Minnesota quickly. They could easily set up a perpetual OOC contract with Mankato, Duluth, SCSU, BSU, NoDak and offer three years at Mariucci and one on the road (with finantial guarantees for the years they don't travel). That still leaves two weekends for the Gophers to do what they want - the Holiday Classic and lure in another cupcake (Brown last year, RMU, they have a decent UMass team coming in this year), which would, again, be at home. Heck, even if two of the "rival" state-schools were on the road in a given year, that's still 10 OOC games at home, plus the 10 home BTHC games.

Sample Gopher BTHC schedule (based on '10-'11):

British Columbia (ex)
Massachusetts (nc)
Massachusetts (nc)
@ Penn State
@ Penn State
St. Cloud State (nc)
St. Cloud State (nc)
@ Michigan State
@ Michigan State
Wisconsin
Wisconsin
@ OSU
@ OSU
Michigan
Michigan
Minnesota State (nc)
Minnesota State (nc)
Minnesota-Duluth (nc)
Minnesota-Duluth (nc)
Holiday Classic (nc)
Holiday Classic (nc)
US Under-18 Team (ex)
@ North Dakota (nc)
@ North Dakota (nc)
Penn State
Penn State
Michigan State
Michigan State
@ Michigan
@ Michigan
@ Wisconsin
@ Wisconsin
OSU
OSU
@ Bemidji State (nc)
@ Bemidji State (nc)

[FlagDUDE08]

Re: Big Ten Hockey Conference

A 6 team league is pretty small, thats only 20 games (4 vs each) in conference. That leaves 18-20 games to be scheduled.

I don't really want to play a team more than 4 times a year (minus playoffs).

With 14 games of NC play (assuming you play BT colleges 4 times), you could always go back to some of the other WCHA teams for a few games. I'm sure UND would help out. Notre Dame would probably also make for some good NC games. Yes, your conference would be small, but WCHA and CCHA would also be smaller.