Will NCHA disband or realign?

[nbound]

ALL Wisconsin D lll Hockey programs will be leaving the NCHA in 2014 . http://athletics.uwsp.edu/news/2012/...x?path=mhockey How is this going to affect D lll hockey? Will the NCHA disband or realign with remaining teams ? Will more teams be added? Any thoughts?

[gojackets]

Re: Will NCHA disband or realign?

ALL Wisconsin D lll Hockey programs will be leaving the NCHA in 2014 . http://athletics.uwsp.edu/news/2012/...x?path=mhockey How is this going to affect D lll hockey? Will the NCHA disband or realign with remaining teams ? Will more teams be added? Any thoughts?

It was discussed a little bit awhile ago. The prevailing idea on the men's side is that the WIAC will ask the current men's NCHA members to join the WIAC (St. Scholastica and St Norbert). If they did that on the men's side, those teams would most likely come on the women's side as well. It would be nice to see all of the wisconsin schools to join the WIAC for women's hockey...that would be the four UW's, SNC, Marian, CUW and then CSS would be there giving us 8 teams and an autobid...this would leave Adrian, Finlandia, and Lake Forest out in the cold....Maybe bring Lake Forest on to the WIAC as well.

I wouldn't be shocked to see Finlandia's women's program fold in this case...maybe Adrian could replace RIT in the ECAC-W once they jump to D1?


It would be interesting if the rumors of the SUNYAC forming a women's conference came true as well. I believe Suny-Canton is adding hockey in the next couple years which would make 6 SUNYAC teams with women's hockey..if one of the other SUNY's that have a men's team created a women's would they split off? Leaving Chatham, Utica, Neumann, RIT(?) out in the cold.

[Tweedle Dee]

Re: Will NCHA disband or realign?

It was discussed a little bit awhile ago. The prevailing idea on the men's side is that the WIAC will ask the current men's NCHA members to join the WIAC (St. Scholastica and St Norbert). If they did that on the men's side, those teams would most likely come on the women's side as well. It would be nice to see all of the wisconsin schools to join the WIAC for women's hockey...that would be the four UW's, SNC, Marian, CUW and then CSS would be there giving us 8 teams and an autobid...this would leave Adrian, Finlandia, and Lake Forest out in the cold....Maybe bring Lake Forest on to the WIAC as well.

I wouldn't be shocked to see Finlandia's women's program fold in this case...maybe Adrian could replace RIT in the ECAC-W once they jump to D1?


It would be interesting if the rumors of the SUNYAC forming a women's conference came true as well. I believe Suny-Canton is adding hockey in the next couple years which would make 6 SUNYAC teams with women's hockey..if one of the other SUNY's that have a men's team created a women's would they split off? Leaving Chatham, Utica, Neumann, RIT(?) out in the cold.

Elmira isn't a SUNY so the would be in the cold as well.

[notfromaroundhere]

Re: Will NCHA disband or realign?

ALL Wisconsin D lll Hockey programs will be leaving the NCHA in 2014 . http://athletics.uwsp.edu/news/2012/...x?path=mhockey How is this going to affect D lll hockey? Will the NCHA disband or realign with remaining teams ? Will more teams be added? Any thoughts?

After reading the article carefully, it would seem that this move is purely an Athletic Department budget issue. All these WIAC schools are currently members of the WIAC for all sports with hockey being the one sport not covered. It looks like they are removing an overhead cost from the budgets (when you join a conference you agree to pay a certain fee per school to cover the various salaries, etc. associated with the conference). It is a shame because the NCHA website has come a long way (one of those costs). I haven't looked but I'll bet the WIAC also has a website that they will now need to plumb for hockey stuff.

I would hope that the WIAC would make offers to various NCHA schools to join on a single sport only basis and contribute to the WIAC for their participation. I can't see them requiring more member to add the sport, especially considering the cost of ice (or potentially building a facility).

The scheduling changes will not be determined until everyone knows the future of the NCHA. If a bunch of teams leave and join the WIAC, it becomes simple (except for the teams not in the league who may disband or join other leagues as gojacktes suggested). If it is a 4 team women's league, the temptation to schedule 4 games with each opponent to make the league schedule of significant length would almost be a certainty. There would still need to be a schedule a large number of non-league weekends with NCHA and MIAC teams (I can't see WI schools going east considering the state of WI public education budgets).

[gojackets]

Re: Will NCHA disband or realign?

I was thinking about this...would a better solution to this situation be:

The MCHA schools form an MCHA women's conference, that would consist of Lake Forest, Adrian, CUW, Finlandia and Marian.

CSS and SNC join up with the WIAC ... That would bring back the pool B bid....come up with a joint-conference schedule where you play all teams in both conferences twice. Have a conference tournament and then the two conference champs would be pitted against eachother for the Pool B bid?