Will Bowling Green and/or Western Michigan join the WCHA?

[MUhawks628]

Re: Will Bowling Green and/or Western Michigan join the WCHA?

Well congrats Western, seems like this is the outcome your fanbase wanted (or at the very least your marketing department)!

[mcfarljd]

Where do you get that SCSU is a backup?
The article says both schools will be getting invites and both are expected to accept.
A mistake on SCSU's part in my opinion.

Yeah especially since they already turned it down even before being considered for an invite

[First Time, Long Time]

Probably related to the Grand Forks Herald article tonight that WMU and Saint Cloud would be getting NCHC invites -- though it is a bit vague as they say "sometime this week". It sounded to me like WMU was getting one immediately, and SCSU might be playing backup if ND were to decide to decline their standing invitation.

http://www.grandforksherald.com/even.../group/Sports/

Where do you get that SCSU is a backup?
The article says both schools will be getting invites and both are expected to accept.
A mistake on SCSU's part in my opinion.

[Savage]

Re: Will Bowling Green and/or Western Michigan join the WCHA?

Probably related to the Grand Forks Herald article tonight that WMU and Saint Cloud would be getting NCHC invites -- though it is a bit vague as they say "sometime this week". It sounded to me like WMU was getting one immediately, and SCSU might be playing backup if ND were to decide to decline their standing invitation.

http://www.grandforksherald.com/even.../group/Sports/

[davyd83]

Re: Will Bowling Green and/or Western Michigan join the WCHA?

The Kalamazoo Gazette's David Drew posted this Tweet tonight.

Be sure to check http://mlive.com/broncos tomorrow morning for big college hockey news.

[Biddco]

Re: Will Bowling Green and/or Western Michigan join the WCHA?

Notre Dame AD Jack Swarbrick told WSBT on Saturday that the future of Notre Dame hockey will be announced in 7-10 days, which would me next Tuesday at the latest. Of course they were going to announce at the CCHA meetings...by the start of the football season...

I would expect BG and Western to take their decisions up to this weekend's deadline and possible ask for a 1-2 week extension if Notre Dame has not made a decision by then.

Given this time frame and the rumblings in college football, I wonder if this time frame coincides with the future of other ND sports.

[UpNorthHockey]

Re: Will Bowling Green and/or Western Michigan join the WCHA?

I don't see too many realistic scenarios where BGSU doesn't end up in the WCHA. They've hinted at it in the media ("...tracking toward WCHA") and despite their D1 program and past NCAA title, they don't have the budget or facilities of the other NCHC schools. They've also not made any public overtures like Why Western. I was in Toledo last week and visited the BGSU Arena for the first time. Despite the recent renovations, it still doesn't have the modern amenities of many other college arenas. I still couldn't guess what Notre Dame will do.....NCHC? East? Indy? If they go NCHC, I think WMU will also be invited as a provisional member. If not, I think Western goes to WCHA. Western's recent statement that they'll play top talent no matter where they end up suggests that they're preparing for the possibility of going to the WCHA.

[davyd83]

Re: Will Bowling Green and/or Western Michigan join the WCHA?

Assuming BG and Western are working in concert, they could ask for the extension with a reasonable expectation of getting it since I'm sure the WCHA would like at least one for the Division I aspect.

I don't know if they are working in concert or not. Western says they are making their decision all on their own. But it would appear, as I've said before that they are still waiting for the Notre Dame decision and the ramifications of that, and that Bowling Green is waiting for both of them, to see where they then fit.

[bronconick]

Re: Will Bowling Green and/or Western Michigan join the WCHA?

Notre Dame AD Jack Swarbrick told WSBT on Saturday that the future of Notre Dame hockey will be announced in 7-10 days, which would me next Tuesday at the latest. Of course they were going to announce at the CCHA meetings...by the start of the football season...

I would expect BG and Western to take their decisions up to this weekend's deadline and possible ask for a 1-2 week extension if Notre Dame has not made a decision by then.

Assuming BG and Western are working in concert, they could ask for the extension with a reasonable expectation of getting it since I'm sure the WCHA would like at least one for the Division I aspect.

[davyd83]

Re: Will Bowling Green and/or Western Michigan join the WCHA?

Notre Dame AD Jack Swarbrick told WSBT on Saturday that the future of Notre Dame hockey will be announced in 7-10 days, which would me next Tuesday at the latest. Of course they were going to announce at the CCHA meetings...by the start of the football season...

I would expect BG and Western to take their decisions up to this weekend's deadline and possible ask for a 1-2 week extension if Notre Dame has not made a decision by then.

[pdt1081]

Not even close. The money was used primarily for maintenance items. which is a big no- no. So yeah they are short of funds.

When your annual donors threaten to cut off their donations if hockey dropped, your program is on stable ground. In other words, it will cost the university far more to cut the program than to fund it.

[redhead18]

Re: Will Bowling Green and/or Western Michigan join the WCHA?

But there's no way they'd set up a "pod" scheduling where one pod has both Alaska schools. This would mean that the AHA-4 would one way or another end up having to travel to Alaska on a regular basis as well as the UP and Minnesota on a semi-regular basis. That still flies in the face of their reported objections to joining the CCHA while Alaska and LSSU were still members.

Agreed, if the four Atlantic teams wanted to be apart of 16 team conference, it would make a lot more sense to see if the ECAC would be willing to expand then to join the WCHA.

[Goon]

Re: Will Bowling Green and/or Western Michigan join the WCHA?

we're Tech fans. we even think we are going to win this year...

I would think Tech would be better this season. What did they win 4 games? I think 10-15 games might be a possibility.

[davyd83]

Re: Will Bowling Green and/or Western Michigan join the WCHA?

we're Tech fans. we even think we are going to win this year...

You may not win this year. But there will be improvement and the start of a good foundation.

[huskyfan]

Re: Will Bowling Green and/or Western Michigan join the WCHA?

That's funny. The picture you paint is vastly different than the one that I hear from people at Bowling Green.

we're Tech fans. we even think we are going to win this year...