Save Uah Hockey!

[Goon]

Re: Save Uah Hockey!

Couple of things. First the housekeeping thing. The Big Ten is on record as stating no matter how many teams were to add hockey (Penn State being the one talked about most even though we all know it ISN'T GOING TO HAPPEN) they won't force the issue of competing under the flag of the Big 10. The myth of the 6 team threshold needs to be put to rest. It's almost as annoying as any talk of the BTHC to begin with.

The other thing I find disturbing is all the speculation that if other teams fold, or the RIGHT teams fold maybe UAH ends up in the CCHA after all or perhaps another league takes them on. If this is what it takes we've got a lot of troubles in the D1 hockey world. Because when it comes to teams folding, does it really matter to any of us which team it is barring those who root for whoever folds of course?

You might want to tell that to the Minnesota Gopher fans.

[gfmorris]

Re: Save Uah Hockey!

The other thing I find disturbing is all the speculation that if other teams fold, or the RIGHT teams fold maybe UAH ends up in the CCHA after all or perhaps another league takes them on. If this is what it takes we've got a lot of troubles in the D1 hockey world. Because when it comes to teams folding, does it really matter to any of us which team it is barring those who root for whoever folds of course?

I don't want any school to fold, whether it's UAH, the rumors around BGSU, or anyone else. I hated to see Findlay and Wayne State go, and I didn't like it when Iona and Fairfield folded.

Geof

[Goon]

Re: Save Uah Hockey!

So, you're saying FSU is the same bus-travel time from UAH as NMU is from Miami, right (sure, it's 100 miles shorter, but since so much of it is not interstate, it's still 11.5 hours...)? So, what's the problem?

There isn't one. This is just another weak excuse not to accept UAH.

[tnlong]

Re: Save Uah Hockey! - a lot of troubles in the D1 hockey world

...The other thing I find disturbing is all the speculation that if other teams fold, or the RIGHT teams fold maybe UAH ends up in the CCHA after all or perhaps another league takes them on. If this is what it takes we've got a lot of troubles in the D1 hockey world. Because when it comes to teams folding, does it really matter to any of us which team it is barring those who root for whoever folds of course?

Trend lines don't lie; D1 hockey is in a lot of trouble.
With no mechanism for adding new programs, D1 hockey is in a lot of trouble.
If the NCAA is willing to let a viable D1 hockey program disappear because other teams don't won't them playing in their sandbox, D1 hockey is in a lot of trouble.

[Ed Trefzger]

Re: Save Uah Hockey!

Yet they take Air Force. Hey that makes a lot of sense.

The MAAC and AHA are not the same thing. The MAAC also pulled a stunt on Findlay prior to them joining the league.

Besides, Atlantic Hockey stepped up and took two teams.

[ExileOnDaytonStreet]

Re: Save Uah Hockey! - a lot of troubles in the D1 hockey world

If the NCAA is willing to let a viable D1 hockey program disappear because other teams don't won't them playing in their sandbox, D1 hockey is in a lot of trouble.

By "the NCAA", do you mean all of the other existing D-I programs? Or do you mean the NCAA itself?

Because if its the latter, you are sorely mistaken. Short of something illegal, there's nothing that the NCAA can do to make sure that UAH survives. They can't force a conference to accept them. They can't tell UAH not to fold when it will likely be next to impossible to survive as an independent. What are they going to do: mandate that every team visit Huntsville within the next five years?

On the other hand, if the CCHA won't budge, UAH's survival hinges on the ability of other schools to provide UAH with enough non-conference dates (especially dates in Huntsville) that UAH can actually make some money with their hockey program. And that is out of the NCAA's control.

[goldy_331]

Re: Save Uah Hockey!

I agree it is about a conference snubbing its nose at CCHA and trying to make it look like it wasn't. It's about as dumb as dumb as the CCHA commish saying you can have UAF but you shouldn't have taken UNO.

Does anyone have the link to a Goon/English translator for me?

[ChargerBlue]

Re: Save Uah Hockey!

The MAAC and AHA are not the same thing. The MAAC also pulled a stunt on Findlay prior to them joining the league.

Besides, Atlantic Hockey stepped up and took two teams.

So taking two instead of four is stepping up? If AHA had been willing to take all four we wouldn't be in this mess. Don't make them out to be the nice guys in this one. The four CHA schools made a very solid proposal to merge with AHA to which they said thanks but no thanks. So then they went ahead and took Niagara and Robert Morris leaving UAH and Bemidji floating in the wind.

[SCSU Euro]

Re: Save Uah Hockey!

So taking two instead of four is stepping up? If AHA had been willing to take all four we wouldn't be in this mess. Don't make them out to be the nice guys in this one. The four CHA schools made a very solid proposal to merge with AHA to which they said thanks but no thanks. So then they went ahead and took Niagara and Robert Morris leaving UAH and Bemidji floating in the wind.

They took 2 of the 4, which is twice as many as anyone else did. Do you know what a headache it must've been to take in two new teams, and you're asking that they should've doubled that? That's unrealistic, and AHA did MORE than their fair share.

[tnlong]

Re: Save Uah Hockey! - NCAA require public ballots

... , but it becomes quite obvious that Forrest Karr is on the Chargers' side. We appreciate that. Go Nanooks!

GFM

An interesting question is "what was Michigan State's position?" The talk two years ago was that UAH was Danton's entry into D1 hockey as a stepping stone to the MI State job. That's one reason many had a lot of confidence in UAH making it into the CCHA. However, either Mason or Cromley (I don't remember which) made a statement last year that was less than optimistic about UAH being accepted. Did Danton's record during his first two years at UAH put an insurmountable object in his path to MI State?

With N. MI, Lake Superior, & Ferris having the only "real" travel concerns, how close would a "real" vote on the subject have been?

One thing that the NCAA could/should do is to require "OPENNESS" in all conference activities. Public disclosure of all minutes from all meetings with actual ballots being required for all decisions should be required.

[tnlong]

Re: Save Uah Hockey! - a lot of troubles in the D1 hockey world

... What are they going to do: mandate that every team visit Huntsville within the next five years?
...

Since UAH is so far out of the way that no conference wants them, one thing that could be done is to adding an "extra game(s) on the schedule" provision specifically for UAH Hockey.

[owslachief]

Re: Save Uah Hockey!

Since some folks noticed that we made the front page of The Huntsville Times, but the article isn't on AL.com [Why? Who knows.], I got permission to re-print the article: http://saveuahhockey.com/2009/08/16/...ockey-survive/

Very little new ground plowed, but it becomes quite obvious that Forrest Karr is on the Chargers' side. We appreciate that. Go Nanooks!

GFM

“I can’t discuss how the vote went,” said Alaska-Fairbanks Athletic Director Forrest Karr, a member of hte council. “But, I’ve been a main advocate for Huntsville throughout this process.

Incredible. So the guy whose team would be on the complete opposite end of CCHA's graph from UAH, and whose program pays for teams to visit doesn't have a problem with UAH joining?

What REALLY is going on with the other reps. present during the vote?

[MinnesotaNorthStar]

Re: Save Uah Hockey!

Actually, "Nanook" means polar bear, not Inuit or Eskimo, as many believe. So far the polar bears haven't complained to UAF. I think they have bigger things to worry about.

Whoooooooosh.

So taking two instead of four is stepping up? If AHA had been willing to take all four we wouldn't be in this mess. Don't make them out to be the nice guys in this one. The four CHA schools made a very solid proposal to merge with AHA to which they said thanks but no thanks. So then they went ahead and took Niagara and Robert Morris leaving UAH and Bemidji floating in the wind.

Taking all four would have meant a 14 team conference...

[ExileOnDaytonStreet]

Re: Save Uah Hockey! - a lot of troubles in the D1 hockey world

Since UAH is so far out of the way that no conference wants them, one thing that could be done is to adding an "extra game(s) on the schedule" provision specifically for UAH Hockey.

That may be a Pandora's box. Suddenly, you get an exemption when you don't have to leave the lower 48? How would Denver's and USAFA's lacrosse programs feel about that, considering that they're the only lacrosse programs west of Indiana? Where do you continue to draw the line here? How do you define that UAH Hockey warrants special consideration, but not any other programs in other less-popular sports that might be far away from the other schools in their sport?

Perhaps I shouldn't say that there's nothing for the NCAA to do here, but anything they do would have to be air-tight and very specific. Otherwise, the NCAA will get a lot of knocking on their door asking for exemptions in their sport.

[MikeAnderson]

Re: Save Uah Hockey!

Since UAH is so far out of the way that no conference wants them, one thing that could be done is to adding an "extra game(s) on the schedule" provision specifically for UAH Hockey.

That's a precedent that the NCAA is not going to be willing to set. If they do, then why not for Air Force in lacrosse or water polo?

It was enough of a can of worms when the NCAA allowed ice hockey (along with other similarly situated sports) to bend the automatic-bid rules such that the D1 championships committee is considering altering or rescinding those provisions.