Binghamton University announcement

[sigx15]

How long will Sacred Heart and RIT stick around in Atlantic hockey, now that RIT can offer schollarships and Sacred Heart has their new arena? If Utica and Binghampton are going to invest in hockey, while both already have good arenas, can anyone else see them starting a new league at some point with the likes of Miami and potentially a few others in Atlantic Hockey that may be interested in playing at a higher level, such as maybe Army and Navy?

I think that there will be a lot of movement once the moratorium ends, and Stonehill/LIU could find spots in Atlantic Hockey if the above happens. Could also explain why we haven't yet seen an informal conference start yet with the independent schools.

Word on the street is Sacred Heart wants in the hockey east and they’re still mulling a suitable 12th member since Notre Dame left

[ExileOnDaytonStreet]

I’m sure they do want that, but is the new arena really enough to make it a possibility?

That 12th spot is a valuable piece of real estate, and it’s hard to imagine spending it on a team just because of a new arena (that would be 4th smallest in the conference) when there isn’t yet any proof that they can draw fans into it.

The spectre of Notre Dame might fool some people, but it’s not like they can easily clear that 12th spot up once it’s been filled.

[Split-N]

...That 12th spot is a valuable piece of real estate, and it's hard to imagine spending it on a team just because of a new arena...The spectre of Notre Dame might fool some people...

The dream has been that either Syracuse (which already has a CHA women's program) or Rhode Island would fill that 12th HEA spot but nobody's holding their breath. Both have had plenty of chances to make the jump and wealthy alums of both schools have reportedly had checkbooks at the ready for years. Title IX and/or entrenched basketball interests have been cited as insurmountable obstacles.

That leaves Sacred Heart and Holy Cross. The former has nice new digs but it's not a brand name and it's drawing power remains unknown. OTOH, Holy Cross is an established name in New England and is much closer geographically to the HEA core. But the on-campus Hart Center isn't going to cut it as a D1 venue, which leaves competing for dates at the downtown DCU Center, a couple of miles from campus. Not a good situation.

There have been recurring rumors about Quinnipiac joining the fray but why on earth would it ever want to exchange a perennially dominant position in the ECAC to slug it out with the likes of BC/BU/NU/UMass/PC/UConn, etc., etc.?

BTW, everyone knew that HEA was only a temporary home for Notre Dame until the age-old beef between ND and the B1G over football money could be settled.

[QUAlum2004]

My guess is hockey east would want Quinnipiac but does Quinnipiac really want Hockey East. My answer is no. They can make the NCAAs year in and year out via ECAC hockey.

[iowabasedtraveler]

I, for one, thought the Black Bears would be shut out of their Binghamton home, but I was wrong…

https://www.wbng.com/2023/07/27/bing...ugh-2026-2027/

[mk80]

I, for one, thought the Black Bears would be shut out of their Binghamton home, but I was wrong…

https://www.wbng.com/2023/07/27/bing...ugh-2026-2027/

Having the lease isn't a surefire guarantee they won't be displaced by a Binghamton U. team(s). Especially when it comes to the FPHL where there's always a ton of variables on whether teams will be around year to year, and in quite a few cases make it through a season. Also having a lease in place hasn't stopped cities in the past from abruptly kicking low level minor league teams such as the FPHL from their venues before.

[rpi82]

Having the lease isn't a surefire guarantee they won't be displaced by a Binghamton U. team(s). Especially when it comes to the FPHL where there's always a ton of variables on whether teams will be around year to year, and in quite a few cases make it through a season. Also having a lease in place hasn't stopped cities in the past from abruptly kicking low level minor league teams such as the FPHL from their venues before.

There are enough dates available for both. Seventeen or so dates for the college team and twenty-eight for an FPHL team are easily accomodated over the winter. IIRC UM-L and the Lowell AHL team (which played more dates than the Federal league) co-existed quite a while. Utica currently shares an arena with an AHL team. Two open questions that remain to be answered are a location for the Bingo women's team and whether a semi-pro minor league team will survive once there is an alternative in the market.

[MikeMidd]

Resuscitating this thread from a year ago, as the Binghamton athletic director has just given an update to a local media outlet:

https://www.wicz.com/story/51090097/...ce-hockey-team

In effect, still have logistics to work out, don't have an arena, have to work things out "in time".

Doesn't give much cause for optimism in the short-ish term.