Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

New WCHA is dead

Collapse
This topic is closed.
X
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • Re: New WCHA is dead

    Originally posted by Slap Shot View Post
    Which doesn't answer mine.
    If the DIY Calculator still worked that would be simple to answer. I don't know that such a database with easy to manipulate data like that still exists.

    Comment


    • Originally posted by Slap Shot View Post
      Which doesn't answer mine.
      Oh well.
      “We offer no apology for our location at 64 51’21’’ north latitude. We are building for the future and we are confident that well directed effort and education are the forces which make progress possible”

      —UA President Charles E. Bunnell, 1925

      Comment


      • Originally posted by SteveO View Post
        Eligibility for the B1G is largely based upon financial endowments and strong academic reputations. Big Ten member institutions feature enrollments of 30,000 or more students and are predominantly major flagship research universities. There is literally no interest from the B1G in pursuing a criteria of balancing the league with an even number of teams.

        B1G affiliate John Hopkins annually receives close to $2 billion in federally funded research grants, which is about twice as much as any other institution of higher learning in the US. The addition of Notre Dame to B1G hockey strengthened the league both internally and from a national perspective. It renewed some historic rivalries in the sport (From 1971-81 in the WCHA, Notre Dame competed against fellow league members Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota and Wisconsin) and is comparable to the institutional profile of other B1G schools from both an athletic and academic standpoint. UAF, UAH, and UAA do not meet these requirements. The current focus is on expected addition of Illinois to the B1G in the near future (2021-22).

        Having a seven team league is clearly not a major scheduling problem. The 2019-20 B1G season features 24 conference games.

        I'd be very surprised if the new WCHA added UAH later after excluding them as charter members of the new conference. It's not going to happen. The only logical choice, other than retreating back to Independent status, would be the AHA (with the proximity of Robert Morris and Niagara) but it's doubtful the league is even interested in expanding, especially considering the geography and travel costs involved for member schools. It would also be a change from the WCHA as they will have to conform to the cost-containment model of 12 athletic scholarships instead of 18.

        For the Alaska remnant, given the budget cuts in state funding, the downsizing of the UAA facility and an inevitable drop in competitive recruiting, it's doubtful UAA and UAF will receive an invite to any conference. But with the NHL expanding into the Las Vegas and Seattle markets, it's entirely possible an NCAA D1 west coast conference will emerge in the near future maybe out of the PAC-8 (currently under the ACHA) with teams like Stanford, UCLA, USC, Washington, ASU etc. That makes more fiscal sense for the Alaska teams.
        Ah interesting. Thank you.

        Comment


        • Re: New WCHA is dead

          Originally posted by SteveO View Post
          For the Alaska remnant, given the budget cuts in state funding, the downsizing of the UAA facility and an inevitable drop in competitive recruiting, it's doubtful UAA and UAF will receive an invite to any conference. But with the NHL expanding into the Las Vegas and Seattle markets, it's entirely possible an NCAA D1 west coast conference will emerge in the near future maybe out of the PAC-8 (currently under the ACHA) with teams like Stanford, UCLA, USC, Washington, ASU etc. That makes more fiscal sense for the Alaska teams.
          Not to be Debbie Downer but it is. We tried for many years to compete with Big 10 teams and didn't have a lot of success. Now the Pac 12 is gonna let us in because we are so much alike them? I don't know if we have a D1 hockey future however I have my doubts about that future being in a Pac 12 league.

          Comment


          • Re: New WCHA is dead

            Originally posted by Seawolf Fan View Post
            Not to be Debbie Downer but it is. We tried for many years to compete with Big 10 teams and didn't have a lot of success. Now the Pac 12 is gonna let us in because we are so much alike them? I don't know if we have a D1 hockey future however I have my doubts about that future being in a Pac 12 league.
            The Pacific 8 Intercollegiate Hockey Conference (PAC-8) is D2 club under the American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA). The PAC-8 was originally only open to schools from the PAC-12 but last season the league expanded to include affiliate members. In the same way as the Blackhawks have played a supporting role in the soon emergence of Illini hockey in the B1G, I suspect a West Coast NCAA D1 conference will emerge in the near future led by the NHL's expansion into western markets. In 2018-19 there were 49 players alone from California among the 60 teams in NCAA D1 hockey. With interest mounting, it won't be long before a true West Coast conference is a reality.

            Some thoughts on potential teams for a West Coast NCAA D1 Men's hockey conference:

            University of Alaska Anchorage - NCAA D1

            University of Alaska Fairbanks - NCAA D1

            Arizona State University - NCAA D1

            University of Washington - Competes in the PAC-8, which includes California, Oregon, UCLA, USC and Washington State. Husky club hockey has been around for many years and is well known on the west coast. They always draw a significant fan base for regional matchups. With the NHL expansion into Seattle beginning with the 2021-22 season, there is no better location on the west coast to expand NCAA D1 men's hockey than Seattle, Washington.

            Boise State University - Boise State's PAC-8 program is well developed and nationally competitive. They've won two PAC-8 championships and have a professional caliber arena in downtown Boise that would more than suffice for a D1 program. Sharing the Qwest Arena with the ECHL's Idaho Steelheads would further help build an already vibrant hockey culture in the small town of Boise, Idaho.

            University of Nevada Las Vegas - Currently a ACHA D2 club, they've only lost three home games in two years. UNLV Rebels regularly play to a standing room-only City National Arena audience, which is the Vegas Golden Knights practice facility. They're currently working with the women’s lacrosse club as a way to also transition into NCAA status so as to ensure Title IX requirements are met, much like Arizona State did with lacrosse and women’s triathlon. In terms of facilities, infrastructure, fundraising and attendance, they may be in a better place than ASU was when they made the transition from club to D1 in 2015-16.

            General Manager of the Rebels, Zee Khan estimates it would take $15-$20M to make the transition to D1 solvent for the first five years. Some significant financial generosity from the Engelstad Foundation and financial support from the Vegas Golden Knights has elevated their current budget to $500K. Add to that community fanbase efforts from area businesses such as medical professionals offering free services and clearly local fanbase support for the UNLV Rebels is strong enough to support a D1 team. I played in an exhibition against these guys back in the day and from what I remember they were fast, physical and well coached.

            University of Oregon - Thanks to the backing from Nike's Phil Knight who has donated nearly $2 billion to U of O, his contributions have elevated the U of O athletics program and facilities to a level of excellence like few others. Oregon currently competes in the PAC-8 and won the PAC-8 championship last season. They have strong fanbase, so adding NCAA D1 men's and women's hockey to the mix would not be difficult. The new Matthew Knight Arena could easily be renovated to support college hockey. For the Ducks, hockey could easily become another massive revenue generator.

            Stanford University - The Stanford University Cardinals is an academic elite much like Harvard, Yale, Princeton, etc. that has surprisingly successful athletics and could easily benefit from another revenue generating sport like NCAA D1 men's hockey. They currently play in the Pacific Collegiate Hockey Association (PCHA). Played in an exhibition against these guys too back in the day and they always seemed to field very fast teams.

            University of California Los Angeles - Support from two NHL franchises and the youth hockey scene which has exploded from the presence of the Kings (Gretzky effect) and Ducks. Two NCAA D1 teams in the LA area would immediately incite a local rivalry between USC and UCLA. UCLA could easily share an arena with an NHL franchise or it could invest in an arena on campus.

            University of Southern California - USC is a private institution known for the quality of it's athletics and academics, so conceivably both the financial support and recruiting possibilities for a D1 men's hockey program is a no-brainer. The Trojans have won eight PAC-8 hockey championships dating back to 1998, the most of any PAC-8 team. They could easily play out of the Staples Center or Honda Center, or could invest in a small arena on campus (perhaps near the current Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum).

            Comment


            • Re: New WCHA is dead

              Great assessment. It would be great to see a strong PAC-8/10 DI conference in hockey. This would be the next logical step to expand the game and increase the market share for the game across the country. As more and more players are coming from the Left Coast, it would be nice if they could go to school closer to home.

              Comment


              • Re: New WCHA is dead

                Originally posted by Squarebanks View Post
                You want to get a better PWR, win. Period.
                Also, only three of UAH's five regular-season, regulation wins were over Alaska schools.

                Suck it up, losers.

                GFM
                Geof F. Morris
                UAH BSE MAE 2002
                UAHHockey.com

                Comment


                • Re: New WCHA is dead

                  Originally posted by DrunkTrainPolka View Post
                  https://www.miningjournal.net/sports...ngs-out-after/

                  When asked if he felt if Huntsville had a chance to become the eighth team to even out the new seven-team conference, Kurtz said that should be more of a national discussion.

                  “I think that’s a great question, but I think that’s a question that has to be addressed on a national level,” he said. “If college hockey wants all 60 schools to be viable, then a discussion has to take place on how to best make that happen for all 60 schools.”
                  Read: "That's someone else's problem, not ours. We know that there's no 'greater good of college hockey' anymore but will tug on those heartstrings while the Chargers are put down in the stable."

                  GFM
                  Geof F. Morris
                  UAH BSE MAE 2002
                  UAHHockey.com

                  Comment


                  • Re: New WCHA is dead

                    Originally posted by gfmorris View Post
                    Read: "That's someone else's problem, not ours. We know that there's no 'greater good of college hockey' anymore but will tug on those heartstrings while the Chargers are put down in the stable."

                    GFM
                    Pretty much sums it up.

                    Comment


                    • Re: New WCHA is dead

                      This can’t be good for their future

                      https://slate.com/news-and-politics/...on-funding.amp
                      Fly Eagles Fly!!!

                      Comment


                      • Re: New WCHA is dead

                        Originally posted by purpleinnebraska View Post
                        Agreed. NMU was third in WCHA play, but missed the tournament...not because of the Alaska schools or Huntsville, but because they went 1-6 in non-con games. Our Pairwise problems are solved when we can go .500 against the NCHC and Big.
                        It's hard to go .500 in NCHC or other non-conference games when you're always playing on the road in their barns with their biased refs.

                        Comment


                        • Re: New WCHA is dead

                          Originally posted by DrunkTrainPolka View Post
                          https://www.miningjournal.net/sports...ngs-out-after/

                          When asked if he felt if Huntsville had a chance to become the eighth team to even out the new seven-team conference, Kurtz said that should be more of a national discussion.

                          “I think that’s a great question, but I think that’s a question that has to be addressed on a national level,” he said. “If college hockey wants all 60 schools to be viable, then a discussion has to take place on how to best make that happen for all 60 schools.”
                          He could have just said, "I can't speak to that" or "It's too soon to tell." Ugh.
                          Michael Napier - UAH '97
                          uahhockey.com

                          UAH Chargers Hockey
                          U.S. National Club Champions - 1982, 1983, 1984
                          NCAA Division II National Champions - 1996, 1998
                          CHA Regular Season Champions - 2001, 2003
                          CHA Tournament Champions - 2007, 2010

                          Comment


                          • Originally posted by Madison Husky View Post
                            It's hard to go .500 in NCHC or other non-conference games when you're always playing on the road in their barns with their biased refs.
                            Yeah...the refs are the problem...
                            "If you leave ignorance and stupidity alone, ignorance and stupidity will think it's ok."
                            -Gallagher

                            R.I.P.
                            Grandpa G. ~ Feb 11, 1918-Oct. 6, 1999
                            Grandma ~ Jan 2004
                            Dad ~ Nov. 4, 1958-April 21, 2008
                            Grandpa S. ~ June 21, 1932-November 11, 2013

                            Comment


                            • Re: New WCHA is dead

                              Originally posted by First Time, Long Time View Post
                              Yeah...the refs are the problem...
                              It's cute how much you patrol the WCHA threads and think we care about your opinions. Begone, troll.

                              Comment


                              • Originally posted by FadeToBlack&Gold View Post
                                It's cute how much you patrol the WCHA threads and think we care about your opinions. Begone, troll.
                                I’m sure you care just as much as UAF, UAA, and UAH fans care about yours.
                                Last edited by SiouxFanatic; 07-08-2019, 12:16 AM.

                                Comment

                                Working...
                                X