What's new
By:
USCHO Fan Forum

This is a sample guest message. Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

  • The USCHO Fan Forum has migrated to a new plaform, xenForo. Most of the function of the forum should work in familiar ways. Please note that you can switch between light and dark modes by clicking on the gear icon in the upper right of the main menu bar. We are hoping that this new platform will prove to be faster and more reliable. Please feel free to explore its features.

Augustana University pursuing D1 hockey

DrunkTrainPolka said:
nah... just trying to make everyone happy - and just really wish UMD was part of the CCHA party. very happy with the current 8-teams; may we not sell our souls.

with that being said, this whole re-shuffle is far from over... i am certain ASU, AU, LIU, LU, UAA, UAF, and UAH would agree.

GO TECH GOLD!
Click to expand...

ASU has shown that they can survive without a conference.

I would be surprised if LIU does not end up in Atlantic Hockey.

The rest are praying for another round of musical chairs.
 
Rumor has it Augustana has been working on this project for one year. Their goal last year was to fundraise $50 million dollars by the end of 2021. They wanted to be at $45 million by August 1st or this project would be off, currently they met their goal. We should see an announcement by the end of the year, the CCHA is their likely destination.
 
4four4 said:
Rumor has it Augustana has been working on this project for one year. Their goal last year was to fundraise $50 million dollars by the end of 2021. They wanted to be at $45 million by August 1st or this project would be off, currently they met their goal. We should see an announcement by the end of the year, the CCHA is their likely destination.
Click to expand...
Why is the CCHA a likely destination?
 
TalonsUpPuckDown said:
Why is the CCHA a likely destination?
Click to expand...

Same question. While I can understand Auggie (and Lindenwood) wanting to join the CCHA, what I don't understand is why the CCHA would be Gung Ho to expand right away. Sioux Falls is virtually the same distance (or further) as Huntsville from the UP schools, BG & Ferris. The CCHA has waited years to be this nice compact bus league. Why should they expand before they even finish one season?
 
4four4 said:
Augustana... the CCHA is their likely destination.
Click to expand...
Except that they sit squarely in the middle of the NCHC footprint. Time for "$ue and Friends" to pick up some of the newbies. The CCHA teams have served their term of carrying this type of program and by creating a new conference they have made it clear they're done doing so.
 
moose97 said:
Same question. While I can understand Auggie (and Lindenwood) wanting to join the CCHA, what I don't understand is why the CCHA would be Gung Ho to expand right away. Sioux Falls is virtually the same distance (or further) as Huntsville from the UP schools, BG & Ferris. The CCHA has waited years to be this nice compact bus league. Why should they expand before they even finish one season?
Click to expand...
Additionally, what would either of these two schools do to improve revenue? Adding schools who bring nothing to the table aside from another 12 hr bus ride doesn’t fit with Lucia’s approach. It’s not like The Ocho is going to forego a mixed doubles Cornhole Championship for the opportunity to broadcast Lindenwood at Ferris State.
 
JohnsonsJerseys said:
Except that they sit squarely in the middle of the NCHC footprint. Time for "$ue and Friends" to pick up some of the newbies. The CCHA teams have served their term of carrying this type of program and by creating a new conference they have made it clear they're done doing so.
Click to expand...

Augustana made the decision to move up to D1 without a conference invite and St Thomas essentially took their spot in the Summit. In addition, a few D2 schools have since made the move up.

I think the D1 hockey thing is a way for the administration to save face- start a D1 hockey program and keep the rest of athletics in D2 (where they've been very successful).
 
Augustana to:

Mankato 159 mi
St Paul 246 mi
Bemidji 359 mi
Houghton 602 mi
Marquette 626 mi
Sault Ste Marie 775 mi
Big Rapids 831 mi
Bowling Green 830 mi

Lindenwood to:
Mankato 505 mi
St Paul 507 mi
Bemidji 755 mi
Houghton 691 mi
Marquette 674 mi
Sault Ste Marie 753 mi
Big Rapids 516 mi
Bowling Green 472 mi

Augustana to Lindenwood 588 mi

Coaches generally like to keep outgoing bus trips to around 7 hours or 400 miles. Lindenwood would be a 2nd day trip or flight for all CCHA Opponents, while Augustana would be for all but the Minnesota schools.
 
davyd83 said:
Augustana to:

Mankato 159 mi
St Paul 246 mi
Bemidji 359 mi
Houghton 602 mi
Marquette 626 mi
Sault Ste Marie 775 mi
Big Rapids 831 mi
Bowling Green 830 mi

Lindenwood to:
Mankato 505 mi
St Paul 507 mi
Bemidji 755 mi
Houghton 691 mi
Marquette 674 mi
Sault Ste Marie 753 mi
Big Rapids 516 mi
Bowling Green 472 mi

Augustana to Lindenwood 588 mi

Coaches generally like to keep outgoing bus trips to around 7 hours or 400 miles. Lindenwood would be a 2nd day trip or flight for all CCHA Opponents, while Augustana would be for all but the Minnesota schools.
Click to expand...

I'm gonna assume a 2/3 majority (6 of 8 schools) will be required for expansion, but even if it's just a majority, which 2-3 of the UP schools, Ferris and BG votes yes on Auggie? If the 4 schools right around 500 miles are passionate about letting Lindenwood in, which 1-2 of BSU & the UP schools join that group to vote yes? Sorry. I just don't see it...


Edited to add - after thinking about it, I'm not so sure UST is an automatic "yes" vote on Auggie either. What name recognition does Augustana have in the Twin Cities? Are they trying to draw in Concordia-St Paul fans? Why wouldn't UST prefer the 8 team conference format with more OOC opportunities to play schools Minnesota hockey fans care about, like the Gophers, UMD, SCSU and NoDak? Expanding to 10 doesn't help that cause...
 
Last edited:
I think it is pretty clear that all of the conferences have decided to pump the brakes on expansion at this time. ASU is STILL without a conference, LIU right smack in the middle of the AH footprint without an invite and then you have UAF, UAA, UAH and RMU? who all have established programs but can't get their finances in order. Then throw Augustana, Lindenwood, Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, etc into the fire as well. If conferences wanted to expand just for the sake of adding more teams, there is no shortage of programs looking for conference homes.

St Thomas was a good fit for the CCHA and they got snatched up. All these other programs are clearly not anything of interest to the conferences at the moment (finances or location or too new) or invites would be in their inboxes. Conferences saw what happened with the WCHA 2.0 (bunch of teams from the four corners of the Earth thrown together) and want no part of that operational model in their future.

The conferences are content to just sit on their hands for now and see where things go in the next couple seasons. If any of these programs can show solid finances or a track record for success, I'm sure someone will call them. Until that time, we're going to have plenty of independent teams looking for games if some of these past programs get their act together or new ones take to the ice.
 
JohnsonsJerseys said:
Until that time, we're going to have plenty of independent teams looking for games if some of these past programs get their act together or new ones take to the ice.
Click to expand...

LIU has put together a hell of a schedule as an independent. Granted, most of it is on the road and they have five games against D2 teams, but still, I'm a little jealous. If a school is willing to go indy for a 3-6 seasons, they can rack up some impressive opponents who are looking for cupcakes while also demonstrating to the conferences that they aren't fly by night operations given what they're spending on travel. It's not ideal, but no one is forcing D1 on them.
 
Augustana is in a USHL city. A conference road trip to Sioux Falls with Stampede players nearby is a definite attraction for recruiting purposes. In the late 1990s, Omaha was accepted to the CCHA despite travel distance from conference members. Access to USHL recruits in a USHL city was a major reason why Omaha was admitted to the conference.
 
John Biasi said:
Augustana is in a USHL city. A conference road trip to Sioux Falls with Stampede players nearby is a definite attraction for recruiting purposes. In the late 1990s, Omaha was accepted to the CCHA despite travel distance from conference members. Access to USHL recruits in a USHL city was a major reason why Omaha was admitted to the conference.
Click to expand...

Admitting Omaha made sense back when Michigan, MSU, OSU, and Notre Dame rolled into town (back then those kids weren't drooling at the thought of seeing Bowling Green's sleeper bus in the parking lot). While you may be right, I struggle to rationalize in today's climate why a top player for the Musketeers would sign with a CCHA team over Nodak/Duluth/Goofers because of Augustana's proximity. Would they really move the USHL recruiting dial enough to offset all the negatives that have been listed in this thread?
 
TalonsUpPuckDown said:
Admitting Omaha made sense back when Michigan, MSU, OSU, and Notre Dame rolled into town (back then those kids weren't drooling at the thought of seeing Bowling Green's sleeper bus in the parking lot). While you may be right, I struggle to rationalize in today's climate why a top player for the Musketeers would sign with a CCHA team over Nodak/Duluth/Goofers because of Augustana's proximity. Would they really move the USHL recruiting dial enough to offset all the negatives that have been listed in this thread?
Click to expand...

i am still, i guess, confused how UAF, UAA, LU, and AU would/will find a way to survive as independents... LIU? yeah, that can work with all kinds of teams being skating distance. i absolutely don't see a reason why the CCHA would welcome any of them. the UAH experiment in the WCHA was telling. but like i know anything...

so RMU and UAH? only thing left is for derek schooley and lance west to find another job...

maybe schooley will head to LU since he is from saint louis and maybe west will take the job at UAA AK was home for a long time (UAF).
 
Last edited:
John Biasi said:
Augustana is in a USHL city. A conference road trip to Sioux Falls with Stampede players nearby is a definite attraction for recruiting purposes. In the late 1990s, Omaha was accepted to the CCHA despite travel distance from conference members. Access to USHL recruits in a USHL city was a major reason why Omaha was admitted to the conference.
Click to expand...

I get what you're saying. But the late 90s was a long time ago.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top