Augustana University pursuing D1 hockey

[purpleinnebraska]

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?

Musketeers in Sioux Falls?!? Now you're making me mad!

 

[DavidNardolillo]

Augustana made the announcement today: https://goaugie.com/news/2021/10/5/...key-program-breaks-ground-on-midco-arena.aspx

 

[ExileOnDaytonStreet]

3000 seat arena seems like a good size. Hopefully large enough to get decent gate revenue. I have no idea if that’s a revenue source being shared in the nCCHA (and thus a carrot for membership), but that definitely helps draw non-conference opponents.

Speaking of which: AU, LIU, ASU and whomever survives of UAH/UAA/UA(F)/RMU makes for a pretty decent contingent of independents, a quantity that we haven’t seen in ages. They might have huge distances between them geographically, but they will also be able to help each other out in ways the established teams aren’t likely to do on their own volition.

Its absolutely bizarre given everything that’s happened in the last four years (much less the last 18 months), but I think I have more hope that college hockey as a whole will come out ahead after the dust settles. Especially if even just one of the Lindenwood, Navy, and Illinois rumblings comes to fruition.