Lindenwood, Liberty to fill out new CCHA? Wouldn't they be possible?

[Star2City]

Two schools that have often been mentioned as future DI varsity schools are Lindenwood and Liberty. There has been no reporting on their current interest in light of hockey realignment, but either program would seem to be a natural for a new CCHA to be established.

Lindenwood moved their women's club hockey team up to DI this year, and is in transition from NAIA to NCAA DII for most of the rest of their sports. Although Lindenwood will be playing men's volleyball at the DI/collegiate level (there is no DII in that sport), that sport will not exclude Lindenwood from playing men's hockey at the DI level. Lindenwood can potentially play hockey at the Family Arena in St Charles (an arena which Lindenwood may eventually buy).

Liberty in the past has expressed interest in varsity men's and women's hockey, but there simply has not been a slot for a Liberty men's team.

A new CCHA from Buffalo, to Lynchburg, to Huntsville, to St Louis, and back to Lake Erie would engulf a conference footprint that college hockey badly needs to further establish itself within and could be a future growth area. The realignment of college hockey would actually have been worth it if such a conference can be established.

New CCHA ??

Bowling Green
Mercyhurst
Robert Morris
Buffalo
Canisius
Niagara
UAH
Lindenwood
Liberty

Conference tournament in possibilities in Buffalo, Pittsburgh, Nashville, St Louis, Toledo, Louisville, Cincinnati. Opens up college hockey to Ohio and Tennessee Valleys.

 

[VermontfaninNY]

Re: Lindenwood, Liberty to fill out new CCHA? Wouldn't they be possible?

Well. Its a nice idea.

 

[kingdobbs]

Re: Lindenwood, Liberty to fill out new CCHA? Wouldn't they be possible?

I wouldn't count on either one to make its way into Division I any time soon. At the very least, not soon enough for a potential new CCHA to place any hope in them.

 

[bronconick]

Re: Lindenwood, Liberty to fill out new CCHA? Wouldn't they be possible?

Haven't we been talking about Lindenwood since Findlay dropped hockey 8-9 years ago?

 

[Star2City]

Re: Lindenwood, Liberty to fill out new CCHA? Wouldn't they be possible?

Haven't we been talking about Lindenwood since Findlay dropped hockey 8-9 years ago?

Lindenwood petitioned the NCAA to compete in DI hockey in the CHA while it was still an NAIA school, but was turned down. Since then, Lindenwood has been transitioning from NAIA to NCAA DII. It should be a full NCAA member next year, and eligible to play DI men's hockey then. Lindenwood began sponsoring its NCAA women's team this year, but women's hockey is technically NCAA collegiate (not DI), so they were eligible in to participate in that sport during their NAIA to NCAA transition. Family Arena in St Charles (suburban St Louis) is near its campus and would potentially be available for its men's games.

 

[PenaltyBoxBeast]

Re: Lindenwood, Liberty to fill out new CCHA? Wouldn't they be possible?

I would love to see hockey programs move further into SEC territory. The success of college hockey falls on westward and southward expansion. Plus, going to the south for road trips in the dead sounds exciting.

 

[JohnsonsJerseys]

Re: Lindenwood, Liberty to fill out new CCHA? Wouldn't they be possible?

I would love to see hockey programs move further into SEC territory.

Not to rain on your parade, but see NHL examples A, B, and C in the South: Atlanta (gone, twice), Florida (should be gone), and Phoenix (will be gone soon)... Tampa isn't far behind but at least they found a way to win games. Winning keeps a team around longer.
Ryan J

 

[SteveP]

Re: Lindenwood, Liberty to fill out new CCHA? Wouldn't they be possible?

Not to rain on your parade, but see NHL examples A, B, and C in the South: Atlanta (gone, twice), Florida (should be gone), and Phoenix (will be gone soon)... Tampa isn't far behind but at least they found a way to win games. Winning keeps a team around longer.
Ryan J

Having been to Liberty and heading back to Lynchburg in January, I can tell you that they pack their arena and their fans are NUTS (in a good way). I can't see either L'Wood or Liberty becoming varsity in the near future, but if it happened at Liberty they would have the same support level that we have here in State College.

 

[Star2City]

Re: Lindenwood, Liberty to fill out new CCHA? Wouldn't they be possible?

Not to rain on your parade, but see NHL examples A, B, and C in the South: Atlanta (gone, twice), Florida (should be gone), and Phoenix (will be gone soon)... Tampa isn't far behind but at least they found a way to win games. Winning keeps a team around longer.
Ryan J

If any SEC school had decent hockey facilities, they would be incredible draws. Not because hockey is popular, but because the SEC is nearly a religion. A Tennessee or Kentucky hockey program could easily be a top 10 NCAA college draw, not because of hockey, but because of the name on their jerseys. SEC schools simply won't consider it because other SEC schools don't have it.

Gaining fan allegiance to a Georgia Bulldog program would be 100's of times easier than gaining allegiance to an Atlanta Thrashers program. Simply putting on a Georgia Bulldog jersey would win over legions of fans.

 

[davyd83]

Re: Lindenwood, Liberty to fill out new CCHA? Wouldn't they be possible?

If any SEC school had decent hockey facilities, they would be incredible draws. Not because hockey is popular, but because the SEC is nearly a religion. A Tennessee or Kentucky hockey program could easily be a top 10 NCAA college draw, not because of hockey, but because of the name on their jerseys. SEC schools simply won't consider it because other SEC schools don't have it.

Gaining fan allegiance to a Georgia Bulldog program would be 100's of times easier than gaining allegiance to an Atlanta Thrashers program. Simply putting on a Georgia Bulldog jersey would win over legions of fans.

Kentucky and Tennessee have facilities for hockey. Both the AHL and ECHL had teams at Kentucky's arena. The Knoxville Ice Bears of the SPHL play their games just a couple miles from the UT campus and draw very well. There are also facilities convenient to South Carolina, Vanderbilt, Auburn and LSU. Alabama's club team practices and plays in the Birmingham area, about 55 minutes from campus.

 

[sbkbghockey]

Re: Lindenwood, Liberty to fill out new CCHA? Wouldn't they be possible?

It's an interesting thought to think where the landscape of college hockey might be today if Lindenwood was allowed to play NCAA hockey back in 2004 when they were NAIA. They were to play in the CHA for both men's and women's. Lindenwood would have provided UAH with one of it's closest competition and back then Kennesaw State also was thinking about adding varsity hockey. If they were allowed back in 2004 the CHA men's side could still be playing with a southern flair.

The CHA restarting a men's hockey conference could be the best bet for Lindenwood or any other program. A New CHA Men's could contain in it's first years:
Alabama Huntsville
Lindenwood
Liberty
Navy

If the Buffalo rumor was true adding Buffalo and maybe brining back Robert Morris or Niagara to the league or even adding a GA-based school such as Kennesaw State and/or Mercer.

If anyone's curious Lindenwood runs it's men's team as a varsity team, If not filled in the next year or two before LU becomes a full NCAA member, LU could be the WCHA's ticket to 10 teams, with Bowling Green accepting yesterday the WCHA will have 9 teams in 2013.

The other big issue is the NCAA not sponsoring ice hockey as National Collegiate like women's ice hockey. If that would happen there could easy be an influx of DII schools adding teams such as Minnesota State Moorhead, Lindenwood, Saint Anselm.

 

[ExileOnDaytonStreet]

Re: Lindenwood, Liberty to fill out new CCHA? Wouldn't they be possible?

Soooooo many "what ifs" there that I don't really know what to say.

See also, the topic of this thread.

 

[sbkbghockey]

Re: Lindenwood, Liberty to fill out new CCHA? Wouldn't they be possible?

Soooooo many "what ifs" there that I don't really know what to say.

See also, the topic of this thread.

lol yeah but there's a lot of what ifs with college sports all over these days. Wake up and schools are moving to conferences halfway across the country, longtime conferences are breaking apart, etc...

If any SEC school had decent hockey facilities, they would be incredible draws. Not because hockey is popular, but because the SEC is nearly a religion. A Tennessee or Kentucky hockey program could easily be a top 10 NCAA college draw, not because of hockey, but because of the name on their jerseys. SEC schools simply won't consider it because other SEC schools don't have it.

Gaining fan allegiance to a Georgia Bulldog program would be 100's of times easier than gaining allegiance to an Atlanta Thrashers program. Simply putting on a Georgia Bulldog jersey would win over legions of fans.

Also that idea of gaining fans fast even in non-traditional hockey markets would be similar if any schools in Texas, Arizona, or California added hockey. Star2City is correct if an SEC school PAC-12 school or school s like Texas or Texas A&M decided to add hockey, they'd sell out pretty much every game. Not to mention the recruiting advantage those schools would have.