It's far from a foregone conclusion that Tech is going to be in the top tier of the nWCHA or get a bid. I think Ferris, NMU, Mankato, LSSU, Fairbanks and Bemidji have all shown that they can skate with anyone and can field strong teams. I'd predict that Mankato and Ferris will both be tough to beat next year, as will Northern. It would be wildly inaccurate to call Tech the 800 lb gorilla in this group and to raise expectations accordingly, but I've heard a lot of talk of that sort the past year. I'd hate to see a much improved Tech team lose fan support because they didn't win the nWCHA crown. I'd call any finish in the top four of the nWCHA an improvement and a successful season.