New WCHA is dead

[UMD21]

ASU may have the money for that. I highly doubt Kato does.
I also don't think the league would change the bylaws. The team leaving has to pay and give 2 years notice or the buyout goes up.
The NCHC may expand...but Miami and Western are stuck.

UMD (or should I say University of Minnesota system) is paying an ex-womens hockey coach over 3 million dollars and can still pay Sandy $400k/year, I’m sure Kato could swing it if’s what they had to do. The additional revenue having UND, UMD and SCSU coming to their arena would definitely pay off. I bet liquor sales in and around the arena when the whioux come to town would pay for itself in a weekend

 

[First Time Long Time]

UMD (or should I say University of Minnesota system) is paying an ex-womens hockey coach over 3 million dollars and can still pay Sandy $400k/year, I’m sure Kato could swing it if’s what they had to do. The additional revenue having UND, UMD and SCSU coming to their arena would definitely pay off. I bet liquor sales in and around the arena when the whioux come to town would pay for itself in a weekend

And your reason why UMD can is right there...U of M system.
MnSCU schools are not flush with cash.

 

[UMD21]

And your reason why UMD can is right there...U of M system.
MnSCU schools are not flush with cash.

Understood. Still think it would be a good investment if they could. But I digress, don’t mean to clog this thread with hypotheticals.

But the way ASU gooned it up against Minnesota could earn them favor in the league. Imagine the goonery potential in a UND-ASU rivalry... lots of UND fans would definitely travel to AZ in the winter too

 

[BSUBeavs]

Is that the vibe in Minnesota? As a D3 hockey fan on the outside it seems that the WIAC would be a good fit for them. WIAC hockey needs one more member to gain AQ status and their football league is arguably the best in NCAA D3. Football and hockey are likely the two signature programs at St Thomas, and the WIAC has publicly stated that it is open to non-Wisconsin state schools as full-time members.

The WIAC has also added Northland as a hockey member for ‘19-‘20.

Yeah. Highly doubt they go WIAC. I know a couple of people within St. Thomas and the feeling is they go D2. I highly doubt they would want to deal with the travel of going to Wisconsin consistently especially since there is a spot opening in the NSIC with a bunch of the other Minnesota schools since Augustana is going D1

 

[broncoinak]

ASU may have the money for that. I highly doubt Kato does.
I also don't think the league would change the bylaws. The team leaving has to pay and give 2 years notice or the buyout goes up.
The NCHC may expand...but Miami and Western are stuck.

Am I missing something? Why do we have several posters here acting like WMU is itching to get out of the NCHC?

Can't speak for Miami but I don't get that feeling from them either..

 

[UMD21]

Am I missing something? Why do we have several posters here acting like WMU is itching to get out of the NCHC?

Can't speak for Miami but I don't get that feeling from them either..

If you read all the posts you’ll see that we’re really not, at least WMU. Just throwing out possibilities. But perhaps a main reason the NCHC sounded so good to the two teams was no trips to Alaska or Alabama. With those trips off the table or reduced, perhaps going into a league better fitting their geography would help. I may have not been to those schools but I imagine playing other Michigan teams would be a better draw/rivalry than CC, SCSU, UND...
DU and UMD have been hammering it out the past few years for top spot so while they may be very competitive towards eachother, it’s still no SCSU-UMD rivalry.

 

[SJHovey]

Why would Western and Miami leave the NCHC for travel reasons and go to a league that adds Arizona State?

I think it’s more likely RMU than ASU.

I don’t think WMU is necessarily looking to leave, but they will certainly see the geographic sense of joining a league in its backyard that no longer includes the Alaska schools or UAH.

 

[Suze]

Re: New WCHA is dead

What really stinks about this whole reformation is the fact that the WCHA took the CCHA outcasts, gave them a league to play in, and now they are back stabbing. No integrity.

 

[MGoBlueHockey]

Re: New WCHA is dead

I know it probably won't happen but I hope the B1G does the right thing and takes in UAA, UAH and UAF. We created this mess. Would be such a sad shame to see the Alaska schools vanish from D1 hockey.

 

[Bonin21]

Re: New WCHA is dead

That will not happen in one million years and yes the Big Ten did basically ruin college hockey.

 

[pdt1081]

What really stinks about this whole reformation is the fact that the WCHA took the CCHA outcasts, gave them a league to play in, and now they are back stabbing. No integrity.

There were more CCHA members in the WCHA than WCHA members. WCHA extended the invites before the dust had even settled. Northern, Lake Superior, and Ferris panicked and accepted right away. CCHA could have added Huntsville, been at 6, and let the WCHA fade away. With the seven that are leaving, it's a 50/50 split between CCHA and WCHA members (Northern is a wash).

 

[manurespreader]

Re: New WCHA is dead

There were more CCHA members in the WCHA than WCHA members. WCHA extended the invites before the dust had even settled. Northern, Lake Superior, and Ferris panicked and accepted right away. CCHA could have added Huntsville, been at 6, and let the WCHA fade away. With the seven that are leaving, it's a 50/50 split between CCHA and WCHA members (Northern is a wash).

Regardless, the action of sending out this press release at 5 pm on a friday before the weekend is a chicken **** way of operating.

 

[woodenskates]

Re: New WCHA is dead

Regardless, the action of sending out this press release at 5 pm on a friday before the weekend is a chicken **** way of operating.

And it is even less respectable to send out the press release before advising the 3 outcasts. They didn't appear to have the decency to advise the 3 schools before they sent out the press release last thing on a Friday at the end of the news cycle. These two things show a huge lack of respect to the 3 partners they have left behind.

 

[davyd83]

There were more CCHA members in the WCHA than WCHA members. WCHA extended the invites before the dust had even settled. Northern, Lake Superior, and Ferris panicked and accepted right away. CCHA could have added Huntsville, been at 6, and let the WCHA fade away. With the seven that are leaving, it's a 50/50 split between CCHA and WCHA members (Northern is a wash).

That’s incorrect. NMU had made the jump before LSSU & Ferris were invited, which didn’t come until after St. Cloud left the WCHA for the NCHC. Neither LSSU or Ferris would have been invited to the WCHA had St Cloud not stepped out shortly after proclaiming its’ allegiance to the WCHA. It wasn’t a panic move at all by NMU. BG joined in October and Huntsville was invited the following January.

 

[Shirtless Guy]

Re: New WCHA is dead

While we all might consider the timing bush league, I'm assuming before July 1 is a deadline to meet bylaws to allow them to leave when they plan to...the question is what it finally agreed upon very close to the deadline resulting in releasing this at end of business on a Friday (but also the last business day before the deadline) or completely planned to try to bury it?

 

[Shirtless Guy]

Re: New WCHA is dead

As for St Thomas, I don't want to dig back and quote the right comments but St. Thomas can most certainly play up in hockey right now if they want, in that case they wouldn't get scholarships...and if they choose to elevate to D2, there is no reason they wouldn't be able to elevate hockey to D1 immediately and be on pair with the rest of the WCHA save for BGSU (full D1).

 

[Alaska Hockey]

Re: New WCHA is dead

And it is even less respectable to send out the press release before advising the 3 outcasts. They didn't appear to have the decency to advise the 3 schools before they sent out the press release last thing on a Friday at the end of the news cycle. These two things show a huge lack of respect to the 3 partners they have left behind.

Tom Bodett league sleeping in motorlodges kids rack up buss miles for ride back home

 

[SteveO]

Re: New WCHA is dead

I know it probably won't happen but I hope the B1G does the right thing and takes in UAA, UAH and UAF. We created this mess. Would be such a sad shame to see the Alaska schools vanish from D1 hockey.

None of these teams qualify for the BIG. UAH just formulated plans for a new hockey facility, so I suspect they may return to Independent status in 2021, but conference affiliation in the near future will be difficult. However, for UAA and UAF the realignment news seems perilous. With Alaska governor Mike Dunleavy vetoing over $100 million for the Alaska university system and without a conference as of 2021, both programs will struggle staying competitive as recruiting will immediately take a major hit. Unfortunately, the result is most likely the end of the road for UAA and UAF D1 hockey.

 

[huskyfan]

Re: New WCHA is dead

the timing sucks, the whole thing sucks. as a school that was left behind by the "like minded and elites" of the former WCHA, I can feel the pain of the Alaska schools and Huntsville. I will be interested in hearing the true reasoning behind the whole thing. no doubt money, it usually is. Michigan Tech has always been a proud supporter of new programs and of college hockey in general. I wonder if they were totally onboard with this move. Any idea, Shirtless? I for one, loved playing these 3 schools and trips to Anchorage and Huntsville were great. Sadly, never made it to Fairbanks. I can't imagine these teams want a 7 team league, I think they must have at least one school lined up to come onboard.

 

[huskyfan]

Re: New WCHA is dead

this sums up my feelings.

https://www.duluthnewstribune.com/sports/2735971-Matt-Wellens-column-WCHA’s-Runaway-Seven-just-as-‘like-minded’-as-NCHC’s-Original-Six

I wonder if we are taking on Arizona? I would love to see them in our league.