Northern Michigan Hockey- Are they a potential casualty to the new NCAA?

[devildog]

Five wins total last year and one win so far this year. Attendance so for this year averages 2656 (ten home games), as reported in the box scores. Take out three big games MSU (2) and Tech(which likely had a bunch of Tech fans), the average is 2126. Actually, I thought the numbers would be much lower.
I know the Tech fans love beating the crap out of us, but I think this situation could become critical, if it hasn't already. I fully expect another mass exodus, so no stability, nothing to build on, and financial issues will not sustain a program.
I got a bad feeling about this. How long can Northern continue like this until the plug gets pulled? Anybody hearing anything up there in the UP?

 

[Puckstopper467]

I think at this point I would give the coach a few more years. If I was him next year I would bring some experienced players to lead the young incoming recruits. The older players do not have to be point per game players however players that play hard and can win with energy and be leaders.

 

[devildog]

I am not blaming the coach. The whole college hockey system is broken, and eventually we will be left with only 10-20 teams that can afford to maintain programs. Then, only a few of those teams will have all the top talent because of NIL, so we will see the same teams in the championship game every year. You could argue that NIL brought parity to College Football, (look at Indiana), but College Hockey is different. There are a huge amount of small market teams (the whole CCHA for example), that are now feeder systems to the larger schools, at best.
I know all the Big schools hate losing to the small market teams, so they flex their money and put the small schools in their place. Eventually, the small schools, I think, will be gone.

 

[amkirby10]

NIL/revenue sharing is not the problem facing small programs/sports. The real problem is free unlimited transfers with no waiting year.

 

[NMUFAN]

NIL/revenue sharing is not the problem facing small programs/sports. The real problem is free unlimited transfers with no waiting year.

I agree with both you. The current college hockey landscape is not sustainable. If things don't change, many schools will have to drop to division 2 or drop hockey all together.

As for Northern's current team, they're actually pretty damn good defensively. And the goaltending has been excellent. Unfortunately, in the game of hockey, you also need offense. The Wildcats have none.

Before Potulny left in June of 2024 many of the players on that roster had already entered the transfer portal. But the hope was our incoming recruiting class, which at the time was considered tops in the nation, would ease the loss of so many players. Then Potulny leaves and there went most of the highly touted incoming recruits. The roster had three players left.

Shyiak gets hired at the end of June. Now he has three months to fill out a roster just to field a team. (Hell, even Lindenwood and Stonehill had at least a couple of years to recruit players before they actually hit the ice.) Many of last season's players were D3 caliber. Most did not return this year as Dave and his staff were able to cobble together an actual recruiting class for this season.

Shyiak has said last season wasn't a rebuilding year. It was a program reset. He had to start basically from scratch. This season is year one of the rebuild. And even though the young players show promise, it will take a few years to mature before the Cats are truly competitive. But with unlimited transfers and no waiting year no one can tell which players are willing to tough it out and see the development in a few years. It will take players with a lot of character to stick it out.