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Official Thread of the Leftover League

The Sicatoka said:
Win.

Winning puts butts in seats faster than anything else.
Click to expand...

To win you need to be able to recruit, and this superleague just made recruiting, in Minnesota especially, that much harder. I understand fully we need a coaching change, etc, and that recruiting isn't everything, but still.

And if the quote from early on in this thread about this being a 'sneaky deal' is true, that is just awful.
 
Re: Official Thread of the Leftover League

MavHockey14 said:
Our university wouldn't invest in our team when we were a part of the best conference in the country, why should we have any hope that changes now? And when Tech finally does it, everyone bails on them. With all due respect to these programs, I'm not really looking forward to watching Bowling Green, Northern Michigan, Lake Superior State, etc. Over UND, DU, UMD, etc. How the hell are we supposed to have fans at the games when we lose our biggest opponents from our conference?

On a side note, I'm also so ****ed off that the Final Five will be destroyed, as that's been the best bonding experience my father and I have had the last 12 years. That weekend is one of the best weekends of the year.

:mad:
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MTU belongs to the GLIAC, which includes Ferris, LSSU, NMU and defunct hockey schools Findlay and Wayne State. If you play them in all other sports, why not hockey??
 
joecct said:
MTU belongs to the GLIAC, which includes Ferris, LSSU, NMU and defunct hockey schools Findlay and Wayne State. If you play them in all other sports, why not hockey??
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Is it easier to recruit in a conference with those schools or schools like UND, UNO, UMD, etc. I understand there's a lot of logic to your point, but in hockey, it doesn't make as much sense.
 
cF[Authentic] said:
Why? It seems like the fans of Tech and Mankato have already folded up their teams. It's like the second this decision was (will be) announced, the left-over schools suddenly shut down their hockey teams forever. Nobody knows how this will all play out, so the overreacting by some here is pretty unnecessary.
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I appreciate that so many of you guys are trying to find a palatable solution. I wish I had some hope about it, but I see it as trying to make chicken salad out of chicken droppings.

You have to understand: Mankato's attendance was already declining because we were a bad team in a GOOD league. I am realistic enough to know what's going to happen when we're a bad team in a bad league.

I'm simply not interested in watching a de facto D-II league, and I've held season tickets for 11 years; how are students and casual fans going to view it? As even less interesting than our mediocre D-II football program.

As 14 has pointed out, at least Tech is showing that they want to try to compete. The MSU administration has sat idly by while the program declined, and shown no inclination to do anything. Now the perfect storm has hit, and it's probably too late.
 
Re: Official Thread of the Leftover League

The Sicatoka said:
Win.

Winning puts butts in seats faster than anything else.
Click to expand...

Bull. Mankato would sell more tickets if they play the Gophers 16 times a year at home went 2-14 than if they went 14-2 against what's left of the WCHA.
 
Re: Official Thread of the Leftover League

MavsFan said:
You have to understand: Mankato's attendance was already declining because we were a bad team in a GOOD league. I am realistic enough to know what's going to happen when we're a bad team in a bad league.
Click to expand...

Air Force was a bad team in a bad league (CHA). They started taking kids from juniors, hit on a few recruiting gems, switched to another bad league, won a few conference titles and now regularly sell out a 2,500 seat barn, even in a crap economy.

Winning fixes everything. And winning will be a lot easier for everyone in the "new" WCHA.
 
Re: Official Thread of the Leftover League

Jimjamesak said:
If you want reasonable then we want it too, split up the UP teams. We can't afford three separate trips to the UP.
Click to expand...

*sigh* Ok then, let's try this.

WCHA LW:
UAA, UA_

WCHA C:
SCSU, BSU, MSUM

WCHA RW:
MTU, NMU, LSSU

Every pod plays everyone else in its pod 4x, two at home and two away.
--(Alaskas are at 4 games, everyone else at 8.)

Then, everyone plays the other pods twice each, either home or away.
--(Alaskas add 12 games for 16 total, everyone else adds 10 games for 18 total.)

The Alaskas play each other once more...?
--(Alaskas add 2 games each, everyone is at 18 total.)

Finally, everyone plays half of the newspeak CCHA.
--(Everyone adds 8 games, for 26 total.)

After that, you're free to bump up your total with another 5 N/C dates, since everyone gets an Alaska exemption.
--(Total of 36 games.)


Sound reasonable? No, but it's the best option the W has.
 
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Re: Official Thread of the Leftover League

Patronick said:
Best case scenario, if Notre Dame does indeed leave for Hockey East, would be for Air Force to join the new Great North conference and let Ala-Huntsville take thier spot in Atlantic Hockey. That at least gives everyone a home. But, for whatever reason, AF seems to enjoy flying 2500 miles for every away game...they already have the planes, I guess.
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The kids actually LIKE the long trips--more time to sleep on the plane and more time away from the zoo. For everyone else...
I don't think it will happen, though. Too much success in the AHA. I could see RIT, Mercyhurst, Viagara and Bobby Mo, along with UAH or Canisius jumping to what's left of the CCHA/Great Lakes Conference.

Hockey just got a lot like football (6 BCS conferences, 5 "other"). It used to have the "Big Four" and one other. now it will have the "Big Three" (BTHC, New "Super" Conference and HE) and the "Little Four" (WCHA, CCHA, EZAC, AHA). I think the change will be good for the game. People all over the country will be able to watch the BTHC, and it might actually grow the sport.
 
AFHockeyFan said:
Air Force was a bad team in a bad league (CHA). They started taking kids from juniors, hit on a few recruiting gems, switched to another bad league, won a few conference titles and now regularly sell out a 2,500 seat barn, even in a crap economy.

Winning fixes everything. And winning will be a lot easier for everyone in the "new" WCHA.
Click to expand...
Really? You're going to compare recruiting at the Air Force Academy to recruiting at Minnesota State? And 2500 is not a good crowd at a school that expects the program to be self-supporting. We have a nearly 5,000 seat barn.

The perception of the league is going to matter. Otherwise, I could just go 10 miles up the road to St. Peter and watch Gustavus Adolphus in a D-III league. Just win, baby. It doesn't matter if your in a conference full of D-II schools that most people outside of college hockey have never heard of.

Again, I admire the optimism of you guys. I don't have it. There will be no enthusiasm for this leftover league. Our bouncyball team couldn't sell out a much smaller arena for a championship team that went to the D-II Final Four. Why? Because nobody sees it as big-time college sports. That's the reality.
 
Re: Official Thread of the Leftover League

One thing is for sure - it'd probably be awesome to be a fly on the wall at the next annual WCHA AD meeting.
 
Re: Official Thread of the Leftover League

MavsFan said:
It doesn't matter if your in a conference full of D-II schools that most people outside of college hockey have never heard of.
.
Click to expand...


But most people outside of college hockey know UND, UNO, UMD, DU, and CC? That's a bunch of crap. A majority of exposure for those schools is from their hockey teams.

Your school shouldn't be relying on other schools to make your hockey team watchable.
 
Re: Official Thread of the Leftover League

OK, let's try the pods again. This time, makes those dudes in the Final Frontier happy: Put them together, and split up da Yoop.

WCHA West:
-St. Cloud, Bemidji, Mankato, Tech
WCHA East:
-_airbanks, Northern, UAH, Anchorage

CCHA West (or WCHA Further East if the CCHA folds):
-Western, Ferris, BGSU, LSSU
CCHA East (former AHA):
-Robert Morris, Mercyhurst, Niagara, Canisius

I can't wait to hear the complaints from the NMU fans on this one. Three bus pods and a travel pod.

EDIT: Another possible idea: Take this, but swap Tech and UAH. The MTU-NMU rivalry is back.
 
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Re: Official Thread of the Leftover League

MavsFan said:
I appreciate that so many of you guys are trying to find a palatable solution. I wish I had some hope about it, but I see it as trying to make chicken salad out of chicken droppings.

You have to understand: Mankato's attendance was already declining because we were a bad team in a GOOD league. I am realistic enough to know what's going to happen when we're a bad team in a bad league.

I'm simply not interested in watching a de facto D-II league, and I've held season tickets for 11 years; how are students and casual fans going to view it? As even less interesting than our mediocre D-II football program.

As 14 has pointed out, at least Tech is showing that they want to try to compete. The MSU administration has sat idly by while the program declined, and shown no inclination to do anything. Now the perfect storm has hit, and it's probably too late.
Click to expand...
Then why did you move up from D-II (I know, D-II hockey was dying)??? But if you're going to move up and not commit the resources then it seems the reasoning to move up was flawed to begin with.
 
cF[Authentic] said:
But most people outside of college hockey know UND, UNO, UMD, DU, and CC? That's a bunch of crap. A majority of exposure for those schools is from their hockey teams.

Your school shouldn't be relying on other schools to make your hockey team watchable.
Click to expand...

UMD has won 2 of 3 D-2 football titles, UNO had a phenomenal wrestling program, UND has football, etc, the people likely know DU and CC from hockey, yes, but they also know that these are perrenial college hockey powers, with great hockey history, etc.

For the record, MF and I both understand that Minnesota State hasn't put in the effort or resources to make our program successful.
 
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Re: Official Thread of the Leftover League

My preference (not that i'm saying i think it will turn out this way ...)
UAA
UAF
SCSU
Mankato
Bemidji
NMU
LSSU
Tech

It retains enough to still call itself the WCHA. It still has the coolest trophy. I'm flexible on the LSSU spot but I have to give them the nod of success over BGSU ... if it had to be Western or Ferris that'd be fine too but I'd be just as happy to have UAH as either of those. NMU as a former WCHA member is a must have.

I recognize that this idea leaves up to two CCHA programs out in the cold. But 8 is pretty much the best number for conference membership. But if those 4 AHA teams are really looking to move then joining with two michigan schools would be a decent regional fit.

I'd add that I like the regional mix .. two alaska teams .. 3 minnesota teams ... 3 michigan teams.
 
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