Penn State Women's Hockey: what does it mean?

[LakersFan]

On the front page there is this article: http://www.uscho.com/news/id,18726/PennStateSettoFieldVarsityProgramSourcesSay.html. It does say varsity programS, so it appears that there will be an additional women's DI program in 2011 (note, this is still a rumor and even though I am an employee of Penn State, I work at a different campus and have no additional information).

So, which conference will they end up in?

The simple solution is the CHA, which has 5 teams and PSU would mean six and an automatic bid for the post season.

There are not enough Big 10 programs with women's teams, so forming a new league to go along with the men does not seem to be an option. They could link up with the other Big 10 teams in the WCHA, but that would make the WCHA conference schedule huge (4 games per team) with an odd number of teams. The closest WCHA team to the CHA is Ohio State, and trading PSU for OSU does not make sense. Would OSU jump to the CHA, with RIT also going DI to get the CHA to eight? That would be great.

Would PSU join the ECAC or Hockey East. HE has the room. Is the worst case scenario (in terms of the CHA) having PSU and Syracuse both going to the ECAC and having that league split in two? East/West or Ivy/non-Ivy?

Also, will this open the door for DIII teams at the Penn State branch (sorry, commonwealth) campuses? Penn State Erie, The Behrend College has a men's club team, as does Penn State Altoona and Penn State Berks. Not sure if any have women's club hockey programs.

 

[ARM]

Re: Penn State Women's Hockey: what does it mean?

If new teams continue to filter in every couple of years, then my guess is that whatever alignment we see in the short term is just a step on the path to something else. With Syracuse already on board and perhaps Penn St on the way, does that make it more likely that a school like Notre Dame might soon add women's hockey? If you start getting a number of bigger eastern schools like Penn St, Syracuse, and Notre Dame, then a power conference could form around these schools rather than they just joining a league that has room. On the flip side, we could lose some existing programs. For example, St. Cloud State is currently having rather severe financial problems causing them to look at eliminating academic programs -- athletic programs would likely soon follow.

 

[sbkbghockey]

Re: Penn State Women's Hockey: what does it mean?

CHA is almost a lock to get Penn State. Instant rivalries with Syracuse, and in state schools Robert Morris and Mercyhurst (a small school but one of the top DI women's teams)!

 

[Hux]

Re: Penn State Women's Hockey: what does it mean?

On the front page there is this article: http://www.uscho.com/news/id,18726/PennStateSettoFieldVarsityProgramSourcesSay.html. It does say varsity programS, so it appears that there will be an additional women's DI program in 2011 (note, this is still a rumor and even though I am an employee of Penn State, I work at a different campus and have no additional information).

So, which conference will they end up in?

The simple solution is the CHA, which has 5 teams and PSU would mean six and an automatic bid for the post season.

There are not enough Big 10 programs with women's teams, so forming a new league to go along with the men does not seem to be an option. They could link up with the other Big 10 teams in the WCHA, but that would make the WCHA conference schedule huge (4 games per team) with an odd number of teams. The closest WCHA team to the CHA is Ohio State, and trading PSU for OSU does not make sense. Would OSU jump to the CHA, with RIT also going DI to get the CHA to eight? That would be great.

Would PSU join the ECAC or Hockey East. HE has the room. Is the worst case scenario (in terms of the CHA) having PSU and Syracuse both going to the ECAC and having that league split in two? East/West or Ivy/non-Ivy?

Also, will this open the door for DIII teams at the Penn State branch (sorry, commonwealth) campuses? Penn State Erie, The Behrend College has a men's club team, as does Penn State Altoona and Penn State Berks. Not sure if any have women's club hockey programs.

No need to form a Big 10 conference until they reach 10 programs. They can do like the Ivy League does, crowning a champion from the five Ivy schools playing within the ECAC.

 

[sbkbghockey]

Re: Penn State Women's Hockey: what does it mean?

No need to form a Big 10 conference until they reach 10 programs. They can do like the Ivy League does, crowning a champion from the five Ivy schools playing within the ECAC.

DING DING DING we have a winner! That's what's gonna happen! Everyone is going nuts with how the BTHC is going to destroy the WCHA and CCHA but it's only going to destory UAH when Penn State moves into the CCHA and sure up the 5-team CHA women's league. Even if other Big Ten schools decide to add hockey I don't think the WCHA or CCHA are going to say "we're full" like they would for other new programs at smaller schools.

 

[PrincetonFan]

Re: Penn State Women's Hockey: what does it mean?

No need to form a Big 10 conference until they reach 10 programs. They can do like the Ivy League does, crowning a champion from the five Ivy schools playing within the ECAC.

Hoping I'm not being pedantic, but six Ivy schools play in the ECAC: Harvard, Brown, Cornell, Princeton, Yale, and Dartmouth.

 

[Hux]

Re: Penn State Women's Hockey: what does it mean?

Hoping I'm not being pedantic, but six Ivy schools play in the ECAC: Harvard, Brown, Cornell, Princeton, Yale, and Dartmouth.

Uggh. I knew I was missing one. Totally gapped. Guess I should have used two hands to count 'em off.

 

[OnMAA]

Re: Penn State Women's Hockey: what does it mean?

Uggh. I knew I was missing one. Totally gapped. Guess I should have used two hands to count 'em off.

Key question is. Which one did you forget.

 

[RStarr]

Re: Penn State Women's Hockey: what does it mean?

Key question is. Which one did you forget.

My guess is NOT Brown...

 

[D2D]

Re: Penn State Women's Hockey: what does it mean?

From Roman Augustoviz's Gopher hockey blog in the Minneapolis Star Tribune:

College hockey world focuses on Penn State

Did you know Penn State was a men's hockey power?

Not in Division I hockey, but in club hockey. And now there is a buzz that the Nittany Lions will start a Division I program soon in men's and women's hockey.

INCH (Inside College Hockey), relying on anonymous sources, said an announcement could be coming as soon as Friday.

The Daily Collegian, the student newspaper on the University Park, Pa. campus, asked AD Tim Curley for comment on the speculation on Monday. He declined.

On Tuesday, the Daily Collegian reported that a source close to the club team, nicknamed the Icers, said something on when an announcement was coming would come out Wednesday.

Stay tuned, it seems, as this story unravels.

But back to the Icers. They were founded in 1971-72 and have become a power in Division I of the American College Hockey Association, that the governing body of the club teams and should not to be confused with the NCAA.

The Icers have won seven ACHA national titles, including four in a row from 2000-03. They also have been national runners-up nine times.

But they play in an arena called the Ice Pavilion, which seats, 1,350. Much too small for a Division I program. So before adding hockey, PSU needs a new arena. Last month the Altoona Mirror reported Penn State was planning to build an arena which would seat 6,000 to 8,000.

On the main campus alone, Penn State has 45,000 undergrads.

Last season Penn State's club team, seeded No. 2, lost in the quarterfinals of the national tournament, finishing with a 32-4-2 record under coach Scott Balboni. The Icers were No. 5 in the final national rankings. Oddly enough, Illinois, another Big Ten team, was No. 6 with a 27-10-2 mark.

Obviously, it would take a while for Penn State to get its men's and women's programs off the ground. The start-up season most commonly mentioned has been 2014-15.

But if Penn State adds hockey, it certainly could shake up two existing conferences, the WCHA and the CCHA.

With the Nittany Lions, there would be six Big Ten schools with hockey, the minimum needed for a conference to receive an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.

The Big Ten Network would be drooling over the prospect of having conference hockey games to fill around its basketball coverage after the football season ends.

That's extra TV money and exposure for Big Ten schools. Always nice.

If Minnesota and Wisconsin joined the Big Ten Conference, the WCHA would be back to 10 schools which it had before adding Nebraska-Omaha and Bemidji State this season.

Michigan, Michigan State and Ohio State are the other three Big Ten schools with hockey programs and all are in the CCHA. Their leaving would reduce the number of teams in the CCHA to eight.

Of course, none of this is a done deal.

A six-team conference spread from Penn State to Minnesota might mean more travel for Big Ten Conference teams, depending partly on non-conference schedules. With a six-team league, every team would probably play the five other teams twice, in a home series and an away series, so that would be 20 conference games.

Each team would still have to schedule an additional 12-14 games. For Minnesota, that would almost have to include a series against North Dakota, a huge Gophers rival, and several other Minnesota teams.

 

[Hux]

Re: Penn State Women's Hockey: what does it mean?

According to USCHO's blog report, D1 is a done deal, thanks to an $80 mill donation. However, there was no mention of a women's team, so it will be interesting to see what happens in the news conference at 11:30 this morning.

 

[pakidnyc]

Re: Penn State Women's Hockey: what does it mean?

According to USCHO's blog report, D1 is a done deal, thanks to an $80 mill donation. However, there was no mention of a women's team, so it will be interesting to see what happens in the news conference at 11:30 this morning.

Tomorrow at approximately 11:30-11:35 am, www.gopsusports.com will be streaming the press conference LIVE when they announce D-1 hockey at Penn State for Men AND women! This is a historic gift announcement as well.

Granted, it's the worst kept secret but it will be official tomorrow!! For those who don't know anything about sports in PA, it's kind of a big deal!! Ever heard of Penn State Football, Pitt Basketball, Phillies, Steelers, Penguins?? There is a HUGE sports following in Pennsylvania and this will be another top program in very short order, count on it!!! Like someone else noted, there are thousands of undergrads not to mention tens of thousands of alumni who will be interested in seeing these programs thrive!! Congrats to Penn State and the future Lions!! What a great move for hockey!!!

 

[CanHockGuy]

Re: Penn State Women's Hockey: what does it mean?

Tomorrow at approximately 11:30-11:35 am, www.gopsusports.com will be streaming the press conference LIVE when they announce D-1 hockey at Penn State for Men AND women! This is a historic gift announcement as well.

Granted, it's the worst kept secret but it will be official tomorrow!! For those who don't know anything about sports in PA, it's kind of a big deal!! Ever heard of Penn State Football, Pitt Basketball, Phillies, Steelers, Penguins?? There is a HUGE sports following in Pennsylvania and this will be another top program in very short order, count on it!!! Like someone else noted, there are thousands of undergrads not to mention tens of thousands of alumni who will be interested in seeing these programs thrive!! Congrats to Penn State and the future Lions!! What a great move for hockey!!!

Sounds good to me.

 

[5 4 Fighting]

Re: Penn State Women's Hockey: what does it mean?

Tomorrow at approximately 11:30-11:35 am, www.gopsusports.com will be streaming the press conference LIVE when they announce D-1 hockey at Penn State for Men AND women! This is a historic gift announcement as well.

Granted, it's the worst kept secret but it will be official tomorrow!! For those who don't know anything about sports in PA, it's kind of a big deal!! Ever heard of Penn State Football, Pitt Basketball, Phillies, Steelers, Penguins?? There is a HUGE sports following in Pennsylvania and this will be another top program in very short order, count on it!!! Like someone else noted, there are thousands of undergrads not to mention tens of thousands of alumni who will be interested in seeing these programs thrive!! Congrats to Penn State and the future Lions!! What a great move for hockey!!!

For those of you that think they know about sports in PA...I can't believe you left out the Flyers...

 

[UCONN FAN]

Re: Penn State Women's Hockey: what does it mean?

88 million $.................... Not a bad start!

 

[sbkbghockey]

Re: Penn State Women's Hockey: what does it mean?

Here's a quick recap of the presser. the statement should be up on PSUsports too. Its official. PSU NCAA Hockey starts 2012-13, they are moving the club teams up to hold the histories and traditions. New 5,000-6,000 seat arena due completion in late 2013-early 2014. Teams will play in the existing PSU ice rink until the arena is complete. Women's team will not join a possible Big10 Hockey Conf. and will play in one of the "eastern" existing leagues. (most likely CHA, but that wording opens up HE ((probably not ECAC/Ivy)))

 

[hockeyguy2007]

Re: Penn State Women's Hockey: what does it mean?

So is a new team formed. Do they just elevate the club players to varsity or do they recruit a whole new team?
Wouldnt scholarships be offered at the new level?

 

[ARM]

Re: Penn State Women's Hockey: what does it mean?

Because the Penn St. program is still in its infancy, I'm sure many of these details are yet to take shape. The norm at other programs has been that scholarships are phased in over time. Some start very slow, like only 6 the first year of D-I, while others may offer 10 or more of the maximum limit of 18 right away. The best club players may move up to varsity the first year or two, but in general, there is a difference in ability between club players and those playing D-I.

 

[brookyone]

Re: Penn State Women's Hockey: what does it mean?

Here's a quick recap of the presser. the statement should be up on PSUsports too. Its official. PSU NCAA Hockey starts 2012-13, they are moving the club teams up to hold the histories and traditions. New 5,000-6,000 seat arena due completion in late 2013-early 2014. Teams will play in the existing PSU ice rink until the arena is complete. Women's team will not join a possible Big10 Hockey Conf. and will play in one of the "eastern" existing leagues. (most likely CHA, but that wording opens up HE ((probably not ECAC/Ivy)))

Just my two cents, I think it's a better idea to strengthen the CHA than to add the Nittany Lions to a conference that doesn't really need fortification so to speak. Better for the advancement of the sport IMO. Hope they put together a good staff capable of building a competitive D-I program.

Much gratitude is due for the Pegulas' of course. Always great to see successful citizens give back so generously.

 

[sbkbghockey]

Re: Penn State Women's Hockey: what does it mean?

So is a new team formed. Do they just elevate the club players to varsity or do they recruit a whole new team?
Wouldnt scholarships be offered at the new level?

The club program is elevated, it moves from being under the direction of Rec sports, PSU has them in a subcategory "team sports"- for what other universities designate "varsity club" level sports.

They can keep the status quo of the women's and men's programs until 2012 then Bam! varsity sport with the current players getting beat out for roster spots (except for the top few).

Or what will probably happen is freshman classes will get better over each season, phasing out club level players. By 2012 they'll already have some established upperclass players on the roster. Esp the men's team which already has a lot of low Jr. A players on the roster- look to start season more EJHL and NAHL players for next few seasons.