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UAH Hockey 2011-12: Will Someone Break the Conference Logjam? Thanks.

Re: UAH Hockey 2011-12: Will Someone Break the Conference Logjam? Thanks.

When will UAH find out if the WCHA will accept them or not? I'm sure they want to know sooner rather than later.
 
Re: UAH Hockey 2011-12: Will Someone Break the Conference Logjam? Thanks.

davyd83 said:
We don't even know if they have formally applied to the WCHA yet.
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Who even knows what the application process entails? The new WCHA is in a state of flux, and I expect that hearing a petition from UAH for admission is still an undecided. Note that this is speculation on my part and has no inside knowledge behind it. All I know, because it's been stated in semi-public areas, is that our President, AD, and head coach have been in regular, repeated contact with their nWCHA counterparts.

I think most anyone who spends some time can figure out who's for, against, and on the fence.

GFM
 
Re: UAH Hockey 2011-12: Will Someone Break the Conference Logjam? Thanks.

gfmorris said:
Who even knows what the application process entails? The new WCHA is in a state of flux, and I expect that hearing a petition from UAH for admission is still an undecided. Note that this is speculation on my part and has no inside knowledge behind it. All I know, because it's been stated in semi-public areas, is that our President, AD, and head coach have been in regular, repeated contact with their nWCHA counterparts.

I think most anyone who spends some time can figure out who's for, against, and on the fence.

GFM
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I would think that the assorted collection of misfits that the new WCHA should be able to realize that a program that's as committed to keeping College Hockey around as what the UAH community has been, would be an overall asset to the new league. Hell, UAH had some A-hole from Tuscaloosa try to kill em off the last day he would have the self-imposed authority to do so, and you guys are still on schedules for next year. That, perhaps drop a few mentions about how it would be best for college hockey if UAH was in a conference, and how a few schools from the CCHA didn't do what's best for College Hockey because they didn't want to give up the one extra payday a year they would have lost with one of the Big Ten schools coming to town. Ask them how well that worked out for them??
 
Re: UAH Hockey 2011-12: Will Someone Break the Conference Logjam? Thanks.

bigmrg74 said:
I would think that the assorted collection of misfits that the new WCHA should be able to realize that a program that's as committed to keeping College Hockey around as what the UAH community has been, would be an overall asset to the new league. Hell, UAH had some A-hole from Tuscaloosa try to kill em off the last day he would have the self-imposed authority to do so, and you guys are still on schedules for next year. That, perhaps drop a few mentions about how it would be best for college hockey if UAH was in a conference, and how a few schools from the CCHA didn't do what's best for College Hockey because they didn't want to give up the one extra payday a year they would have lost with one of the Big Ten schools coming to town. Ask them how well that worked out for them??
Click to expand...

The "do it for the Brotherhood of College Hockey" doesn't do crap when it comes down to people who have budgets to mind.

GFM
 
Re: UAH Hockey 2011-12: Will Someone Break the Conference Logjam? Thanks.

gfmorris said:
The "do it for the Brotherhood of College Hockey" doesn't do crap when it comes down to people who have budgets to mind.

GFM
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True, but hell, mention about how they screwed UAH before, and they still ended up holding a big bag of dog dookie. Guilt might not be such a bad angle to use here, especially to some of the same people who had teams who's conferencemates all ripped their hearts out of their future plans.
 
Re: UAH Hockey 2011-12: Will Someone Break the Conference Logjam? Thanks.

bigmrg74 said:
True, but hell, mention about how they screwed UAH before, and they still ended up holding a big bag of dog dookie. Guilt might not be such a bad angle to use here, especially to some of the same people who had teams who's conferencemates all ripped their hearts out of their future plans.
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Why are the WCHA teams being singled out?

Of 59 (in 2012-13) NCAA Division one hockey teams and their member conferences:
- Eight teams are still scrubbing the blood off their hands and just shrugged their shoulders going "We're like minded, and in our minds, we don't like you."
- Six teams looked around at each other and point to their by-laws and go "we can only play with ourselves now that there are six of us."
- Ten teams pointed to their hockey conference name and went "Nope, it says EAST in our name, so we'll only accept Eastern Time Zone members. Welcome aboard, always a flight for the rest of our member schools, Notre Dame!"
- Twelve schools, six of them ivy's, are blissfully ignorant to the rest of the mess in college hockey.
- Twelve schools with reduced scholarships where over half of the conference already told UAH to pound sand in 2008.

And yet seven Upper Midwest schools, and two in Alaska are to be guilted into this?
 
Re: UAH Hockey 2011-12: Will Someone Break the Conference Logjam? Thanks.

I'd just like to add that I'm fine with UAH in the New WCHA. It didn't make sense with the CCHA because there were a lot of fears surrounding a couple existing CCHA schools. I certainly banged the drum loud on not having an additional question mark thrown into the volatile CCHA. Have those concerns been shored up? With the commitment by some of these schools to the New WCHA, I presume so (but I could be wrong).

I just want the New WCHA to be fair to all the member schools including UAH; and the addition of UAH to make sense to the longevity of the New WCHA.
 
Re: UAH Hockey 2011-12: Will Someone Break the Conference Logjam? Thanks.

I think the nWCHA wants to let the dust settle a bit before admitting UAH. The NaCHo league schism has really thrown nWCHA financial planning to the Ouija board. The league has so many unknowns that it's hard to predict if it can maintain solvency even without another air travel school. The big revenue from the Final Five tourney is gone, shared revenue from the big arenas in Madison and Minneapolis are gone and two Alaska schools will present additional challenges. Outside of BGSU and the Alaskas, the nWCHA is a bus league that can and will need to keep costs low. The Alaska school travel is somewhat mitigated, but UAH travel will be a significant and risky expense for a regional league of small arena schools. Once the nWCHA sets up new offices, new leadership, a new fee structure and a new tourney format, it will become more clear how much it will cost to host UAH. I do think that UAH will end up in the nWCHA sooner than later, but it would be reckless for the nWCHA to invite them before it gets some infrastructure and plans in place in order to get a feel for its new financials. Hopefully that takes place over the summer and a deal can then be worked out to add UAH before the end of 2012. With Morehead off the table and no other D1 programs coming online, it seems like UAH would be the best way to get 10 teams, so long as it doesn't break the bank.
 
Re: UAH Hockey 2011-12: Will Someone Break the Conference Logjam? Thanks.

Maybe the nWCHA could have a semi-probation process where UAH would be the number 10 playoff seed. This way UAH has something to play for until the nWCHA makes a decision whether to admit them as a full time member or not. ie. MSU-Mankato
 
Re: UAH Hockey 2011-12: Will Someone Break the Conference Logjam? Thanks.

4four4 said:
Maybe the nWCHA could have a semi-probation process where UAH would be the number 10 playoff seed. This way UAH has something to play for until the nWCHA makes a decision whether to admit them as a full time member or not. ie. MSU-Mankato
Click to expand...

Why do I suddenly feel like we've (UAH) been cast as members of delta fraternity?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1tfK_3XK4CI

lol
 
Re: UAH Hockey 2011-12: Will Someone Break the Conference Logjam? Thanks.

gfmorris said:
You hear correctly. We're working to get into WCHA 2.0.

GFM
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We can offer you a nice warm seat.

Don't mind the dog hair, or smell..

You did us a solid when we came up to D1, I hope that we can help do you a solid going forward.
 
Re: UAH Hockey 2011-12: Will Someone Break the Conference Logjam? Thanks.

UpNorthHockey said:
I think the nWCHA wants to let the dust settle a bit before admitting UAH. The NaCHo league schism has really thrown nWCHA financial planning to the Ouija board. The league has so many unknowns that it's hard to predict if it can maintain solvency even without another air travel school. The big revenue from the Final Five tourney is gone, shared revenue from the big arenas in Madison and Minneapolis are gone and two Alaska schools will present additional challenges. Outside of BGSU and the Alaskas, the nWCHA is a bus league that can and will need to keep costs low. The Alaska school travel is somewhat mitigated, but UAH travel will be a significant and risky expense for a regional league of small arena schools. Once the nWCHA sets up new offices, new leadership, a new fee structure and a new tourney format, it will become more clear how much it will cost to host UAH. I do think that UAH will end up in the nWCHA sooner than later, but it would be reckless for the nWCHA to invite them before it gets some infrastructure and plans in place in order to get a feel for its new financials. Hopefully that takes place over the summer and a deal can then be worked out to add UAH before the end of 2012. With Morehead off the table and no other D1 programs coming online, it seems like UAH would be the best way to get 10 teams, so long as it doesn't break the bank.
Click to expand...

To me, all this adds up to UAH having just as good a shot at landing a home if they start making phone calls (LOTS of phone calls) to any and all colleges within a 500 mile radius that might have a rink nearby campus and the slightest inkling of a shot to maybe want to play. Start with Kennessaw State and hope for the best.
 
Re: UAH Hockey 2011-12: Will Someone Break the Conference Logjam? Thanks.

RIT Winters said:
We can offer you a nice warm seat.
Click to expand...

Really? I just don't see it happening. I want to expand on something I wrote in the nWCHA thread; apologies if you've already read this in short form:

Here are the number of times that an Atlantic Hockey team has played in Huntsville since UAH became a Division I team for the second time. I will omit games played by Robert Morris, Niagara, Air Force, and Army during the time they were in College Hockey America with UAH so as to not skew the results; 1998-99 games will be listed for completion. Okay? Okay!

Air Force# 2011-12
American International
Army$ 1999-00
Bentley 1998-99 2001-02
Canisius 2000-01 in the SCI Holiday Shootout
Connecticut 2003-04
Holy Cross 2004-05
Mercyhurst 1999-00 2011-12
Niagara% 1998-99
RIT* 2005-06
Robert Morris% 2010-11
Sacred Heart 2001-02

# part of CHA until 2005-06; man, it's been a while!
$ played as part of the future CHA in 1998-99 before jumping to the MAAC, leaving Air Force high and dry for seven seasons
% part of CHA until 2009-10
* joined D-I 2005-06

People, that's one schools who've never come here (AIC), nine schools who've come here just once---counting Niagara playing us as an independent/future conference mate, and counting Army returning a home-and-home set up when we thought they'd be in the CHA as well---in the fourteen seasons of UAH D-I round two, and two who have come twice. Also, note that RMU, AFA, and MC were the last three teams to come to Huntsville since 2005-06, when we were helping out RIT as has been noted. The last obvious fly date before Air Force this year was HC eight seasons ago.

People have asked me if Atlantic Hockey is an option if the nWCHA tells us no. I say that it's a ****ed unlikely option. As I understand it, we were politely told no when we were searching for a new home, to say nothing of the super-conference option with Atlantic Hockey that saw MC and CC maybe leaving Atlantic Hockey to come to the CHA with the promise of a return if the CHA Really Did Fall Apart Like It Always Threatened to Do, and they were told no. I have to wonder if Air Force has a travel deal with Atlantic Hockey to make it palatable for them to go there.

If Atlantic Hockey schools were interested in coming to Huntsville, they'd have come by now. They're not coming.

Yes, I know that AH plays an insular schedule that leaves them with a limited number of non-conference dates, and I know that a Huntsville trip is expensive if you're flying.

Don't expect Atlantic Hockey to come riding on a white horse. It really is nWCHA or bust in my mind, and I don't think "the good of college hockey" means squat. If it did, would NCHC exist, and would Notre Dame have split for Hockey East? No. Schools are [rightly] looking out for their own interests. Now, do the nWCHA schools---schools who have to feel snubbed by everything that's happened in the last 14 months---perhaps consider things past their own enlightened self-interest? I would hope that they would. I think that's the only way we get into the nWCHA.

I hope that this settles the matter of Atlantic Hockey picking up UAH.

[Edited: I screwed up and forgot that Air Force came here this year. I have amended the post appropriately. Sorry, Zoomies. I won't do it again.]

GFM
 
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Re: UAH Hockey 2011-12: Will Someone Break the Conference Logjam? Thanks.

ExileOnDaytonStreet said:
To me, all this adds up to UAH having just as good a shot at landing a home if they start making phone calls (LOTS of phone calls) to any and all colleges within a 500 mile radius that might have a rink nearby campus and the slightest inkling of a shot to maybe want to play. Start with Kennessaw State and hope for the best.
Click to expand...

I don't think that we can hold out until five D-I schools get the infrastructure up to play varsity hockey. Most of the schools around here that have the means [SEC schools] don't have the rink opportunity, much less the motive. Hell, if five SEC schools went varsity, I don't think UAH would be the sixth school to be added. Back when our interim President hacked us to future varsity status, the SECHC told us that they couldn't accommodate us. I wouldn't think it any different if Auburn, Alabama, Tennessee, Georgia, and Mississippi State---in my mind, the five schools most likely to play varsity hockey in some bizarre scenario where the Pagan Hockey Gods decide to save UAH if the nWCHA says no---suddenly showed up as varsity. Also, of those schools, only TN and UGA have rinks anywhere close to campus.

The only way UAH makes it as an independent past another year or two is if I win the next Mega Millions/Powerball and fund the program. Don't think I haven't thought about it.

GFM <-- thinks the chances of him winning the lottery are better than any five Southern schools going to varsity hockey any time this decade.
 
Re: UAH Hockey 2011-12: Will Someone Break the Conference Logjam? Thanks.

Less everyone think me defeatist, I still have a whole lot of hope for getting into the WCHA. I have tempered my expectations because the CCHA and Portera have taught me to do so.

GFM
 
Re: UAH Hockey 2011-12: Will Someone Break the Conference Logjam? Thanks.

gfmorris said:
Less everyone think me defeatist, I still have a whole lot of hope for getting into the WCHA. I have tempered my expectations because the CCHA and Portera have taught me to do so.

GFM
Click to expand...

There's a big difference between being a defeatist and a realist.
 
gfmorris said:
GFM <-- thinks the chances of him winning the lottery are better than any five Southern schools going to varsity hockey any time this decade.
Click to expand...

That's actually kind of my point. I don't like your nWCHA odds much better right now.

I had thought your best bet was a breakaway AHA cluster trying to link up with Ferris and Bowling Green before they opted for the nWCHA.
 
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