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

[beaverhockeyfan]

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

I guess I always throw this out there and no one ever seems to really give a good, solid answer. Why is UAH considered an outlier?

It is not like it is a 24 hour bus trip. From Sault Ste. Marie, MI, according to Mapquest, it is a 16 hour drive. From Detroit, we are looking at a 12 hour drive. By plane, it is a two hour flight from Detroit (not the 6-12 hours to Alaska). Or fly into Nashville (one hour drive) or Atlanta (three hour drive).

Just because they are not in a "Hockey State" does not mean they are an outlier.......

 

[FlagDUDE08]

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

Given that the AHA already has to travel to Colorado (Air Force), I don't blame them for not wanting to travel to Alabama. Therefore, probably the best hope for UAH would be the CCHA. Right now it's looking like LSSU, Bowling Green, Western Michigan (maybe) and Ferris State which is a decent bus league in and of itself, add in RMU and Mercyhurst for a couple of longer ones, maybe also Niagara (that isn't too bad bus-wise, assuming everyone has passports). If you add in UAH, there will be some plane travel involved (or very long bus ride for Bowling Green), there's 8 teams, either do a 28 game schedule or an unbalanced (you could probably have the bus league and then the CHA remnants + Mercyhurst (their women's team is CHA) as clusters) for 20 games with 14 NC. I'm only holding off on Canisius because of their rink situation, not to mention they're pretty established in that league.

 

[beaverhockeyfan]

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

Bowling Green to Huntsville is around nine hours, the same as Bemidji to Marquette, MI. Nine hours is not too bad by Western Standards for travel, IMHO.

 

[fangers]

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

Bowling Green to Huntsville is around nine hours, the same as Bemidji to Marquette, MI. Nine hours is not too bad by Western Standards for travel, IMHO.

And far less prone to weather related issues.

 

[UAHStatman]

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

The AHA's not exactly the picture of stability if 1/3 of its membership, including two founding members, is in discussions to go elsewhere. And losing most of its top end programs will leave the remnants in...well, let's be honest, an even worse of a craphole league than now.

Perhaps...but relatively speaking, the AHA is more stable than the CCHA. Even if all four of those AHA teams move, the AHA is still two ahead of the minimum for the NCAA automatic bid and still has the recently competitive Air Force and RIT. If no AHA teams make the switch, the CCHA is likely toast (assuming Notre Dame and Western Michigan leave).

I'm not certain that UAH's chances of getting in a league are very good, but it's plausible someone is in a position to "do the right thing" and help them out. That may end up being Atlantic Hockey, as unpalatable an option as that seems to the fans on the board I'm sure. That being said, with many more avenues for non-conference matchups now available with smaller leagues in the West (as now the Big Whatever, the Super Friends, the nWCHA, and the non-Ivy ECAC, will have 10+ non-conference games available), playing an independent schedule may not be as painful as imagined (although tournament access will of course be an issue).

An independent schedule is still painful, as all these conferences will still have the bulk of their conference schedules during the second half of the season. What we're seeing as the schedule of our second year as independent evolves is again a scarcity of home games after New Year's, and a likely early end to our regular season. Right now we have two home games after New Year's (an exhibition against the U-18 Development Team), and our last "real" home games are New Year's Eve weekend against Mercyhurst. (Our schedule's still not finalized, however, but it is shaping like last season, when we ended our regular season on Feb. 11 and had our final home games in January.)

 

[UAHStatman]

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

I guess I always throw this out there and no one ever seems to really give a good, solid answer. Why is UAH considered an outlier?

It is not like it is a 24 hour bus trip. From Sault Ste. Marie, MI, according to Mapquest, it is a 16 hour drive. From Detroit, we are looking at a 12 hour drive. By plane, it is a two hour flight from Detroit (not the 6-12 hours to Alaska). Or fly into Nashville (one hour drive) or Atlanta (three hour drive).

Just because they are not in a "Hockey State" does not mean they are an outlier.......

I guess it's because people look at the map of Division I college hockey teams and they see the UAH dot not among the clusters of other dots, so they think Huntsville is out of the way. Then again, by that definition, Denver and Colorado College are outliers...

 

[MikeAnderson]

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

I guess I always throw this out there and no one ever seems to really give a good, solid answer. Why is UAH considered an outlier?

Because Alabama is in the south, and the south "doesn't deserve hockey."

 

[davyd83]

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

Because Alabama is in the south, and the south "doesn't deserve hockey."

Which is so inaccurate. Both the Huntsville Havoc (SPHL) and the Chargers draw good crowds to the VBC. Just think if Huntsville had more prime time games there instead of Saturday and Sunday afternoon games! I've been in Birmingham with many crowds of 10,000 plus at old Bulls ECHL games, including one crowd of 15,000+. That team also averaged over 8,000 a night for weekend games after football season ended. Alabama is a great hockey state with alot of very knowledgeable fans!

 

[fangers]

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

Which is so inaccurate. Both the Huntsville Havoc (SPHL) and the Chargers draw good crowds to the VBC. Just think if Huntsville had more prime time games there instead of Saturday and Sunday afternoon games! I've been in Birmingham with many crowds of 10,000 plus at old Bulls ECHL games, including one crowd of 15,000+. That team also averaged over 8,000 a night for weekend games after football season ended. Alabama is a great hockey state with alot of very knowledgeable fans!

But that doesn't change the minds of those biased ones in "hockey hotbeds" up North. What Mike said is a very commonly held perception.

 

[5hole]

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

From UAHStatman

If no AHA teams make the switch, the CCHA is likely toast (assuming Notre Dame and Western Michigan leave)

Yes, and does anyone else find it ironic that Niagara and RoMo will probably play key roles in deciding whether or not the AHA FOUR join with the CCHA THREE, aka the leftovers? When the CHA was going down the tubes, the fans from these schools pretty much all said "we like our league the way it is... just go to the AHA if they will have you."

FWIW, one of my posts on the CCHA thread was favorable to UAH as a member rather than UAF.

> A 2-3 hour trip with a one-hour time change to Alabamastan in the deep south in mid-winter beats the he11 out of a 14-18 hour trip with two stopovers* and a four-hour time change to cold AK. *if the team could even fly commercial

 

[MikeAnderson]

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

But that doesn't change the minds of those biased ones in "hockey hotbeds" up North. What Mike said is a very commonly held perception.

Which is why the Thrashers relocation was so celebrated. It didn't matter that the team went to Winnipeg, it was far more important that the team leave Atlanta (and Nashville, and Florida, and Tampa, and Columbus, and Dallas, and Phoenix, and Raleigh, etc.).

 

[Shirtless Guy]

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

Which is why the Thrashers relocation was so celebrated. It didn't matter that the team went to Winnipeg, it was far more important that the team leave Atlanta (and Nashville, and Florida, and Tampa, and Columbus, and Dallas, and Phoenix, and Raleigh, etc.).

Well lets be honest, Atlanta is a horrible pro sports town...

 

[5hole]

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

Well lets be honest, Atlanta is a horrible pro sports town...

Disagree!

Atlanta simply likes a winner. And a decently run franchise. The Thrashers were horribly run by a bunch of basketball guys. And they did not do too well with their NBA franchise either. The Falcons pack the place when they are a competitive, winning team ... when they are losing, forget it. The Braves did very well in attendance for a lot of years during their run and do fairly well in attendance now. If they are out of the race, forget it. And the Thrashers had some pretty decent years before the ASG (Atlanta Spirit Group) screwed it up so badly.

Granted, Georgia (like Alabama) is a better college football area than anything else.

 

[tnlong]

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

... , and does anyone else find it ironic that Niagara and RoMo will probably play key roles in deciding whether or not the AHA FOUR join with the CCHA THREE, aka the leftovers? When the CHA was going down the tubes, the fans from these schools pretty much all said "we like our league the way it is... just go to the AHA if they will have you."

FWIW, one of my posts on the CCHA thread was favorable to UAH as a member rather than UAF.

> A 2-3 hour trip with a one-hour time change to Alabamastan in the deep south in mid-winter beats the he11 out of a 14-18 hour trip with two stopovers* and a four-hour time change to cold AK. *if the team could even fly commercial

The CCHA needs to just disappear. The AHA FOUR need to recruit RIT to make it the AHA FIVE, then add UAH to make a new conference, and then let Bowling Green, Ferris, and LSSU compete to be #7 and #8 in the new conference. Who wants to travel to LSSU instead of Alabama, especially in January and February.

Which is why the Thrashers relocation was so celebrated. It didn't matter that the team went to Winnipeg, it was far more important that the team leave Atlanta (and Nashville, and Florida, and Tampa, and Columbus, and Dallas, and Phoenix, and Raleigh, etc.).

That's why I think the Predators should extend UAH some help in the conference discussions. Taking one more step past hosting UAH games would be in their best interest because they need to keep raising hockey interest at all levels rather watching a program in which they've already invested disappear.

 

[kingdobbs]

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

The CCHA needs to just disappear. The AHA FOUR need to recruit RIT to make it the AHA FIVE, then add UAH to make a new conference, and then let Bowling Green, Ferris, and LSSU compete to be #7 and #8 in the new conference. Who wants to travel to LSSU instead of Alabama, especially in January and February.

Two years without an autobid says that forming a new conference will not be on the table.

 

[Shirtless Guy]

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

Two years without an autobid says that forming a new conference will not be on the table.

Won't the CCHA need to get a waiver because they won't have enough full D1 institutions?

 

[aparch]

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

Won't the CCHA need to get a waiver because they won't have enough full D1 institutions?

How many full D-1 schools are in the re-vamped WCHA? They just need six member schools who have competed at league play the past two seasons. UAH doesn't provide that. LSSU, FSU, and BGSU need three AHA schools to come over. Four would be better. Then add UAH and it makes a nice conference of eight teams.

 

[Shirtless Guy]

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

How many full D-1 schools are in the re-vamped WCHA? They just need six member schools who have competed at league play the past two seasons. UAH doesn't provide that. LSSU, FSU, and BGSU need three AHA schools to come over. Four would be better. Then add UAH and it makes a nice conference of eight teams.

The WCHA (and CHA) already have(had) a waiver.

 

[kingdobbs]

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

Won't the CCHA need to get a waiver because they won't have enough full D1 institutions?

By the looks of things, that is no longer of concern. The waiver question was in 2003; since then, by-laws have been amended thusly:

31.3.4.4.2 Single-Sport Conference. To be considered for automatic qualification in a particular sport,
a single-sport member conference for a sport sponsored by less than 50 percent of the Division I member-
ship must include six institutions that have conducted conference competition together the preceding two
years in the sport in question at the Division I level. (Adopted: 8/5/04, Revised: 4/27/06 effective 8/1/06)

It would appear, based on this, that a waiver is no longer necessary, as it makes no mention of "core" institutions as the prior by-law concerning multi-sport conferences does.

 

[Shirtless Guy]

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

By the looks of things, that is no longer of concern. The waiver question was in 2003; since then, by-laws have been amended thusly:



It would appear, based on this, that a waiver is no longer necessary, as it makes no mention of "core" institutions as the prior by-law concerning multi-sport conferences does.

So the CCHA would be ok as long as 6 members stick together in 2013-14 & 2014-15?