WCHA 2016-17 Season

[Timothy A]

Re: WCHA 2016-17 Season

And it has to remain at six for two consecutive seasons, as the CHA had to do.

So there's no way Lindenwood is coming to the wcha based on what that would do the CHA. All the teams look out for each other's best interests, right?

 

[ZedLeppelin]

Re: WCHA 2016-17 Season

So there's no way Lindenwood is coming to the wcha based on what that would do the CHA. All the teams look out for each other's best interests, right?

I doubt Lindenwood (or any other team) would care about their former conference if they jumped to a new conference. The CHA autobid would be over until they could find a sixth team and keep them in the conference for two consecutive seasons.

 

[brokentwig]

Re: WCHA 2016-17 Season

I doubt Lindenwood (or any other team) would care about their former conference if they jumped to a new conference. The CHA autobid would be over until they could find a sixth team and keep them in the conference for two consecutive seasons.

You think Captain Katie will bend the WCHA transfer rules and allow the ND women to jump to other WCHA teams next year without sitting out a year. Big decisions for the newby.

 

[D2D]

Re: WCHA 2016-17 Season

You think Captain Katie will bend the WCHA transfer rules and allow the ND women to jump to other WCHA teams next year without sitting out a year. Big decisions for the newby.

I would think the league would already have an exception for when a member shuttles its program.

 

[HockeyEast33]

Re: WCHA 2016-17 Season

I doubt Lindenwood (or any other team) would care about their former conference if they jumped to a new conference. The CHA autobid would be over until they could find a sixth team and keep them in the conference for two consecutive seasons.

Two words - Sacred Heart. Time for them to put up or shut up.

 

[robertearle]

Re: WCHA 2016-17 Season

I hope the WCHA leaves the CHA alone; no grabbing up Lindenwood, or Penn State (or Mercyhurst). The CHA seems to me to be doing a decent job growing their programs and developing rivalries, etc., and I hope they are allowed the 'time and space' to continue.

 

[ZedLeppelin]

Re: WCHA 2016-17 Season

I hope the WCHA leaves the CHA alone; no grabbing up Lindenwood, or Penn State (or Mercyhurst). The CHA seems to me to be doing a decent job growing their programs and developing rivalries, etc., and I hope they are allowed the 'time and space' to continue.

I think travel costs would keep the WCHA from grabbing any of the eastern CHA teams.

 

[Timothy A]

Re: WCHA 2016-17 Season

I doubt Lindenwood (or any other team) would care about their former conference if they jumped to a new conference. The CHA autobid would be over until they could find a sixth team and keep them in the conference for two consecutive seasons.

Here's a tough love thought....in today's era, the CHA team has a .05 percent change of winning a game in the NCAA's anyway, so them losing the auto bid would allow a more deserving team in to the tourney.

I like the idea of more N/C games with UND out, but how will the wcha tourney work? I certainly don't want to see the best of 3 home ice series go away in the first round.

 

[ne7minder]

Here's a tough love thought....in today's era, the CHA team has a .05 percent change of winning a game in the NCAA's anyway, so them losing the auto bid would allow a more deserving team in to the tourney.

I like the idea of more N/C games with UND out, but how will the wcha tourney work? I certainly don't want to see the best of 3 home ice series go away in the first round.

#1 and 2 get a bye and 7 gets eliminated? Thats not really ideal and it loses the weekend best of 3. Some sort of round robin at a neutral site? That stinks too. Adding a team is the best option but could they join next season?

 

[D2D]

Re: WCHA 2016-17 Season

For better or for worse, this is the format for the Big Ten Conference (men's) for next season, when it too will have 7 teams. Taken from the Wisconsin State Journal,
http://host.madison.com/wsj/sports/...cle_f57b6d7a-52f7-5018-abc3-d882785bd40e.html

Starting in 2017-18, when Notre Dame becomes the seventh team in the Big Ten hockey league, all conference postseason games will move to team home arenas.

• The regular season champion gets a first-round bye, while the second, third and fourth seeds host best-of-three series.

• The top seed and the next-highest remaining seed host a single-game semifinal the following weekend.

• And on the third weekend, the highest remaining seed hosts a single championship game.

The new system was not only prompted by the addition of Notre Dame as the 7th team, but also because "the first three years of a neutral-site Big Ten Conference men's hockey tournament generated unflattering images of empty seating sections in big, NHL arenas".

I'm anxious to see if the WCHA women's conference adopts something similar.

 

[robertearle]

Re: WCHA 2016-17 Season

For better or for worse, this is the format for the Big Ten Conference (men's) for next season, when it too will have 7 teams. Taken from the Wisconsin State Journal,
http://host.madison.com/wsj/sports/...cle_f57b6d7a-52f7-5018-abc3-d882785bd40e.html

Starting in 2017-18, when Notre Dame becomes the seventh team in the Big Ten hockey league, all conference postseason games will move to team home arenas.

• The regular season champion gets a first-round bye, while the second, third and fourth seeds host best-of-three series.

• The top seed and the next-highest remaining seed host a single-game semifinal the following weekend.

• And on the third weekend, the highest remaining seed hosts a single championship game.

The new system was not only prompted by the addition of Notre Dame as the 7th team, but also because "the first three years of a neutral-site Big Ten Conference men's hockey tournament generated unflattering images of empty seating sections in big, NHL arenas".

I'm anxious to see if the WCHA women's conference adopts something similar.

No UND opens up two weekends for NC games/series. The above for the conference tournament would eat up one of those weekends. Does that make such a scheme more likely, or less? And if the second and third weekends are single games, the top seed would have four fewer games overall on their schedule and going into their RPI, etc. (Assuming those top seeds play the second and third tournament weekend)

 

[D2D]

Re: WCHA 2016-17 Season

No UND opens up two weekends for NC games/series. The above for the conference tournament would eat up one of those weekends. Does that make such a scheme more likely, or less? And if the second and third weekends are single games, the top seed would have four fewer games overall on their schedule and going into their RPI, etc. (Assuming those top seeds play the second and third tournament weekend)

Not saying I necessarily agree with it, robert, but at least in the new 7-team B1G men's conference that's what the coaches decided is best for them. The two "B1G" advantages that I see are:
(a) MUCH greater interest and attendance, and
(b) It rewards the teams that have had the best regular seasons (makes doing well in the regular season actually mean something).

 

[Nowheresville]

Re: WCHA 2016-17 Season

And if the second and third weekends are single games, the top seed would have four fewer games overall on their schedule and going into their RPI, etc. (Assuming those top seeds play the second and third tournament weekend)

Keep in mind, the whole reason for the B1G's single-elimination tournament format is that Wisconsin and Ohio State didn't want to have to commit their arenas for 3 full weekends. The thought is that if it's just a single game, they can squeeze that in somewhere, be it at home or an alternate arena.

Of course, the huge downside is that not only does the top seed end up with fewer games, you could pretty easily have a situation where the top seed is heading into the NCAA having played just 1 game in the 3 previous weeks (maybe even 4, if there is a bye in the final week of the regular season, a real possibility with an odd number of teams).

I would think for the women the arena issue that's prompting the single game semis wouldn't be as much of a problem, since if the regular home ice isn't available, it's a lot easier just to move those extra games to a community ice rink, so even if you did the 3 weekend format, you could still keep at least the first 2 weekends best of 3.

 

[DDad16]

Re: WCHA 2016-17 Season

You think Captain Katie will bend the WCHA transfer rules and allow the ND women to jump to other WCHA teams next year without sitting out a year. Big decisions for the newby.

My understanding is the transfer rules don't apply when the program is eliminated.

 

[Timothy A]

Re: WCHA 2016-17 Season

My understanding is the transfer rules don't apply when the program is eliminated.

It is sad that some young ladies will lose their spots on other teams due to this. I hope the Potomac sisters land on their feet somewhere. Pannek is playing for UMD, so that opens up 1 spot for a sue girl.

 

[ne7minder]

It is sad that some young ladies will lose their spots on other teams due to this. I hope the Potomac sisters land on their feet somewhere. Pannek is playing for UMD, so that opens up 1 spot for a sue girl.

Ran into Maine coaching staff here and suggested that they needed to start calling the UND kids. Maybe the East could get better fast!

 

[Timothy A]

Re: WCHA 2016-17 Season

Ran into Maine coaching staff here and suggested that they needed to start calling the UND kids. Maybe the East could get better fast!

I am all for the have nots in hockey east giving BC a bigger fight. The whole team should transfer to Maine, but they'll have to get used to seeing trees every day.

 

[EastFan1]

Re: WCHA 2016-17 Season

12 hour bus rides, financially-strapped programs and crowdfunding... ugh

http://www.duluthnewstribune.com/sp...-hockey-could-cost-umd-and-other-wcha-schools

 

[D2D]

Re: WCHA 2016-17 Season

Probably not a good sign.

Gophers women's hockey conference WCHA takes unprecedented turn toward crowdfunding
http://www.startribune.com/gophers-...35628563/?om_rid=1570783689&om_mid=1570783689

 

[The Sicatoka]

Re: WCHA 2016-17 Season

From the WWCHA:
http://www.wcha.com/women/pres1617/201707/jul20wcw.php