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WCHA Realignment?

Re: WCHA Realignment?

Freddie said:
The 2game-total goals used to be common practice in tournament play. CCHA did it back in the late 70s early 80s. The NCAA used it in first round games back when the tournament was just 8 teams. I remember in 1984 BG lost at Boston U Friday 6-3, then had to go to overtime Saturday to win 5-1. Always thought it was a pretty goofy format.
Click to expand...

The NCAA used it at the D-II level in the 80s as well. BSU played many total goal series during that time frame.

You could see the "pull the goalie while up 3" in the championship round robin if all three teams could end up tied and it comes down to goal differential. ;)
 
Re: WCHA Realignment?

Freddie said:
3 separate 6-team conferences, each with their own auto-bid.
Call them whatever you like.

BG, WMU, Miami, Ferris, Mankato, Huntsville
Lake, NMU, MTU, Duluth, St Cloud, Fairbanks
CC, Denver, Omaha, NDak, Bemidji, Anchorage

Play each opponent in your own conference 4x (20 games) then either 1 opponent from each of the other conferences 2x (one home series, one away) for a 24 game schedule, OR 2 opponents from each of the other conferences 2x, for a 28 game schedule. All games among members of the three conferences count as conference games.

Conference by-laws include:
$50,000 fine to any school that accepts B1G contracts without 1-1 or 2-2 reciprocation.
1 million dollar exit fee
No shootouts

Somebody else can figure out what to do about conference tournaments.
Click to expand...
Flip Mankato and LSSU and you've got a winner.
 
Re: WCHA Realignment?

davyd83 said:
Flip Mankato and LSSU and you've got a winner.
Click to expand...

I considered that, but figured all three Yoopers would want to be together.
Felt a bit sorry for Mankato in my plan, but figured somebody would have to be isolated.
Looking at the map, however, your way does make more sense.

A: BG, Miami, WMU, Ferris, LSSU, UAH
B: Mankato, St Cloud, MTU. NMU, Duluth, Fairbanks
C: Bemidji, NDak, Omaha, CC, Denver, Anchorage

I can already hears the Alaskans *****ing about being split up. Deal with it. They were split up for the last how-ever many years. This year was the first time in modern history they've been together.

Also, I'd think it would be worthwhile to ask the NCAA to make a special exception for hockey. Take into account the extreme distance Huntsville is from ANY possible opponents, and give schools who play there an extra two games like they do for Alaska. It would be good for the long term health of UAH and whatever conference they belong to.

Hey, how about this for tournament:
All three conferences have 1st round at campus sites (6@3, 5@4) 1 & 2 get byes.
Then bring the two survivors and the byes FROM ALL 3 to a neutral site for single elimination semi and championship.
Conference A semis Friday at 130pm and 5pm.
Conference B semis Friday at 830pm and Saturday at 130pm
Conference C semis Saturday at 5 and 830pm
All 3 finals Sunday: 130, 500 and 830
Call it College Hockey Nirvana.
 
Re: WCHA Realignment?

Nosferatu said:
The NCHC and WCHA will merge, creating the only Super-conference in American Collegiate Hockey.
Click to expand...

We already tried this in 2012-13, it was called the WCHA. Even with a super conference, it won't be big enough for some of the egos associated with member teams. The only way this plan would work would be a to have a two team division called "Screw You Guys" and another division for all the other teams called "The Rest of You". The SYG division would also get 100% of the conference profits and both autobids as clearly no one in the other division would be good enough to be worthy of one. There would also be no cross division play. Both divisions would be play 28 conference games. In the SYG division, they would just play with each other for the entire season.
Ryan J
 
Re: WCHA Realignment?

Freddie said:
I considered that, but figured all three Yoopers would want to be together.
Felt a bit sorry for Mankato in my plan, but figured somebody would have to be isolated.
Looking at the map, however, your way does make more sense.

A: BG, Miami, WMU, Ferris, LSSU, UAH
B: Mankato, St Cloud, MTU. NMU, Duluth, Fairbanks
C: Bemidji, NDak, Omaha, CC, Denver, Anchorage

I can already hears the Alaskans *****ing about being split up. Deal with it. They were split up for the last how-ever many years. This year was the first time in modern history they've been together.

Also, I'd think it would be worthwhile to ask the NCAA to make a special exception for hockey. Take into account the extreme distance Huntsville is from ANY possible opponents, and give schools who play there an extra two games like they do for Alaska. It would be good for the long term health of UAH and whatever conference they belong to.

Hey, how about this for tournament:
All three conferences have 1st round at campus sites (6@3, 5@4) 1 & 2 get byes.
Then bring the two survivors and the byes FROM ALL 3 to a neutral site for single elimination semi and championship.
Conference A semis Friday at 130pm and 5pm.
Conference B semis Friday at 830pm and Saturday at 130pm
Conference C semis Saturday at 5 and 830pm
All 3 finals Sunday: 130, 500 and 830
Call it College Hockey Nirvana.
Click to expand...

With the championship weekend, you would have to go Thursday, Friday, Saturday as the NCAA does their selection/seeding on Sunday. I don't think they would want to wait until 11:30 Sunday night to take care of that.

I don't think UAH would get that travel exemption, they are not as "isolated" as everyone thinks (I have made the trip five times). Yes, they are an outlier, but in their "conference", Lake State is the furthest away at 13 and a half hours according to Bing Maps, while the other "leagues" would only be making the trip every other year. Detroit has, I believe, direct flights into Huntsville that take an hour and a half. Or you can fly into Atlanta or Nashville from MSP and drive to Huntsville (3 and a half hours or two hours respectively), or hit a connection somewhere and get to Huntsville.

The Alaskas are "isolated" with it being at least five hours by plane and don't even try driving it.
 
Re: WCHA Realignment?

JohnsonsJerseys said:
We already tried this in 2012-13, it was called the WCHA. Even with a super conference, it won't be big enough for some of the egos associated with member teams. The only way this plan would work would be a to have a two team division called "Screw You Guys" and another division for all the other teams called "The Rest of You". The SYG division would also get 100% of the conference profits and both autobids as clearly no one in the other division would be good enough to be worthy of one. There would also be no cross division play. Both divisions would be play 28 conference games. In the SYG division, they would just play with each other for the entire season.
Ryan J
Click to expand...

Imagine the rivalry the would develop in the SYG Division as those two schools have had some heated battles already! 28 games of it, WOW!!!! :eek:
 
Re: WCHA Realignment?

Imagine the rivalry the would develop in the SYG Division as those two schools have had some heated battles already! 28 games of it, WOW!!!!

By game 25 it would devolve to 3 on 3 hockey due to injuries and suspensions. No goalie, just the net on its side. Fans getting smacked by pucks from "Ice it, I need to breathe" breaks. Mayhem, Riots, hospitals overflowing, police, tear gas,...

Best Idea on the Thread!!!
 
Re: WCHA Realignment?

Nosferatu said:
By game 25 it would devolve to 3 on 3 hockey due to injuries and suspensions. No goalie, just the net on its side. Fans getting smacked by pucks from "Ice it, I need to breathe" breaks. Mayhem, Riots, hospitals overflowing, police, tear gas,...
Click to expand...

...record DUI/MIP arrests. ;)
 
Re: WCHA Realignment?

uaafanblog said:
Yeah ... one that hadn't been posted in for a solid fortnight and is primarily facetious posts. Congrats on your discernment skills.
Click to expand...

Congratulations!
You are the first person in USCHO history to use the words "facetious" and "discernment" in the same post.
Your prize is an evening with PinkPony.
 
Re: WCHA Realignment?

wouldn't it be great to have a little stability and to look forward to playing some of These teams and building these rivalry's. I can't wait for next year!
 
Re: WCHA Realignment?

Freddie said:
I considered that, but figured all three Yoopers would want to be together.
Felt a bit sorry for Mankato in my plan, but figured somebody would have to be isolated.
Looking at the map, however, your way does make more sense.

A: BG, Miami, WMU, Ferris, LSSU, UAH
B: Mankato, St Cloud, MTU. NMU, Duluth, Fairbanks
C: Bemidji, NDak, Omaha, CC, Denver, Anchorage
Click to expand...

This isn't that far-flung of an idea. A little history lesson for tonight...

In the 1978 offseason, the CCHA and WCHA were discussing a merger that had five options. Three were presented by famed Michigan athletic director Don Canham. One of the Don Canham's plans was to split the CCHA and WCHA into three regional divisions. The merger would have taken place for the 1979-80 season.

Don Canham Plan A was to split the two leagues in to two eight-team east and west divisions.
WEST: Colorado College, Denver, Lake Superior, Michigan Tech, Minnesota, Minnesota-Duluth, North Dakota, Northern Michigan
EAST: Bowling Green, Michigan, Michigan State, Notre Dame, Ohio State, St. Louis, Western Michigan, Wisconsin

One of the other two proposals (presented by Notre Dame and Michigan State) mirrored the above almost exactly except with St. Louis in the West and Minnesota in the East.

Don Canham Plan B was to add Air Force and Colorado (yes, the Buffaloes--they had just built an ice rink and just happened to have a Wolverine coaching and running the rink) and split the two leagues in to three regions.
Region A: Lake Superior, Michigan Tech, Minnesota, Minnesota-Duluth, Northern Michigan, Wisconsin
Region B: Bowling Green, Michigan, Michigan State, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Western Michigan
Region C: Air Force, Denver, Colorado, Colorado College, North Dakota, St. Louis

Don Canham Plan C was to just have Michigan and Notre Dame leave the WCHA for the CCHA leaving eight teams in both leagues.

None of these proposals got traction because everyone couldn't be made happy. The UP schools wanted to go with the Michigan schools. Minnesota wanted to stay with Wisconsin. North Dakota wanted to stay with Minnesota. And so on. You know, the usual suspects. Another damaging blow came when St. Louis announced it was dropping hockey immediately at the end of April.

St. Louis hockey was then saved for another season by boosters and the merger seemed to gain steam with the loss of a program at stake. In the end, the merger was rejected. The WCHA did not want to split and the UP CCHA schools saw no gains in a "split" merger. St. Louis survived only a half season more when in January 1979 it was announced they were dropping hockey at the end of the season.

Don Canham's third proposal came to fruition in May 1980 when UM and ND announced they were leaving for the CCHA. A week later Michigan State and Michigan Tech followed.

Three years later in the 1983 offseason, due to scheduling difficulties, the WCHA offered a proposed merger with the CCHA that would have split the two leagues into eight and nine teams respectively. The WCHA "West" would get Michigan Tech and Northern Michigan and the CCHA would become the WCHA "East." Obviously, the CCHA rejected the proposal.

A year later, Michigan Tech and Northern Michigan left for the WCHA.

Sometimes these merger proposals work themselves out.
 
Last edited:
Re: WCHA Realignment?

John Biasi said:
This isn't that far-flung of an idea. A little history lesson for tonight...

In the 1978 offseason, the CCHA and WCHA were discussing a merger that had five options. Three were presented by famed Michigan athletic director Don Canham. One of the Don Canham's plans was to split the CCHA and WCHA into three regional divisions. The merger would have taken place for the 1979-80 season.

Don Canham Plan A was to split the two leagues in to two eight-team east and west divisions.
WEST: Colorado College, Denver, Lake Superior, Michigan Tech, Minnesota, Minnesota-Duluth, North Dakota, Northern Michigan
EAST: Bowling Green, Michigan, Michigan State, Notre Dame, Ohio State, St. Louis, Western Michigan, Wisconsin

One of the other two proposals (presented by Notre Dame and Michigan State) mirrored the above almost exactly except with St. Louis in the West and Minnesota in the East.

Don Canham Plan B was to add Air Force and Colorado (yes, the Buffaloes--they had just built an ice rink and just happened to have a Wolverine coaching and running the rink) and split the two leagues in to three regions.
Region A: Lake Superior, Michigan Tech, Minnesota, Minnesota-Duluth, Northern Michigan, Wisconsin
Region B: Bowling Green, Michigan, Michigan State, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Western Michigan
Region C: Air Force, Denver, Colorado, Colorado College, North Dakota, St. Louis

Don Canham Plan C was to just have Michigan and Notre Dame leave the WCHA for the CCHA leaving eight teams in both leagues.

None of these proposals got traction because everyone couldn't be made happy. The UP schools wanted to go with the Michigan schools. Minnesota wanted to stay with Wisconsin. North Dakota wanted to stay with Minnesota. And so on. You know, the usual suspects. Another damaging blow came when St. Louis announced it was dropping hockey immediately at the end of April.

St. Louis hockey was then saved for another season by boosters and the merger seemed to gain steam with the loss of a program at stake. In the end, the merger was rejected. The WCHA did not want to split and the UP CCHA schools saw no gains in a "split" merger. St. Louis survived only a half season more when in January 1979 it was announced they were dropping hockey at the end of the season.

Don Canham's third proposal came to fruition in May 1980 when UM and ND announced they were leaving for the CCHA. A week later Michigan State and Michigan Tech followed.

Three years later in the 1983 offseason, due to scheduling difficulties, the WCHA offered a proposed merger with the CCHA that would have split the two leagues into eight and nine teams respectively. The WCHA "West" would get Michigan Tech and Northern Michigan and the CCHA would become the WCHA "East." Obviously, the CCHA rejected the proposal.

A year later, Michigan Tech and Northern Michigan left for the WCHA.

Sometimes these merger proposals work themselves out.
Click to expand...

There you go, mtuhuskies - the rest of the story regarding Tech's brief flirtation with the CCHA.
 
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