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WCHA Season Thread 2017-18: In Which We Try For Two Bids

Re: WCHA Season Thread 2017-18: In Which We Try For Two Bids

John J. MacInnes said:
They already tried that with the North Star Cup. It failed miserably.
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That is kind of the point. I understand how MSU fans feel, but the feelings aren't shared across the state/college hockey.

It would be nice if the WCHA could play more AH and ECAC team, but I understand the finances rarely make sense.
 
Re: WCHA Season Thread 2017-18: In Which We Try For Two Bids

davyd83 said:
A 24 game schedule forces WCHA teams to suck up to the NCHC & Big 10 and take more 2-for-1 NC series.
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This is an issue that could be easily addressed by the NCAA if they had some balls. There's no good reason (except $$$ and backdoor arrangements) that they couldn't step in and come up with a non-conference scheduling system for all schools, which could even out the number of home and away games so there would be more consistency across the board. I understand the pairwise is weighted to award more points to a team who wins a road game, but that's not the best solution and still hoses the smaller schools who continually have to play more road games than the large, power schools. There's a lot of smart people out there who could devise a non-conference schedule based on the previous season's pairwise rankings, conference ranking, etc., which could make for some interesting home/road non-conference match-ups while doing some good for more than just a few schools.
 
Re: WCHA Season Thread 2017-18: In Which We Try For Two Bids

davyd83 said:
A 24 game schedule forces WCHA teams to suck up to the NCHC & Big 10 and take more 2-for-1 NC series.
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I'll give the Gophers credit on this one, as well as the NCHC schools we've scheduled (UMD, SCSU, UNO, and now UND). They've never tried to put the squeeze on us. It's been home-and-home stuff. The Gophers seem to have been a pretty straight shooter on this with others as well, including eastern schools. Michigan seems more interested in scheduling the eastern powers, and Ohio State and Penn State seem most interested in avoiding any difficult non-con games. Not sure it's money so much as it is priorities that have driven those 3 teams to avoiding the WCHA.
 
bigblue_dl said:
Mankato in Nacho is like Missouri in SEC. How is that working for Missouri?
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They did win their division 2 of the first 3 years there going 12-2 and 11-3... three winning seasons and three losing seasons since joining the SEC, and the school has had major issues outside of athletics that have hurt Missouri across the board as well, which I would hope MSU doesn’t have any similar issues.
 
Re: WCHA Season Thread 2017-18: In Which We Try For Two Bids

Lost_Husky said:
I agree with you two. If the Nacho wanted to focus on a geographic location, they would add Kato. It is a great fit for upper mid-west teams. Unfortunately, it appears they aren't looking for that.

I will disagree on an untapped fan base part. They are a stubborn people who like what they like and don't want to try something new. They are some of the nicest people you will meet, but hockey isn't there thing. It is the same problem the NHL has.

As for the recruiting part. I agree with you that it is better to get top end players for deep runs. Tech suffers from the same thing. Why do you think we are 0-3 in our recent run? You guys being in the Nacho isn't going to change that. You might get a slightly higher caliber player and maybe pop one top 20 recruit here or there, but is ending up like a WMU, Miami, or CC worth it? Most of us would say no that is why we are trying to get you to realize the nWCHA isn't as bad as you think.

Just a thought, when Tech was in the oWCHA, we would burn two of our NC games to play NMU to keep that rivalry going. I don't know if MSU has contacted the WCHA about cutting the number of conference games to pick up series with SCSU and UMD. Maybe setting up a weekend tournament like Tech has with the GLI or Boston has with the Beanpot. I know you had a thing with the Gophers and everyone pulled out. Maybe it is time for MSU to lead that charge?
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That's not a bad idea. A Minnesota tourney without the UMTC could be interesting. Biggest issue with the North Star Cup was less than stellar crowds at the X.

Could just have BSU, MSU, SCSU and UMD and rotate the site between the schools every year. Allocate some tickets for the visiting schools but let the home school take the gate. Bet they could sellout every time to see some of the old rivalries all in once place. Alternate the first "round" to be WCHA school vs. NCHC school and have the winners/losers play each other on Saturday to avoid years where you'd be guaranteed to play a non-conference game against a conference opponent. For timing, either play it early in the year or the first series right out of holiday break before conference schedules kick in again.

We play each other most years anyways, why not make it a little more fun? And if UMTC wanted in, I guess they could rotate them as well. Just doubt they would be interested.
 
Re: WCHA Season Thread 2017-18: In Which We Try For Two Bids

Squarebanks said:
$40 million annual payout from SEC Network revenues. They’re doing just fine.

All SEC member institutions are treated on equal footing within the conference, and you don’t see Alabama trying to jettison Mississippi State. Pretty much the direct opposite of the NCHC.
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It's very, very dangerous to compare a one-sport conference to an all-sports conference. I live in the shadow of Bear/Saban, and my dad has two degrees from State, so what I'll note here is that BAMA is just happy to play three semi-tough to tough games in non-conference play, a cupcake for homecoming (as if that matters, we have Ole Miss and Vandy for that), and then their SEC schedule. As long as they go 7-1 in-conference, sweep their non-conference schedule, and win the SEC Championship Game, they'll be fine every single year ...

... and that accounts for the fact that BAMA is generally mediocre in most other SEC sports, where State's women's hoops team has made the Final Four each of the last two years (I'm still sad that NtD beat them), is a perennially-solid-to-great baseball team, etc. Men's hoops at UA is better thanks to Avery Johnson (I can't believe that I'm typing that with a straight face), but Collin Sexton's NBA run may be a one-off kind of thing. (It wasn't that long ago that UAH's D-II hoops team gave UAT a run for their money in a preseason game.)

College hockey needs relegation, obviously. ;)

GFM
 
aparch said:
Did you miss the part where the NCHC was formed because they didn't want to donate league championship money to MTU on the regular OR make flights/bus trips into Houghton anymore?
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Michigan Tech is not a doormat anymore, where have you been?

Plenty of NaCHo teams still travel to Alaska.
 
Re: WCHA Season Thread 2017-18: In Which We Try For Two Bids

AKSWF said:
Michigan Tech is not a doormat anymore, where have you been?

Plenty of NaCHo teams still travel to Alaska.
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I think that slap in the face by the NCHC schools is one of the major factors that led to Tech stepping up it's support of the program in a massive way.
 
Re: WCHA Season Thread 2017-18: In Which We Try For Two Bids

Possible scenarios under which current WCHA teams are admitted to the NCHC:
  • Michigan Tech - Campus is relocated to Detroit
  • LSSU / NMU / FSU - See Michigan Tech
  • UAF / UAA - Two programs form one unified team and all home games are played in Seattle
  • UAH - Offer free air travel via self-landing rockets to all visiting teams
  • Mankato - ASU actually can build a rink some time in the next decade
  • Bemidji - ASU can't build a rink and Mankato moves to the NCHC anyway
  • BGSU - They lose their rights to the CCHA trademarks and have to abandon plans to reform the CCHA

I'm not saying it's not possible for teams to leave, I'm just saying it has nothing to do with wins and losses. The Huskies could win three consecutive championships and the NCHC isn't going to call. The NCHC isn't interested in spending their money on travel to "the middle of nowhere" as they see it. Teams like Western and SCSU are only in because the other teams that were really wanted said "no" and they didn't want to start with only six teams.

Ryan
 
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Re: WCHA Season Thread 2017-18: In Which We Try For Two Bids

JohnsonsJerseys said:
Possible scenarios under which current WCHA teams are admitted to the NCHC:
  • Michigan Tech - Campus is relocated to Detroit
  • LSSU / NMU / FSU - See Michigan Tech
  • UAF / UAA - Two programs form one unified team and all home games are played in Seattle
  • UAH - Offer free air travel via self-landing rockets to all visiting teams
  • Mankato - ASU actually can build a rink some time in the next decade
  • Bemidji - ASU can't build a rink and Mankato moves to the NCHC anyway
  • BGSU - They lose their rights to the CCHA trademarks and have to abandon plans to reform the CCHA

I'm not saying it's not possible for teams to leave, I'm just saying it has nothing to do with wins and losses. The Huskies could win three consecutive championships and the NCHC isn't going to call. The NCHC isn't interested in spending their money on travel to "the middle of nowhere" as they see it. Teams like Western and SCSU are only in because the other teams that were really wanted said "no" and they didn't want to start with only six teams.

Ryan
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Detroit isn't a cure all, ask Wayne State. They could be a powerhouse school with a strong recruiting base, hockey loving population, and the Pizza Box a tram ride away.

Any thoughts on Oakland U looking at adding D1 hockey? After their independent time, what conference would they join?
 
Re: WCHA Season Thread 2017-18: In Which We Try For Two Bids

JohnsonsJerseys said:
Possible scenarios under which current WCHA teams are admitted to the NCHC:
  • UAH - Offer free air travel via self-landing rockets to all visiting teams

I'm not saying it's not possible for teams to leave, I'm just saying it has nothing to do with wins and losses. The Huskies could win three consecutive championships and the NCHC isn't going to call. The NCHC isn't interested in spending their money on travel to "the middle of nowhere" as they see it. Teams like Western and SCSU are only in because the other teams that were really wanted said "no" and they didn't want to start with only six teams.

Ryan
Click to expand...

When I'm cheeky enough to play the lottery (and I have to make a 30-minutes drive to Tennessee to do that), I always ask myself whether a priority of my windfall would be building UAH a rink or endowing a travel budget that charters direct flights (within reason; hi, Alaska) between Huntsville and the opposing team, regardless of who's hosting the game. I usually end up with the travel —*it truly is the bigger deal.

Mind you, I'd force incoming teams to listen to "Sweet Home Alabama" on repeat during the last 30 minutes prior to touchdown at HSV, but that's a small price to pay.

GFM
 
Re: WCHA Season Thread 2017-18: In Which We Try For Two Bids

JohnsonsJerseys said:
Possible scenarios under which current WCHA teams are admitted to the NCHC:
  • Michigan Tech - Campus is relocated to Detroit
  • LSSU / NMU / FSU - See Michigan Tech
  • UAF / UAA - Two programs form one unified team and all home games are played in Seattle
  • UAH - Offer free air travel via self-landing rockets to all visiting teams
  • Mankato - ASU actually can build a rink some time in the next decade
  • Bemidji - ASU can't build a rink and Mankato moves to the NCHC anyway
  • BGSU - They lose their rights to the CCHA trademarks and have to abandon plans to reform the CCHA

I'm not saying it's not possible for teams to leave, I'm just saying it has nothing to do with wins and losses. The Huskies could win three consecutive championships and the NCHC isn't going to call. The NCHC isn't interested in spending their money on travel to "the middle of nowhere" as they see it. Teams like Western and SCSU are only in because the other teams that were really wanted said "no" and they didn't want to start with only six teams.

Ryan
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<img src="http://i0.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/000/882/162/415.gif"></img>
 
Re: WCHA Season Thread 2017-18: In Which We Try For Two Bids

Things are not looking good for UAA. If their first 2 choices for coach turn them down after getting offered, then I have to believe that the institutional support that those guys think they need to succeed is still not going to be there. If they thought they'd be supported properly they would have taken the job. It sucks, because it would be nice for the whole conference to not have the worst god**** team in the country to kill PWR.
 
Re: WCHA Season Thread 2017-18: In Which We Try For Two Bids

bigblue_dl said:
Things are not looking good for UAA. If their first 2 choices for coach turn them down after getting offered, then I have to believe that the institutional support that those guys think they need to succeed is still not going to be there. If they thought they'd be supported properly they would have taken the job. It sucks, because it would be nice for the whole conference to not have the worst god**** team in the country to kill PWR.
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So, a question for long-time fans, as I only started following hockey in 2011-2012 season:

Has there ever been a precedent where a team did not have a head coach going into a season, and just an interm assistant coach doing the job? I know the season's a long ways away, but have 2/3 of your candidates reject your offer, I've got to imagine the third could very well shoot it down too. Then what? Hope you find some other candidates?

Or could this really be the beginning of the end for UAA? I think I remember reading something last offseason about either the Board of Governers or something from the school proper that they 100% support hockey in Anchorage, but I'm not even a UAA fan and I'm clenching.
 
Re: WCHA Season Thread 2017-18: In Which We Try For Two Bids

Deman said:
So, a question for long-time fans, as I only started following hockey in 2011-2012 season:

Has there ever been a precedent where a team did not have a head coach going into a season, and just an interm assistant coach doing the job? I know the season's a long ways away, but have 2/3 of your candidates reject your offer, I've got to imagine the third could very well shoot it down too. Then what? Hope you find some other candidates?

Or could this really be the beginning of the end for UAA? I think I remember reading something last offseason about either the Board of Governers or something from the school proper that they 100% support hockey in Anchorage, but I'm not even a UAA fan and I'm clenching.
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They'll find a coach, it is just looking like it won't be one of the guys they preferred. There is no way they go into next season without a coach, and at this point there doesn't seem to be any indication that they'll fold.
 
bigblue_dl said:
They'll find a coach, it is just looking like it won't be one of the guys they preferred. There is no way they go into next season without a coach, and at this point there doesn't seem to be any indication that they'll fold.
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At worst they’ll call off the search and appoint an interim.

But yeah, they’ll find someone. It just won’t be someone they wanted originally.
 
Re: WCHA Season Thread 2017-18: In Which We Try For Two Bids

Deman said:
So, a question for long-time fans, as I only started following hockey in 2011-2012 season:

Has there ever been a precedent where a team did not have a head coach going into a season, and just an interm assistant coach doing the job? I know the season's a long ways away, but have 2/3 of your candidates reject your offer, I've got to imagine the third could very well shoot it down too. Then what? Hope you find some other candidates?

Or could this really be the beginning of the end for UAA? I think I remember reading something last offseason about either the Board of Governers or something from the school proper that they 100% support hockey in Anchorage, but I'm not even a UAA fan and I'm clenching.
Click to expand...

They had to re-open their coaching search last time the job was open and come up with six new candidates after people in Anchorage didn't like any of the four finalists. I could see them re-opening the position again.

I wouldn't call this the beginning of the end. We're at least at the midway point.
 
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