Wis. schools to split from the NCHA.

[Matt Rennell]

If you thought it was hard for a western school to get a Pool C bid, just wait until this happens. Thankfully, for the NCHA it will still leave them with 7 teams and an auto-bid. The same can't be said on the men's side however.

http://d3hockey.com/notables/2011/Releases/120214-wiac-to-sponsor-hockey

 

[gojackets]

Re: Wis. schools to split from the NCHA.

If you thought it was hard for a western school to get a Pool C bid, just wait until this happens. Thankfully, for the NCHA it will still leave them with 7 teams and an auto-bid. The same can't be said on the men's side however.

http://d3hockey.com/notables/2011/Releases/120214-wiac-to-sponsor-hockey

Wow...thats crazy....its not a good decision for the women's league....to lose UWRF, UWS, UWSP that will be devastating to the NCHA.

That'll leave the NCHA women with Adrian, SNC, Lake Forest, Marian, CUW, Finlandia, and St Scholastica. What are the 4 UW schools going to do now? Will this be enough to bring back a pool B bid? I doubt it.

 

[notfromaroundhere]

Re: Wis. schools to split from the NCHA.

Wow...thats crazy....its not a good decision for the women's league....to lose UWRF, UWS, UWSP that will be devastating to the NCHA.

That'll leave the NCHA women with Adrian, SNC, Lake Forest, Marian, CUW, Finlandia, and St Scholastica. What are the 4 UW schools going to do now? Will this be enough to bring back a pool B bid? I doubt it.

Or will the WIAC make offers available to SNC, CSS, (like they are with the men) CUW, and perhaps Marian and LF and leave Adrian and Finlandia out in the cold?

 

[pete99race]

Re: Wis. schools to split from the NCHA.

Hopefully, we get a full explanation from the WIAC schools when the official announcement is made (tomorrow??)..

 

[PrezdeJohnson09]

Wow...thats crazy....its not a good decision for the women's league....to lose UWRF, UWS, UWSP that will be devastating to the NCHA.

That'll leave the NCHA women with Adrian, SNC, Lake Forest, Marian, CUW, Finlandia, and St Scholastica. What are the 4 UW schools going to do now? Will this be enough to bring back a pool B bid? I doubt it.

You need 7 teams in non AQ conferences for a Pool B so looks like no. Wisconsin state schools left in cold on this one unless they have a major influx of new teams.

 

[spike]

Re: Wis. schools to split from the NCHA.

Hypothetically, wouldn't this actually increase the chances of the West getting a Pool C bid? If the remaining NCHA champion continues to get an AQ, history tells us that one of the UW schools will be ranked significantly higher than anyone in the remaining NCHA.

In the meantime, it would be a shame now that NCAA has expanded to 8 teams if an AQ spot had to go to what projects as a fairly weak conference.

 

[PrezdeJohnson09]

Re: Wis. schools to split from the NCHA.

Hypothetically, wouldn't this actually increase the chances of the West getting a Pool C bid? If the remaining NCHA champion continues to get an AQ, history tells us that one of the UW schools will be ranked significantly higher than anyone in the remaining NCHA.

In the meantime, it would be a shame now that NCAA has expanded to 8 teams if an AQ spot had to go to what projects as a fairly weak conference.

Yes but there is no Pool B currently because the four WIAC schools aren't enough to qualify. They would be forced to compete for a Pool C and unless someone ran the table or darn near close to it, they'd have a hard time IMHO beaten out most of the Eastern teams in it. What this could lead to is possibly more intra-region games though because the WIAC schools are going to be looking for games and they might have to try and take on the Eastern powers if they want a chance to get into the tourney.

 

[spike]

Re: Wis. schools to split from the NCHA.

Yes but there is no Pool B currently because the four WIAC schools aren't enough to qualify. They would be forced to compete for a Pool C and unless someone ran the table or darn near close to it, they'd have a hard time IMHO beaten out most of the Eastern teams in it. What this could lead to is possibly more intra-region games though because the WIAC schools are going to be looking for games and they might have to try and take on the Eastern powers if they want a chance to get into the tourney.

DD, I did say Pool C, not Pool B. Think about the result if they don't get one of the Pool C bids (based on recent history); virtually every year, there will be a AQ from NCHA that isn't even ranked, and in the absence of a Pool C for the WIAC winner, the 1st or 2nd ranked Western team will not attend. How crazy would it be for LF to get an AQ while UWRF stays home? I agree with your second point, it would be very dificult for a WIAC team to take a Pool C away from one of the Eastern 6, and that assumes no upsets out East in conference tournaments. The WIAC teams will have to schedule Eastern games just to get back on the radar screen.

At the end of the day, isn't this really a case where a decision by the WIAC AD's was made without thinking of the impact on their womens' teams?

 

[gojackets]

Re: Wis. schools to split from the NCHA.

Yes but there is no Pool B currently because the four WIAC schools aren't enough to qualify. They would be forced to compete for a Pool C and unless someone ran the table or darn near close to it, they'd have a hard time IMHO beaten out most of the Eastern teams in it. What this could lead to is possibly more intra-region games though because the WIAC schools are going to be looking for games and they might have to try and take on the Eastern powers if they want a chance to get into the tourney.

If the schools can't afford to maintain NCHA affiliation..I doubt they can afford to fly out east for games.

 

[gojackets]

Re: Wis. schools to split from the NCHA.

At the end of the day, isn't this really a case where a decision by the WIAC AD's was made without thinking of the impact on their womens' teams?

It doesn't really help the men's teams either...we'll have to see if they go the route that notfromaroundhere mentioned and let the other teams join the WIAC. I don't know if the women's teams would go for it since it opens the door for them to get into the NCAA's.

 

[notfromaroundhere]

Re: Wis. schools to split from the NCHA.

. What this could lead to is possibly more intra-region games though because the WIAC schools are going to be looking for games and they might have to try and take on the Eastern powers if they want a chance to get into the tourney.

Actually, I suspect that it will more likely be Adrian and Finlandia that will be looking for more intra-regional games as the WIAC schools (lacking budget) will try to trim travel costs and schedule MIAC games to replace those weekends. And I'd bet the MIAC probably would be happy not to have to go to Michigan.

And if this leads to Finlandia closing shop dropping the NCHA below autoqualifier, the possibility of a group of schools jumping to join the WIAC is not out of the realm of possibilities.

I think this WIAC splitoff is probably their vote of NO to Adrian added to their Finlandia travels. Since they can't kick them out, they can see if they can force the travel financial issue otherwise. No professional insight here, but it wouldn't surprise me.