How would a "Super League" Affect BGSU

[factman]

We won't be competitive in baseball for long as this AD has cut baseball scholarships and now Buffalo and BG are the only two MAC schools that are not at the full compliment of scholarships (11.7) in baseball. The cut is equivilant to about SIX player scholarships in baseball if you consider most are about a half scholarship! He is taking about our only competitive men's sport and throwing it in the garbage can!!!
That is exactly what we need to do with the AD!!

[threestooges]

Wait, so Factman and Drago don't like the AD? Well, this changes everything!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Seriously, guys, we get it. You don't need to mention your dislike of GC EVERY TIME you post.

[factman]

I've had at least three posts since I mentioned it, but I'm glad you are paying attention!

[Falconfreak90]

Whatever happens, I will support BG hockey any way I can. Yeah, the last 10 years haven't been fun but there is way too much history and tradition to throw it all away. I understand the economic times we're going through so difficult decisions have to be made. But shutting down the hockey program would be a damn shame. My fave BG team is football, by a country mile. I've been around football since I was 4-5 so that's what I grew up with (baseball too). Didn't know much about hockey until my older sister started at BG in '83 and my parents would take us up to visit, go to the football game and then hockey game. I thought hockey was great even though I didn't have a clue what some of the penalities and calls were about. All I knew if one team put the puck in the net, they scored.

Hockey is a great game...and very few things compare with a full Ice Arena rockin, crazy and loud. That's the first impression I got back in the early 80's. That place used to build to a frenzy point and explode when BG would score a dramatic or game changing goal. Freakin sweet...

I'll hope for the best cuz no matter what sport, I want BG teams and athletes to win and win B i G. ROLL ALONG...

[MacGuy]

What are the best and worst possible outcomes for BG hockey?

[Flipper]

Best imagineable is HEA. Worst is the University says we've been losers for 15 straight years, the $$$ from the save BG hockey drive haven't materialized as hoped and our conference vaporized so lets pull the damn plug....don't know how likely either scenario is, but if we're dealing in hypothetical situations I think that covers the range.

[BG Falcons Fan]

After a long hiatus, i've decided to post a comment. My emotions sometimes take over my ability to speak with a unbiased or clear mind. However.....

As disappointing as the last two months have been in terms of the formation of so called prestigious leagues, i believe that BG has a future in the great sport of Hockey. I do beleive that the NCHC will be a Super League of competetion that will set the bar at National competetion. I also believe the Big 10 will NOT, given that only Michigan and Wisconsin are legitimate contenders with deep tradition, Minnesota, OSU, Michigan State are pretenders without the fans and backing and well Penn has only bought their way in at this point. It will be sometime until the latter 4 compete at a National level and one wonders how long before Michigan and Wisconsin ask to join the NCHC. If not for the words Big 10 neither of those two schools would have joined this conference from a Hockey standpoint.

Back to the earlier comments of future, I dont mean to offend any of the other sports as all the BG sports are great programs with quality athletes, but Hockey has always been about tradition. While its been many years for the Icers to be competetive the traditionalists have started to come back and support a belief that Hockey is again important to BGSU. While i do not believe that the "Return to Glory " program is effective, i do believe that the Hockey Alumni , fans and sport are happy that BG is starting to take a step forward.

It took years to gain a tradition and fill the arena to capacity by icing solid teams and it will take time to get back to that tradition, but already things are changing. First we hired a coach from a very respected , winning program, a person who was that programs main recruiter of talent, Miami's track record speaks for itself. He has taken a team that had basically only the freshmen and a couple of others and turned them into a competetive team, through a tough approach of expecting excellence. For those who could not accept that approach, they left, leaving them with those same devoted freshmen and a few others to carry the future on their backs. Our Coach has instilled a complete cultural change to the players and only the wanted, survived, at the end of the season. These remaining players , make no mistake, are committed to being great players, students and reignite the fear of the name BGSU Falcons in the hockey world. There were more fans at the games last season than in the past many years and for the most part anyone i spoke with could see that this team has already made great strides. The players that are here have explained, many times, how excited they are to play in front of the bigger crowds, which by the way, a sold out arena is a big attraction to bigger leagues.

Going forward we have 10 more players coming in this year, that have been hand picked by the coaches as leaders, winners and by the way, incredibly bigger. Adding this to a base foundation of players who know what is expected will impact the results on and off the ice this year. This will result in more wins, bigger crowds and more future recruits, allowing the program to sustain itself for years to come.

What does all that mean for the future, well building a group/team that starts to win will have conferences in collegiate hockey wanting the BG program. Traditionalists in the sport want BG to rise and that is why the NCHC, WCHA, Hockey East conferences keep a window open for BG, they are waiting for the team and its fans to spur the proud name and winning tradition. We do have two years to prove this, although i believe BG will be asked before 2013, and i dont believe anyone is more committed to prove that then Mr. Bergeron and his 17 returning players.

I for one believe all of the sports are relative and all of them need to continue and i truly believe the Icers will be back as a strong team by latest December. A few upsets, a few victories against Big 10 teams will go along way in conference realignment and the traditionalist will once a gain push on behalf of BGSU.

IMO!!!

[bgdodgeball4]

If we show improvement this year and next, we'll get an invite somewhere. Kinda sucks to say it but these next two years, the team will be playing for the future of the program.

[MacGuy]

It will be sometime until the latter 4 compete at a National level and one wonders how long before Michigan and Wisconsin ask to join the NCHC. If not for the words Big 10 neither of those two schools would have joined this conference from a Hockey standpoint.

It is 100% impossible that the Big Ten would allow any of its members, in any sport. to leave the league.

[Falcon Fanatic]

Outstanding post BG Falcons Fan! Great comments about where the program is going.

Also saw this posted regarding the CCHA and four Atlantic schools:
http://www.collegehockeynews.com/news/2 ... ols_to.php

[factman]

i am curious as to how many of us "borderline" hockey fans would go see BG play any of these schools on a regular basis. I have always thought that one of the BIG draws of BG hockey is that we were playing at the highest level and I wonder how the economics of the hockey program work if we draw even fewer than we have in the past. I just don't think a "second tier" league will work, even if we can win a high percentage of games.

[dforde]

There are only 59 or 60 D1 hockey programs. The teams in the Big 10 can't fill out their schedule just playing each other. Even with conference realignment I say we still end up playing Ohio State, Michigan, etc. on a regular basis.

[Drago]

I have no doubt we will still be able to schedule all the Big 10 schools, but I don't see the playing us at home. BG, Western, and Miami are the only mid major schools that try and support a 1A Football team and a hockey team. If the CCHA added those Atlantic Hockey schools, we will literally draw 800-1200 fans per game. Common sense says that is a bad investment. It is going to be tough to rationalize spending money on a hockey team in a bad league, unless they win and win a lot.

On another note....Bergeron was never the main recruiter and responsible for bringing in all the talent to Miami. It is a known fact that Blashill brought the talent into Miami as an assistant coach and continued to assist Miami when he coached in the USHL. The number one thing that helped Miami was building a brand new rink. Bergeron may be bringing in players, but we have to see if there is much talent before we get overly excited about 2nd and third tier USHL players.

[Flipper]

There isn't a two year window...moves are being made now. The AD has to act now....

[orangeandbrown]

I do with agree one thing....no Big 10 team will ever get out of Big Ten Hockey....

Certainly, things will be tough with lesser known opponents. Winning would help. And, BG started in the CCHA, which at the time WAS a second-tier conference.