WCHA Bound???

[pdt1081]

If BGSU is serious about keeping hockey and being a factor than it must take the WCHA bid. The schools in the WCHA are serious about hockey and have made commitments toward being successful. Take a tour of all the schools in the WCHA and look at the facilities! Look at the average attendance as well. This will be a good conference with teams we will become familiar with. The fact that they have three Michigan schools gives us some close rivals. Had our program been on it's A game for sometime better options would have been available. Adding schools from the Buffalo area isn't going to make us any better off. This is the best! Time to move.

4 Michigan schools, 3 of which are in the UP. 2 schools in Minnesota, and 2 in Alaska. Mankato is 10-12 hours away, Bemidji is probably close to 16 hours. UP schools are what, 8-12 hours? And those times don't account for snow or the bridge closing due to wind. Been rumored LSSU is in financial trouble. Mankato may be soon as well. WCHA doesn't offer much other than consistently high travel costs.

[toddpav]

If BGSU is serious about keeping hockey and being a factor than it must take the WCHA bid. The schools in the WCHA are serious about hockey and have made commitments toward being successful. Take a tour of all the schools in the WCHA and look at the facilities! Look at the average attendance as well. This will be a good conference with teams we will become familiar with. The fact that they have three Michigan schools gives us some close rivals. Had our program been on it's A game for sometime better options would have been available. Adding schools from the Buffalo area isn't going to make us any better off. This is the best! Time to move.

4 Michigan schools, 3 of which are in the UP. 2 schools in Minnesota, and 2 in Alaska. Mankato is 10-12 hours away, Bemidji is probably close to 16 hours. UP schools are what, 8-12 hours? And those times don't account for snow or the bridge closing due to wind. Been rumored LSSU is in financial trouble. Mankato may be soon as well. WCHA doesn't offer much other than consistently high travel costs.

No, OSUFalcon is right. Look at the facilities, the attendance, and the actual hockey programs in the WCHA. A bunch of people here might not think these teams are prestigious and big names... but in hockey, they are well known, established hockey schools.

Most of the schools would make BGSU look bad in terms of facilities and attendance and they're commitment to hockey. The WCHA should not be counted out... it's an established league with some history.

With that said, the other side of the coin is that the CCHA was also an established league with history and look how quickly that got taken apart.

[Falcon1970]

If BGSU is serious about keeping hockey and being a factor than it must take the WCHA bid. The schools in the WCHA are serious about hockey and have made commitments toward being successful. Take a tour of all the schools in the WCHA and look at the facilities! Look at the average attendance as well. This will be a good conference with teams we will become familiar with. The fact that they have three Michigan schools gives us some close rivals. Had our program been on it's A game for sometime better options would have been available. Adding schools from the Buffalo area isn't going to make us any better off. This is the best! Time to move.

4 Michigan schools, 3 of which are in the UP. 2 schools in Minnesota, and 2 in Alaska. Mankato is 10-12 hours away, Bemidji is probably close to 16 hours. UP schools are what, 8-12 hours? And those times don't account for snow or the bridge closing due to wind. Been rumored LSSU is in financial trouble. Mankato may be soon as well. WCHA doesn't offer much other than consistently high travel costs.

No, OSUFalcon is right. Look at the facilities, the attendance, and the actual hockey programs in the WCHA. A bunch of people here might not think these teams are prestigious and big names... but in hockey, they are well known, established hockey schools.

Most of the schools would make BGSU look bad in terms of facilities and attendance and they're commitment to hockey. The WCHA should not be counted out... it's an established league with some history.

With that said, the other side of the coin is that the CCHA was also an established league with history and look how quickly that got taken apart.

First post here, I have been a reader for years. Some comments have made me shake my head in recent years.( Football Vs. Hockey) really? Why? They both represent the same school and never play each other, this has made no sense to me, and needs to stop.

This thread, and the comment about the seriousness of the remaining schools in the WCHA is accurate. The remaining WCHA programs are strong.

I do however believe that the CCHA should be and is still fighting for life. The should, is the auto bid. Giving up an auto-bid, in the face of the current NCAA rule proposal, which no doubt is directly tied to the B10 and NHC would ruin college hockey. I am surprised more people are not up in arms by this proposal, which clearly states, conference play is less important than out of conference play. Saying if I can not beat the top three teams in my conference, I should, because my conference is "perceived stronger". Receive an at large bid to the NCAA's, over XYZ school that finished second in their conference and had one less out of conference win than me. I will say further, and challange those who proposed this rule, that if conference play should mean less, why did they make the moves to change the face of college hockey, if it is going to be to hard for them? (which doesn't sound hockey tough at all) The NCAA should not have proposed this in any way. The NCAA should instead say in the face of what is happening that that each conference will receive TWO auto-bids, and the remaining places (based on the future landscape) filled via the exisitng large system. The current proposed change holds the single greatest potential of ruining the purity of college hockey, in that it would begin the establishment of a "BCS" type system allowing schools like Ohio State, who will be a B10 mid to bottom feeder program. I further say Ohio State by name, because that school has been mentioned often in this thread and some have commented that they are some sort of perennial power house, even citing a recent article which placed OSU in the top 20, ( on this board and other on line outlets) They are not, that article was one persons opinion, nothing more. When you have produced fewer than 25 NHL players, virtually no other prominate figures in hockey, and have been at the game for nearing 50 years. Where most of those NHL vets emerged from a brief up tick, from a Solid average school. You can not honestly say power house, as the body evidence is in total contradiction. Yes in football and basketball, but not in hockey. I have had the privilege to interview what some are calling and have called the top players Jr hockey in recent years. One of the questions for them was to list their top 20 NCAA programs. ( top 20 is approaching as we all know half. Generally these kids, for recruitment process are asked by their coaches to list their top 3 or 5.) One player, who is committed to OSU listed OSU. Yes the B10 schools were listed quite predominately, but not Ohio State. So if the boys who play the game, are not falling over each other to go play at OSU, and are picking ECAC schools and Atlantic schools over The Ohio State University, I challenge that to even imagine they are some sort of power house is pure nonsense. I will say, from a personal perspective, I like the coaching changes. Those changes are positives, the cash at the disposal of the school is a huge advantage, great school in and of itself. I will further say that the POTENTIAL for greatness has always been there, but for what ever the reason, the fans of OSU are not hockey fans, and do not fully support that program the way other institutions do. Hockey at Ohio State is an after thought. The realities are, where ice hockey is considered, that it will take Ohio State 4-6 years of winning in the B10 accompanied by strong NCAA appearances to earn the position among recruits of being a powerhouse. Honestly if I were a recruit at a game, in that big empty barn, knowing it is more likely than not going to be the end of my hockey career, I'm looking elsewhere.
As far Buffalo going to D1 hockey, I have not heard that before. I remember when OU had a varsity hockey team. They have a very strong Club program right now, and with out examining the finances at all, they are a team I would like to see return to D1. They are in a good recruiting region with access to east and mid west players, as well as western NY and PA ( head to head with PSU). As is Tennessee for that matter and averaging if memory serves over 3000 a game, for club hockey. Yet there has not been a single leak about talks with either program. Further
The largest benefit for Hockey East to admit a BGSU ( and I am not saying that I think that, that is even on the table) would be the proximity to Team USA, yet the recruiting budgets for most of HE are strong enough, and they have recruiting plans so established they are committing players early enough that USA doesnt matter. Boston College just verbally committed two 1997 birth year kids, which is testimony to watching talent develop and early identification. Its safe to say, that what ND will do that which is in the best interests of ND. Joining Atlantic we lose, and lose big as scholarships go out the window. We will see the full landscape soon enough, and with it will comes new and interesting challenges. The first being it should be the job of every fan, to contact the NCAA and say NO to allowing conference games to count for less in rankings.

[gmartin]

Is there a cliff notes version of the post made by 1970.

[rood]

Is there a cliff notes version of the post made by 1970.

I'd settle for one that got sent through a grammar-check program.

[takeoffeh]

Is there a cliff notes version of the post made by 1970.

I'd settle for one that got sent through a grammar-check program.

Really? It's a forum, not an essay contest. Welcome Falcon1970, you made some good points. Anxious for the season to get going myself!

[Lord_Byron]

Welcome aboard, '70. Good points on tOSU -- they're not relevant now and haven't been in forever.

I agree that the danger in all of this is the BCSization of college hockey. We shouldn't kid ourselves, if the B10 and Hockey East could have their way, they'll want every slot in the tournament. We need to look at every action that happens here with that in mind.

While the teams in the WCHA are probably slighttly more 'hockey' than those NY/PA teams we're talking to, I don't think an annual trip to Alaska and multiple trips to Minnesota are attractive. My preference leans toward the creation of the new league (or keeping the CCHA name) and waiting for the inevitable collapse of the new super-friends league and the return of the former CCHA teams.

[Flipper]

Is there a cliff notes version of the post made by 1970.

Be nice..that was a "rookie effort"...welcome to forum 1970. We tend to use paragraphs, commas and periods here, so unstick those keys and post some more...

[Falcon Fanatic]

Welcome to the Hockey Forum, Falcon1970!! I always enjoy the insight of new posters and especially long time fans! Please come back and keep posting!

GO FALCON HOCKEY!!!

[Freddie]

Welcome to the Hockey Forum, Falcon1970!! I always enjoy the insight of new posters and especially long time fans! Please come back and keep posting!

GO FALCON HOCKEY!!!

Ditto.
Don't sweat the grammar/spelling/sentence structure nazis.
Welcome aboard.

[Flipper]

I'm glad I'm not deciding this one..there are times I think that the best course would be to try and salvage the CCHA with UAH and a few AHA schools. There are other times when I think the WCHA is the better option. Enough dilly-dallying.... I think if Buffalo takes the leap to D1 and is open to keeping the CCHA alive, I say go for it.

I think a league made up solely of MAC schools is a pipedream....can't see another school adding the sport in these tough economic times

[BGDrew]

Unless UAH's president comes out and says the program is safe no one is going to offer them a conference spot.

[Flipper]

Good point...I forgot that they're in limbo.

[BGWriter]

Unfortunately, I don't think there will be a real choice here when all is said and done. BG will be pretty much forced to accept the WCHA bid because of too many uncertainties with going East.

I wish that weren't the case.

I honestly don't see any true rivalries developing with WCHA teams because of the distances, if nothing else. Even if they could find another couple teams in the BG time zone, and create two divisions, the long, difficult drives north won't promote alot of fan following like you could have in the CCHA.

In the end, I think the travel costs and waning interest in league opponents will force this issue to the surface again in the not so distant future.

I hope I'm wrong.

[Falcon1970]

Not to mention, that having a hockey conference MAC sized would be a bad idea. Especially if it retained only one auto-bid. I believe we just may see the new CCHA work. Do not forget either, that these schools that would compose the new CCHA would be greatly improved. Greatly improved, with the addition of 18 scholarships vs their 14 now. That is huge, and while easy to perceive the strength of this new CCHA, on past performances is easy. It is neither accurate or reasonable.