Offseason 2022

[pdt1081]

I imagine this means we will be seeing less of the likes of Windsor or Western Ontario in Bowling Green, right?

There is currently 1 exhibition scheduled for next season, and that's against the U18 team. Teams are allowed 2 exhibitions. The NCAA granted a "one time exemption" to allow NCAA teams to schedule each other in an exhibition game. BG used that to schedule scUM. I'm thinking it will be a minute before we see another Canadian university. I'm good with that, as those games have recently devolved into risky traps. Only issue with the new rule I see is they didn't limit it to teams of different divisions.

[jpfalcon09]

Eigner interview about the upcoming season and the schedule.

https://thetripledeke.com/?p=1883

[pdt1081]

Game at Western scheduled for October 15th has been moved to Thursday, October 13th. Also, ADDED an exhibition game Saturday, October 22nd vs ADRIAN in BG.

[TalonsUpPuckDown]

With the NCAA rule change I would hope to a) see Adrian on the schedule every year and b) never see one of those USports teams again.

Schedule change with Western just screwed up my plans to catch both games. Grrrrr....

[jpfalcon09]

I'm cool with playing Western in their barn on a Thursday night. I'm guessing there isn't any scheduling of exhibition games prior to October 1st if we're slotting Adrian in the weekend before a visit to Mankato. Just hoping the team avoids any stupid injuries in that one...

[jpfalcon09]

BGSU is hosting some USA Hockey camps this summer for both men's and women's hockey. Good opportunity for the program to get some exposure to some talented youngsters.

[rood]

Is Adrian still a goon squad? I haven't seen them play since they went out of their way to break the leg of one of the star players at the school where I teach. They used to be D3's answer to the Broad Street Bullies. Don't know if that still holds true.

[jpfalcon09]

Is Adrian still a goon squad? I haven't seen them play since they went out of their way to break the leg of one of the star players at the school where I teach. They used to be D3's answer to the Broad Street Bullies. Don't know if that still holds true.

They won the D3 national championship this year and finished with a 31-1 record, so I'd say no.

[jpfalcon09]

Dalton Norris earned 2nd team USHL honors. Excited to see what he can do in the fall.

[jpfalcon09]

There's a new center ice logo at The Slate, matches the new mid-court logo at The Stroh. Nice to see some brand consistency.

[nodak651]

FYI, St. Thomas is reportedly targeting 4-4.5K seats in it's new arena. https://www.highlanddistrictcouncil.org ... 172022.pdf

Curious - with the addition of Augi to the CCHA and St. Thomas building a legit rink soon, would you guys be onboard if the NCHC wanted to add you and St. Thomas? Or will Bowling Green always be looking East, with the desire to stay with the current Michigan CCHA programs long term? It seems to me that Bowling Green apparently didn't want to be in the NCHC, but you guys aren't really into the current version of the CCHA either, so what is the goal? What's your desired conference look like, assuming Notre Dame and the Big Ten schools will not join you? Asking because it's a long off season, and I don't really see any way to improve your current conference affiliation if you are not interested in the current CCHA or NCHC. Being realistic, my dream conference for you I guess would start with BG, Miami, WMU, Air Force, Army, probably ASU, and then some other schools, starting with Navy (if they add a team), maybe RIT and Sacred Heart (if they don't get Hockey East invite), and then the most desirable remaining CCHA schools, as needed. A conference with the MAC schools, ASU, and the Service Academies would have a hell of a lot of appeal, and I would love to follow that league from afar, but it only makes the travel issues worse, and that is supposedly a huge issue right now.

Secondly, is there any news on the arena front? I think I read that BG was looking to raise money again for arena renovations. Is the goal to finish off the one end with suites still, kind of like at Michigan Tech? Any idea what the goal is? For the record, I think BG in the NCHC would be fun, however I am a proponent of bringing the NCHC under the wing of the Summit conf, and adding St. Thomas and Mankato, more so for Summit League strategic purposes than hockey (tying St. Thomas hockey to the Summit could keep them from bolting asap to the MVC for example, and Mankato would be a perfect geographic fit for the Summit if they go D1 eventually in all sports). However, adding Mankato and St. Thomas could finally cause Miami to bolt - not sure what WMU would do though. Maybe that would cause both to leave, and instead of WMU and Miami joining a new conference, they start a new one again, with BG, so you don't have to travel to Augi or Bemidji, and maybe those two schools add the remaining independents to the CCHA, leaving the conference with something like Augi, Bemidji, Lindenwood, UAH, UAA, UAF, Stonehill, Utica, or some similar variation.

[Schadenfreude]

Curious - with the addition of Augi to the CCHA and St. Thomas building a legit rink soon, would you guys be onboard if the NCHC wanted to add you and St. Thomas? Or will Bowling Green always be looking East, with the desire to stay with the current Michigan CCHA programs long term? It seems to me that Bowling Green apparently didn't want to be in the NCHC, but you guys aren't really into the current version of the CCHA either, so what is the goal? What's your desired conference look like, assuming Notre Dame and the Big Ten schools will not join you? Asking because it's a long off season, and I don't really see any way to improve your current conference affiliation if you are not interested in the current CCHA or NCHC. Being realistic, my dream conference for you I guess would start with BG, Miami, WMU, Air Force, Army, probably ASU, and then some other schools, starting with Navy (if they add a team), maybe RIT and Sacred Heart (if they don't get Hockey East invite), and then the most desirable remaining CCHA schools, as needed. A conference with the MAC schools, ASU, and the Service Academies would have a hell of a lot of appeal, and I would love to follow that league from afar, but it only makes the travel issues worse, and that is supposedly a huge issue right now.

My takes (and there are others much closer to the program who can correct me): Membership in a CCHA has quite a bit of sentimental value for Bowling Green. We founded the league in the early 1970s and we were the last team to leave once the Big Ten ruined college hockey. I think Bowling Green is predisposed to trying to schedule teams in our region, particularly after having played in a conference that stretched from Alaska to Alabama.

I think our dream conference involves adding Miami and Western Michigan. As far as joining the NCHC: I think we look at Miami struggling in that conference right now and think: There, but for the grace of God, could be us. My guess is that Miami wants to be in the CCHA more than Bowling Green wants to be in the NCHC. (Indeed, it is said by others here we said no to the NCHC once when they were kicking around the idea of expanding to 10.)

The NCHC is a hell of a hockey conference. It's the nation's best, no question. But I'm not sure the schools in that conference, aside from Miami (and perhaps Western Michigan), would juice home attendance numbers here because they aren't they kind of national brands we used to have in the golden era of CCHA hockey. Plus it means more money spent on travel.

As far as your specific takes on conference shuffling:

1. The CCHA was just rebooted so I'm not sure why Bowling Green would be so eager to leave or radically remake it for something new.

2. It's interesting to imagine the service academies in our league, but I imagine the situation right now is that Army would prefer to be in a bus league (which it has in Atlantic Hockey) and that Air Force would rather be in a league with Army because huge travel costs are just going to be a given for them, unfortunately.

3. Bowling Green's preference would be to add local teams, but the options appear limited. I'm not sure we'd oppose a school like RIT (it doesn't hurt that their coach is a BG man) but it isn't terribly local, and it isn't clear to me why they would leave Atlantic Hockey for what is in essence a Michigan-Minnesota league right now.

[nodak651]

Curious - with the addition of Augi to the CCHA and St. Thomas building a legit rink soon, would you guys be onboard if the NCHC wanted to add you and St. Thomas? Or will Bowling Green always be looking East, with the desire to stay with the current Michigan CCHA programs long term? It seems to me that Bowling Green apparently didn't want to be in the NCHC, but you guys aren't really into the current version of the CCHA either, so what is the goal? What's your desired conference look like, assuming Notre Dame and the Big Ten schools will not join you? Asking because it's a long off season, and I don't really see any way to improve your current conference affiliation if you are not interested in the current CCHA or NCHC. Being realistic, my dream conference for you I guess would start with BG, Miami, WMU, Air Force, Army, probably ASU, and then some other schools, starting with Navy (if they add a team), maybe RIT and Sacred Heart (if they don't get Hockey East invite), and then the most desirable remaining CCHA schools, as needed. A conference with the MAC schools, ASU, and the Service Academies would have a hell of a lot of appeal, and I would love to follow that league from afar, but it only makes the travel issues worse, and that is supposedly a huge issue right now.

My takes (and there are others much closer to the program who can correct me): Membership in a CCHA has quite a bit of sentimental value for Bowling Green. We founded the league in the early 1970s and we were the last team to leave once the Big Ten ruined college hockey. I think Bowling Green is predisposed to trying to schedule teams in our region, particularly after having played in a conference that stretched from Alaska to Alabama.

I think our dream conference involves adding Miami and Western Michigan. As far as joining the NCHC: I think we look at Miami struggling in that conference right now and think: There, but for the grace of God, could be us. My guess is that Miami wants to be in the CCHA more than Bowling Green wants to be in the NCHC. (Indeed, it is said by others here we said no to the NCHC once when they were kicking around the idea of expanding to 10.)

The NCHC is a hell of a hockey conference. It's the nation's best, no question. But I'm not sure the schools in that conference, aside from Miami (and perhaps Western Michigan), would juice home attendance numbers here because they aren't they kind of national brands we used to have in the golden era of CCHA hockey. Plus it means more money spent on travel.

As far as your specific takes on conference shuffling:

1. The CCHA was just rebooted so I'm not sure why Bowling Green would be so eager to leave or radically remake it for something new.

2. It's interesting to imagine the service academies in our league, but I imagine the situation right now is that Army would prefer to be in a bus league (which it has in Atlantic Hockey) and that Air Force would rather be in a league with Army because huge travel costs are just going to be a given for them, unfortunately.

3. Bowling Green's preference would be to add local teams, but the options are appear limited. I'm not sure we'd oppose a school like RIT (it doesn't hurt that their coach is a BG man) but it isn't terribly local, and it isn't clear to me why they would leave Atlantic Hockey for what is in essence a Michigan-Minnesota league right now.

If that's the case, and because hockey expansion is always fun to think about, are there any colleges that are in your region that have legitimate potential to add a hockey program? Whether they were to join your conference or not? The only ones off the top of my head that are no brainers and could be successful are Buffalo and Pitt, but they don't seem to have any interest and Buffalo isn't even really close. Is there ANY potential for college hockey expansion near you, particularly to the south? Any schools of a decent size or wealth near you that have a decent club following? Ohio maybe? With so much change in college football and funding issues of late, I think schools without college football would be the most likely to add hockey, but I'm not really aware of any that fit the mold out there.

[jpfalcon09]

FYI, St. Thomas is reportedly targeting 4-4.5K seats in it's new arena. https://www.highlanddistrictcouncil.org ... 172022.pdf

Curious - with the addition of Augi to the CCHA and St. Thomas building a legit rink soon, would you guys be onboard if the NCHC wanted to add you and St. Thomas? Or will Bowling Green always be looking East, with the desire to stay with the current Michigan CCHA programs long term? It seems to me that Bowling Green apparently didn't want to be in the NCHC, but you guys aren't really into the current version of the CCHA either, so what is the goal? What's your desired conference look like, assuming Notre Dame and the Big Ten schools will not join you? Asking because it's a long off season, and I don't really see any way to improve your current conference affiliation if you are not interested in the current CCHA or NCHC. Being realistic, my dream conference for you I guess would start with BG, Miami, WMU, Air Force, Army, probably ASU, and then some other schools, starting with Navy (if they add a team), maybe RIT and Sacred Heart (if they don't get Hockey East invite), and then the most desirable remaining CCHA schools, as needed. A conference with the MAC schools, ASU, and the Service Academies would have a hell of a lot of appeal, and I would love to follow that league from afar, but it only makes the travel issues worse, and that is supposedly a huge issue right now.

Secondly, is there any news on the arena front? I think I read that BG was looking to raise money again for arena renovations. Is the goal to finish off the one end with suites still, kind of like at Michigan Tech? Any idea what the goal is? For the record, I think BG in the NCHC would be fun, however I am a proponent of bringing the NCHC under the wing of the Summit conf, and adding St. Thomas and Mankato, more so for Summit League strategic purposes than hockey (tying St. Thomas hockey to the Summit could keep them from bolting asap to the MVC for example, and Mankato would be a perfect geographic fit for the Summit if they go D1 eventually in all sports). However, adding Mankato and St. Thomas could finally cause Miami to bolt - not sure what WMU would do though. Maybe that would cause both to leave, and instead of WMU and Miami joining a new conference, they start a new one again, with BG, so you don't have to travel to Augi or Bemidji, and maybe those two schools add the remaining independents to the CCHA, leaving the conference with something like Augi, Bemidji, Lindenwood, UAH, UAA, UAF, Stonehill, Utica, or some similar variation.

I don't believe Bowling Green has any aspirations to move to the NCHC any time soon. If St. Thomas and Mankato choose to jump ship, so be it. I think most of the members would be somewhat relieved to get Mankato out of the league given their recent dominance, although I view them as a bellwether which other programs need to start working towards matching. Unfortunately the CCHA is still the island of misfit teams, those who were basically cast aside during the last realignment and have made things work the best they can. I'd be willing to bet that all the CCHA schools would privately tell you they'd swap St. Thomas and Mankato for Miami and WMU in a heartbeat. However, I think it's unrealistic given WMU's recent investment into hockey and obvious success this past season. My only conversations with the hockey brass at BGSU have stated they wish to keep their travel as regional as possible (shared by other members) and want to remain competitive in the college hockey landscape. Honestly, the NCHC would be a downgrade in travel and Bowling Green would struggle immensely against programs like NoDak, SCSU, Duluth, etc. for several years. BG simply doesn't get the quality of recruits to compete consistently against programs like those.

As for the arena, the renovation program was paused during the pandemic. They've recently begun exploring costs and have reignited discussions with donating alumni. There's about $5 million invested currently in the renovations and the administration needs to figure out the remaining costs to close that gap. The plan calls for updating amenities, a new lobby, and enclosing the south end with a suite/club level area.

[nodak651]

FYI, St. Thomas is reportedly targeting 4-4.5K seats in it's new arena. https://www.highlanddistrictcouncil.org ... 172022.pdf

Curious - with the addition of Augi to the CCHA and St. Thomas building a legit rink soon, would you guys be onboard if the NCHC wanted to add you and St. Thomas? Or will Bowling Green always be looking East, with the desire to stay with the current Michigan CCHA programs long term? It seems to me that Bowling Green apparently didn't want to be in the NCHC, but you guys aren't really into the current version of the CCHA either, so what is the goal? What's your desired conference look like, assuming Notre Dame and the Big Ten schools will not join you? Asking because it's a long off season, and I don't really see any way to improve your current conference affiliation if you are not interested in the current CCHA or NCHC. Being realistic, my dream conference for you I guess would start with BG, Miami, WMU, Air Force, Army, probably ASU, and then some other schools, starting with Navy (if they add a team), maybe RIT and Sacred Heart (if they don't get Hockey East invite), and then the most desirable remaining CCHA schools, as needed. A conference with the MAC schools, ASU, and the Service Academies would have a hell of a lot of appeal, and I would love to follow that league from afar, but it only makes the travel issues worse, and that is supposedly a huge issue right now.

Secondly, is there any news on the arena front? I think I read that BG was looking to raise money again for arena renovations. Is the goal to finish off the one end with suites still, kind of like at Michigan Tech? Any idea what the goal is? For the record, I think BG in the NCHC would be fun, however I am a proponent of bringing the NCHC under the wing of the Summit conf, and adding St. Thomas and Mankato, more so for Summit League strategic purposes than hockey (tying St. Thomas hockey to the Summit could keep them from bolting asap to the MVC for example, and Mankato would be a perfect geographic fit for the Summit if they go D1 eventually in all sports). However, adding Mankato and St. Thomas could finally cause Miami to bolt - not sure what WMU would do though. Maybe that would cause both to leave, and instead of WMU and Miami joining a new conference, they start a new one again, with BG, so you don't have to travel to Augi or Bemidji, and maybe those two schools add the remaining independents to the CCHA, leaving the conference with something like Augi, Bemidji, Lindenwood, UAH, UAA, UAF, Stonehill, Utica, or some similar variation.

I don't believe Bowling Green has any aspirations to move to the NCHC any time soon. If St. Thomas and Mankato choose to jump ship, so be it. I think most of the members would be somewhat relieved to get Mankato out of the league given their recent dominance, although I view them as a bellwether which other programs need to start working towards matching. Unfortunately the CCHA is still the island of misfit teams, those who were basically cast aside during the last realignment and have made things work the best they can. I'd be willing to bet that all the CCHA schools would privately tell you they'd swap St. Thomas and Mankato for Miami and WMU in a heartbeat. However, I think it's unrealistic given WMU's recent investment into hockey and obvious success this past season. My only conversations with the hockey brass at BGSU have stated they wish to keep their travel as regional as possible (shared by other members) and want to remain competitive in the college hockey landscape. Honestly, the NCHC would be a downgrade in travel and Bowling Green would struggle immensely against programs like NoDak, SCSU, Duluth, etc. for several years. BG simply doesn't get the quality of recruits to compete consistently against programs like those.

As for the arena, the renovation program was paused during the pandemic. They've recently begun exploring costs and have reignited discussions with donating alumni. There's about $5 million invested currently in the renovations and the administration needs to figure out the remaining costs to close that gap. The plan calls for updating amenities, a new lobby, and enclosing the south end with a suite/club level area.

Thanks. I hope the fundraising goes well for you guys - you have the potential to have one of the best arenas in the country from an atmosphere perspective, imo, and it would make a huge difference if you can finish off the end of the arena. A good BG program is also important for the health of the CCHA and college hockey in general, imo.

Curious - do you guys bus to all of your games in the UP? At what distance do games become a flight?