Western Michigan, St. Cloud to Join NCHC
by WCHBlog on Sep 21, 2011 7:22 AM PDT
Email
Print
The Secondary Six will now become the Page 8 Conference. It was announced today that Western Michigan and St. Cloud State will join the newly-formed conference.
It's an interesting move on a number of fronts. First, the Secondary Six was thought to be waiting on the relative "prize" of gaining Notre Dame and their 4000 fans. Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrock said late last week that the Irish expected to make a decision on their future conference in "7 to 10 days" but with the tumult going on in real college sports, it seems likely that that will become the fifth self-set deadline for announcement that Notre Dame will miss.
Second, it's a fairly big bombshell that St. Cloud is leaving the WCHA for that Page 8 exposure, after St. Cloud State president Earl Potter lied earlier this summer by saying St. Cloud State was not interested in an invitation to new conference, while conspiring to try to earn an invitation. I guess that's at least one way they make a good fit for the new conference.
This move makes the future of the WCHA, and consequently the future of college hockey as a 59-team enterprise all the more untenable. Is it worth it for Minnesota State and Bemidji State to keep their programs at the Division I level to be outliers in their conference and hope for meaningless exhibition games against local opponents? Probably not. The three UP schools, Ferris State and Bowling Green are still one team short--maybe opening a window for Alabama-Huntsville?-- for a conference, but can they afford to keep one or both of the Alaska schools in their conference? Probably not. Things certainly weren't going to be easy for the new WCHA prior to today, but this news certainly makes it all the more tough, and perhaps finally pushes the needle over to impossible.
8 comments
|
0 recs |
Do you like this story?
Comments
Really?
Your takeaway from this is that Mankato and Bemidji won’t bother to stay D-1 because of SCSU leaving? Who cares about SCSU? And why would non-conference games against UM and UMD ever be “meaningless.”
I usually like your analysis, but I think you’re pretty off base in your final paragraph of predictions. Whatever happens with the remnants of the WCHA/CCHA, it won’t be because of SCSU leaving.
Hmm?
Thanks for your analysis…which is generally pretty good. However…Mankato and Bemidji will not throw in the towel just because SCSU leaves. Playing the other MN area teams will still have plenty of meaning, especially since they will still count in the pairwise rankings for at large tourney bids…let alone the fact that they will have easier competition in the WCHA to help them possibly get a conference tournament champion spot in the NCAAs. It’s really not nearly as bad of a situation as you seem to see it.
And the 2 Alaska team situation can be handled by having the league schedule road trips for teams back to back at Anchorage and Fairbanks. A lot of teams do week long stays when they have two road weekends in a row that are far from home but fairly close to each other.
I am looking forward to the new WCHA! Bring it on.
One more thing…I am glad the WCHA will no longer have the schools that were known for their arrogant elitist attitudes and lack of integrity. Recent actions by these institutions really demonstrates their lack of integrity and their desire seek what is best for themselves even if it could be at the expense of college hockey and student athletes as a whole.
What a Jan Brady move!!
Another melodramatic chapter in the Jan Brady State University diaries.
JBSU: Hey, they left without me! That’s so unfair! (stomp foot) They didn’t play right! (crying) I want nothing to do with them! (sniffle) They can have their own conference! (wipe tear) I like it here better anyway.
NCHC: Hey, do you want to join us?
JBSU: DO I!!!!!!
The one think I don’t like about the shrinking of the WCHA and the formation of the new conferences (Big 10 and NCHC) is the disappearance of the local rivalries for Minnesota State. Instead of playing teams like Minnesota Duluth and St. Cloud four times a year we will be lucky to play them two times. This is going to hurt Minnesota State attendance as well be because your schedule is made up of about 60% conference games and the conference is made up of teams such as Ferris State and LSSU that do not draw the fans that local Minnesota universities draw. One thing is for sure, two years from now things will be very different in college hockey.
