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WCHA 2018 Off-Season: Nobody's Walking Out On This Old-Fashioned Hockey Conference

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  • #31
    Re: WCHA 2018 Off-Season: Nobody's Walking Out On This Old-Fashioned Hockey Conferenc

    Originally posted by Hockey John View Post
    Some logic must come in College Hockey. There are 3 D1 teams in the state of Ohio and they are in 3 different leagues. I don't want to see any program lost, but some regional logic must enter the picture. Geof, UAH was improved last year and will be in a better place if, and when, logic returns to US College Hockey. The more that they improve, the better off they will be.
    Why does logic matter? Money matters.

    GFM
    Geof F. Morris
    UAH BSE MAE 2002
    UAHHockey.com

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    • #32
      Re: WCHA 2018 Off-Season: Nobody's Walking Out On This Old-Fashioned Hockey Conferenc

      An educated guess would say at least half of the schools in the league have considered options outside the WCHA. While I get that seeing it in writing adds some reality to it, this isn’t a new discussion for most coaches and athletic directors in the conference.
      Co-Founder/Editor of BGSUHockey.com

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      • #33
        Re: WCHA 2018 Off-Season: Nobody's Walking Out On This Old-Fashioned Hockey Conferenc

        Meh. Another round of realignment is a pretty poorly kept secret. BG, or any other school, will only move if they can demonstrate positive value to their prospective situation.
        “We offer no apology for our location at 64 51’21’’ north latitude. We are building for the future and we are confident that well directed effort and education are the forces which make progress possible”

        —UA President Charles E. Bunnell, 1925

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        • #34
          Re: WCHA 2018 Off-Season: Nobody's Walking Out On This Old-Fashioned Hockey Conferenc

          Originally posted by Hockey John View Post
          Some logic must come in College Hockey. There are 3 D1 teams in the state of Ohio and they are in 3 different leagues.
          So what? That's hardly unique, and the 3 in Ohio are further apart.

          MINNESOTA
          65 miles from Minneapolis to St. Cloud
          81 miles from Mankato to Minneapolis
          111 miles from St. Cloud to Mankato

          MICHIGAN
          79 miles from Kalamazoo to East Lansing
          107 miles from Big Rapids to Kalamazoo
          109 miles from East Lansing to Big Rapids

          OHIO
          117 miles from Oxford to Columbus
          122 miles from Columbus to Bowling Green
          172 miles from Bowling Green to Oxford

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          • #35
            Re: WCHA 2018 Off-Season: Nobody's Walking Out On This Old-Fashioned Hockey Conferenc

            It's pretty hard to have any confidence in the long term future of the WCHA when 2 of the perennial top 4 programs don't want to even be in the conference.

            Mankato has already tried to leave and its been no secret for a while now that BGSU really, really wants to be in a Great Lakes area(Michigan-Ohio-Pennsylvania) centered league and end all the long bus trips to Minnesota/Alabama and travel to the AK schools.

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            • #36
              Re: WCHA 2018 Off-Season: Nobody's Walking Out On This Old-Fashioned Hockey Conferenc

              Originally posted by bravohankins View Post
              It's pretty hard to have any confidence in the long term future of the WCHA when 2 of the perennial top 4 programs don't want to even be in the conference.

              Mankato has already tried to leave and its been no secret for a while now that BGSU really, really wants to be in a Great Lakes area(Michigan-Ohio-Pennsylvania) centered league and end all the long bus trips to Minnesota/Alabama and travel to the AK schools.
              Shot: https://goo.gl/maps/idNhSEH85HT2

              Chaser: https://goo.gl/maps/hS2jD5bv1b72

              The next round of realignment is going to come only in a handful of forms:

              1. WMU / Miami pledge to leave the NCHC and join the WCHA, penalties be ****ed. This would kick off negotiations. This requires donors willing to help soften the blow of the escape clauses. Probability: low (it requires them to move in faith); impact: high (it would essentially force a change that would be uncontrolled).
              2. NCHC and WCHA forces combine to make pro-active swap to re-unite the non-B1G Minnesota schools and return WMU/Miami to the lower Midwest. Probability: pretty low (requires the conferences to work together), impact: medium (would be a negotiated change that doesn't result in a chain reaction of panic moves).
              3. ASU gets an arena deal in place and joins the NCHC with MSU, leaving BSU as the only Minnesota school in the WCHA (weird statement) and keeping the old CCHA split up. Probability: moderate (I think this would've happened by now if ASU had an arena), impact: low (WCHA approaches Robert Morris / Mercyhurst / Niagara / Air Force to fill the open slot).
              4. One or more Division I teams folds (take your pick of UAA/UAF/UAH/LSSU and whatever AHC schools are on life support these days). Probability: moderate (could happen), impact: low (unlikely to make any name schools move).
              5. NCAA mandates that no Division I conference can be larger than seven members. Probability: minuscule; impact: could be viewed from the ISS.

              I actually like that last one if it's also driven with a cap on league games at 24, but then I also like controlled chaos.

              GFM
              Geof F. Morris
              UAH BSE MAE 2002
              UAHHockey.com

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              • #37
                Re: WCHA 2018 Off-Season: Nobody's Walking Out On This Old-Fashioned Hockey Conferenc

                Why 7 Geof? That seems to go too far and creates bad situations for autobids, max 7, min 6 creates uncertainty if you’re with teams that might fold...
                Michigan Tech Legend, Founder of Mitch's Misfits, Co-Founder of Tech Hockey Guide, and Creator/Host of the Chasing MacNaughton Podcast covering MTU Hockey and the WCHA.

                Sports Allegiance: NFL: GB MLB: MIL NHL: MIN CB: UW CF: UW CH: MTU FIFA: USA MLS: MIN EPL: Everton

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                • #38
                  Re: WCHA 2018 Off-Season: Nobody's Walking Out On This Old-Fashioned Hockey Conferenc

                  Originally posted by Shirtless Guy View Post
                  Why 7 Geof? That seems to go too far and creates bad situations for autobids, max 7, min 6 creates uncertainty if you’re with teams that might fold...
                  Six conference opponents x 2 home-and-home series = 24 league games. More OOC = greater diversity in the sport.

                  GFM
                  Geof F. Morris
                  UAH BSE MAE 2002
                  UAHHockey.com

                  Comment


                  • #39
                    Re: WCHA 2018 Off-Season: Nobody's Walking Out On This Old-Fashioned Hockey Conferenc

                    I understand your point on the mileage, but having a program with Tech's history and support in your league compared to Huntsville....the choice is not even close.

                    .......and don't get me wrong, I like Huntsville. I hope they stay around. BG alum Doug Ross started that program. They are our designated rival....not sure why, but OK. Well, I know why, our real rivals Miami and OSU are in other leagues, which brings us back to our original problem.

                    Just saying teams would rather drive to Houghton before Huntsville.....and for the rest of the Michigan teams Tech is way closer than Huntsville.

                    Pretty sure something is going to tip one way or another within 2 years.......we'll see.

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                    • #40
                      Originally posted by gfmorris View Post
                      3. ASU gets an arena deal in place and joins the NCHC with MSU, leaving BSU as the only Minnesota school in the WCHA (weird statement) and keeping the old CCHA split up. Probability: moderate (I think this would've happened by now if ASU had an arena), impact: low (WCHA approaches Robert Morris / Mercyhurst / Niagara / ------ to fill the open slot).

                      GFM
                      The problem the last time around was those teams didn't want to travel to the U.P.

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                      • #41
                        Originally posted by gfmorris View Post
                        Six conference opponents x 2 home-and-home series = 24 league games. More OOC = greater diversity in the sport.

                        GFM
                        8 gives you 28 and no byes the last week of the season.
                        CCT '77 & '78
                        4 kids
                        5 grandsons (BCA 7/09, CJA 5/14, JDL 8/14, JFL 6/16, PJL 7/18)
                        1 granddaughter (EML 4/18)

                        ”Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both.”
                        - Benjamin Franklin

                        Banned from the St. Lawrence University Facebook page - March 2016 (But I got better).

                        I want to live forever. So far, so good.

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                        • #42
                          Re: WCHA 2018 Off-Season: Nobody's Walking Out On This Old-Fashioned Hockey Conferenc

                          Originally posted by joecct View Post
                          8 gives you 28 and no byes the last week of the season.
                          This is true, but insular schedules aren't good for the diversity of the sport.

                          GFM
                          Geof F. Morris
                          UAH BSE MAE 2002
                          UAHHockey.com

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                          • #43
                            Re: WCHA 2018 Off-Season: Nobody's Walking Out On This Old-Fashioned Hockey Conferenc

                            With a 28-game schedule not all teams play each other anyway. Why not drop the league schedule down to 24 or 26 games and ooen up dates for additional OOC games?

                            Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk

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                            • #44
                              Originally posted by MTUHuskies View Post
                              With a 28-game schedule not all teams play each other anyway. Why not drop the league schedule down to 24 or 26 games and ooen up dates for additional OOC games?

                              Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk
                              8 teams, 7 opponents. Two games H&H against all teams.
                              CCT '77 & '78
                              4 kids
                              5 grandsons (BCA 7/09, CJA 5/14, JDL 8/14, JFL 6/16, PJL 7/18)
                              1 granddaughter (EML 4/18)

                              ”Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both.”
                              - Benjamin Franklin

                              Banned from the St. Lawrence University Facebook page - March 2016 (But I got better).

                              I want to live forever. So far, so good.

                              Comment


                              • #45
                                Re: WCHA 2018 Off-Season: Nobody's Walking Out On This Old-Fashioned Hockey Conferenc

                                Originally posted by MTUHuskies View Post
                                With a 28-game schedule not all teams play each other anyway. Why not drop the league schedule down to 24 or 26 games and ooen up dates for additional OOC games?
                                If you drop it that low, then you have to go with unbalanced scheduling, and I think that destroys league competition over time.

                                GFM
                                Geof F. Morris
                                UAH BSE MAE 2002
                                UAHHockey.com

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