College Hockey - 2011/2012

[solbes]

More drama on the continuing change in college hockey. CCHA and WCHA met to discuss a possible merger (link below). The CCHA had also met with 4 Atlantic Hockey schools a couple weeks back to discuss their possible admission into the CCHA.

CCHA WCHA Merger Talks

Everything is hinging on Notre Dame's decision. Such a weird situation where the whole conference realignment can be affected by one school. WMU has indicated they will try to follow ND wherever they go, whether it be NCHC or Hockey East. Both NCHC and Hockey East have extended invites to Notre Dame, not sure on WMU. Apparently the Irish will announce their future plans at the CCHA planning meeting Aug 15-16. CCHA will then likely announce whether they are adding a couple schools to get above 6, add 4 Atlantic teams, or merge with the WCHA.

And then there is some published talk of Versus picking up more college hockey games, but nothing concrete on who. All conferences already have some kind of TV deal in place (outside of NCHC), so it may be a similar situation to CBS College Sports. Although I hope they have the wisdom to show something other than Hockey East and obscure small eastern college teams.

[Bear55]

Ok everyone hurry up and figure this stuff out, sick of change already and just want to get back to watching hockey and get to some kind of new normal, although that might take a while.

[cbrooks]

Really its all speculation until Notre Dame makes there decision that will happen sometime this month.

[cbrooks]

Sounds like Notre Dame won't be pressured to announce what there future intentions are until Sept 30th.

This is starting to get sickening

[solbes]

Kind of holding all the smaller schools hostage, aren't they? CCHA is barely hanging on and they can't make up their mind in 2 months? I hope they get it together and announce at the mid August CCHA meeting so the rest of the leauges can make their decisions before the season starts.

[fishing tech]

Typical Notre Dame, They hold everyone up till they choose what they want to do.

[scsavre]

Count me as caring less what Notre Dame does group.

They suck anyway.

[cbrooks]

Notre Dame will let the CCHA what there decision is Aug 15-16. There doesn't seem to be any indications of what they will announce. I have a feeling this isn't good news for the new conference...just a hunch.

[scsavre]

Brooks, got my first 50incher of the year friday. My fish 2 weeks ago was 49.5 and this one was 50.5. So I think I can just say Ive got 2 50's this year. thats how we keep score in the gopher state.

Man, I hate all this power that Notre Dame is getting.

Did I hear on the fargo news that the Sioux name is gone again.....I dont even pay attention anymore.

[cbrooks]

]Brooks, got my first 50incher of the year friday. My fish 2 weeks ago was 49.5 and this one was 50.5. So I think I can just say Ive got 2 50's this year. thats how we keep score in the gopher state.

Got my first 50 yesterday evening. Only pic is from a chitty cellphone...oh well. Fishing should be good for a little bit now up in my neck of the woods

[solbes]

Nice fish guys. I'm impressed!

Notre Dame better pony up here and announce their intentions. The wait is getting pretty old. Will we know after tomorrow?

Good story in the Duluth News Tribune about Senior Kyle Schmidt of Duluth's about playing with two bone fractures in his hand (first break from a slash from backup goalie during practice). Guy's got some grit, and we needed his goal in each of the F4 games. Maybe he could talk with Joe Mauer about catching consecutive games?

Kyle Schmidt Story

"...in a 5-3 win over No. 1-ranked Yale University on March 26, he jammed the blade of his stick into the boards and the butt end was jammed into his right palm. He broke the hamate bone.

“I was told I could have my hand in a cast for six weeks, and my college career would be over, or I could have surgery again,” said Schmidt. “I said ‘Sign me up for the surgery.’ There was no way I wasn’t going to try to play.”

A 45-minute procedure was performed March 29. A tiny screw, a 16th-of-an-inch around, was put across the fracture to hold the two sides of the bone together. One thing in Schmidt’s favor was having a week off between the NCAA Regional and the Frozen Four." ...

"Schmidt, 23, UMD’s 2011 co-scholar-athlete of the year, was cleared to participate in the Frozen Four, but was apprehensive leading to the Notre Dame game on April 7 at St. Paul’s Xcel Energy Center. His first-period goal tied the game 2-2 on the way to a victory.

“The hand was so sore. It was still broken, and, at first, I didn’t think I was going to play. I didn’t know if I could stickhandle or shoot,” said Schmidt. “I could pass decently hard and my legs felt fine; I just had to bear down.

“After the game, I can’t describe the pain. It was horrible, but we had one day off to rest before the championship game.”

On the off-day, April 8, Schmidt was given the Division I Derek Hines Unsung Hero Award, which honors the memory of a United States Army combat solider and former college player regarded as a consummate team player and team builder. It was a unique quirk of fate.

Right until game time against Michigan, however, Schmidt was judging his hand’s health.

“It was completely up to me about playing and it was iffy,” he said. “After warm ups, I was feeling comfortable and I just had to be strong in my mind and keep my nerves calm.”

UMD and Michigan were tied 2-2 after regulation play with Travis Oleksuk, Schmidt’s centerman, scoring one goal and freshman Max Tardy, on a power play unit in place of Schmidt, scoring the other. Less than four minutes into overtime, UMD defenseman Brady Lamb one-handed the puck into the right corner of the offensive zone. Schmidt let the puck go through him and to Oleksuk, and snuck to the front of the Michigan net, right in front of Michigan goalie Shawn Hunwick.

Schmidt screamed for the puck, Oleksuk found him with a perfectly-placed, no-look pass from behind the net. Schmidt found the right side of the net wide open. The game ended at 3:22 of sudden death and a UMD-partisan crowd of 19,222 roared."

[Bear55]

Cool story, didn't know he was injured.

[fishing tech]

True desire to play and the heart to play through pain. Can't coach that!

[solbes]

Can't coach it for sure. But that memory will be burned in his head for the rest of his life. Probably the pinnacle of a hockey career.

In related news, no news from the Fighting Irish. Still himming and hawing over their decision. HE, NCHC, or independence seem to be the top 3 options. They have a In or Out date from CCHA of September 30th, hope they don't wait that long.

Assuming they leave CCHA, it appears that the CCHA will either add 4 Atlantic schools thereby granting additional scholorships to those 4 teams, or there will be a WCHA/CCHA merger. Glad we all wait while the Irish figure out which TV deal will bring them the most money.

[Bran32]

I sure do not want to see a merger between the WCHA/CCHA, I would rather bring in LSSU and UAFairbanks or swap one of these two if MSUMoorhead getas a team!!

[solbes]

A merger only makes sense to me if it has 2 divisions within. Play teams within your division twice and once for teams in the other division. This makes for an interesting conference in my mind.

Working against it is the increased travel costs and the reduction to a single auto bid. Not sure how they'd avoid/ignore that last disadvantage and controlling costs is absolutely critical to a few of these teams.

If no merger occurs, the WCHA will continue to gather up the stronger teams and the CCHA will have to add weaker schools from Atlantic conference. CCHA has to be way more into the merger than the WCHA is.

[scsavre]

Any updates on this notre dame stuff. I know I've heard several times that the big 10 turned notre dame down a month or so ago. No football means no hockey for big 10. I'm glad tho. Notre dame has no business there. This week there has been a lot of independent talk due to their private network looking at hockey. Hockey east looks like a 3rd to the nhch or whatever it I.

[solbes]

Hockey East already has enough members, although I'm sure they'd take ND. Too many within conference games for ND's preference I think.

NCHC offers many more non-con games and still presents the chance for auto bid. NCHC has to be option #1.

Independent would only work monetarily for them if they got their own broadcast deal, but honestly how tradtion rich is Notre Dame in Hockey? Would be their worst options for improving their position in the hockey world.

BTHC will never work as ND will never give up their exclusive football money.

[Jarrid Houston]

BEMIDJI BEAVERS PERIOD.....

[scsavre]

Yah, sounds like notre dame football almost laughed at the big 10s attempt t allow them in for hockey if other sports joined. So big 10 said no to hockey. I don't think any big 10 schools want them to join anyway. Honestly notre dame sounds more like a pain in the rear then anything else. Not sure why anyone would want a money loosing programn in their conference. I guess I don't know the profit sharring rules for th nchc tho. There's gotta be a couple of other schools out there for nchc, maybe a eastern team....

Side note, got my goph sioux, vermont, and cc ticks yesterday. Should be fun.

[Shorelunch]

According College Hky News, the WCHA invited Lake Superior, Ferris, Alaska, Bowling Green and Western MI to the league. Teams have 30 days to decide. Notre Dame not invited.

Gee . . . being in Bemidji and after the blood, sweat and tears it took to get into the WCHA, it sure is swell from hosting/playing the likes of UMD, UND, DU, WI and "even the Gophers" to now go to the likes of Ferris and Bowling Green. Even with an annual exemption (Fairbanks/Anchorage), non-conference games will be fewer. Dandy. Thanks Penn State $88 million donor guy - and Barry Alvarez. Oh, and Huntsville is till scr@wed.

[scsavre]

I'm still blaming north dakota and denver. But who cares. I didn't want this to happen. For bemidji its still better then what they had

[solbes]

I agree, it did seem like a huge amount of work for Bemidji and UNO to get in and now...

So it's maybe not a "merger", but an "aquisition" of the CCHA? Atlantic teams would obviously stay put if all of the CCHA teams accept. There have been 2 merger meetings between WCHA and CCHA, so its not surprising.

[Bear55]

The great shuffle! If you think of the West back to the CHA days you had one small conference with small schools and two big conferences with mix of schools. Now you have two smaller conferences with bigger schools and maybe one large conference with smaller schools. Heck I would almost rather pick the conferences out of a hat.

[Bran32]

Well I got my wish of getting LSSU and UA Fairbanks, so that makes 8!! If we (WCHA) can get Ferris and MSU-Moorhead in the fold that would be the best bet for this league in the long run IMO! You would have 4 Mich. schools, 4 Minn. schools, and 2 Alaska schools, break it into two divisions of east (LSSU, MTU, UNM, FSU, UAF) and west (SCSU, Mankato, BSU, Moorhead, UAA) and you play your div. foes 4 times and the other div. 2 times for a total of 26 games and you could still have 10 to 12 NON Conf. games!! Plus we could still have the original Final FIve format! Hopefully BGSU, and WMU say no because I think the first chance they got to go the NcHC (if it doesn't happen now), they would bolt on the WCHA! A ten team WCHA would be strong still, just gotta hope Moorhead can get it done now!