WCHA expansion?

[IFallsRon]

The league votes today on whether to lift the expansion ban. A negative vote likely means the end of all hockey at Bemidji State. College hockey, with barely 50 DI programs, would be cutting its own throat by letting another team dissolve.

[DEADhead]

I am not against expansion, but they need to look at the league hard. There are already too many teams in the WCHA. It's a complete farce that teams like UMN and UND only get to play each other for one series in the regular season. I say give the boot to Michigan Tech and send them to the CCHA like they did to Northern Michigan, and let Bemidji State take their place. That should heat up the in state rivalry. Get rid of AA as well.

Otherwise, keep all the teams, pick up another one for 12 total, and form two Divisions.

[solbes]

I believe they should field the strongest WCHA conference possible. There's a reason why western hockey "had" dominated the national stage for so many years. Most teams in our conference can skate with just about any team nationally because the competion is so good from top to bottom. Although I don't want Bemidji to "contract", I'm not sold that they should be added to the WCHA. For the same reasons above, I don't want to break the conference in two either.

I do understand the problem with the CHA and I can see their position in wanting to join with WCHA. But if we pull BSU into the WCHA, the other 3 teams in the CHA will likely fail instead. Maybe they should take a team from every conference and add to the CHA to increase the competition and excitement.

[redlake]

What is wrong with splitting up the WCHA into two divisions? One division could have Duluth, Minnesota, ND, Denver, and CC. The other division could have St. Cloud, Mankato, Tech, AA, and Bemidji State. You could also move Tech to the CCHA and grab Air Force for the WCHA as then there would be three teams in Colorado for travel.

just some ideas floating around....

[so haaad]

Yeah, I tend to agree that there are already too many teams in the WCHA, and it is a shame that teams like UMN and UND only get to play each other for one series in the regular season. I mean no disrespect to BSU, but sometimes less is more.

[solbes]

I'm probably just thinking about this too much and should be paying more attention to work. But I still think that unless you pay very careful attention to splitting the "powerhouse" WCHA teams and "Once every four years" teams equally we would create problems by trying to accomodate one team:

"PH" - UM, UND, CC, DU, and WI

"Once every four years" - SCSU, UMD (hate to admit this), MTU, MSU, and AA

If you didn't spread them out over two conferences, you would have one conference that remained nationally competitive, and who are always nationally competitive: the powerhouse schools. Then you'd have the smaller school conference who would not play the bigger schools regularly, and who would not be very well prepared to play in the NCAA's.

As an example, I remember it like yesterday when UMD made it to the frozen four in '03-'04. They were the hot team, lost a two goal lead in the semi's to Denver, and probably would have beat Maine in the NCAA finals. How crazy would that have been for a smaller school like UMD? If they didn't play the Soiux, Gophers, Badger type teams throughout the year, they would have been eliminated in the first round of the NCAA's.

Even if you did split them evenly, some of the great rivalries would be missed most years. My two pennies from an avid college hockey fan.

[DEADhead]

hypothetically, just because there would be two divisions doesn't mean there would not be inter-division play. Inter-division teams would play only one series a season; all of the teams within a division would play each other for two series/season. every team would play each other at least once under this system, enabling the "big schools" to play the "small" schools.

[Shorelunch]

Next year (2009-10) is the final year of the CHA. Two of the schools (Niagara and Robert Morris) will be going to the AHA and one is looking at the CCHA.

All 10 WCHA schools voted in favor of opening the WCHA to expansion. I believe these schools need to do this to 1) keep Bemidji State hockey in tact and 2) keep at large bids in tact. If there's further reduction of D1 college hockey teams, there will be less at large bids (fact). BSU is building a new arena in accordance with the WCHA and most schools have spoken in favor of adding them. What makes the most sense is adding BSU and Omaha to the WCHA and put Alabama Huntsville in the CCHA.

[IFallsRon]

WCHA votes unanimously to lift moratorium on expansion, Bemidji State immediately announces plans to pursue membership

John J. McRae

Bemidji Pioneer - 01/15/2009

Bemidji State University's quest to become a member of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association cleared a major hurdle Thursday.

Yet an even larger one remains.

BSU officials have announced the institution’s intention to formally pursue

membership in the WCHA on behalf of its NCAA Division I men’s ice hockey

program.

The university’s announcement follows Thursday’s unanimous vote of the WCHA

member institutions to lift the league’s moratorium on expansion, which had

been in place since 1999.

“I’m excited, but also realistic. A lot more work has to go into this,” said BSU head coach Tom Serratore. “Step one is done. Now we can move on to the next step where we will be able to tell our story to the members of the league — that’s all we can ask.”

What will BSU’s story be as to why it should be admitted to the elite men’s

college hockey league?

The answers came quickly from Serratore.

“Everybody will have different reasons why we should, or why we shouldn’t,

be in the league,” he said. “From the BSU perspective, we are in the

geographical footprint of the league teams; we are going to have a new

facility that is second to none; and we have been a player in the college

hockey world for many years. We feel we have a lot to offer.

“At the same time, we realize we still have a lot of work to do between now

and when we make our presentation in April.”

BSU administrators were enthused by the lifting of the moratorium as well.

“We are thrilled by the WCHA’s decision to lift its moratorium on

expansion,” said Bemidji State Director of Athletics Rick Goeb.

“Bemidji State has expressed its desire to seek membership in the premier

collegiate ice hockey conference in the country, and we now intend to

vigorously pursue membership in the WCHA using all the resources we can

gather.

“We realize we will need the support of eight of the WCHA's 10 members for

our application to succeed. After seeing what we have to offer, we believe

the WCHA will be excited about adding Bemidji State University as its newest member.”

BSU President Jon E. Quistgaard said the WCHA's vote to lift its moratorium

on expansion opens the door for the university to continue pursuing what has been the ultimate goal of the men’s hockey program for over a decade —

membership in the WCHA.

“A Western Collegiate Hockey Association that includes Bemidji State

University would be a tremendous benefit not only to Bemidji State, but

also to the WCHA,” Quistgaard added. “Bemidji State would provide the WCHA

with a program woven into the fabric of college hockey history; a program

with superb financial support from its alumni and friends; and a unique

partnership with the city of Bemidji to provide what promises to be one of

the nation’s finest college hockey venues.”

The Bemidji State men’s ice hockey program is a member of the four-team

College Hockey America conference, where it has made its home since the

league was founded in 1999-2000. However, the long-term viability of CHA has been in question over the last few years as the size of the league has

diminished.

The league dropped to four members for the 2008-09 season, leaving Bemidji

State to explore its options for future conference affiliations.

The Bemidji State women’s ice hockey program is a member of the WCHA, and

has been a member since its inception for the 1999-2000 season.

The Western Collegiate Hockey Association is a 10-team NCAA Division I men’s ice hockey conference which includes the University of North Dakota;

University of Minnesota; Minnesota State University, Mankato; the University of Minnesota-Duluth; St. Cloud State University; Michigan Technological University; the University of Wisconsin; Colorado College; the University of Denver; and the University of Alaska-Anchorage. The WCHA is headquartered in Denver, Colo.

Serratore said BSU would make its presentation to the WCHA during the

college hockey coaches convention in Florida in April.

[IFallsRon]

The demise of College Hockey America has been inevitable for a couple of years now, but the writing is finally on the wall.

Two of the four teams currently in the league — Robert Morris and Niagara — will join Atlantic Hockey beginning in 2010-11. That means Bemidji State and Alabama-Huntsville are orphans desperately searching for a home.

Bemidji State has said it will apply for membership in the WCHA. A vote could come as early as April.

Huntsville athletic director Jim Harris told Grand Forks Herald columnist Virg Foss that his school made a formal application to the Central Collegiate Hockey Association on Thursday. Huntsville also has sent a letter of interest to WCHA commissioner Bruce McLeod.

McLeod said earlier in the week that Bemidji State’s chances of getting in the league would improve if another team applied along with it. That would make it an even 12-team league, which is easier for scheduling purposes.

“It is not our intent to ever give up on Division I hockey until higher authorities tell us we can’t play in any of their leagues,” Harris said. “I hope that will never happen. I believe UAH has a lot to offer college hockey.”

[DEADhead]

UAH does not belong in the WCHA. Period. Air Force Academy would be the perfect 12th IMO.

[so haaad]

I agree. Can you imagine how long of a flight it would be from Anchorage to UAH?!? If anything UAH should join the Atlantic or Hockey East.

[solbes]

Given the fact that CHA is imploding I'm adjusting to the idea of BSU joining WCHA. I think there has to be some swapping between WCHA and CCHA. CCHA commish stated that they do not support any changes to their conference, but I don't see any options unless the sport contracts. But anyway, here are my preferred scenarios:

1) BSU joins WCHA and like Deadhead mentioned, either MTU -or- AA joins CCHA to keep WCHA conference at 10. UAH is also added to CCHA for even addition.

2) BSU joins WCHA and we pick up another school:

a) Air Force would make sense with the other 2 CO schools, but they just moved a few years back to the Atlantic, so I doubt this will happen. Alabama would then go to Atlantic.

Nebraska Omaha makes logical sense to me as top CCHA candidate, Alabama goes to CCHA.

c) Alaska Fairbanks (Not exactly a centrally located school), again UAH goes to CCHA.

d) I suppose Lake Superior or Northern MI could work with UAH going to CCHA.

e) UAH is added to the WCHA. Yuck!

3) BSU is added and UAH is eliminated. WCHA has odd number of teams. WCHA is against this anyway.

4) Two+ teams added to WCHA and conference is split. I don't see how the WCHA would go for this.

I really do not want to see options three, four, or 2E. The CCHA has to get in the game here and play ball!

I would have to think it's going to option #2, since WCHA is open to the idea of 2 team expansion and the CCHA is not. I wouldn't place any bets on which teams move though.

[Hockey Guy]

Here’s my opinion: Get all the league commissioners together and do whatever is the best for college hockey. I’ll admit that I haven’t thought a lot about this yet, but in the past I have always thought that all the Michigan schools should be in the same conference. All the Minnesota schools should be in the same conference. All the Colorado schools should be in the same conference. All the Alaska schools should be in the same conference, and so on. That would be priority number 1. Then they should try to maintain the current teams in a conference as much as possible. So, in the case of the WCHA, you would have the five MN schools, the three CO schools, ND (because they may as well be a MN school with all the MN kids on their team each year), and then throw one more in there to make ten. Maybe UAH even though I think they would get crushed for a few years in league play. I think they should start with this scenario and then make adjustments accordingly to mix in the rest of the schools.

It would obviously diminish some of the rivalries that are in place now, but new rivalries take about a year to create. All it takes is a cheap shot here and a fight there and BOOM, you have a rivalry. Like I said, I haven’t though about it that much, but from a fan’s standpoint my passion level for individual games goes down the farther away the team is that the Gophers are playing. I could care less when the Gophers play MTU and UAA right now. I still watch it because it’s a Gopher game, but I don’t start throwing stuff at the TV though unless it’s SCSU, UMD, or MSU because they are close in state rivalries. ND is also close proximity and they are loaded with Canadians and MN kids, so again I enjoy that rivalry as well.

[Bear55]

I think most schools want to keep the Alaska schools in separate conferences so teams don't have to make 2 trips up there. There is also the Alaska Exemption which allows schools who play games in Alaska to schedule 2 extra games each time they make the trip north. I think many of the WCHA school like the extra games and the extra revenue these games create.

Also don't forget if MTU were to leave the WCHA they take the MacNaughton Cup with them, sure it could be replaced but that is a lot of history there.

I think more than likely you see the WCHA add BSU and either AH or Omaha.

[Bear55]

I think most schools want to keep the Alaska schools in separate conferences so teams don't have to make 2 trips up there. There is also the Alaska Exemption which allows schools who play games in Alaska to schedule 2 extra games each time they make the trip north. I think many of the WCHA school like the extra games and the extra revenue these games create.

Also don't forget if MTU were to leave the WCHA they take the MacNaughton Cup with them, sure it could be replaced but that is a lot of history there.

I think more than likely you see the WCHA add BSU and either AH or Omaha.

[7outof10]

i think they will get in ....im not sure what to think about it but ill just have to be happy with it because i think they will get in