The unofficial online home for fans of the Western Michigan University Broncos. Part of Collegiate Sports Nation (CSN).

(04-27-2024 07:10 PM)Charm City Bronco Wrote:  

(04-26-2024 10:47 AM)BroncoMinor Wrote:  Of course, that is assuming Notre Dame wants to play us. I could see Notre Dame ducking us more than I can see us ducking Notre Dame.

Jeff Jackson has always seemed to have a good relationship with WMU. We've had a number of home and homes with ND and we played in their 2015 Thanksgiving tournament. Unfortunately Jeff will retire any minute now and there's no guarantee the coach in waiting will have the same feelings toward WMU.

WMU would be really smart to negotiate a two-year deal with ND, Ferris and BG to have some sort of mini-conference with each other. ND and WMU play a home and home every year, but then WMU plays say Ferris and ND plays BG the first year. Next season--WMU/ND home and home and WMU vs BG and ND vs Ferris.

Keeps affordable punching bag opponents in Ferris and BG (for now) in a scheduling rotation without having to play both each season. Also gives WMU two years of home and homes against ND. Also allows WMU to keep face with BG (fellow MAC school) and Ferris (neighbor) by including them in a scheduling agreement.

Or hell, do a three year deal and have each school play home and homes against each other. These are actually brilliant ideas. Some hockey school should name me athletic director.

So this brings me back to the formation of NCHC, when the Irish had an opportunity to join, but their selfishness of not wanting to share TV $ with the other NCHC teams resulted in them going to greener pastures. I thought it was great how the ended up in Hockey East and had to increase their travel budget. But it looks like it was a smart move (for them) https://unitedstatesofhockey.com/2011/10...lignment/.

Another missed opportunity was for WMU and Irish to collaborate as scheduling partners. Imagine BC and BU flying in on the same weekend for non-conference games vs WMU & Notre Dame. What a great opportunity for all four teams to play two different teams in the same weekend.

My reluctance to want to schedule Notre Dame has to do with this history. WMU and all the other NCHC teams to should say to the Irish "Go F--- your selves".

Similarly with Michigan. Not that I don't want to schedule them, in fact, if it was up to me they would be the only MI team I would yearly like to schedule H/H with. But, I have not forgot how they F---ed us, canceling a game on short notice with WMU in the GLI . WMU attitude towards Michigan should be "sure, we would love to play you two games this year, but you still owe us one game, so we will play a home "series" at Kalamazoo with you first, before scheduling any future H/H." If their AD & coach can't understand this and isn't willing to try an make this right, they can go F--- themselves too!

Revenge is sweet.

(04-28-2024 09:18 AM)Brownandgoldlaker Wrote:  

(04-27-2024 07:10 PM)Charm City Bronco Wrote:  

(04-26-2024 10:47 AM)BroncoMinor Wrote:  Of course, that is assuming Notre Dame wants to play us. I could see Notre Dame ducking us more than I can see us ducking Notre Dame.

Jeff Jackson has always seemed to have a good relationship with WMU. We've had a number of home and homes with ND and we played in their 2015 Thanksgiving tournament. Unfortunately Jeff will retire any minute now and there's no guarantee the coach in waiting will have the same feelings toward WMU.

WMU would be really smart to negotiate a two-year deal with ND, Ferris and BG to have some sort of mini-conference with each other. ND and WMU play a home and home every year, but then WMU plays say Ferris and ND plays BG the first year. Next season--WMU/ND home and home and WMU vs BG and ND vs Ferris.

Keeps affordable punching bag opponents in Ferris and BG (for now) in a scheduling rotation without having to play both each season. Also gives WMU two years of home and homes against ND. Also allows WMU to keep face with BG (fellow MAC school) and Ferris (neighbor) by including them in a scheduling agreement.

Or hell, do a three year deal and have each school play home and homes against each other. These are actually brilliant ideas. Some hockey school should name me athletic director.

So this brings me back to the formation of NCHC, when the Irish had an opportunity to join, but their selfishness of not wanting to share TV $ with the other NCHC teams resulted in them going to greener pastures. I thought it was great how the ended up in Hockey East and had to increase their travel budget. But it looks like it was a smart move (for them) https://unitedstatesofhockey.com/2011/10...lignment/.

Another missed opportunity was for WMU and Irish to collaborate as scheduling partners. Imagine BC and BU flying in on the same weekend for non-conference games vs WMU & Notre Dame. What a great opportunity for all four teams to play two different teams in the same weekend.

My reluctance to want to schedule Notre Dame has to do with this history. WMU and all the other NCHC teams to should say to the Irish "Go F--- your selves".

Similarly with Michigan. Not that I don't want to schedule them, in fact, if it was up to me they would be the only MI team I would yearly like to schedule H/H with. But, I have not forgot how they F---ed us, canceling a game on short notice with WMU in the GLI . WMU attitude towards Michigan should be "sure, we would love to play you two games this year, but you still owe us one game, so we will play a home "series" at Kalamazoo with you first, before scheduling any future H/H." If their AD & coach can't understand this and isn't willing to try an make this right, they can go F--- themselves too!

Revenge is sweet.

All of this speculation is possible because WMU joined the NCHC. Sure glad that we didn't join the WCHA/CCHA.

We don't need to have a difficult OOC schedule when our in-conference schedule is so formidable, as was evidenced by this past season.

Sure, but a nonconference pile of cupcakes with 8 games against the basement like last season is playing with fire.

(04-29-2024 04:04 PM)bronconick Wrote:  Sure, but a nonconference pile of cupcakes with 8 games against the basement like last season is playing with fire.

Playing with what fire? We didn't exactly finish the schedule strong last season and still made the tourney quite comfortably.

(05-01-2024 12:43 AM)tayles mullet Wrote:  

(04-29-2024 04:04 PM)bronconick Wrote:  Sure, but a nonconference pile of cupcakes with 8 games against the basement like last season is playing with fire.

Playing with what fire? We didn't exactly finish the schedule strong last season and still made the tourney quite comfortably.

If we lost a(nother) game against Miami, BG, Ferris or Lindenwood we wouldn't have made it to the tournament. Finishing the season strong has nothing to do with how the NCAA hockey tournament participants are selected. It is cold, hard, math.

The same would be said if we lost another game or two against a tougher non-conference schedule. So might as well beat up on the cupcakes like we did. The rest of our schedule was loaded with Top-15 competition to balance it out.

(05-02-2024 12:50 PM)tayles mullet Wrote:  The same would be said if we lost another game or two against a tougher non-conference schedule. So might as well beat up on the cupcakes like we did. The rest of our schedule was loaded with Top-15 competition to balance it out.

True, but what you are not pointing out is how a "win" vs lets say a #30 PW team (vs a win against a #62 PW team) would have moved us up higher in the PW.

Don't forget, we barely made it into the National Tournament this year at #13 as a #4 seed. We had to be in the top 14 to get a auto bid, as #15 & #16 this year was the CCHA Champion and Atlantic Champion. If we were #12 PW, we would of been a #3 seed and at #8 we would of been a #2. All these factors impact which region we play in and possible getting more favorable match ups.

The scheduling and out come of these non conference games can have a big impact on our PW. The good news is, this is something we have some control over, as we can not duck our tough conference schedule.

That was my original point. We got in strictly due to the conference we play in this year. Not only that, but our program is at the level to where we have been to the NCAA three years in a row due to being in the NCHC.

Imagine languishing in the now CCHA and circling the calendar for that big Ferris State game? So glad that our program went the route that it did.

(05-03-2024 07:55 AM)LunaBebe Wrote:  That was my original point. We got in strictly due to the conference we play in this year. Not only that, but our program is at the level to where we have been to the NCAA three years in a row due to being in the NCHC.

Imagine languishing in the now CCHA and circling the calendar for that big Ferris State game? So glad that our program went the route that it did.

There was a thread on College Hockey Reddit about why Ferris has fallen off.

A Ferris fan was lamenting on its existence in the WCHA/CCHA and how they can't compete with teams from bigger conferences for talent. He called out a few teams including Western.

I had to laugh remembering there was a time in this forum's history where people actually believed the WCHA/CCHA was a better path for Western.

(05-03-2024 10:11 AM)BroncoMinor Wrote:  

(05-03-2024 07:55 AM)LunaBebe Wrote:  That was my original point. We got in strictly due to the conference we play in this year. Not only that, but our program is at the level to where we have been to the NCAA three years in a row due to being in the NCHC.

Imagine languishing in the now CCHA and circling the calendar for that big Ferris State game? So glad that our program went the route that it did.

There was a thread on College Hockey Reddit about why Ferris has fallen off.

A Ferris fan was lamenting on its existence in the WCHA/CCHA and how they can't compete with teams from bigger conferences for talent. He called out a few teams including Western.

I had to laugh remembering there was a time in this forum's history where people actually believed the WCHA/CCHA was a better path for Western.

Wow.

(05-03-2024 10:11 AM)BroncoMinor Wrote:  

(05-03-2024 07:55 AM)LunaBebe Wrote:  That was my original point. We got in strictly due to the conference we play in this year. Not only that, but our program is at the level to where we have been to the NCAA three years in a row due to being in the NCHC.

Imagine languishing in the now CCHA and circling the calendar for that big Ferris State game? So glad that our program went the route that it did.

There was a thread on College Hockey Reddit about why Ferris has fallen off.

A Ferris fan was lamenting on its existence in the WCHA/CCHA and how they can't compete with teams from bigger conferences for talent. He called out a few teams including Western.

I had to laugh remembering there was a time in this forum's history where people actually believed the WCHA/CCHA was a better path for Western.

I'll admit while i never fully bought into the "stay in the CCHA/WHCA" crowd, i was TERRIFIED when we were announced in the NCHC with the teams that were listed, especially because we were like 2 years into being "back". Very glad to have that fear proven wrong.

(05-03-2024 10:11 AM)BroncoMinor Wrote:  

(05-03-2024 07:55 AM)LunaBebe Wrote:  That was my original point. We got in strictly due to the conference we play in this year. Not only that, but our program is at the level to where we have been to the NCAA three years in a row due to being in the NCHC.

Imagine languishing in the now CCHA and circling the calendar for that big Ferris State game? So glad that our program went the route that it did.

There was a thread on College Hockey Reddit about why Ferris has fallen off.

A Ferris fan was lamenting on its existence in the WCHA/CCHA and how they can't compete with teams from bigger conferences for talent. He called out a few teams including Western.

I had to laugh remembering there was a time in this forum's history where people actually believed the WCHA/CCHA was a better path for Western.

Bob Daniels needs to go. I know he’s been there forever and has at least played for a national championship but they need some new blood in there to change things around, otherwise they’re just gonna continue to be a bottom feeder in the ccha.

I guess maybe Ferris cares more about their football program than hockey anymore and is just content on being a bottom feeder ccha team.