CSNbbs

We would have 4 teams and only need 2 out of 4 to join from club.


CMU
Ohio
EMU
Toledo
NIU

No.

Only? Hockey is very, very expensive to startup. Look what it took for Penn State to move up...

There is zero chance of UMass leaving Hockey East, so I wouldn't count on them. Asking other MAC schools to move up would require them to have a usable arena, or someone with a whole lot of cash a la Penn State.

I've said previously that I don't understand why the MAC requires members to sponsor baseball and softball, when it would probably be more beneficial to allow certain schools to focus on men's and women's hockey.

Certainly no reason for Buffalo to be playing baseball instead of hockey. A college baseball season that starts in February can't work in the North.

Buffalo has to for full conference membership. Baseball is a required sport.

Duluth blog on new conference

This sportswriter's blog is saying that an anti-Big Ten power league could form:

Notre Dame
Miami
North Dakota
Neb-Omaha
Denver
Colorado College

With Notre Dame opening up their new rink this fall, Notre Dame is not willing to let it's hockey languish in a CCHA with upper peninsula schools.

That would leave Bowling Green and W Michigan in the CCHA, and a MAC league wouldn't be feasible.

(04-19-2011 12:29 PM)OZoner Wrote: [ -> ]Buffalo has to for full conference membership. Baseball is a required sport.

Didn't the MAC recently drop baseball as a required sport? Or was that just another message board rumor?

(04-19-2011 02:19 PM)NoDak Wrote: [ -> ]Duluth blog on new conference

This sportswriter's blog is saying that an anti-Big Ten power league could form:

Notre Dame
Miami
North Dakota
Neb-Omaha
Denver
Colorado College

With Notre Dame opening up their new rink this fall, Notre Dame is not willing to let it's hockey languish in a CCHA with upper peninsula schools.

That would leave Bowling Green and W Michigan in the CCHA, and a MAC league wouldn't be feasible.

I prefer the USCHO forum's name for that conference : The Butthurt Hockey Conference

A few years back when EMU's Hockey Club was still playing at the Ann Arbor Ice Cube and were one of the upper echeclon teams in the ACHA D-I, I might have actually thought that they could have had a reasonable shot to move up. However, most people that I talked to related to the ACHA at the D-1 Level was more comparable to NCAA D-III hockey if that. I see Penn State initially really struggling to get their program going at the NCAA level, but it honestly doesn't shock me that they decided to take the jump as their program at the club level was dominate.

The interesting name there is Ohio U. When I covered the EMU Hockey team more closely, Ohio U was highly successful and played a very good brand of hockey. I also heard a lot of great stories about games at Bird Ice Arena as well, from what I gathered they got decent crowds.

Your best chances if any would be EMU and Ohio, but I really doubt their would be too much viability for it overall.

A few years back when EMU's Hockey Club was still playing at the Ann Arbor Ice Cube and were one of the upper echeclon teams in the ACHA D-I, I might have actually thought that they could have had a reasonable shot to move up. However, most people that I talked to related to the ACHA at the D-1 Level was more comparable to NCAA D-III hockey if that. I see Penn State initially really struggling to get their program going at the NCAA level, but it honestly doesn't shock me that they decided to take the jump as their program at the club level was dominate.

The interesting name there is Ohio U. When I covered the EMU Hockey team more closely, Ohio U was highly successful and played a very good brand of hockey. I also heard a lot of great stories about games at Bird Ice Arena as well, from what I gathered they got decent crowds.

Your best chances if any would be EMU and Ohio, but I really doubt their would be too much viability for it overall.

(04-19-2011 02:20 PM)NoDak Wrote: [ -> ]

(04-19-2011 12:29 PM)OZoner Wrote: [ -> ]Buffalo has to for full conference membership. Baseball is a required sport.

Didn't the MAC recently drop baseball as a required sport? Or was that just another message board rumor?

Rumor.

And Ohio will absolutely not add hockey. 0% chance. Bird Arena isn't NCAA size, so they would have to renovate either that building or The Convo (more likely), which would cost a ton of money they don't have plus adding women's sports to cover Title IX. Will. Not. Happen.

(04-19-2011 02:20 PM)NoDak Wrote: [ -> ]

(04-19-2011 12:29 PM)OZoner Wrote: [ -> ]Buffalo has to for full conference membership. Baseball is a required sport.

Didn't the MAC recently drop baseball as a required sport? Or was that just another message board rumor?

A rumor. And a great idea. Of course, the MAC isn't known for following through on great ideas.

(04-19-2011 07:36 PM)uakronkid Wrote: [ -> ]

(04-19-2011 02:20 PM)NoDak Wrote: [ -> ]

(04-19-2011 12:29 PM)OZoner Wrote: [ -> ]Buffalo has to for full conference membership. Baseball is a required sport.

Didn't the MAC recently drop baseball as a required sport? Or was that just another message board rumor?

A rumor. And a great idea. Of course, the MAC isn't known for following through coming up with on great ideas.

FIFY

I really hope that UT considers starting up hockey, especially if baseball is dropped as a required sport. We have a nice new arena downtown http://www.stadiumjourney.com/stadiums/h...nter-s873/ we could play in and a few different rinks to practice at around town. The arena is actually county owned so I'm sure something could be worked out. We also have/had(not sure if it's still going on) a partnership with the Red Wings for academic scholarships and maybe that could translate with help with startup. Also our associate ad who was very opposed to the thought of hockey is retiring(pretty sure he was the one at least).

The better question is will UMass help BG and WMU find a home in Hockey East once ND and Miami bolt for the WCHA?

^I'm sure we'd put in a call as a courtesy for our new football conference mates, but there's no way in hell Hockey East would do it. There's lots of resistance to the idea of possibly inviting Notre Dame, nevermind WMU and BG. There was an article in a Mass paper awhile back about possibly bringing Miami into Hockey East, but I think that writer was talking out of his butt.

(04-20-2011 11:07 PM)LastMinuteman Wrote: [ -> ]^I'm sure we'd put in a call as a courtesy for our new football conference mates, but there's no way in hell Hockey East would do it. There's lots of resistance to the idea of possibly inviting Notre Dame, nevermind WMU and BG. There was an article in a Mass paper awhile back about possibly bringing Miami into Hockey East, but I think that writer was talking out of his butt.

That's been my read. Having a conference with almost all bus trips and no real need for overnight stays outside of Maine is a pretty attractive thing to give up, even for the Irish.

(04-19-2011 05:17 PM)TheCrumbIsHere Wrote: [ -> ]A few years back when EMU's Hockey Club was still playing at the Ann Arbor Ice Cube and were one of the upper echeclon teams in the ACHA D-I, I might have actually thought that they could have had a reasonable shot to move up. However, most people that I talked to related to the ACHA at the D-1 Level was more comparable to NCAA D-III hockey if that. I see Penn State initially really struggling to get their program going at the NCAA level, but it honestly doesn't shock me that they decided to take the jump as their program at the club level was dominate.

The interesting name there is Ohio U. When I covered the EMU Hockey team more closely, Ohio U was highly successful and played a very good brand of hockey. I also heard a lot of great stories about games at Bird Ice Arena as well, from what I gathered they got decent crowds.

Your best chances if any would be EMU and Ohio, but I really doubt their would be too much viability for it overall.

If UB could dump baseball I suspect that they would be the most likely.. There is an 1800 seat area across the street from campus and there are already two D1 teams within a 30 minute drive (Niagara, and RIT).

Penn State is starting D1 hockey because the Sabres' new owner gave the school $88 million and said "Make it so", not because their club team was any good. I doubt more than a handful of their club guys will even make their first roster.