Bowling Green Sentinel-Tribune with a significant scoop:

http://www.sent-trib.com/bgsu-sports/buf...st-9-25-11

Boston Bruins owner may help finance DI hockey at Buffalo

Buffalo may join CCHA with Bowling Green, Canisius, Mercyhurst, Niagara, Robert Morris

Excellent news, D1 hockey needs to grow and it will take deep pockets for that to happen. This could fuel MAC hockey rumors, as schools MIGHT consider adding the sport if they can control travel costs. Of course, WMU and especially Miami would be loathe to leave the NCHC so I don't think discussions would go far.

(09-26-2011 02:44 AM)notauser Wrote:  Excellent news, D1 hockey needs to grow and it will take deep pockets for that to happen. This could fuel MAC hockey rumors, as schools MIGHT consider adding the sport if they can control travel costs. Of course, WMU and especially Miami would be loathe to leave the NCHC so I don't think discussions would go far.

Much like what happened with the Big 10, a MAC hockey conference would be very likely if 6 MAC teams were playing the sport. I wouldn't say inevitable, but very likely. You'd likely have 4 teams (BGSU, Buffalo, whoever else starts up) very much in favor, one (WMU) who could take it or leave it, and one (Miami) against it. IIRC, that was pretty much the situation with the Big 10 (Minnesota hated it).

From a WMU perspective, it would really be fine for us.. as long as Miami and to some extent BGSU were around, the MAC would be a pretty solid conference, and there are questions about the long term competitiveness in the NCHC. Not that we aren't a competitive program, but that is just a ridiculous conference, and no matter what happens, there are going to be a few great programs that struggle every year in conference play. It's just not a very balanced league.

(09-26-2011 06:33 AM)wmubroncopilot Wrote:  From a WMU perspective, it would really be fine for us.. as long as Miami and to some extent BGSU were around, the MAC would be a pretty solid conference, and there are questions about the long term competitiveness in the NCHC. Not that we aren't a competitive program, but that is just a ridiculous conference, and no matter what happens, there are going to be a few great programs that struggle every year in conference play. It's just not a very balanced league.

SCREW the former CCHA teams that left for the NCHC.

(09-26-2011 07:29 AM)Pulltown Falcon Wrote:  

(09-26-2011 06:33 AM)wmubroncopilot Wrote:  From a WMU perspective, it would really be fine for us.. as long as Miami and to some extent BGSU were around, the MAC would be a pretty solid conference, and there are questions about the long term competitiveness in the NCHC. Not that we aren't a competitive program, but that is just a ridiculous conference, and no matter what happens, there are going to be a few great programs that struggle every year in conference play. It's just not a very balanced league.

SCREW the former CCHA teams that left for the NCHC.

I get where you're coming from, because we were in the same situation less than a week ago. But you can't tell me that BGSU wouldn't have done the same thing if they were in Miami or WMU's shoes.

BGSU has nobody to blame but themselves (for letting a proud, successful program slowly decline). It's not in WMU's interest to rot away to mid-major status in the new CCHA when we have a chance to do more.

(09-26-2011 09:51 AM)wmubroncopilot Wrote:  

(09-26-2011 07:29 AM)Pulltown Falcon Wrote:  

(09-26-2011 06:33 AM)wmubroncopilot Wrote:  From a WMU perspective, it would really be fine for us.. as long as Miami and to some extent BGSU were around, the MAC would be a pretty solid conference, and there are questions about the long term competitiveness in the NCHC. Not that we aren't a competitive program, but that is just a ridiculous conference, and no matter what happens, there are going to be a few great programs that struggle every year in conference play. It's just not a very balanced league.

SCREW the former CCHA teams that left for the NCHC.

I get where you're coming from, because we were in the same situation less than a week ago. But you can't tell me that BGSU wouldn't have done the same thing if they were in Miami or WMU's shoes.

BGSU has nobody to blame but themselves (for letting a proud, successful program slowly decline). It's not in WMU's interest to rot away to mid-major status in the new CCHA when we have a chance to do more.

I think you're being too kind. There is no reason to criticize the CCHA teams that left other than envy.

BGSU shouldn't be depending on the kindness of strangers to take care of itself. BG has several options, including staying in the CCHA, going independent, all while promoting hockey among MAC universities to make it a conference sport.

And yes, they are to blame for allowing a storied program to decline. I can't imagine this happening 25 years ago. BG hockey would be a much sought after gem.

But, if Miami and WMU have grown quality programs, BG can come back. But they won't get there griping about other teams.

Miami and WMU are trying the NCHC for right now but I think if you can get Buffalo to move to D1 in Hockey along with one more school (Ohio?) starting a MAC Hockey Conference is a sensible way to go.

This is great news...even if UB is only talking about it. There are so many good hockey players coming out of Western NY to play D1 college and Pro hockey. It really makes no sense that BUffalo doesn't already have hockey at that level. It's the one sport they could be really good at.

(09-26-2011 11:24 AM)Louis Kitton Wrote:  Miami and WMU are trying the NCHC for right now but I think if you can get Buffalo to move to D1 in Hockey along with one more school (Ohio?) starting a MAC Hockey Conference is a sensible way to go.

NIU makes the most sense.

Why not Central Michigan? They are in the heart of rabid hockey country. Hockey would be hugely successful there.

(09-26-2011 12:19 PM)DICK Wrote:  Why not Central Michigan? They are in the heart of rabid hockey country. Hockey would be hugely successful there.

Maybe. But CMU obviously faces a lot of in-state competition.

Illinois OTOH- No in-state competition at Div I. Bigger population than Mich. NIU on outskirts of affluent area. Long time hockey interest of populace.

Good. If we can get a few new programs out of this, it'll be silver lining out of this suckfest in college hockey since Penn State announced especially since 1-3 teams are probably still in dire straits. Even getting the "preferred" choice of conference, WMU is going from 4 day trips within the conference for fans to 0, maybe 1 if Notre Dame comes along eventually. We'll go from bringing 7-8,000 Broncos to Joe Louis Arena to 500-1,000 to the XCel Center in Minneapolis or wherever the NCHC ends up. That's occurring across most of the midwest because of these shakeups and that's what sucks.

Kent used to have an official team and we still have a decent club team. Do any other MAC schools have a similar situation (used to have an official team and now only have a Club team)?

(09-26-2011 03:18 PM)Sultan of Euphonistan Wrote:  Kent used to have an official team and we still have a decent club team. Do any other MAC schools have a similar situation (used to have an official team and now only have a Club team)?

Ohio.


Jeff Jackson stated during Notre Dame media days that ND independence really isn't an option. I think Bowling Green and Notre Dame have been playing the field the whole time and will keep the CCHA alive with the AHA-4 and Buffalo. Notre Dame didn't want to be part of the NCHC (not enough schools with academic prestige), certainly didn't want to be part of a CCHA with DII's Lake St, N Mich, and Ferris State, wants to play a schedule filled with Big Ten teams, wants to affiliate with Catholic schools, wants a conference it can call the shots in, with a tournament and autobid.

Notre Dame (14 games in conference - 4 pts for a win, tournament in South Bend at new arena, mostly non-conference schedule against Big Ten)
Bowling Green (26 games in conference)
Canisius
Mercyhurst
Robert Morris
Niagara
Buffalo
maybe UAH

Initially, this will not be a strong conference, so ND and BG will dominate. After a few years, however, that might change. Could see Miami and W Michigan reviewing their affiliations if the new CCHA becomes even close to ascending to a power conference.

So you could have Miami, WMU, BGSU, Buffalo, Kent, and Ohio? Get NIU and Toledo to add it and we would have been in business. That would have been fun oh well.

I wish Akron's club team could move on to campus. Right now they play in Canton.

(09-26-2011 04:45 PM)uakronkid Wrote:  I wish Akron's club team could move on to campus. Right now they play in Canton.

Oddly Kent plays a WMU team but does not play Akron this year. What is up with that?

Also Kent beat Buffalo at least once already this year woot!

(09-26-2011 05:05 PM)Sultan of Euphonistan Wrote:  

(09-26-2011 04:45 PM)uakronkid Wrote:  I wish Akron's club team could move on to campus. Right now they play in Canton.

Oddly Kent plays a WMU team but does not play Akron this year. What is up with that?

I don't know. We play CMU, Ohio, BG, and Toledo.

Independence just isn't an option, Torch. UAH is in real trouble already, begging for $500,000 a year from donors or shutting down. True, BG has some closer opponents, but you gotta have that conference or its a death sentence. Scheduling is a nightmare, especially getting home games late in a season.

I like this idea of keeping the CCHA alive. BG doesn't have to go to Alaska twice. UB comes on board and you want to see a scene? Three hockey schools all in Buffalo, that could be something else. I don't know that BG has been good enough to say they would dominate with ND, but frankly, I don't see the big deal about the NCHC anyway. Quality hockey, yes, but not like earth shattering stuff outside of the hockey insider universe.

Let BG and ND unite and save the new-breed CCHA!

It's a shame that EMU's Club Hockey program has fallen as far as it has as well. The couple of years prior to me becoming a student at EMU back in '03, they had a #1 ranked club team and were competitive in games against the big, bad mighty "Penn State" which had been dominate in D-I in the ACHA.

Glad to see Buffalo finally put some more energy into developing a program in hockey, it makes a ton of sense!