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

(06-30-2019 08:58 AM)brovol Wrote:  

(06-28-2019 11:38 PM)Charm City Bronco Wrote:  Has anyone seen brovol lately?

This is, as conceded by everyone here, nothing more than the WCHA making itself a more cost effective conference, retooling itself by eliminating the financial baggage in the Alaska schools and Alabama. If WMU were in the WCHA we would be in that same mix, and would be in a better financial position because of it. Those who blindly support WMU in the NCHC, regardless of the history lesson that the last seven years has provided, and the overwhelming evidence that my prognostications back then proved clairvoyant, lose sight of the fact that, with the exception of perhaps two seasons, we have not been particularly competitive in the conference, and certainly have not come close to improving our position in terms of advancing in the NCAA tournament.

The WCHA schools are making a smart and intuitive move to improve themselves. Put WMU in that group of schools, and you have a very decent and competitively balanced conference, with regional benefits, including cost control, and school familiararity. Once more, WMU would be in a better position to make the NCAA tournament at the end of most seasons.

Before anyone shoots off too much on this revamping of the WCHA you may want to be sure WMU isn't contemplating a move back there in light of the harsh lessons learned since joining the "elite " conference.

I bet you still believe the Titanic is unsinkable too.

(06-30-2019 07:19 PM)wingsenforcer Wrote:  Leaving the NCHC would be a downgrade, period.

We don't need to be kings of a bus league for a better crack at qualifying for the the NCAA tournament. Just making sure you get in the door doesn't mean you're going to advance.

That just earned you an 8 page diatribe from day drinking judge Judy where the judge will cite travel costs, qualifying for the NCAA like that is relevant after this last year, and anything else that supports his desire for us to be local and then he can brag to his middle Michigan ilk about how WMU hockey competes against their bus league teams.

ENJOY!

My opinion of NCHC vs WCHA is well known but if someone has a different opinion that's totally up to them . I'm all about playing against the best comp possible and believe this will attract the best players for us as well .
As far as costs go we play a lot of bus trip non conference games so our travel schedule other than to Denver is not that bad but Denver is a major hub so plane tickets are quite reasonable .Omaha would be most costly trip and Minn D , St Cloud and UND are trips to Minneapolis airport then bus trip and that is another major airport so cost are not bad either .

As long as WMU is playing Ferris, BG and one of Notre Dame, MSU and Michigan at home in nonconference play, I suspect the schedule will be fine. This year, it's all of those except Sparty.

(06-30-2019 08:02 PM)Rasser Wrote:  

(06-30-2019 07:19 PM)wingsenforcer Wrote:  Leaving the NCHC would be a downgrade, period.

We don't need to be kings of a bus league for a better crack at qualifying for the the NCAA tournament. Just making sure you get in the door doesn't mean you're going to advance.

That just earned you an 8 page diatribe from day drinking judge Judy where the judge will cite travel costs, qualifying for the NCAA like that is relevant after this last year, and anything else that supports his desire for us to be local and then he can brag to his middle Michigan ilk about how WMU hockey competes against their bus league teams.

ENJOY!

Like the NCHC or no, bottom line: We HAVE to start being relevant in the National Tournament, a phrase which here means getting in once so far and losing is INEXCUSABLE.

(06-30-2019 10:35 PM)bronconick Wrote:  As long as WMU is playing Ferris, BG and one of Notre Dame, MSU and Michigan at home in nonconference play, I suspect the schedule will be fine. This year, it's all of those except Sparty.

I too have liked how our non conf schedules have settled. Wish we'd trade a few trips with the UP schools.

(06-30-2019 08:58 AM)brovol Wrote:  This is, as conceded by everyone here, nothing more than the WCHA making itself a more cost effective conference, retooling itself by eliminating the financial baggage in the Alaska schools and Alabama. If WMU were in the WCHA we would be in that same mix, and would be in a better financial position because of it. Those who blindly support WMU in the NCHC, regardless of the history lesson that the last seven years has provided, and the overwhelming evidence that my prognostications back then proved clairvoyant, lose sight of the fact that, with the exception of perhaps two seasons, we have not been particularly competitive in the conference, and certainly have not come close to improving our position in terms of advancing in the NCAA tournament.

The WCHA schools are making a smart and intuitive move to improve themselves. Put WMU in that group of schools, and you have a very decent and competitively balanced conference, with regional benefits, including cost control, and school familiararity. Once more, WMU would be in a better position to make the NCAA tournament at the end of most seasons.

Before anyone shoots off too much on this revamping of the WCHA you may want to be sure WMU isn't contemplating a move back there in light of the harsh lessons learned since joining the "elite " conference.

We agree that the only thing we care about are NCAA tournament wins. I'd settle for WMU being in this bus league if we would win meaningful games. But I feel that the NCHC is still the best path toward that goal and sustained success.

(07-02-2019 07:57 PM)Charm City Bronco Wrote:  

(06-30-2019 08:58 AM)brovol Wrote:  This is, as conceded by everyone here, nothing more than the WCHA making itself a more cost effective conference, retooling itself by eliminating the financial baggage in the Alaska schools and Alabama. If WMU were in the WCHA we would be in that same mix, and would be in a better financial position because of it. Those who blindly support WMU in the NCHC, regardless of the history lesson that the last seven years has provided, and the overwhelming evidence that my prognostications back then proved clairvoyant, lose sight of the fact that, with the exception of perhaps two seasons, we have not been particularly competitive in the conference, and certainly have not come close to improving our position in terms of advancing in the NCAA tournament.

The WCHA schools are making a smart and intuitive move to improve themselves. Put WMU in that group of schools, and you have a very decent and competitively balanced conference, with regional benefits, including cost control, and school familiararity. Once more, WMU would be in a better position to make the NCAA tournament at the end of most seasons.

Before anyone shoots off too much on this revamping of the WCHA you may want to be sure WMU isn't contemplating a move back there in light of the harsh lessons learned since joining the "elite " conference.

We agree that the only thing we care about are NCAA tournament wins. I'd settle for WMU being in this bus league if we would win meaningful games. But I feel that the NCHC is still the best path toward that goal and sustained success.

Of course it is, unless you rely on a fluke run. Funny, we hear and seem to care so much about tournament wins, but we didn't go so often pre-NCHC days, that's a hollow metric, like dividing by zero.

CC, with all their tradition, championships, money, facilities is just now starting to again get traction and be a consistently quality program. With hockey it takes time, and our 3rd place finish, owning UMD who won it all in the tournament, and having a Hobey candidate coming back next year to make another run are all a sign that this program has arrived. We finished squarely on the bubble last year for selection, an October loss to BUGS pretty much kept us out no less. Expectations are high for the upcoming season, I'm excited to see it start.

Downgrading to a bus league due to costs flies in the face of the original thought process of our joining the NCHC, which I fully supported and still do.

(07-02-2019 05:15 PM)Bronco14 Wrote:  Like the NCHC or no, bottom line: We HAVE to start being relevant in the National Tournament, a phrase which here means getting in once so far and losing is INEXCUSABLE.

We could hang out with Mankato to combine our 0-13 NCAA tourney records

(07-03-2019 09:07 AM)bronconick Wrote:  

(07-02-2019 05:15 PM)Bronco14 Wrote:  Like the NCHC or no, bottom line: We HAVE to start being relevant in the National Tournament, a phrase which here means getting in once so far and losing is INEXCUSABLE.

We could hang out with Mankato to combine our 0-13 NCAA tourney records

Who want in the NCHC as well, btw.

(07-03-2019 09:07 AM)bronconick Wrote:  

(07-02-2019 05:15 PM)Bronco14 Wrote:  Like the NCHC or no, bottom line: We HAVE to start being relevant in the National Tournament, a phrase which here means getting in once so far and losing is INEXCUSABLE.

We could hang out with Mankato to combine our 0-13 NCAA tourney records

I want that win before they get one.

Let's not forget, SCSU was 0-8 in the NCAA tournament until 2010. I like to compare us to them as they were also a late addition to the NCHC but have gained quite a bit of prestige since joining the NCHC.

(07-03-2019 10:06 AM)Bronc33 Wrote:  

(07-03-2019 09:07 AM)bronconick Wrote:  

(07-02-2019 05:15 PM)Bronco14 Wrote:  Like the NCHC or no, bottom line: We HAVE to start being relevant in the National Tournament, a phrase which here means getting in once so far and losing is INEXCUSABLE.

We could hang out with Mankato to combine our 0-13 NCAA tourney records

I want that win before they get one.

Let's not forget, SCSU was 0-8 in the NCAA tournament until 2010. I like to compare us to them as they were also a late addition to the NCHC but have gained quite a bit of prestige since joining the NCHC.

I think that they, of all programs, s/b our benchmark.

(07-03-2019 09:32 AM)Rasser Wrote:  

(07-03-2019 09:07 AM)bronconick Wrote:  

(07-02-2019 05:15 PM)Bronco14 Wrote:  Like the NCHC or no, bottom line: We HAVE to start being relevant in the National Tournament, a phrase which here means getting in once so far and losing is INEXCUSABLE.

We could hang out with Mankato to combine our 0-13 NCAA tourney records

Who want in the NCHC as well, btw.

Yep, every team in the crumbling WCHA would join the NCHC in a heartbeat if they could.

(07-03-2019 09:04 AM)Rasser Wrote:  

(07-02-2019 07:57 PM)Charm City Bronco Wrote:  

(06-30-2019 08:58 AM)brovol Wrote:  This is, as conceded by everyone here, nothing more than the WCHA making itself a more cost effective conference, retooling itself by eliminating the financial baggage in the Alaska schools and Alabama. If WMU were in the WCHA we would be in that same mix, and would be in a better financial position because of it. Those who blindly support WMU in the NCHC, regardless of the history lesson that the last seven years has provided, and the overwhelming evidence that my prognostications back then proved clairvoyant, lose sight of the fact that, with the exception of perhaps two seasons, we have not been particularly competitive in the conference, and certainly have not come close to improving our position in terms of advancing in the NCAA tournament.

The WCHA schools are making a smart and intuitive move to improve themselves. Put WMU in that group of schools, and you have a very decent and competitively balanced conference, with regional benefits, including cost control, and school familiararity. Once more, WMU would be in a better position to make the NCAA tournament at the end of most seasons.

Before anyone shoots off too much on this revamping of the WCHA you may want to be sure WMU isn't contemplating a move back there in light of the harsh lessons learned since joining the "elite " conference.

We agree that the only thing we care about are NCAA tournament wins. I'd settle for WMU being in this bus league if we would win meaningful games. But I feel that the NCHC is still the best path toward that goal and sustained success.

Of course it is, unless you rely on a fluke run. Funny, we hear and seem to care so much about tournament wins, but we didn't go so often pre-NCHC days, that's a hollow metric, like dividing by zero.

CC, with all their tradition, championships, money, facilities is just now starting to again get traction and be a consistently quality program. With hockey it takes time, and our 3rd place finish, owning UMD who won it all in the tournament, and having a Hobey candidate coming back next year to make another run are all a sign that this program has arrived. We finished squarely on the bubble last year for selection, an October loss to BUGS pretty much kept us out no less. Expectations are high for the upcoming season, I'm excited to see it start.

Downgrading to a bus league due to costs flies in the face of the original thought process of our joining the NCHC, which I fully supported and still do.

I would say the loss to scUM who wasnt even remotely close to making the NCAA killed us and yes, a split with BUGS wouldnt have hurt either

Wow! I didn't realize Saint Cloud St was WMU-ish a while back.

Good news is we're trending up to their level

Next thing of interest is that the override of the veto in Alaska failed meaning both teams might be done in a matter of weeks rather than years, requiring the WCHA to rewrite a new conference schedule on the fly.

(07-12-2019 03:00 PM)bronconick Wrote:  Next thing of interest is that the override of the veto in Alaska failed meaning both teams might be done in a matter of weeks rather than years, requiring the WCHA to rewrite a new conference schedule on the fly.

The hope of a large majority here is that the courts order the absent 22 lawmakers in Wasilla to go do their jobs and we get a second chance at this. This will get to the AK supreme court, so its not a done deal.

Hard to see a way forward beyond the very short term for the hockey schools though.

UA Board of Regents just held their intermediate meeting, voted 10-1 to start Financial Exigency process.

That sound you hear is "The Rains of Castamere."