(05-17-2022 02:11 PM)nodak651 Wrote:  My main point was that this rumor did not stem from UND's fan base.

It quite literally started with one of the greatest detractors of UND Hockey, namely Pat Reusse of the Star Tribune, on a MSP radio sports talk show.

https://forum.siouxsports.com/topic/1962...ent-947390

The money quote from Reusse is here:
https://forum.siouxsports.com/topic/1962...ent-947457

Reusse claims UND told the B1G ... "show me the money!"

Assumption (D-II, Massachusetts) is elevating its women's program to varsity status. I'd imagine they will be joining their Northeast 10 conference mates Franklin Pierce, St. A's, and St. Michael's in the NEWHA, but the release has that as TBA.

https://www.assumption.edu/news-and-even...s-swimming

St. Thomas said their new rink will be 4-5k capacity at a recent planning meeting. If that comes to fruition I'm thinking St. Thomas gets an NCHC invite if the league decides to add a couple.

Bowling Green is raising money for rink improvements as well apparently. Will be interesting if they can make significant improvements as the league could look to add them as well, in addition to potentially ASU and Mankato, that is if they decide to do anything at all.

Excellent summary of where things stand currently. https://www.collegehockeynews.com/news/2...ndents.php

(06-14-2022 11:58 AM)nodak651 Wrote:  Excellent summary of where things stand currently. https://www.collegehockeynews.com/news/2...ndents.php

LIU
Stonehill
Utica
St Anselm
Lindenwood
UAH

That seems like a logical league to me.

I'm a lot less excited about rumors of teams joining division one when they only anticipate offering 4 or 5 scholarships.

(06-14-2022 01:34 PM)ccd494 Wrote:  I'm a lot less excited about rumors of teams joining division one when they only anticipate offering 4 or 5 scholarships.

Agreed. The womens program had a winning record last year, so maybe more would be offered for the men to be competetive (I'd hope). There's a rumor that part of the reason Utica hasn't gotten an invite to Atlantic hockey yet is because some of the coaches were worried that Utica would be too good, too quickly, essentially. So maybe if Atlantic hockey splits, it would be more so along the line of budgets/goals than geography. I mean if you really look at it, now that RIT will be able to have schollarships, and with their new arena, and Sacred Hearts new arena, those programs and others with better funding would probably like to drop some of the dead weight. St. Anselem and Stonehille could play with the bottom half of the Atlantic and Utica could join the top half. LIU could probably join the bottom half as well, but I think they have potential longer term. IMO, the only way that conference splits is if low budget teams get left behind, IMO. Just no way there is enough mutual agreement to split the conference solely to get another auto bid. It will be interesting to see how Lindenwood does their first couple years and how well they do to draw attendence and grow budget.

Michigan not in this year's Great Lakes Invitational: https://www.michigandaily.com/ice-hockey...itational/

Pretty impressive and extended temper tantrum by the Wolverines.

So will Western Michigan effectively take Michigan's spot and become a permanent member?

(06-19-2022 02:36 PM)OhioBoilermaker Wrote:  So will Western Michigan effectively take Michigan's spot and become a permanent member?

If this thing is going to work in Grand Rapids, it would make sense to keep bringing in that same lineup as often as possible.

That said, I selfishly would hope they spread the wealth a little bit. Bowling Green won the Great Lakes Invitational in 2018 when it was still in Detroit. It's a great tournament, and I'd like to see our guys in there once in a while.

Tournament's probably done in a couple years. I can't see it being sustainable in GR, especially w/out Michigan. Just the reality.

I’d like to see the 3 Ohio teams host a 4th, out -of-state team in a similar format in Columbus. I feel like this used to be a thing but was discontinued.

(06-21-2022 04:58 PM)Fighting Muskie Wrote:  I’d like to see the 3 Ohio teams host a 4th, out -of-state team in a similar format in Columbus. I feel like this used to be a thing but was discontinued.

Would've made a lot of sense to include Notre Dame when they were still in the Hockey East. Unfortunately these sorts of knock-off Beanpots can be pretty hit or miss. Was not a success in Minnesota.

(06-21-2022 04:58 PM)Fighting Muskie Wrote:  I’d like to see the 3 Ohio teams host a 4th, out -of-state team in a similar format in Columbus. I feel like this used to be a thing but was discontinued.

I don't think this was a thing. There was an Ohio Cup for the best Ohio team when all three played in the old CCHA. In recent seasons, Ohio State, Bowling Green, and Miami have played home-and-homes with each other. But Miami has not been on Bowling Green's schedule last season or this one, and I don't expect that to change in the near future.

(There is said to be some bad blood over the way Chris Bergeron left Bowling Green for Miami, taking a couple of players with him. It's a shame, but it is what it is.)

These intra-Ohio games tend to draw well, at least in Bowling Green, so I think there might be some reluctance to move these games off campus, whether to Columbus or Toledo or Cincinnati.

(06-21-2022 08:09 PM)OhioBoilermaker Wrote:  

(06-21-2022 04:58 PM)Fighting Muskie Wrote:  I’d like to see the 3 Ohio teams host a 4th, out -of-state team in a similar format in Columbus. I feel like this used to be a thing but was discontinued.

Would've made a lot of sense to include Notre Dame when they were still in the Hockey East. Unfortunately these sorts of knock-off Beanpots can be pretty hit or miss. Was not a success in Minnesota.

I think Connecticut's is the only one still up and running, with UConn, Yale, Quinnipiac, and Sacred Heart. That one is fun now that Sacred Heart takes hockey seriously. They play it in Bridgeport.

A "Northern New England" version was tried with Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Lowell back before UVM joined Hockey East. Didn't take. I was never sure why Lowell was involved instead of Dartmouth. They also played it at campus sites, so it wasn't anything exciting.

The key, I think, is to have it be teams that are geographically compact but not in the same conference. That's rare.

(06-22-2022 12:45 PM)ccd494 Wrote:  

(06-21-2022 08:09 PM)OhioBoilermaker Wrote:  

(06-21-2022 04:58 PM)Fighting Muskie Wrote:  I’d like to see the 3 Ohio teams host a 4th, out -of-state team in a similar format in Columbus. I feel like this used to be a thing but was discontinued.

Would've made a lot of sense to include Notre Dame when they were still in the Hockey East. Unfortunately these sorts of knock-off Beanpots can be pretty hit or miss. Was not a success in Minnesota.

I think Connecticut's is the only one still up and running, with UConn, Yale, Quinnipiac, and Sacred Heart. That one is fun now that Sacred Heart takes hockey seriously. They play it in Bridgeport.

A "Northern New England" version was tried with Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Lowell back before UVM joined Hockey East. Didn't take. I was never sure why Lowell was involved instead of Dartmouth. They also played it at campus sites, so it wasn't anything exciting.

The key, I think, is to have it be teams that are geographically compact but not in the same conference. That's rare.

The geographically compact thing is the more important one. The Beanpot has 3 of the 4 teams all in Hockey East, and all 4 of them were in the ECAC prior to Hockey East forming in the 80s. It's the fact that they're all D1 schools within a very compact area (with BC being the furthest away) and having access to a place like the Garden in the same general area.

(06-21-2022 04:45 PM)Bronco14 Wrote:  Tournament's probably done in a couple years. I can't see it being sustainable in GR, especially w/out Michigan. Just the reality.

It's too bad since it was the closest thing to a Beanpot-like tournament in the Midwest.

I can't say that I'm surprised, though. The Big Ten schools are going to only get more exclusionary in scheduling any road/neutral site game going forward in pretty much every sport (even hockey where it has been historically more egalitarian).

(06-22-2022 12:55 PM)e-parade Wrote:  

(06-22-2022 12:45 PM)ccd494 Wrote:  

(06-21-2022 08:09 PM)OhioBoilermaker Wrote:  

(06-21-2022 04:58 PM)Fighting Muskie Wrote:  I’d like to see the 3 Ohio teams host a 4th, out -of-state team in a similar format in Columbus. I feel like this used to be a thing but was discontinued.

Would've made a lot of sense to include Notre Dame when they were still in the Hockey East. Unfortunately these sorts of knock-off Beanpots can be pretty hit or miss. Was not a success in Minnesota.

I think Connecticut's is the only one still up and running, with UConn, Yale, Quinnipiac, and Sacred Heart. That one is fun now that Sacred Heart takes hockey seriously. They play it in Bridgeport.

A "Northern New England" version was tried with Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Lowell back before UVM joined Hockey East. Didn't take. I was never sure why Lowell was involved instead of Dartmouth. They also played it at campus sites, so it wasn't anything exciting.

The key, I think, is to have it be teams that are geographically compact but not in the same conference. That's rare.

The geographically compact thing is the more important one. The Beanpot has 3 of the 4 teams all in Hockey East, and all 4 of them were in the ECAC prior to Hockey East forming in the 80s. It's the fact that they're all D1 schools within a very compact area (with BC being the furthest away) and having access to a place like the Garden in the same general area.

I think that you also need some level of perceived cultural parity. Consider the case of the "North Star Cup." Mankato, Bemidji, and St. Cloud all can maintain competitive hockey programs. But with the breakup of the WCHA, I think that the fan interest in watching Minnesota vs. Bemidji in a nonconference game has waned. Minnesota and to a lesser extent UMD are the cultural "big dogs" amongst the five hockey schools, whether this is reflected in the quality of hockey or not. You don't have this sort of dynamic in the beanpot; all of the teams are cultural peers.

A much more interesting North Star Cup would have been St. Thomas, Hamline, Augsburg, and Bethel, pre St. Thomas move-up.

Upper Midwest Showcase played as two different four-team tourneys ...

Top 4: North Dakota, Minnesota, UM-Duluth, MinnSt-Mankato
Bottom 4: St. Cloud, Bemidji, Augustana, St. Thomas

Team that loses two in the Top 4 weekend tournament is relegated next year; winner of Bottom 4 is advanced.

Lindenwood's first D1 schedule should be considered hazing.

October 1/2, @ Minnesota
October 7/8, @ Michigan
October 14/15, home v. Air Force
October 21/22, @ AIC (Springfield, MA)
October 28/29, @ Bentley (Waltham, MA)
November 4/5, @ Army
November 18/19, @ Wisconsin
December 16/17, @ Denver