Sunday, June 17, 2012

UAA AD Cobb not a fan of "Mystery Alaska"

Xcel Energy Center
This past Week the remaining teams in the WCHA had their conference meeting and have begun to work out some of the details about how their league is going to be run going forward.

There have been various news stories to come out of the WCHA meetings that concluded last Wednesday.With each passing day it seems some more news emerges, some of this news adds to the already released information.

Apparently the UAA athletic director Steve Cobb is not a real big fan of the nWCHA's new playoff format - after reading his comments he has basically said what I and others have said. Actually, he has some sharp words of criticism for the new format as well  - Cobb called the "Mystery Alaska Rule" embarrassing - I have to say that I agree with him. The new rule challenges the integrity of the WCHA's conference tourney.
Doyle Woody, Anchorage Daily News --- The unusual playoff format for the Alaska schools, a cost-saving measure approved by an 8-1 vote during league meetings in Detroit last week, did not receive a stick salute from Cobb, who said he cast the only dissenting vote.

"I think it is embarrassing, and I think it is bad for college hockey and bad for our league,'' Cobb said. "Don't get me wrong, we love playing Fairbanks. But the playoffs are supposed to be an earned deal. You don't pick your opponent.''

Having UAA travel to UAF for a best-of-3, first-round series, or vice versa, would save the new league considerable money compared to either Alaska team traveling to the Lower 48 or having an opponent, or two, travel to Alaska.
It also looks like the WCHA is going to have their conference tourney in the Xcel Energy Center in 2015 when the B1G is going to be in Detroit. So the NCHC is going to go head to head with the WCHA and the B1G conference tourneys.
Cobb said the league will play its Final Five at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minn., in 2015 -- that's been the site of the Final Five for years -- but has yet to determine a Final Five site for 2014. The Big Ten has booked the Xcel for its tournaments in 2014 and 2016.
It will be interesting to see where the first nWCHA conferece tourney will be held - you have to wonder if some of the Michigan schools like LSSU, NMU, MTU, FSU will lobby for the conference tourney to be held in the Joe Louis Arena for the 2014 season?
Enhanced by Zemanta