I also disagree with the comment that their program would be on the level of a North Dakota or Minnesota, I think that is a ridiculous statement. It takes a long time to develop a hockey program and they would be lucky to get to the same level of an SCSU, MSU-M Mankato or a BSU.
Now comes Minnesota State University Moorhead with an intriguing proposal to add Division I men’s and women’s hockey to its sports programs. MSUM is serious about taking the plunge if all the pieces of the D-I puzzle can be put into place. It’s very early in the process, but a couple of the major pieces – affiliation with the Western Collegiate Hockey Association and playing at the new Urban Plains Center – appear to be sliding into place.
But there is a much bigger piece: money, at least $10 million in external funding, said MSUM President Edna Szymanski. The president said a D-I hockey program could be very good for the school in terms of profile and student recruiting, but she said MSUM will not proceed unless the money is on the table.
Which brings us back to the intensity and dedication of hockey fans: The $10 million would have to come from sources other than public higher education appropriations. Private money will fund the hockey venture. MSUM Athletic Director Doug Peters says at this point getting a program up and running has a 50-50 chance. But it is unlikely the school would have gone public without some sort of commitment from a heavy hitter, or two or three, regarding the $10 million.
Make no mistake about it: D-I hockey at MSUM would mean world-class hockey in the style of the University of North Dakota Sioux and the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers would come to town. Collegiate hockey does not get any better. It would be a huge coup for obsessive fans and a high-quality sports attraction for casual fans.
It’s worth a look. It’s worth a hard-headed, eyes-wide-open analysis. When all is said and done, it will mean one of two things: another successful D-I sport for Fargo-Moorhead or another indication Fargo is not a hockey town.
(read the whole article here)
It will be interesting to see how this all goes down. I have a feeling that the Beavers will not get into the WCHA without another school applying as well. Thus, Beavers fans and supporters should be trying to be best friends with MSU-Moorhead. To say that this school all of the sudden wants to start D-1 hockey in the elite WCHA and will compete evenly with the likes of UND or Minnesota is completely absurd. It takes years and years and years to develop a top-tier program. Heck, look at St Cloud: they've done a pretty good job getting into upper-echelon status and they've only been around since 1990. And just to clarify, Minnesota is NOT on the same level as North Dakota. Minnesota is several steps down, and in between them is Wisconsin and Denver.
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