Expansion talk.

Brad Elliott Schlossman has nice a blog article today about some of the things facing CHA member Alabama-Huntsville and their quest to get into the CCHA.
[University of North Dakota Hockey]

If Omaha departs the CCHA for the WCHA -- a move that is looking probable -- it would drop the CCHA to an odd number of 11 teams.

Alabama-Huntsville applied for membership in January and received a site visit from the CCHA a couple of weeks ago. The CCHA will vote on Huntsville's application in August. By then, it will know whether Omaha is on its way out.

Huntsville coach Danton Cole said today that he felt that the site visit went well. The CCHA had a few concerns and Cole said UAH is working to address those concerns "quickly."

"There is no guarantee on our future," Cole said, "regardless of what transpires with the other institutions over the summer. That being said, the university and our community are very proud of what we presented and what we have to offer the CCHA and college hockey."

Geographically, UAH isn't much different than Omaha is to the CCHA, and transportation wouldn't be all that bad. Bowling Green is a quick, three-hour drive to UAH. The Huntsville airport also has direct flights to Chicago, Detroit and Cincinnati -- which basically covers the CCHA.

The Anchorage Dail News has an article today saying that there is going to be an informal vote on expansion on next week. So WCHA fans are going to have the answer sooner rather than later. Interesting point is if league office gets expansion done before August we would have a new 12 team WCHA in 2010.
[WCHA likely to expand to 12]

UAA's hockey team is likely to get two new conference rivals in a year or two, and whether one of them is the Nanooks from up north will depend largely on a straw vote league members will take next week.

The 10-team Western Collegiate Hockey Association has all but decided to expand to 12 teams, either for the 2010-11 season or the 2011-12 season, commissioner Bruce McLeod said.

UAA athletic director Steve Cobb, one of four members of the WCHA's structure committee, thinks league members next week will vote informally on a proposal to admit both Bemidji and Omaha.

If that vote fails to show widespread support for both teams, or if Omaha decides it doesn't want to join the league, Fairbanks is expected to become a bigger part of the equation.

"Depending on how things go with Omaha, we'll consider Fairbanks," McLeod said.

The team everyone expects to gain admission is Bemidji State of Minnesota, the only school so far to formally apply for membership. Bemidji was an NCAA Frozen Four team this year, but its conference -- College Hockey America -- has disbanded.

But the WCHA wants an even number of teams, McLeod said. And so it has been talking with the University of Nebraska-Omaha, a member of the Central Collegiate Hockey Association that is a geographical fit for the WCHA.

The league has had several conversations with Omaha, McLeod said. The Mavericks recently hired head coach Dean Blais, a long-time WCHA coach who guided North Dakota to national championships in 1997 and 2000.

If Omaha decides it doesn't want to leave the CCHA, or if WCHA members decide Omaha isn't the best choice for its 12th team, Fairbanks will become a bigger part of the expansion conversation

"Bruce McLeod has asked us to sit back and wait to see what happens with Nebraska-Omaha," UAF athletic director Forrest Karr told the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner last week.

Two other schools that McLeod wouldn't name are also potential applicants for membership. But Cobb predicts the new members will come from two of three schools -- Bemidji, Omaha or Fairbanks.

Just when you think that MSU-Moorhead has little or no chance of starting up a division one hockey program the CCHA commissioner throws them a life line. Also, star2city posted the MSU-M business plan for expansion. It's mind numbing that college hockey cost that much.

Moorhead, Minn. (WDAY Sports) - MSU Moorhead has likely seen the door closed on it's WCHA hopes, but the Commissioner of the CCHA says his league may be willing to consider a startup program.

It's all speculation right now, but the dragons say if they can raise enough money they'll launch a program next year.

Nebraska Omaha is about to move to the WCHA, but that would open up a spot in the CCHA.

If the Dragons have hopes of getting in, they could boost their appeal by offering a travel subsidy

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