At last something to feel good about.
Alabama Huntsville is a NCAA hockey program without an home next year. Their conference is folding up. The other teams in that conference, such as Bemidji State found homes in other conferences. The WCHA didn't really want another team but they stepped up and made room for Bemidji.
The CCHA refused to help Alabama Huntsville.
Alabama Huntsville won the last CHA tournament and got the autobid that comes with that. So they're going as well as Bemidji who played well enough (and then some) to make the tournament as an at large bid.
Nobody expected the CHA to take two places in the 16 game field. Some might think that's unfair.
But what goes around comes around. Not only was it a CCHA team that lost to them, it was one of the prominent programs, Michigan State, that found their season ended.
One would think that Michigan State would have a lot of influence in the CCHA. After all for years the CCHA didn't have a lot of depth. It was either Michigan and Michigan State that seemed to win it every year.
I wonder if Michigan State was one of the schools that blocked Alabama Huntsville from joining the CCHA. It would be fitting if that were the case.
Why didn't the WCHA take UAH? It's closer than Anchorage.
ReplyDeleteI am really happy with the look of the WCHA next year. Having said that, I can somewhat understand why the CCHA didn't accept UAH.
ReplyDeleteThe WCHA took one of their members. Lured, poached, stole, however you want to say it, it makes the CCHA look like a lesser league. To me, knowing the good ole boy mentality these league powers have, I'm sure their pride was probably hurt.
In my opinion, they really should have put that aside and helped save a team from possibly folding. It would have been the right thing to do. Huntsville has more to play for than most teams this postseason.
I'm sorry, did the CCHA ever respect WCHA integrity.
ReplyDeleteI guess you'd have to ask Michigan, Michigan State, Notre Dame as well as Michigan Tech who shifted there and then came back.
Also we have Northern Michigan that was a CCHA member, came over and then went back.
Hey it happens. If you're interested Michigan, Michigan State and Notre Dame left because of Title IX, they couldn't afford the travel.
As far as Anchorage I think both leagues can handle one team from Alaska. Having two would put a real burden for travel.
It just seems to me that the CCHA is getting a bad rap for something the WCHA could have just as easily done. If it was so important to save the CHA ophans, they should have taken UAH with Bemidji.
ReplyDeleteI have no problems with having a team from Alaska.
ReplyDeleteMy only question is:
How come Fairbanks can out recruit Anchorage when, having been to both towns in he past, Anchorage (IMO) has more to offer?
It makes no sense to me. It may not be able to keep up with the mainland teams (except MTU), but I would think they'd be able to keep up with Fairbanks... or not.
We did take one orphan team. Why can't the CCHA do the same?
ReplyDeleteBecause they don't want to?
As Redwing says one team from Alaska's ok. Two would be a problem in my opinion of course.
ReplyDeleteThe NCAA rules I think allow a team that travels to Alaska or Hawaii to have more games on their schedule as a way to incent teams from playing them.
Aside from that Alaska Anchorage had to pay all the travel expenses for teams going up there until just recently.
The WCHA and CCHA are fine each having one.
We took Bemidji because they fit nicely and they're already in the women's version. Thank Allah for that. We didn't want UAH because they weren't as attractive as UNO.
ReplyDeleteBtw, most Alaskans think that Anchorage is an armpit.
I will stipulate that Bemidji fits nicer with the WCHA than AH does with the CCHA.
ReplyDeleteBut still not everyone in the WCHA wanted to expand.
ReplyDeleteBemidji fits regionally in the WCHA but it has more in common with most of the CCHA schools, smaller towns, smaller arenas, more old school college hockey rather than the modern corporate college hockey that the WCHA offers. They would probably compete better in the CCHA too but I guess I will just have to get used to be the annual 10th place team in the WCHA.
ReplyDeleteCharles I don't know why everyone assumes that BSU will not be competitive in the WCHA? I think the Beavers will do fine. Their new arena is going to be a nice place and will definitely help with recruiting.
ReplyDeleteI think BSU has a few advantages that other traditional (or more traditional than BSU) WCHA programs have.
ReplyDeleteLike UMD, BSU will offer new state of the art facilities. BSU is also in central Minnesota that is not incredibly out of the way. You can drive reasonably to larger venues if you want.
I see them being able to recruit to BSU a lot easier than it is for UAA or MTU to recruit to their programs.
Oh yeah, I forgot. Their coach? He's kinda good last time I checked.
Sorry for the double post but...
ReplyDeleteBSU made the transition to DI under the auspices of Bob Peters...who has strong UND connections.
They already secured a transfer (Fisher) from UMN and if we lost Mike Fink to anyone else, I'd hope he'd go to BSU.
Back to the article, the writer sounds a little bitter. He has no idea who supported what in the CCHA, but still has to bring Mich State into it. Why? Truth is Ferris was the last team bumped. And we at MSU know we just didn't win enough down the stretch to make the field.
ReplyDeleteAND UNO really didn't want to leave the CCHA. They said themselves they identified themselves with MSU, UM and OSU.
ReplyDeleteI wish Air Force had been considered for the WCHA. They fit in the region, and travel would be less also.
I saw on the GF Herald reporters Twitter that it was Michigan state. However it was still a CCHA team that lost out.
ReplyDeleteI think it's fitting.
I'm puzzled why UNO switched if they didn't want to. Did the WCHA hold their families hostage?
That is not true at all UNO was all in joining the WCHA, that was Kemp's stupid comments.
ReplyDeleteYup – they held families hostage. What kinda jerk comment is that? UNO turned the WCHA down 2-3 times before accepting. I think it was incentives, and that’s fine.
ReplyDeleteAnd what does the GF Herald know about whats going on at MSU? My source told me last night that it was the smaller schools that voted against UAH. Personally, I don’t know...but you guys should get your facts straight before commenting.
da Guc,
ReplyDeleteI know people close to the situation with UNO and they were coming to the WCHA all along after Trev and Blais came on board. Do you think Blais would have taken the UNO job if they would have stayed in the CCHA? Fairbanks wasn't an option either.
Also, it sounds like no one in the CCHA wanted UAH for what ever reason.
ur right - the whole outlook may have changed with Blais, but prior was "we are happy in the CCHA"
ReplyDeleteI know Fairbanks wasn't an option either. It IS good to have one in each league. I really enjoyed the trip up there this yr and looking forward to next Feb too.
To bad Danton Cole is stuck in the void - good guy, good coach.
Yeah, what da Guc said.
ReplyDeleteSeriously though. I am curious as to where this "sounds like no one in the CCHA wanted UAH for what ever reason" came from.
ReplyDeleteThroughout the years, Michigan State has championed the smaller schools. They helped Alaska and UNO get in the league, and played them before they were in the league. By the way, Huntsville is on Michigan State's scheudle next year.
Your anger about this seems misplaced towards Michigan State. Maybe you should look towards Western, Ferris, Lake State, etc., that didn't want the extra long bus trip. Not to mention having to lose home games against Michigan State, Michigan, and Notre Dame, to have Huntsville come in.
Big Al they used the health of a few of their programs as a reason for not taking UAH. I am going to say Yawn! Everyone stepped up but the CCHA.
ReplyDeleteThe reason I read for the CCHA not taking UAH were petty and flimsy and petty.
So then what were those petty and flimsy and petty reasons?
ReplyDeleteIf you read something on the CCHA fine, yes they did turn down UAH.
But you GUESSED or ASSUMED it was MSU when in fact it was not.
And truth be told - the NMU hockey boosters were all set to bolt for the WCHA. I'd rather keep Northern than UNO any day.
ReplyDeleteNMU fans are great. They are knowledgeable and considerate hosts, and Marquette is a great hockey town.
I didn't assume anything because I didn't write this blog post, I just commented on a few of the it up that discussion with Whistler...
ReplyDeleteThat being said I do think the reasons for dismissing UAH's bid are petty and don't pass the smell test.
yes. some comments directed at Whistler and some for Goon.
ReplyDeleteBut the only thing that smells - is that you still can't explain what those petty reasons were.