So will Notre Dame blink this time?

According to the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette the Big Ten has extended Notre Dame an invitation to join the league, it will be interesting to see if Notre Dame says yes this time. Notre Dame has refused the Big Ten on numerous occasions. If Notre Dame left the CCHA it could have devastating effect on the CCHA because it would leave the CCHA with one attractive draw, Miami.

FortWayne.com ---- Paul Kelly, president of College Hockey Inc., said Tuesday the Big Ten Conference has asked Notre Dame if it's interested in joining a new hockey conference.

"The invitation has been extended," said Kelly, whose year-old company is working with the NCAA to increase the profile of college hockey.

"But as I understand it," he added, "the Big Ten's rule is that if you come in for one sport, you come in for all of them, and NotreDame is interested in keeping its independence in football."

That seems to indicate the Big Ten is not interested in adding satellite members to a new hockey conference.

The last major independent in college football, NotreDame is a member of the Big East for most of its other sports, though the hockey team is a member of the Central Collegiate Hockey Association.

Kelly also said Tuesday other Big Ten schools are interested in adding Division I college hockey, though it's an expensive proposition. Penn State recently announced its intention to add Division I men's and women's hockey, a move made possible by a record-breaking $88 million donation from a wealthy alumnus.

Minnesota spends a little more than $1.4 million a year to maintain its men's program, and $655,000 on its women's program.

"Adding Division I hockey is a complex issue," Kelly said, "but there are some schools that would be interested in joining a league with the other Big Ten schools and a school like NotreDame."

Big Ten schools Michigan, Michigan State and Ohio State are CCHA members. Penn State athletics director Tim Curley said he would like his team to have a conference affiliation by the 2014-15 season. [another link to the story]