Some of the questions that are out there are; will the WCHA pluck Notre Dame and Miami from the CCHA or will there be a super conference with the remaining CCHA and WCHA schools? One thing that needs to be address is that the University of Alabama Huntsville is going to need a conference to play in as well, so they don't go belly up. It has been confirmed on numerous Fighting Sioux weekly chats from Sioux Hockey beat writer Brad Schlossman of the Grand Forks Herald that the WCHA is going to go after Notre Dame and Miami. That is one option as well.
One of the first things I thought about this past weekend was the Xcel Energy Center and how full the building was with green and white jerseys connected to Fighting Sioux fans, 57000+ plus fans attended the WCHA Final Five. I also think that UND making the final game of the WCHA Final Five saved the WCHA’s bacon, they could have taken a bath if the Sioux had lost to the C.C. Tigers. Could you fathom how many people would have been in the building for a C.C. and DU title game, I would say there would have been 5000-10000 fans probably.
Park Ridge, Ill. - The directors of athletics of Big Ten institutions which sponsor men's ice hockey unanimously announce their intention to recommend to the Big Ten Council of Presidents/Chancellors in June the establishment of men's ice hockey as an official conference sport for the 2013-14 academic year with participation by Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Ohio State, Penn State and Wisconsin.
The recommendation includes both the establishment of the inaugural Big Ten Men's Ice Hockey Tournament in March of 2014, with the winner earning the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Men's Ice Hockey Championship, and a 20-game conference schedule with each team playing the other five schools four times (two home games and two away games). In addition, the Big Ten's men's ice hockey programs will continue to proactively work to maintain a strong schedule of non-conference competition with the Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) and Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA).
In September of 2010, Penn State announced the establishment of men's and women's ice hockey programs set to begin competition in the 2012-13 academic year, giving the Big Ten six institutions sponsoring men's ice hockey. Big Ten rules allow for a conference championship when six institutions sponsor a program in any given sport.
Since Penn State's announcement, the conference has researched and investigated the establishment of men's ice hockey as a conference sport. The conference has sought input and communicated both internally with conference chancellors, presidents, administrators and coaches, and externally with members of the hockey community, including the CCHA and WCHA.
With the addition of Nebraska on July 1, 2011, the broad-based athletic programs of the 12 Big Ten institutions will sponsor 298 teams with more than 9,500 men and women student-athletes competing for Big Ten Championships. The conference currently features 25 official conference sports, 12 for men and 13 for women. The last official conference sport established by the Big Ten was women's rowing in the 1999-2000 academic year.
