Something to consider on the changing landscape of college hockey

Here is something to consider; maybe we're looking at this all wrong. I did actually have this conversation with a few of my friends as well in the past week. With the powers that be leaving the CCHA and the WCHA, there is going to be more opportunities for other college hockey teams that haven’t won a conference tourney and or made the NCAA tourney for a very long time. Minus those teams; all of a sudden you have teams that will get a chance to compete for a conference tourney and or an at large bid to go to the NCAA tourney.

Think about this; all of a sudden other teams that haven't had a sniff are going to finally get a chance for an at large bid and a chance to compete for a conference title without having to go through traditional power house teams like UND, DU, C.C., Miami, UW, UMN, MSU and UMICH. I think you could take a positive out of a negative. I am not a negative person by nature and I am not trying to sugar coat hell but this is one positive out of a plethora of negatives.

Brad Schlossman; Grand Forks Herald --- The shifting will leave five squads behind in each the Western Collegiate Hockey Association and Central Collegiate Hockey Association, some of which hit the panic button Thursday afternoon.

St. Cloud State posted on its official Twitter account: “Dark clouds, indeed, over college hockey.”

Instead of seeing this as a catastrophe, the schools left behind should be looking at the opportunity.

No, they won’t be getting a weekend boon in attendance when traditional powers such as UND, Minnesota and Wisconsin come into their buildings annually.

But the door is opening for these teams to annually compete for league championships and NCAA tournament berths.

Since moving to Division I, Alaska Anchorage, St. Cloud State and Minnesota State-Mankato have combined for zero conference titles and one NCAA tournament victory. Michigan Tech hasn’t won a conference title since 1976 and hasn’t made the NCAA tournament since 1981.

The teams left back in the CCHA have traditionally been bottom-feeders, too.

Northern Michigan’s last conference title came in 1991. Lake Superior State’s last conference title and NCAA appearance came in 1996. Ferris State has one conference title since it joined Division I in 1979. Bowling Green hasn’t been to the NCAA tournament in 21 years and Alaska (Fairbanks) has one NCAA trip in program history.

Excitement for fans of these squads has been reduced to hoping for an upset over a college hockey powerhouse — and watching future NHL players up close on those teams.

If these “leftover” schools get together, somebody is going to start winning conference titles. Someone is going to start getting bids to the NCAA tournament annually.