The WCHA has invited the leftover CCHA teams — minus Notre Dame — to join the league for 2013-14 both conference have confirmed.
It’s pretty much a slam dunk that Lake Superior State, Bowling Green, Alaska and Ferris State will accept the invitations. The big question is whether Western Michigan will, or whether the Broncos will be invited by the NCHC. They have 30 days to decide.
NCHC and Big Ten teams have to be happy about this development as it will take away one automatic bid, freeing up one more at-large team to get into the NCAA tournament.
It also solidifies a strong league for the rest of the WCHA and CCHA members. If they were left with six teams, both leagues would always have to worry about becoming the old CHA.
For more on this development, read the story at College Hockey News, which broke the story.
This is clearly a move about stability. There has been quite a bit of talk on blogs in recent weeks about merging the WCHA and CCHA would mean giving up one of the the two auto-bids for the NCAA Tournament. At the end of the day, being in a conference which is stable was worth more than being in a downsized CCHA and WCHA that could change from season to season and possibly drop below the necessary six teams to retain a NCAA auto-bid. More so the CCHA than the WCHA. The question is what this decision to have one large conference (10 or 11 teams) is going to do for non-conference scheduling? All of a sudden does SCSU, Mankato, Bemidji have enough openings to assure they can get No. Dak, Minn. or Minn.-Duluth to come to their barn every once in a while? Or do they lose that flexibility because they have too many conference games and less flexibility in scheduling top-rated programs to help their RPI?
Now if someone would extend an invitation to Alabama-Huntsville….
Brad, forgive me if I am missing something. What is happening with Air Force? They’d be a good addition anywhere, but especially the WCHA.
They want to continue in Atlantic Hockey. They like being a big dog over there.
Interesting that they didn’t invite Notre Dame (not that ND would have accepted). I take it that Western now has 30 days to join the WCHA or go independent?
I still don’t get why Western Michigan is a potential fit for the National. Can someone please explain? Why couldn’t St. Clizzoud have taken the 8th, contingent spot?
Payback for starting all of the nickname BS with the NCAA……
If it’s about like-minded institutions, St. Cloud seems to be dumping programs and such. They might be a drag on institutions that want to put their best foot forward in everything they do.
St. Cloud was a leader in taking the nickname issue to the NCAA……….justice? Payback?????
With the way SCST pushed the nickname issue to the NCAA, that they would be left out doesn’t surprise me.
Really, Bradley? “Leftover teams from the CCHA.” Nice, deragatory title line. Stay classy.
A rose is a rose by any other name…..
Indeed, it’s the truth.
Don’t like the message go read another blog that fits your point of view.
Why western Michigan? Did you not see them play Denver last year in green bay? It was the most exciting game of the tournament since the Sioux dominated the other games.
Holy Cross had a good game a few years ago too. Should we invite them also?
Perk-the title is what it is. The WCHA invites the leftover teams from the CCHA to join them. Maybe you wanted the title to read that the conferences merged but that’s not what happened. The WCHA invited the remaining teams, i.e. Leftovers, to join the WCHA. Please let us all know what you thought would have been a better less “derogatory” name?
Here is my headline – Powerhouses merge.
I guess we could call it the WCHA – CCHA merger, the new AHA conference of the west…
I’ve been trying to get though a comment about St. Cloud State and its role in the logo issue and all 3 of my comments have been deleted. What gives?????
Sorry bud – they weren’t deleted. I just didn’t take care of the comments section over the weekend and hadn’t put you on the “approve” list yet. You are good to go now.
I guess you don’t believe in “staying classy” yourself!
Yeah wow!!! That was an awesome comment Perk, I hope you didn’t stay up all night thinking that one up…