A published report in the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner Monday states WCHA commissioner Bruce McLeod will visit Alaska Tuesday to potentially discuss the Nanooks joining the league for the 2013-2014 season. “I haven’t been up there for a long time … and I’m going to get a sense of the program commitment. They’ve been fairly aggressive … Read more
According to a published report in the Sentinel-Tribune, discussions regarding a merger of the CCHA and WCHA were held this past Tuesday in Chicago. Representatives of the two leagues met for “exploratory talks” about a merged 10-team league, CCHA commissioner Fred Pletsch told the publication. Pletsch said the league commissioners will go back to their … Read more
The meeting between representatives of the CCHA and four Atlantic Hockey schools produced only discussion, according to statements released by both sides. The sides met Tuesday on the Mercyhurst campus in Erie, Pa., amid a changing landscape for Division I men’s college hockey. In 2013, the CCHA will be reduced to six teams — possibly … Read more
The next front in college hockey realignment could involve Atlantic Hockey, and four of its schools are scheduled to meet with the CCHA. Representatives from Canisius, Mercyhurst, Niagara and Robert Morris will meet with CCHA officials on Tuesday for what CCHA commissioner Fred Pletsch called “exploratory discussions.” That meeting will take place in Erie, Pa., … Read more
Here’s an email that came to us recently that the writer, Brian Patterson of Minneapolis, agreed to let us publish: As a big college hockey fan, I have been following the recent developments closely and my concern, like many, is that the new conferences are completely ignoring the great history of college hockey. Consider this … Read more
The WCHA is on the verge of adding Northern Michigan to its lineup for the 2013-14 season. Formal approval of the Wildcats’ application for membership will happen next week, the league announced in a statement Friday afternoon. Administrators from the five schools that will remain from the current-day WCHA after formation of the Big Ten … Read more
The changing conference landscape of men’s college hockey has given Minnesota State-Moorhead another opportunity to launch Division I men’s and women’s programs. The school is roughly 40 percent of the way toward a $37 million goal to endow Division I programs through “soft commitments,” school president Edna Mora Szymanski said at a news conference Friday. … Read more
Northern Michigan’s Board of Trustees unanimously approved a proposal for the school’s hockey team to pursue a spot in the WCHA. The vote, as reported by Mining Journal reporter Matt Wellens via Twitter, comes a day ahead of a WCHA meeting in St. Paul, Minn., where adding an additional member is expected to be considered. … Read more
New commissioner Fred Pletsch says his first priority is “to maintain the solvency of the CCHA brand, which has been around for 40 years.” Paula C. Weston reports.
The National Collegiate Hockey Conference — college hockey’s newest conference that will be comprised of Denver, Colorado College, North Dakota, Nebraska-Omaha, Minnesota-Duluth and Miami — was officially announced on Wednesday at a news conference at the Penrose House in Colorado Springs, Colo. It will begin play in the 2013-14 season. The news conference featured the … Read more
They are calling it the “super conference.” Personally, I’ll hold judgment on just how super the new conference featuring North Dakota, Denver, Colorado College, Nebraska-Omaha, Miami and Minnesota-Duluth will be. Notre Dame and another school — quite possibly Western Michigan — might also become members. So you won’t hear that term for the remainder of … Read more
College hockey is living in interesting times, and Paula C. Weston tries to make sense of it all.
The six schools involved in a new conference have confirmed their intentions in a news release issued Saturday. Colorado College, Denver, Miami, Minnesota-Duluth, Nebraska-Omaha and North Dakota will form the new conference starting in the 2013-14 season, the same time that the Big Ten will form a six-team league. “We understand and appreciate the widespread … Read more
Breaking apart what is already a super conference will make college hockey top heavy, Candace Horgan writes.
Breaking college hockey conferences into more, smaller groups could help encourage growth, Chris Lerch writes.
One gets the sense that there are some hard feelings growing around college hockey, and it might get worse before it gets better. Sources say that Colorado College, Denver, Miami, Minnesota-Duluth, Nebraska-Omaha and North Dakota will strike out on their own in a newly formed conference beginning with the 2013-14 season. It’s hard to do, … Read more
A new Division I men’s conference is inching closer to reality, and the WCHA stands to lose the most teams. Colorado College, Denver, Miami, Minnesota-Duluth, Nebraska-Omaha and North Dakota will form a conference starting with the 2013-14 season, the Grand Forks Herald reported and USCHO has confirmed, both through sources. An official announcement is expected … Read more
A proposal for the first major change to the college hockey conference picture of the post-Big Ten era is circulating, and an accelerated timeline could lead to an agreement within the next two weeks. Some CCHA and WCHA schools have discussed leaving their conferences for a new league, sources have told USCHO. The schools include … Read more
The Big Ten will use a two-week postseason format when the league debuts in the 2013-14 season, according to a report. The Wisconsin State Journal reported that the six-team league will award first-round byes to the top two teams in the standings. The third-place team will host the sixth-place team and the fourth-place team will … Read more
The new commissioner addresses his priorities, a future that includes the Big Ten and how he gained insight into the league’s inner workings. Paula C. Weston reports.