Paul Kelly Out, Some Guy Eventually In at College Hockey, Inc.

When College Hockey, Inc., started in 2009, I was optimistic. It seemed like a good idea by the commissioners of the Division I leagues to consolidate under one banner for the expressed purpose of promoting college hockey.

It wasn't a short-term deal. This is a long-term project in every way. It's about educating young teenagers on the importance of keeping the options open. Make sure they don't commit to a Canadian major junior career, one that destroys any chance of ever playing U.S. college hockey. So far, CHI hasn't necessarily reaped a lot of benefits, but you can see things improving in many ways.

College hockey is still churning out professionals, and more guys are leaving options open until later in their youth, meaning they aren't running to the CHL when they are 16, and instead deciding on the NCAA or CHL path at a later age.

It sucks for college hockey to have lost guys like J.T. Miller, Stefan Matteau, and Charlie Coyle recently, but Miller and Matteau waited quite a while before making the jump, and Coyle played a season-plus at Boston University before he did. These losses aren't a good thing for college hockey, but these are kids who might never have even committed to a U.S. college if they had reached this age three years ago.

It's not the impact we all want on the game, but it's an improvement.

Now, we have upheaval. CHI executive director Paul Kelly stepped down Monday, and USCHO reports it's because the Hockey Commissioners Association -- the group that put CHI in place to begin with -- told Kelly to resign or be fired.

An erosion of trust in Kelly from the commissioners of college hockey’s five Division I men’s leagues led them to end Kelly’s two-plus-year term leading the promotional and marketing group.

... Sources described a falling out between the commissioners and Kelly that had been a while in the making, based on a difference of opinions on College Hockey Inc.’s scope.

But the final straw, the sources said, was Kelly recently approaching athletic directors from some ECAC Hockey schools about meeting to give College Hockey Inc. a more leading role in the administration of Division I men’s hockey.

There is the appearance here that Kelly wanted to do more with CHI than just promote the sport. It's something in lock step with a discussion I had with a couple people just last week about CHI one day expanding its scope to do more with the game.

The problem with doing that is it would take some power away from the commissioners. I'm sure guys like Steve Hagwell and Bruce McLeod are thrilled with that thought.

What isn't clear -- and I just don't have a lot of intel on this -- is what exactly Kelly was proposing.

The discussions I've had with people surround the idea of having CHI take over the area of supplemental discipline. Every game has video these days, and there's no reason not to take advantage of it to create a disciplinary system that isn't horribly arbitrary or completely random.

(In other words, one that is unlike what we have in the WCHA.)

I don't know if this is what Kelly was after, or if he wanted more control over something else.

Either way, it probably wasn't the worst idea ever hatched.

Now, HCA is left to look for a new executive director. I'll let Chris Dilks take it from here.

Not to mention that Kelly was handcuffed in how he could sell the sport much of this summer due to college hockey's realignment. Unfortunately, he didn't have the ability to walk away from Bruce McLeod's incompetence and do his own thing the same way that 75% of the teams in Bruce McLeod's league did. Still, Kelly made significant gains in terms of the visibility of college hockey, especially north of the border, and probably did more in two years than the rest of college hockey's leadership had ever done prior to his tenure.

And now, all of the work done by Kelly is basically discredited and undone. Headlines were already going up around Canadian hockey circles yesterday that "Kelly Told to Either Resign or Be Fired". It completely ruined a noble initiative in College Hockey Inc. over a petty power squabble. The commissioner's have said they will rehire someone to run the operation, though the position will likely be different--read: toothless--in nature. I can't imagine who would be foolish enough to take that gig.

I mean no disrespect toward the commissioners, but there is no chance that any Division I conference is in a place where Kelly -- with his expertise and years of experience around the sport -- couldn't be of any help to them. The CCHA is dying, the WCHA almost died, the ECAC -- in my opinion -- is spinning its wheels right now, Hockey East is in very good shape but is hardly perfect, and the NCHC and Big Ten haven't played a single game yet.

Instead of listening to what Kelly had to say, it seems the commissioners decided to get rid of him before he could become a problem.

And by "problem," I mean "a guy who has good ideas that make sense but would make us all look bad because we didn't think of any of it in all these years we've been running these conferences."

Perhaps there is more to it than this -- there usually is -- but this is how it reads to me now. As a supporter of college hockey (I've been a fan of the game a hell of a lot longer than I've been covering it), this is somewhat disconcerting.

WCHA, CCHA Meet Again; Trent Palm Signs Pro Deal

Greetings ... we're inside of six weeks until the UMD hockey season opens with an exhibition game, and less than a month away from the first trip to the rink to check out captain's practices.

It all seems to happen so quickly.

Anyway, 2013 brings a lot of change to the college hockey landscape, as the National Collegiate Hockey Conference and Big Ten begin play, and the WCHA and CCHA cease to exist as we know them now.

With 12 schools currently in limbo -- for the sake of argument, I'll include Western Michigan but not Notre Dame on that list -- there is more change coming to the sport. It's just a matter of time, and a matter of "what."

11 of the affected schools -- minus Alabama-Huntsville -- met in Chicago Tuesday. The remnants of the WCHA and CCHA are at least discussing the possibility of a merger. According to a WCHA press release, the schools had an agenda at the meeting "that included sharing information about each other, engaging in productive discussions about the challenges that each institution and each conference face, and seeking common ground to work together for the betterment of the parties involved and of college hockey in general."

In issuing a joint statement, WCHA Commissioner Bruce McLeod and CCHA Commissioner Fred Pletsch said, “This was an important and productive meeting, for all involved parties. We asked everyone in attendance to be open, honest and frank in discussing their concerns, hopes and visions for the future of their respective programs. We recognize that where there is change there is also opportunity. We plan to continue our discussions in the future and to continue to explore all options.

“One crucial thing that came out of the joint meeting today was the word ‘commitment’. All of these institutions are totally committed to fielding the most competitive and successful programs possible and to provide the best possible experience for their student-athletes.”

Topics discussed in the joint meeting agenda included sharing of institutional and hockey program information (including financial, facilities, community support, staffing and travel), scheduling and championship scenarios, and membership and league affiliation (including league size, automatic qualifiers, etc).

In attendance at the joint meeting were administrators from the University of Alaska Anchorage, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Bemidji State University, Bowling Green State University, Ferris State University, Lake Superior State University, Michigan Technological University, Minnesota State University, Mankato, Northern Michigan University, St. Cloud State University and Western Michigan University.

Obviously (at least it's obvious if you read this blog regularly), my concern here is that UAH was not included in these talks. It worries me a lot, because there appears to be no movement afoot to get the Chargers in a league. Hopefully, this will change, because it benefits no one to see this program go away.

Outside of that, there is little here that is negative. The 11 schools (assuming Western Michigan isn't actually tied to Notre Dame in any way) would do well to form a league. Find a way to deal with the travel costs, and all 11 will probably find a way to sustain themselves going forward.

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Former UMD defenseman Trent Palm has signed a deal with the Chicago Express of the East Coast Hockey League. The Express are in their first season. Palm played 123 games at UMD, including 28 as a fifth-year senior. Surgery for hip and abdominal problems forced Palm to take a medical redshirt for the 2009-2010 season.

He saw special-teams time, even played forward for a bit, and was paired with Drew Olson for most of the Bulldogs' run through the playoffs and NCAA Tournament last season.

Don Lucia Shows Leadership

In 24 seasons as a head coach, Don Lucia has won a small number of games (555). He has two national titles to his credit, and is one of the more respectable people in a tough industry.

Lucia should carry some clout when he speaks, no matter what you think of Minnesota.

This week, we found out that he's willing to step up and be a leader when it comes to college hockey in Minnesota, not just college hockey at the University of Minnesota.

In comments published by the St. Cloud Times, Lucia says he'd like to see regular non-conference play with the Minnesota programs remaining in the WCHA -- Bemidji State, St. Cloud State, and Minnesota State -- as well as an annual tournament.

Lucia said he has talked with Huskies coach Bob Motzko, Beavers coach Tom Serratore and Mavericks coach Troy Jutting about the Gophers playing games against their programs beginning in 2013-14, which is the first season that the Gophers and Wisconsin leave the Western Collegiate Hockey Association for the Big Ten Conference.

Lucia also said that he plans to talk with Minnesota-Duluth coach Scott Sandelin about the same arrangement with the Bulldogs, who also leave the WCHA after the 2012-13 season and will join the newly formed National Collegiate Hockey Conference.

“We have 14 nonleague games to work with and our goal is to play those (four) teams every year,” Lucia said. “It would be good for our program, all the other programs and for the state of Minnesota.

“I think it’s a win-win for everyone, for our fans and the proximity of playing each other. We should continue playing each other.”

Even if Minnesota and Wisconsin still insist on playing 20 home games a year (that would mean 10 of the 14 non-conference games they play would need to be at home), there's no reason there can't be regular games against WCHA teams once they join the Big Ten. It would be very beneficial for the WCHA to find a way to come up with a scheduling arrangement with the CCHA, NCHC, and/or Big Ten. But in the end, Minnesota probably won't need one to do the right thing. It sounds like Lucia is intent on making it happen.

Good on Don Lucia.

I'm sure not trying to indict other coaches, but let's face it. Minnesota is different. People need to see the five programs having some sort of camaraderie with one another. They need to see some effort being made by Minnesota to help "the little guys," especially the three programs left in the WCHA while Minnesota and UMD move on to "bigger and better things."

UMD will bear some responsibility here, too. They can't just schedule Minnesota and be done with it. They need to also work with Bemidji, St. Cloud, and MSU to come up with an arrangement that helps all parties.

From my perspective, though, this is a good and appreciated move by Lucia. I stood firmly behind Lucia last season in the face of "Fire!" cries from Gopher fans everywhere. I have not backed down from those words one bit.

He's a class act, and he understands his program's role in this state. Give him credit for speaking out and taking a lead role during this time of incredible and historic change in college hockey.

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The WCHA added Northern Michigan officially Wednesday, meaning they'll have the minimum of six teams required for an NCAA automatic bid. Now we'll see what the CCHA ends up doing, and if anyone has the heart enough to pick up Alabama-Huntsville. Hopefully that happens, because even with everything else going on, I still have more worries about UAH's future than anyone else.

I've had some people ask me about other programs' ability to schedule non-conference games.

• As long as Alaska and Alaska-Anchorage are still around, they'll have few problems with scheduling. Each hosts an October tournament, and they make the trip to the other's event. The other two non-conference games they're allowed to play are against each other in a home-and-home.
• Lake Superior State and Michigan Tech are in a tough position. Perhaps there's some sort of deal that can be worked out with Northern Michigan where Tech and NMU regularly play Lake State, because that makes too much sense to not have it happen. Obviously, Tech and Northern will be playing each other as part of the WCHA schedule.
• Don't be surprised if UMD is making semi-regular visits to Houghton. I hope that's not just wishful thinking. I always complain about that trip, but I usually end up enjoying it.

College Hockey Not Done Changing

I said it on Twitter last week, and I'll say it again now.

This is the craziest offseason in college hockey history.

Nuts. Bizonkers. Whatever word you want to use.

The sport is undergoing massive change to its landscape, with the recent announcements of the Big Ten and NCHC forming, combined with the impending move of at least Northern Michigan to the WCHA.

Now, it's the CCHA's turn to make a move to guarantee its survival as a league -- which is the best-case scenario for the sport.

College Hockey News reports that the first step towards that reality is set to happen.

CCHA officials will meet within the next two weeks with representatives of four Atlantic Hockey schools about a potential change in conferences in 2013-14.

Robert Morris, Niagara, Mercyhurst and Canisius are all actively exploring the possibility of switching from Atlantic Hockey to the CCHA. It is believed that the four would leave as a group, or not at all, though that is not set in stone.

All four schools have previously expressed interest in playing with 18 scholarships, the maximum allowed in Division I men's hockey. Atlantic Hockey, however, restricts its members to awarding 12 scholarships. A recent vote to increase that to 13 did not pass.

While this is a good thing for college hockey, Atlantic Hockey commissioner Bob DeGregorio isn't terribly happy about the development.

Actually, he's pissed.

"It's great we added a 59th program, but as I've been saying all along, what is the fallout?" DeGregorio said. "If we end up losing two to three programs, or destroying some good leagues, then we haven't done what's good for college hockey. It's funny, but when Robert Morris and Niagara were looking for a place to go, everyone called me and said, 'Bob, you gotta do a good thing for hockey.' Where is that now? Everyone is doing what's best for them and to hell with everyone else."

So, it's only a good thing for college hockey if it's good for Atlantic Hockey. Got it.

In all seriousness, I understand DeGregorio's frustrations. But the "every man for himself" ship sailed months ago, when Terry Pegula's donation to start the Penn State program started a chain reaction that led us to this moment. There's no pulling some rope to get the boat back in port now. It's gone.

(Actually, the argument could be made that this ship sailed the moment the CCHA decided not to take Alabama-Huntsville, because the world hasn't been the same since. But we'll stick with the Penn State program forming, because that's really what started things.)

We can either 1) lament the fact that a sport where commissioners and ADs were known for doing unselfish things to help the common good has gone all WWE Royal Rumble on the world, or 2) deal with the reality and do what can be done to preserve the programs that exist, many of which have great tradition and shouldn't be forced to go the way of the dodo bird because Bob DeGregorio doesn't want his league to lose any teams.

The sport will survive, and the teams that are playing it are committed to making it work. Even programs like Ferris State and Lake Superior State, which fall under the banner of "We should be at least a little worried about their futures," are being proactive and making sure they are out front in helping determine the CCHA's future.

It doesn't appear terribly likely that the WCHA and CCHA will merge at this point, as the CCHA appears focused on keeping a league together on its own.

As noted by CHN, the four Atlantic Hockey teams that could be moving aren't interested in moving if Alaska (Alaska-Fairbanks, as it's more commonly known) is still in the league.

Does that open the door for Alabama-Huntsville to also join the CCHA? (Doubtful.)

Does it open the door for Minnesota State-Moorhead to join UA(F) and make the WCHA eight teams?

Yeah, the landscape is still changing. Hopefully, it doesn't get any smaller while it continues to mold itself.

WCHA Hangs in Limbo

For the last few months, there have been rumblings about the future of the WCHA. The fun really started at the Final Five, as we all knew the upcoming announcement of a Big Ten Hockey Conference was nothing more than a formality.

The Big Ten's formation seemed to inspire other programs to look at their futures, and try to figure out the best fit for them. One of the prominent rumors out there in the last three months has involved the possibility of North Dakota starting a new league with, among others, Denver, Colorado College, and Notre Dame.

Now, UMD is in that mix, as well, according to reports from Kevin Pates here and me on the ol' radio this week.

These reports -- along with a rumored timeline of "potentially next week" for an announcement -- have left a lot of people confused, upset, excited, angry, and virtually everything in between.

There is a lot to digest, and I'm here to help as much as I can. At the end of the day, however, if your favorite college hockey team is one of the ten in the WCHA and CCHA who are not mentioned as part of the Big Ten or this new "super league" thingamajigger, you should be concerned.

Not worried, because I'm still not dancing in step with those who think this is going to be a disaster for the sport. Just concerned, because it's time for those programs to show some leadership through an uncertain time.

Why is this happening?

This is probably the most common question. After all, the addition of a Big Ten conference in hockey doesn't signal the need for any other programs or conferences to die. All it does is add some serious competition to the mix when it comes to the dollars and attention the Big Ten can generate. It forces other leagues to come up with a way to make the money their schools need to stay competitive. This is especially important in the realm of college athletics, because universities are typically not really rolling in money these days.

The WCHA has fallen behind. The league still doesn't have any kind of notable television deal (they're behind both the CCHA and Hockey East in this regard), outside of the deal with Fox Sports North to televise the Final Five. The league's website is less than ideal, and they have missed the boat with the potential revenue there, especially when it comes to making live games available via subscriptions.

From a leadership standpoint, there is much angst around the league. There are perceptions that commissioner Bruce McLeod has missed the boat on opportunities to grow the league's revenue (there is no question the league has been healthy, but in the business world, you're either growing or dying ... there is no standing pat), and there are issues with how supplementary discipline is handled. There are other problems with personnel within the league, as well.

North Dakota athletic director Brian Faison told the Grand Forks Herald that he has concerns with "the administrative side of the WCHA."

He's not the only one. For now, though, he's the only one on the record with this type of statement.

As for McLeod, he may have provided the money quote to USCHO.

At this point, I haven’t thought about Plan B at all. I’m still working on the assumption that we’re together as 10 [teams after Minnesota and Wisconsin leave for the Big Ten] and, as unanimously directed by the group in Florida [at league meetings in April], can consider extending an invitation to anybody that could strengthen the league. And that’s our plan.

In other words, McLeod has watched his two most prominent members leave, and word has leaked that his next two most prominent members -- North Dakota and Denver -- could be out, too. Oh, and he might lose the 2011 national champions.

But there is no Plan B. At this point, he should be formulating Plan R, and he hasn't even gotten to B.

Is this really happening?

I have a hard time answering this one. I have a message in to a couple people who would know the answer to this, but I haven't heard back. A third person has indicated that we may just indeed have past the point of no return.

There is no question in my mind that there are issues with McLeod and the WCHA leadership structure. And it's hard to argue the points made by that camp. The league has indeed fallen behind, largely by the inaction of the last five years.

(Yes, I know McLeod brought in two new members, Bemidji State and Nebraska-Omaha. But that doesn't grow revenue for the other ten teams. It shrinks it, because their piece of the pie isn't as big as it was before.)

Some believe this is a power play to get rid of McLeod. While I tend to think this is a possibility, no source will confirm it. And while Labor Day has been mentioned when talking about the timing of a potential announcement, I've been told by multiple sources that this could come to a head as soon as next week.

I don't say that to scare. I say it because I've been told it's the case, and I want everyone to be prepared for the possibility.

Are they really thinking this through?

In a Twitter conversation with Dan Myers of College Hockey News, I tried to make this point abundantly clear, amid cries that the North Dakotas, Denvers, and UMDs of the world were making a rash decision that hadn't been thought out.

The prospect of a new league has been researched, studied, and hashed over by the schools involved (reportedly UMD, North Dakota, Denver, Colorado College, Nebraska-Omaha, Notre Dame, Miami, and Western Michigan).

I might not know everything about the administrations involved in these talks, but I can promise you that UMD athletic director Bob Nielson isn't going to make a rash, uneducated, uninformed decision that could impact the entire school for years to come. That's not how he operates. If he's jumping in to this league, it's because he has every reason to believe -- and may have actual evidence to support this -- that it will be a win for UMD, both competitively and financially.

What happens to everyone else?

This is probably the toughest question to answer. If the "super league" (I hate this name, and if this league is going to happen, it needs a real name ASAP) is formed, it leaves five WCHA and five CCHA teams without a home. Five is not enough to get an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. You need at least six for that.

Could the ten combine into one league? I don't see why not. Put the Alaska teams (Anchorage and Fairbanks), Bemidji State, Minnesota State, and St. Cloud State in one division, then stick the upper Michigan teams (Lake Superior State, Michigan Tech, and Northern Michigan) in a division with Bowling Green and Ferris State. Each team plays four games against divisional foes (two home, two away), and one series (home or away) against each team in the other division. 26 league games total. That's doable. Financially, though, this could be a nightmare. You'd have to have the league tournament on a campus site, or it won't draw. And if it's on a campus site, it won't draw the same kind of television interest it would if it were at a pre-determined site.

Plus, what happens to Alabama-Huntsville?

It's a mess.

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In the end, the WCHA is left in limbo. It's a league with great tradition, a slew of national championships, and a vibrant, enthusiastic fan base. There are some great people who work for the league, or for the league's members, and some wonderfully talented folks who cover the league, whether it be on the air, in print, or online.

For now, we don't know what is next. Will that tradition continue in a different league? Will it fade away like the North Central Conference did a few years ago? Will nothing happen but some structural changes?

I can't definitively answer any of those questions, as much as I wish I could.

Things are fluid for the moment, and much could still change before the season starts. If you're a fan of the WCHA, I'd advise you to keep an eye on the developments.

Big Ten Hockey Official

Not surprisingly, the formation of a Big Ten Conference for men's hockey became official Monday.

The league issued a press release to announce what's been suspected since the day Penn State announced they were starting up a hockey program and building a new arena to house it.

Here is the text of the Big Ten's announcement.

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.

Simultaneously, the University of Minnesota announced their intention to be a part of this venture.

The University of Minnesota and the five other Big Ten institutions which sponsor men's ice hockey announced today 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. Competitive play would begin in the 2013‐14 academic year, and in addition to Minnesota, the participating schools in the league would be Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, Penn State and Wisconsin.

The recommendation includes both the establishment of the inaugural Big Ten Men's Ice Hockey Tournament in March 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 twice at home and twice on the road. 

"It's worth celebrating that a BCS conference institution in Penn State has joined the great landscape of college hockey. We are also pleased that the Big Ten has embraced this move by recommending that men's hockey be added as an official conference sport," Minnesota director of athletics Joel Maturi said. "At the same time there are some mixed emotions for us, as Minnesota is an original and proud member of the WCHA. We would depart with fond memories, and the sincere belief that many of the great WCHA rivalries that the Gophers have been a part of will continue through non-conference play."

In addition, the Big Ten announced that participating schools will continue to proactively work to maintain a strong schedule of non‐conference competition with the Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) and the Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA).

"We are excited about the possibility of a Big Ten hockey conference beginning with the 2013-14 season," Minnesota coach Don Lucia said. "Our rivalry with Wisconsin is well documented and it will be nice to play Michigan and Michigan State more than once a year. It will also be exciting to create new rivalries with Ohio State and Penn State. Right now we enjoy playing in the WCHA and will work with the league and WCHA schools to maintain established and traditional rivalries to ensure a competitive and entertaining non-conference schedule."

In September 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.

Obviously, this announcement is expected to have an impact on the sport. Here are a few bullet thoughts, many of which I've probably covered either here or on the air before.

• Expect the departing WCHA teams -- Minnesota and Wisconsin -- to have a scheduling arrangement with the remaining WCHA teams, most notably North Dakota, St. Cloud State, UMD, Bemidji State, Minnesota State, and St. Cloud State. The teams that bolted from the CCHA -- Michigan, Michigan State, and Ohio State -- will probably have a similar arrangement with the league they left. There should be a high priority placed on having the teams play members of the conferences they are leaving. No one in Sault Ste. Marie is going to give a crap about Lake Superior State playing Minnesota, but they'll care if Michigan shows up on the schedule. As for Penn State, it makes sense to have them play WCHA teams to even up the non-conference arrangements.
• The development is going to hurt the CCHA more. Programs like Lake Superior State, Ferris State, and even Western Michigan and Bowling Green rely in part on the income they get from extra attendance when Michigan and Michigan State visit. Having Notre Dame in the league helps, but they're simply not as big a draw. Not only that, but there is simply no reason for the CCHA to ever again play its championship in Detroit. If you thought the crowd in St. Paul for the Bemidji State-UMD/UAA-Colorado College doubleheader Thursday was sparse, you should have seen what the Joe had for Notre Dame-Miami Friday afternoon. It was visually striking in that it would have been extremely embarrassing if 1) I was a big-time CCHA supporter, or 2) I hadn't seen it happen so many times before, no matter who played in that Friday afternoon game. The CCHA should look at moving to a smaller rink, perhaps the one Fort Wayne used to host a regional last year. The days of them selling 15,000 tickets for the league championship in Detroit are likely over.
• From a conference standpoint, the WCHA is still on solid ground, with new additions Nebraska-Omaha and Bemidji State both doing well this year. UNO is looking at a new building for their program, and Bemidji just opened one. They will lose income with Minnesota and Wisconsin leaving -- no doubt -- but North Dakota is a decent (sarcasm) program, and the league still sports college hockey's best coach (Dean Blais).
• The CCHA, meanwhile, is down to eight teams. Room for expansion, but they have to worry about further losses first. Will programs like Lake Superior State, Ferris State, and Bowling Green survive without having the Big Ten schools on their schedule? It's a question that will be answered in the coming couple of years. Will the CCHA reconsider adding Alabama-Huntsville? It's not a hideous trip for anyone in the league outside of Alaska and the Upper Michigan schools, but most of the trips in league play are tough on them.
• I mentioned room for expansion, but who will be the schools adding hockey? If Illinois or Nebraska add it, they will join the Big Ten. You've undoubtedly heard about Paul Kelly's dream of USC or UCLA, but those are logistical nightmares, even for the WCHA. Imagine being USC or UCLA, knowing you would need a facility, a coaching staff, players, and also to fly to every one of your road series because Colorado is the closest state housing Division I hockey programs. Tough sell, methinks. 
• Will Alaska join the WCHA? The NCAA exemption rule indicates any WCHA team that went to Alaska twice would be allowed to play four extra non-conference games. The WCHA can't stand on the "You can't schedule an 11-team league" excuse anymore. It also puts the two Alaska schools in college hockey on a stronger footing, and in a league where they could play each other four times per season without any problems. Furthermore, it might open up more non-conference dates for everyone in the WCHA. That means more home games, something that could be attractive to potential newcomers. Just a thought.
• With the CCHA at a maximum of nine teams (assuming they pull the collective head out and take UAH), and the WCHA at a maximum of 11 (if they add UAF, something I admit is unlikely), there is room in those leagues for expansion. There is room in Hockey East for expansion. All is not lost in college hockey. Actually, this might be a good thing.