Shama: WCHA and Big Ten Explore Hockey Alliance

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BleedGopher

BleedGopher

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per Shama:

WCHA and Big Ten leaders are discussing ideas that could result in more men’s hockey games between the two leagues.

WCHA men’s commissioner Bill Robertson told Sports Headliners he had an exploratory meeting recently with Big Ten deputy commissioner Brad Traviolia. Discussion included some day having a combined tournament with teams from the two leagues, and also a series of regional rivalry games.

“The next step is we’re going to continue these discussions and bring ideas to each other’s executive committees and coaches to help define how we move forward,” Robertson said. “At this point it’s all conceptual but certainly there are ideas we will continue to build on.”

http://shamasportsheadliners.com/

Go Gophers!!
 

With 2 Minnesota teams and a bunch of Ohio & Michigan teams, this might work out.
 

This would be very good for the big ten and for college hockey. Lots of good rivals between the 2 conferences
 

I know I'm excited for that thrilling Ohio State vs Bowling Green matchup.

Or maybe Penn State vs Alaska is more your style??
 

gopherguy05 said:
I know I'm excited for that thrilling Ohio State vs Bowling Green matchup.

Or maybe Penn State vs Alaska is more your style??
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Or the fact we could actually play in state teams like mankato and bemidji with more regularity rather than rely on only playing them in the nscc Every few years. It would do a hell of a lot more for our pwr than playing northeastern and Connecticut league wide
 


How about this idea?

Better yet, since Jim Delany has already bastardized the Big Ten brand by letting Johns Hopkins be a partial "B1G" member in lacrosse, might as well go ahead and do the same thing for hockey.

Delany should invite some combination of North Dakota, Nebraska-Omaha, UMD, St. Cloud State, Mankato State, and Western Michigan (all in the B1G's current "footprint", Delany's cute catch-phrase word) on a first-come, first-served basis to become part-time B1G members and ask them to fill out a 10-team hockey conference? Would be a heck of a lot more interesting than the 6-team, empty-arena setups we have now.
 

We should do this with the NCHC, the current WCHA blows and we already play Mankato and Bemidji every year. Would like to play teams like UND or Denver, CC, UMD, St. Cloud and Miami (OH) again
 

bemidjigopher said:
We should do this with the NCHC, the current WCHA blows and we already play Mankato and Bemidji every year. Would like to play teams like UND or Denver, CC, UMD, St. Cloud and Miami (OH) again
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We already play St. Cloud and UMD and soon the Fighting Hawks series will restart. If there was a NCHC/B1G playing agreement wouldn't we rotate out of those series?

Anyway it's just a scheduling agreement like the B1G/ACC challenges in Basketball. Years ago, when the WCHA shrunk to six schools after all the Michigan schools bailed, the WCHA and Hockey East played an interlocking schedule in which games against teams from the other league counted in your league standings. It was fun for a couple of years.
 

SelectionSunday said:
Better yet, since Jim Delany has already bastardized the Big Ten brand by letting Johns Hopkins be a partial "B1G" member in lacrosse, might as well go ahead and do the same thing for hockey.

Delany should invite some combination of North Dakota, Nebraska-Omaha, UMD, St. Cloud State, Mankato State, and Western Michigan (all in the B1G's current "footprint", Delany's cute catch-phrase word) on a first-come, first-served basis to become part-time B1G members and ask them to fill out a 10-team hockey conference? Would be a heck of a lot more interesting than the 6-team, empty-arena setups we have now.
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Although this would be extremely nice, I'm guessing Delaney would say those teams would hurt the image of the B10 from an academic perspective
 



I am not as worried about getting an arrangement like this for hockey as I am for basketball and football. We seem to actually do a good job of scheduling real competition for our out of conference schedule in hockey.
 

bleedsmaroonandgold said:
I am not as worried about getting an arrangement like this for hockey as I am for basketball and football. We seem to actually do a good job of scheduling real competition for our out of conference schedule in hockey.
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Especially in the Mariucci tournament each year...
 

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