Thursday, July 07, 2011
UAA and UAF Likely Conference Mates ... Finally
The same sort of hegemony by the haves of college hockey that conspired to keep it's two most distantly located members in different conferences, now looks to be leading to a situation where one can easily infer that the Seawolves and Nanooks will finally be conference mates again.
10 comments:
I am still somewhat concerned about the fact that the remaining "small market" schools will not want to have UAF & UAA in their conference due to travel costs. Hopefully that will not happen. UAF signed Ferguson to a contract extension through 2016 today. Maybe that is a sign that there is a reasonable plan to find a conference home for the Alaska schools. If UAF and UAA can find a conference where they are together and where they are not required to pay visiting teams travel costs, this could work out ok. But, if we are not careful, we could end up screwed.
I think the paying for other teams travel is pretty likely to continue. It's an incentive for other teams to play in a conference with UAA and UAF. When you couple it with the extra home games they get ... then just as they've been for the CCHA and WCHA; UAA and UAF will be conference revenue generators.
Being butt hurt sucks, call me soon dude... I lost your number...
Big question though (to me anyways) is whether the WCHA will survive in some form or will the schools being left behind have to form their own 'underdog' conference. It would be nice if the WCHA could pick up some new members as now that UND and a few other WCHA teams are going to that new west conference the WCHA will be down to 5 teams for the 2012-2013 season.
Either way, it is unfortunate as this is happening just as UAA is getting their stride under Shyiak. On the other hand, maybe this is a new opportunity for UAA to find a new identity in a different league. Sometimes change is needed to get out of a rut.
Just my thoughts..
PS: In my last post I said the WCHA will be down to 5 teams for the 12'-13' season. I meant the '13-14' season.
One other thing:
I think it's fairly safe to say that the last 2 years (11-12, 12-13) will be some of the most competitive and exciting hockey we will have seen in the WCHA in years. It will be UAA's last chances to (at least in league play) kick UND, Minnesota and DU's butts and get that Mcnaughton cup!
This is a dream come true for the UAA and UAF Athletic Directors...not so much for Alaskan hockey fans wishing to see some of the best competition in college hockey. UAF and UAA will chip in together to bring a team up for two weeks...back to back games in AK. Wahla...travel issue solved. Cobb you're a sly MF.
I think a combined WCHA/CCHA conference with two divisions would solve the NCAA tournament issue and part of the travel problem. Put UAF and UAA in the same division. Home and Away series with each team in their respective divisions. Alternating year series with teams from one division to the other. And perhaps two weekends in Alaska for the visiting teams.
Dan
@ Donald July 7, 7:23 PM
“When you couple it with the extra home games they get ....”
But few of them (remaining WCHA members, or any plausible additions) will be able to profit anywhere near as well, if at all. Their paydays are smaller, and their travel costs have been going up. For Kato, and Bemidji, the ones paying full boat travel, the cost of a weekend in Anchorage was worth it for membership in the WCHA. (Omaha made good money, but they’ll likely make more in the new set-up).
WhiteBeard
Lower 48 schools are not going to embrace regular, 11 day trips to Alaska to play UAF and UAA. I realize that the Alaska schools do this 2 or 3 times per season when they go outside, but it is not something that non-Alaska schools are accustomed to doing. Back in the 80s UAF and UAA worked together to bring teams to Alaska for Friday-Saturday and Monday-Tuesday series, rotating which team got the weekend gig. But 4 games in 5 days is not an attractive option to most teams from a competitive standpoint so that probably won't work either. I hope the remaining western D1 schools remember that maintaining as many programs as possible is in everyones long term interest. 58 teams is not alot.
As it stands now, there are several WCHA teams who don't make the trip to Alaska every year. Why couldn't they just alternate the years when they play against UAA and UAF? There is nobody saying a team has to come to Alaska twice a season if both Alaska teams make it into the same league.
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