The 2013-2014 US college hockey season will see major changes to college hockey landscape all thanks to one school Penn State starting a men’s hockey program. With Penn State now playing Division One men’s hockey, it has led to the formation of two new conferences, the end of another and the shifting of several teams to the remaining conferences.
There is one really good thing about all of this and that is there will be more coverage of college hockey than ever before. It used to be that you had to look long and far to find college hockey on the TV but that is about to change for the better.
You might want to get a scorecard to keep track of which team is playing where but since Penn State started all of this then why not start with the Big Ten. It is actually the Big Six since that is all of the schools in the conference who have men’s hockey. Michigan, Michigan State, and Ohio State left the CCHA which has led to the CCHA closing up shop.
Wisconsin and Minnesota are making the jump from the WCHA to give the conference the basic minimum number of schools to earn an NCAA invite. The Big Ten is also bring their TV network which is shown in most of the USA and already there are 22 games scheduled to be shown. ESPN will show 7 additional games on their stations too.
The formation of the Big Ten conference led to major changes to the WCHA, the formation of NCHC (National Collegiate Hockey Conference) and the already mentioned demise of the CCHA. With Wisconsin and Minnesota leaving for the Big Ten, six members of the WCHA (Colorado College, University of Denver, University of Minnesota Duluth, University of Nebraska-Omaha, North Dakota, and St. Cloud State) broke away to form the new NCHC.
The NCHC added former CCHA members Miami and Western Michigan from the CCHA to give themselves an eight school conference. The NCHC signed a deal with the CBS Sports Network who will carry 15 regular season games as well as the league semifinals and the championship games.
The remaining WCHA teams (Minnesota State, Michigan Tech, Bemidji State, and Alaska-Anchorage) rebounded by inviting former member Northern Michigan, former members of the CCHA- Ferris State, Lake Superior State, Alaska, Bowling Green and former independent Alabama-Huntsville to join them to form a 10 team league.
The WCHA does not have a national TV contract but have partnered up with America One to offer internet streaming of their games. Yes you will have to pay if you are interested in using their service.
Hockey East only added one team for the 2013-2014 season but it is a dandy in Notre Dame. Notre Dame is coming over from the CCHA to make a powerful conference that much more powerful. Notre Dame has been playing Hockey East schools Boston College and Boston University on an almost annual basis as it was.
Now the stakes will be that much higher for the schools involved. Hockey East would normally have many of their games televised on the NBC Sports Network but with the 2014 Winter Olympics coming, don’t expect many games this season but several games will be televised on CBS Sports Network.
The ECAC did not lose anyone to other leagues but one of the supposed “weaker” conferences had 2 members who played for the NCAA Championship. The Frozen Four Yale returns an experienced lineup that nobody should discount. This is a league that is a whole lot stronger than people think.
Sure it doesn’t have the big name schools like a Big Ten or NCHC but the ECAC has a long tradition of solid hockey programs. They too normally would have their games on the NBC Sports Network but that remains to be seen. There will be ECAC games on the CBS Sports Network to watch.
Then there is the Atlantic Hockey who will lose Connecticut to Hockey East after this season. Seriously this league has a lot of heart but if there was a Division 1A in college hockey then this would be the league. Like the WCHA, they do not have a television contract but have their games streamed via America One.
Take advantage of the changes
Right off college hockey will have more TV coverage than ever before so it is up to the schools, the conferences and College Hockey Inc. to market the game so they can grow the sport. Hockey is a sport where the little guys do have legit chances to win championships so use that as a strength.
Cut ticket prices and make the game affordable for the casual fan especially when college hockey hosts some of their winter tournaments. You cannot make money off an empty seat but make the game affordable and you get a fan who just might buy food and merchandise or even better buy another ticket for a future game. Hockey does not always translate on television but get a butt in a seat and you can turn them into fans with a good product.
Change the NCAA tournament format as you have arenas that wind up 75% empty because you are charging 30 dollar tickets for teams many casual fans have never heard of. Why not focus the regionals in locations where college hockey is strong; not NHL sized arenas where fans aren’t interested.
And the winner is
I say Minnesota State of the new look WCHA in part because all the big name schools will be so busy beating each other up that Minnesota State can sneak right in. They have one of the very best young goalies in Stephon Williams playing behind a team returning just about everyone.
They do need to replace leading goal scorer Eriah Hayes but Coach Mike Hastings took over a team that was 12-24-2 in 2011-2012 and earned a NCAA trip with a 24-14-3 record in his first year. Looking at the WCHA teams I can see them having a very good conference record and earned another trip to the NCAA Tournament. ◉
Starting his hockey writing career in 1997 at a site called Ranger’s Fan Central, Jess Rubenstein joined the Blueshirt Bulletin in 2004 covering New York Ranger prospects. Jess also writes at the Prospect Park which covers the prospect world but with the main focus on Ranger and New York Islander prospects. ◉
BY JESS RUBENSTEIN
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