The other one is moving UAH to the CCHA and taking NMU or UNO.

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Hambone" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Tuesday, March 31, 2009 2:07 PM
Subject: Re: is the WCHA paying attention?


> Seems the arguments presented would be consistent with moving Alaska to 
> the
> WCHA along with Bemidji and then Huntsville to the CCHA replacing Alaska.
> It does seem that balancing conference sizes is important since a team in 
> a
> conference of four has a one in four chance of making the NCAA tourney, at 
> a
> minimum.
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Mark Lewin <[log in to unmask]>
> To: [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>
> Date: Tuesday, March 31, 2009 1:54 PM
> Subject: Re: is the WCHA paying attention?
>
>
>>Actually, according to Mapquest, it's almost the same distance from
>>Minneapolis to Huntsville as it is from Minneapolis to Denver.  And
>>Huntsville is nowhere near as far as Alaska.
>>
>>I realize that travel expenses must be a huge cost for western teams that
> we
>>in the east can't even imagine and adding a trip every year to Huntsville
> on
>>top of 2 to Colorado and one to Alaska is not something a school, wants to
>>commit to in a severe recession.
>>
>>Wasn't there some kind of deal made involving the CCHA and WCHA back when
>>the two Alaska schools were accepted into the established leagues?  Maybe
>>something like that would work again?
>>
>>The trouble with the current lineup is that the ECAC and CCHA already have
>>12 teams, AHA will have 12 teams with the addition of RMU and Niagara.
> Only
>>Hockey East and the WCHA have 10 each.  Hockey East doesn't seem a good 
>>fit
>>for Bemidji nor Alabama Huntsville (although Huntsville is only a few
>>hundred miles further from Boston than from Minneapolis).  Twelve seems to
>>be the max any league wants to have.  Otherwise they have to break into
>>divisions and that gets as political as realigning the leagues.
>>
>>Clearly, the best choice is to have the WCHA absorb the two CHA teams.
>>However, that may be the best choice for college hockey.  However the
> people
>>making the decisions are WCHA coaches and athletic directors whose
> interests
>>are (1) what's best for my school and (2) whats best for the WCHA.  What 
>>is
>>best for college hockey comes in a distant third.
>>
>>As far as re-aligning all the leagues, it is a fun exercise.  But it is
> very
>>difficult because of the factors involved. There are historic rivalries
>>involved, academic goals, other league involvement etc.
>>
>>It would have made sense to have Harvard join Hockey East back in the 
>>'80's
>>but Harvard has a commitment to the Ivy League that superseded such a 
>>move.
>>RPI contemplated a move to Hockey East in the '90s but that meant giving 
>>up
>>rivalries with Clarkson, Union and Cornell.  In the end, RPI officials 
>>felt
>>that RPI academics were more aligned with the ECAC than with Hockey East.
>>
>>So re-aligning across leagues may be a fun exercise but probably requires
>>more co-operation between schools and leagues than is likely to happen.
>>
>>On Tue, Mar 31, 2009 at 12:59 PM, Jim Dixon <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>>
>>> The problem with the WCHA absorbing the remaining CHA teams (Bemidji and
>>> Alabama-Huntsville) is trying to convince Alabama Huntsville to move
> closer
>>> to the midwest.  I imagine that no athletic director wants to accept the
>>> travel to Alabama.
>>>
>>> Jim
>>>
>>> --
>>> Jim Dixon
>>> (907) 479-4306 home
>>> (907) 474-7099 work
>>> **************************
>>>
>>>
>