On Mon, 2 Feb 1998, Eric J. Burton wrote:
> Mankato is not a done deal in getting into the WCHA, either is UNO.
> I heard on the radio in Grand Forks that since MTU is probably leaving we
> can have an even schedule with 8 teams.
This, I could see, particularly since the conference schedule currently
sits at 28 games. OTOH, having them both in, with MTU gone, puts the WCHA
back at 10 teams, ie where it has sat for the better part of this decade. I
suspect, though, that either both would come in, or neither would. A
9-team league is a bit of a pain to schedule for the WCHA, because
geography forces them to schedule series.
> Supposively Minnesota's president
> is against letting MSU into the league because they are a competting
> school in acedemics. stay toned.
Citing academics surprises me a bit. Mankato is clearly secondary to
Minnesota in the state's structure of higher institutions. Are there
particular programs at Mankato that set it apart greatly from St. Cloud,
Duluth and Bemidji, and make it a rival of Minnesota that way?
After having been in Minnesota last weekend, I am starting to think that
the Big 10 scenario might be likely. If college hockey is going to grow,
it will be TV money. It's an unfortunate statement, but TV networks will
pay more to see Minnesota-Ohio State than St. Cloud-Bowling Green. There
is little room at four of the five Big 10 schools for growth in terms of
attendance (OSU is the exception here), the growth will come in TV money.
It's also the case that the Big 10 rivalries are what fans of those schools
are used to, in every other sport.
See you later,
John
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