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Hard to post a link from my phone, but John Buccigross announced it on Twitter. Sounds like they want an on-campus rink as well.
Thoughts?
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Thoughts?
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Last edited by SW_Mustang; 06-16-2021, 08:08 AM. -
My first question is- where would it fit on campus? The only area that I can think of would be east of the stadium across the street where the soccer field is now. By the Pentagon would make more sense.
My second question is- Title IX. What women's sport are they going to add to balance that out?
My third question is the statement that it would happen soon, but the rest of the sports would go D1 in 2026? How does that work?
Lots of questions- I'll wait to hear input from our Augie posters- most of whom seem to be more interested in basketball (and rightly so) than hockey- to fill us in. -
I will believe it when they ice a team. With so many schools dropping hockey right now and all the "rumors" of teams supposedly on the path to starting programs, it is hard to get excited about these type of stories.MillsyComment
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I've seen this story before.......
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On the brightside, KO stadium might become the nicest soccer stadium in D2, edging out St. Cloud State.Originally posted by wscsuperfan View PostI've seen this story before.......
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Agreed on all points. It's a bizarre situation.Originally posted by laker View Post
As for the arena - why can't they just use the DSPC? IMO, it's already one of the top arenas in the entire region. Scheduling conflict with the Stampede, or did they rub someone the wrong way at the city? They have an on-campus basketball arena, but choose to play off campus - so they have access to an off-campus hockey arena, but want to play on-campus? Maybe I'm just not seeing something.
Another thing - am I mistaken or does the NCAA now prohibit a D2 from starting a D1 hockey program? I thought I read that was what killed Minot State's push for hockey - they couldn't afford to move the entire program up to D1 just to get a hockey team.
Also, are they planning to be independent or do they have a plan to entice a conference for an invitation?
Saw a comment on Twitter about the push get the AD to D1 as akin to "kicking the can down the road," and as an outsider I tend to agree. It all just seems like a lot of talk. I guess we'll see, 8 years after the original announcement...
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Definitely. I think they are putting the cart before the horse here. SMSU could definitely announce tomorrow that we want to go D1, but that doesn't mean we have the plans or infrastructure and capital to drop the puck.Originally posted by Millsy View Post
Sioux Falls is definitely a great city for a D1 hockey team, so we'll see. I don't foresee any school in South Dakota taking the leap.Comment
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Any D2 school can have D1 hockey because there is no championship sponsored in D2. Stonehill College is in the process of starting a women's team and joining the NEWHA.Originally posted by SW_Mustang View PostComment
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Interesting. Not sure why I thought that had changed.Originally posted by Tech Boys View PostComment
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It gets confusing as there is a moratorium on playing up in NCAA Hockey. But D-II is a different beast as there is no D-II Hockey Championship, a D-II program can announce their intention to play for the D-I Championship in the upcoming season, and provided they meet the schedule requirements, they are eligible.Originally posted by SW_Mustang View Post
Now, D-III schools can no longer make the move up to D-I without moving their whole department since there is a D-III Championship.
There are more twist and turns in it than that, as mentioned over on USCHO. D-II schools that were playing up before the moratorium can stay in the D-I field if the NCAA ever brings back the D-II championship. But any D-II school playing up after the moratorium would lose their D-I status and have to play in the D-II field if the D-II title came back. It also gets messy for Anchorage and Huntsville now as well. They were playing D-I hockey before the moratorium, but since they have suspended their programs for the upcoming season, supposedly they lose their grandfathering in if they restart their program and would have to play down if the D-II title was brought back. Fairbanks may be in the same boat as well, but they only suspended their program during the COVID year, so they may get a pass.MillsyComment
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Augie announces Garret Raboin as HC, formerly an assistant at Minnesota:
Garrett Raboin Named First Augustana Hockey Head Coach | Augustana University (augie.edu)Comment
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I am okay with the move (some Eastern CCHA fans are not). Sioux Falls is a 200,000 person market with a strong youth hockey program (my son has played some teams from there) and a strong USHL program. There are some businesses with deep pockets in the Sioux Falls area that seem to get behind Augustana. I don't think it will take long for Auggie to get up to speed, especially with the new arena being built.
Also, as a BSU fan, it does give me another relatively close option (3 hour drive for me) to see the Beavers. I can see why the eastern CCHA teams may be a little ticked about the added travel, but it is a nice fit for Bemidji, Mankato and St. Thomas, travel wise.
At nine teams, this could work out nice. The league could set up a 24 game conference schedule and allow for 10 non-conference games.
A team could play their four closest conference mates 4 times for 16 games. They then could play the other four conference mates for two games. For BSU, it would look like:
Augustana, Mankato, Michigan Tech and St. Thomas, four games (2 at home, 2 on the road) 16 conference games
That would then leave Northern Michigan, Lake Superior, Ferris State and Bowling Green. Play Northern and Bowling Green on the road for two, play Lake Superior and Ferris at home. The next year, flip flop this part of the schedule.
Minimizes travel and also opens up another non-conference weekend.MillsyComment
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I know that this is logical, and it is nice new programs are joining the College Hockey world, but man this move is just at best a non-needle mover and at worst an image problem for the CCHA.
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