Flashes from Gordon: More realignment coming for college hockey? (10-30-13)

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Random thoughts after watching a rerun of Peter Tomarken’s Press Your Luck, the best game show
ever:CHANGES?: Bowling Green could be headed back to the Central Collegiate Hockey Association.Or at least
the Falcons could be returning to some form of their old league.Rumors are circulating throughout college
hockey that the next round of realignment could be coming to the sport -even though the latest realignment
just took effect this fall.With the increased travel costs and leagues no longer geographically aligned,
schools already are looking at even more realignment – and they’re not waiting to see how the current setup
works.Depending on the rumor of the day, there’s talk more league changing will take place in the next 3-5
years.BG appears to be well on its way to contending for the Western Collegiate Hockey Association
championship.And the program is finally on a solid foundation financially, and has the backing of present
school and athletics department administrators.That puts the Falcon program in better position for next
round of realignment.The most popular rumor regarding BG and the other CCHA leftovers which joined the WCHA
leftovers in a new WCHA has some or all of the CCHA schools getting back together.They could be joined by
former CCHA members Western Michigan and Miami of the National Collegiate Hockey Conference; or even
Canisius, Mercyhurst, Niagara or Robert Morris of Atlantic Hockey.BG, Miami and Western are members of the
Mid-American Conference in all other sports. The four Atlantic Hockey Schools discussed CCHA membership in
the past.The other NCHC members are Denver, Colorado College, Miami, Minnesota-Duluth, Nebraska-Omaha, North
Dakota and St. Cloud.The other members of the WCHA are CCHA leftovers Ferris State, Alaska, Lake Superior
and Northern Michigan; WCHA leftovers Alaska-Anchorage, Bemidji State, Michigan Tech and Minnesota State;
and former NCAA Division I independent Alabama-Huntsville.The Big Ten Conference is here to stay with
Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Ohio State, Penn State and Wisconsin.But the interesting part of the
realignment is college hockey is no longer one big happy family, and the best interests of the sport don’t
come first any more.Instead, like college football and basketball, college hockey has become every school
for itself, with income and television exposure driving decisions made by each school.STROH TIME: What a
great venue the Stroh Center has become for Ohio High School Athletic Association sectional, district and
regional tournaments in basketball, volleyball and wrestling.Athletes and coaches have raved about the
overall experience of playing in the Stroh Center, including the quality of the facility, the big-time
atmosphere the arena creates and how well run everything is.It’s great to see the OHSAA utilizing BGSU’s
facilities in many sports, and softball could be added in the spring.Meserve Field is in the process of
having lights installed and the lights are expected to be ready for use in the spring.Meserve Field already
is a quality facility and would be even more attractive to the OHSAA because of the lights.

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