DEMISE OF THE NCC

[JACKGUY]

I recently traded e-mails with Mke Marcil the commisoner of the NCC regarding status of the conference. I conveyed to him in the strongest terms that I thought the conference missed an opportunity in that the entire conference should have moved up to D1 when NDSU and SDSU tried to rally this movement. I think the biggest challenge holding the majority of the members back was D1 Hockey. I think allowing schools to field a D1 hockey program without moving up in other sports has been a huge blow to the NCC. At SCSU,Mn State,Neb Omaha,UND and soon to be Mn Duluth hockey
has become the primary priority at the expense of other sports in terms of revenue and fan support. You can go to the schools mentioned above on a night when their is a hockey game and you have a full house while others sports that are taking place on the same day or at the same time go unnoticed. I have followed the Jacks
Basketball team around to a number of away games where we almost outnumber and certainly are more vocal than the home team as their seems to be a lot of apathy and almost a club sport mentality for every sport but hockey. I also have seem this apathy to a lesser extent for football. Let there be no mistake I'm not a huge hockey fan and certainly never will be but I would be very interested in hearing other people's opinion about the difference between the hockey schools and the non hockey schools. I think the conference will get its wish as it is going to become a conference of D1 hockey and DII in everything else. I think the problem and what I heard from the UND adminstrators is that they feel with there DI Hockey programs they are already a DI school.

[SDSUFAN]

Jack Guy:
I think you have pretty much said it all. It really a shame that some have bitten into the forbidden fruit of the Hockey Apple, but it an expensive sport. I believe the reason that its popular in Grand Forks is that it been a competitive sport since the late 1940's. These other schools that started it later such as SCSU, UNO and MSU-Mankato have a such a hill to climb in order to cash flow in the black. When you are committed heavily to one sport, then its gets nearly impossible to put resources in the other sports. To me that explains, UNO, SCSU and Mankato's position. It tough.

[BisonMav]

I have heard that UNO was interested in the Division I move, but the Board of Reagents, or whoever they needed approval from in Nebraska would not support it. The Cornhuskers and their Alumni own Nebraska. SDSUfan, I am sure you know, being in the Big Red state.

[Texas_Jacks_Fan]

I could envision a time in the near future where the NCC Is a D1 hockey conference and all other sports are relegated to second tier status, The question for me is USD, I know there has been some discussions (on this board) if hockey could possibly emerge there. I see the main problem is does anyone in SD care a wit about hockey? realistically ? Sioux Falls has a minor leauge team. I dont really know how they do attendence wise.. I moved away before they started. For whatever reason SD never was much of a hockey state compared to MN and ND. A hockey conference would also eliminate Augie (not that they are qualified be in the NCC or D2 for that matter). I'm sure USD could find another D2 home and Augie could go the way of Morningside.

[SDSUFAN]

Texas Jack Fan:

I really don't expect there to be a day where hockey will be added to the NCC sports offered. The reason being UND belongs to the prestigious WHAA conference that includes Minnesota and Wisconsin. *That conference is the most prestigious of the hockey leagues. The other NCC schools belong to a lesser prestigious conference. *So its been everyone for themselves in finding a hockey conference.

One thing I think that puts UND about the other NCC schools in Hockey is the giant gift from Ralph Engelstad in the form of an Ice area at the cost of 105 million.

As far as the Sioux Fall minor club, I believe called the Stampede, they seem to be doing very well. *Between the Stampede, the Sky Force basketball and Arena Football, its getting hard to find open dates at the Sioux Falls Arena. *Augustana no longer plays basketball there *and when they did against SDSU, it was like a home game for SDSU, but not now at Almen Center on campus.
So for USD to think hockey in Sioux Falls is pure none-sense, and I wonder if Kelly Higgins, USD AD, comments to the Fargo Forum where he implied that someday USD would have hockey in Sioux Falls did not cost him his job.
Abbott, the President is a very level headed guy and may have resented him shooting his mouth off to the press. *The resignation last month was in my intrepatation a face saver for Higgins and USD.

I do think that if the NCAA removes the rule that allows D2 and D3 schools to have one sport at D1, then these NCC hockey schools will have a big decision in front of them. One that they are currently avoiding by staying D2.

As far as UNO, that is a strange deal and could be a sleeping giant. *With the huge business community, they should have been D1 decades ago. Its just that they dont support UNO, and maybe UNO does not go after them very hard either. *The community *really got behind UNO in adding hockey and Omaha is about to open a new convention center which will include UNO hockey, but not the the other sports. Despite not having much power on the current Board Of Regents, UNO, that could change if the business people in Omaha wanted to move UNO sports up a new level.

On a UNL sports show, former AD Bill Byrnes said that UNL will not add hockey so apparently they dont want to mess with the Omaha community. Another twist is if UNL Huskers have several 7-7 seasons in football, I believe that statewide following will start to crumble, which becomes a real opportunity for UNO. Not likely to happen though, but possible.

[Bison_Kent]

I agree that there will never be a NCC hockey league. NDSU has not ruled out getting hockey in the future. I have to be honest that I was one that supported the DI hockey when Fargo put the vote on the new arena that would be prodominatedly for hockey for both the Fargo high school teams and the Bison. Just in talking (via e-mail) with Gene Taylor hockey will be a future endevor for NDSU after getting through the entire DI process. I think many NDSU fans would love to see another Bison-Sioux rivalry happen especially if NDSU is by far better then the Sioux at football.

I think that the DII and DIII teams being allowed to move up in hockey isn't right. But there are several I-AA football playing schools that also have hockey. Most of these are in the Northeast such as New Hampshire, Maine, Northeastern, and several Ivy League teams such as Harvard and Cornell.

It will probably be 10 years in the future before DI hockey comes to NDSU but I for one would support it.

[Charger]

I really don't expect there to be a day where hockey will be added to the NCC sports offered. The reason being UND belongs to the prestigious WHAA conference that includes Minnesota and Wisconsin. *That conference is the most prestigious of the hockey leagues. The other NCC schools belong to a lesser prestigious conference. *So its been everyone for themselves in finding a hockey conference.

Actually Minnesota State, St. Cloud and UM Duluth are all in the WCHA with UND. UNO is the only NCC school not in the WCHA, but they are in the CCHA which includes Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State and Notre Dame, so it's has some big names as well. There are too many rivalries in the WCHA for any of those teams to leave and join an NCC hockey conference, namely University of Minnesota. As far as UNO becomming DI in everything, I don't see that happening any time soon. They have found their nitch with hockey, but Creighton has the basketball market and UNL has football covered.

[SDSUFAN]

Charger:
Thanks for setting me straight on the hockey conferences. I knew it was different conferences but whom it affected I did not know, and dont have that much interest in the sport to know where to check prior to posting.
You being a hockey would know, and thanks again.

I think Omaha-Lincoln areas will be interesting recruiting areas for SDSU in the near future. We will be a step ahead of UNO, USD and NWMSU. All three have been big winners as D2 schools in recruiting. D1 over D2 is a big thing in the minds of Nebraska kids. If they cant get the attention from the Big Red, then they will consider any D1 school over a D2. They really dont care about the Double AA's that follow.

[purplemavfan]

Jack 89's comments are quite accurate in regard to the NCC hockey schools. In MSU's case, when moving to division I hockey was discussed in the early to mid 90's, nothing was said about the gender equity situation, i.e.; adding a women's team as well. Hockey has been a huge expense for the school, especially with the mandated additon of a women's program, and then trying to compete with established programs such as UND, UMD, and the U of M. Being much more of a football/basketball follower than hockey, I would have preferred keeping hockey as it was and moving up with the conference to division I. As noted, division I hockey at MSU, and probably St. Cloud as well, has drawn off support from basketball and football. To its' credit, MSU has done fairly well in the WCHA to date considering it is a recent addition, but competing well over the long term with the established powers of hockey will be a great challenge for the school. Hopefully attendance can be maintained even if some subpar seasons occur in the future. Division I hockey has given the school much greater recognition to be sure, but lack of resources for other major sports has been a major factor in the long drought of championships for football and basketball.

[purplemavfan]

Correction on my previous post......I was responding to Jackguy's comments, not Jacks 89.