Merger talk, courtship talk and cable TV talk continues during a summer of change in Division I men's hockey.
The Bowling Green (Ohio) Sentinel-Tribune reported Wednesday that Western Collegiate Hockey Association and Central Collegiate Hockey Association representatives met Tuesday in Chicago to discuss a merger for 2013-14. A combined league would likely have 10 teams.
The Kalamazoo (Mich.) Gazette reported Thursday that a consultant with the recently formed National Collegiate Hockey Conference contacted Western Michigan of the CCHA about guidelines for expansion beyond the original six members.
College Hockey News reported Thursday that the Versus network (soon to be rebranded as NBC Sports Network) is nearing a deal to telecast games on Fridays or Saturdays in 2011-12.
Significant changes, primarily among Western-located schools, have been sparked in recent months by the formation of the NCHC (which includes current WCHA member Minnesota Duluth) and the Big Ten Conference hockey league, which begin play in 2013-14.
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CCHA commissioner Fred Pletsch told the Bowling Green Sentinel-Tribune that the CCHA and WCHA had exploratory talks about a merger. Survivors from the 12-team WCHA in two years will be Alaska Anchorage, Bemidji State, Michigan Tech, Minnesota State-Mankato and St. Cloud State. Those remaining from the 11-team CCHA will be Alaska Fairbanks, Bowling Green, Ferris State, Lake Superior State and Northern Michigan.
Northern Michigan of Marquette, Mich., has already applied and been accepted into the WCHA starting in 2013-14.
The CCHA's Notre Dame of South Bend, Ind., and Western Michigan of Kalamazoo are also weighing conference options and may be headed to the NCHC. Bobby Goldwater of the Goldwater Group, part of the NCHC's consulting team, recently talked with Western Michigan athletic director Kathy Beauregard.
"We certainly want to remain in conversations with (the CCHA), but we've been very honest with them in letting them know our No. 1 priority is finding the best fit for Western Michigan and a league that is going to position us with the competition and level of other institutional commitment to match up with ours," Beauregard told the Kalamazoo Gazette.
Notre Dame reportedly will announce conference affiliation plans during CCHA meetings Aug. 15-16 in Dearborn, Mich. Western Michigan has not set a date to announce future plans.
Versus hopes to reach TV agreements with the five present Division I conferences, said College Hockey News. Individual and league-affiliated TV deals, however, take precedence in determining a national network agreement. UMD, for example, signed a two-year contract last year with the Northland's NewsCenter to have selected games telecast on the My9 Sports Network. Fifteen of UMD's 18 home games are to be telecast on My9 in 2011-12.
