College hockey conference craziness

58, with Penn State as No. 59 in the fall of 2012.

The biggest concern regarding all this shuffling, obviously, is economics. College hockey pundits (and there's a small, distinct group online) fear that these moves could destroy some programs such as Bowling Green and Michigan Tech - once-proud programs that are down on their luck and count on gate revenue - while others see this as a new growth opportunity for said programs.

Any move Notre Dame makes will hinge largely on maximum exposure (translation - television) and money.

 

Six team conference is preferred so schools can schedule a ton of non-conference games against Big 10 schools. Hockey East is having second thoughts about Notre Dame.

 

Not just BTHC programs, but programs who could potentially boost a team's RPI - a significant factor in earning an NCAA berth.

 

Pairwise is the sole criteria for tournament selection.

 

What makes Notre Dame appealing to Hockey East in the first place? Still not understanding that one. It's 850 miles from South Bend to the closest Hockey East school.

 

But the RPI is one of four things goes into determining the PairWise - the RPI defines a tournament team under consideration (TUC), a team's record against TUCs, a team's record against common opponents and head to-head record against other teams.

 

Don't the tournament winners of the major conferences get auto bids?

It's almost inconceivable a tourney winner from WCHA, CCHA or Hockey East wouldn't be top-16 in Pairwise, but it is mathematically possible, I suppose.

 

yes - right now the five leagues' postseason champions receive autobids. Makes the bubble teams go crazy in mid-March.

 

Not sure, but Notre Dame has always failed geography, playing much more to the East Coast (note: its membership in the Big East) and its subway alumni base in NYC than it really does in the Midwest. ND hockey is barely a blip on the radar here, but it could make a pretty big presence in the northeast where the Notre Dame brand is pretty strong.

 

I think ND is a draw to Hockey East because the schools in the league see a visit by the Irish as an opportunity to potentially draw a good crowd for a weekend. Plus, the Irish have been better of late, they're moving in the right direction and could help the overall strength of the league.

 

RPI hasn't mattered in 30 years...

 

Nice.

As for ND: Sure, Merrimack, UML or Northeastern might sell out a couple extra games a year, but I really doubt those schools want to pay a tidy sum to ship their teams a third of the way across the country for a weekend series. And the scheduling logistics would blow.

The ECAC's a little more far-flung, geographically, so I could see Notre Dame fitting in there a little bit better, but not by much.