COUGHLAN: Conference realignment: Hockey East edition

One of these things is not like the others: Syracuse University to the Atlantic Coast Conference, Nebraska University to the Big Ten Conference and University of Notre Dame to Hockey East.

That’s right, folks. Although all three moves above describe shifts in conference alignment for various institutions about the country, only one concerns the NCAA men’s ice hockey program, and it concerns it in a big way.

With all of the ground-shaking splits and schisms in recent news between the tectonic plates that are the Big East, Atlantic Coast and Big 12 Conferences, it seems only fair that college hockey get in on some of the action that is conference realignment.

To be fair, Pennsylvania State University started this whole thing.

Just about one year ago, Penn State announced its decision to begin playing hockey at the Division I level in 2013. Needless to say, the school would need a conference in which to play, and the Central Collegiate Hockey Association seemed to be a perfect fit.

However, the introduction of another team to the Division I mix also fueled discussion regarding a Big Ten Conference for NCAA hockey, and on March 21, the vision became a reality, with the Big Ten nabbing the heart of the CCHA in the University of Michigan, Michigan State University and Ohio State University, and that of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association in the University of Minnesota and the University of Wisconsin. Penn State becomes the sixth member required for an automatic bid in the NCAA tournament.

With the new Big Ten Conference sure to pack a wallop in 2013 (four of the six members are in the top ten schools for NCAA men’s hockey championships, with 23 between them), and the CCHA and WCHA left in shambles, further conference collisions were bound to happen.

That earthquake took place when remaining members of the CCHA and the WCHA decided to rip both conferences’ remnants apart and stich eight of them back together  in the form of a brand new, Frankenstein-esque National Collegiate Hockey Conference.

While the NCHC projects to be another power house in 2013, having put together a mix of historically and recently successful programs, the few remaining pieces that didn’t make the cut will join forces and lick their wounds as the new, underwhelming WCHA.

And yet, while the vast majority of the CCHA and the WCHA have dotted their i’s and crossed their t’s, securing their fate come 2013, two institutions have yet to give a clear indication as to their intended direction. One of them is Bowling Green State University, a hockey program that is still on life support after suffering in recent years, and the other is the University of Notre Dame.

It doesn’t take a college hockey whiz to know that the Fighting Irish represent a much bigger piece of the proverbial puzzle than the Falcons of Bowling Green. Whichever conference winds up fusing with UND will have gained not only a valuable money market, but a very strong hockey program to boot. We’re talking the No. 1/2 ranked program in the nation (according to the 2011-12 opening USCHO and USA today Division I polls).

This is where Boston University and Hockey East come into play.

During all of the colliding, hashing, smashing, slicing, dicing, stitching, and gluing of NCAA’s hockey conferences this past year, Hockey East has remained stable, cracking open a metaphorical cold one and sitting back to watch the fireworks.

However, it seems that the Fighting Irish’s free agent status could finally stir some movement in Hockey East.
At this point, UND appears to be approaching a decision between hopping onto the Hockey East bandwagon and stitching itself on as the head of Frankenstein’s monster, becoming the ninth member of the NCHC.

The Fighting Irish’s decision relies heavily on which conference will allow for a television deal to broadcast home games.
From the Hockey East perspective, adding UND would mean needing to actively seek another member to ensure 12 total in the conference, as an even number would allow for easier scheduling and matchups.

Rumor has it that Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute could be that twelfth team.

Hockey East and its fans should be jumping at this opportunity.

This season, Hockey East is arguably the most powerful NCAA hockey conference, sporting five of the top 20 ranked teams in the USCHO poll. Adding UND and RPI would not only bolster that number to seven, it would give them the top ranked team in the sport.

For fans of the Terriers who worry about watered-down competition with the addition of two more teams or a decrease in NCAA tournament berths with an increase in competition, fear not.

Both UND and RPI have proven that they can skate with the teams in Hockey East, and Hockey East has proven that they can return the favor. The two potential newcomers have posted a combined 15-13-3 record against Hockey East schools in the last five years, and the competition has been fierce.

The Terriers’ most recent game against former Eastern Collegiate Athletic Association rival RPI resulted in no less than 24 penalties and six game misconducts, and in recent years, BU’s games against UND have acted as a performance gauge early in the season while being closely contested and competitive.

Most importantly, with the NCHC and Big Ten Conferences threatening an arsenal of talented programs in 2013, it is time for Hockey East to answer back. Hockey East teams have had their fair share of at-large bids to the NCAA tournament because of the strength of the conference, but two new power house conferences could make those bids fewer and farther between. While Hockey East will still be able to hold its own against the Big Ten and NCHC, the addition of UND and RPI will add extra insurance to their claim as top dog in the nation.

Finally, Terrier fans should be excited for the possibility of guaranteed games against UND each year. Think about it. Notre Dame is a Catholic institution with a sickeningly perfect campus and an overrated football team located on the edge of, but not inside, a major city.

Sound familiar?

I can hear the chants of “Sunday school” and “Rough ‘em up, rough ‘em up, ND sucks!” now…