Woodhouse
Registered User
Arizona State to launch Division I hockey program. Transition will be over the next three seasons, with announcement to come later today.
"ASU has not decided where the hockey team will play yet, but the options include U.S. Airways Center (the Suns have expressed interest), a renovated Oceanside Arena or a renovated Wells Fargo Arena."
http://www.foxsports.com/arizona/story/arizona-state-to-launch-division-i-hockey-program-111814
Buccigross is saying NCHC, which makes sense. The WCHA makes zero sense from a travel perspective -- several of their teams can't afford current travel costs, so adding another cross-continent flight would be insane.
Congratulations to ASU. This is a good thing for college hockey.
Wow... now, unless I just haven't been paying attention, that came out of left field...
While disappointed that a school like Arizona State's making the jump before Illinois, ...
This is probably a little OT, but how popular is hockey in that part of IL (Champaign)? I ask because both of my parents grew up in the 50s in Mattoon, 40 miles south, and (despite my mom becoming a roller skating instructor in her 20s-30s) never once mentioned caring about hockey. I'm pretty sure when I took them to Red Wings @ Coyotes in the 1998 playoffs it was the first game they'd seen in person.
NCAA D1 Facility requirements for Hockey dictate seated capacity for 5,000 (minimum). So, that removes most 'small' rinks from contention. This is not negotiable.
The Sun Devils might have the weirdest rink setup in the entire NCAA. You've seen benches on both side of the rink. Get ready for the benches AND penalty boxes on the SAME SIDE! Your minds will be blown!