And You Thought College Football Realignment Was Crazy?

One of the top stories of the sports world of the last year has been NCAA conference realignment, which is mostly about going to the best football conference. It all started when the University of South Dakota Coyotes moved from the Great West Conference to the Summit Conference. Then it heated up when the University of Colorado Buffalos and the University of Utah Utes moved to the PAC-12. Next came total chaos. There were so many rumors and moves that many people couldn't keep up. All this did not affect colllege hockey because colllege hockey has it's own conferences. However, college hockey had it's own conference shake up that in some places is crazier then the college football realignment.

Michigan, the college with the most NCAA men's hockey
titles, is leaving the WHCA for the Big Ten
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Before the realignment, there were 5 conferences and 1 independent team. The conferences were the Atlantic Hockey Association, Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA), ECAC Hockey, Hockey East Association, and the Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA).  The madness of realignment started on March 21st when the Big Ten announced they were going to sponsor hockey, starting for the 2013-2014 season. Ohio State, Michigan, and Michigan State left the CCHA to go to the Big Ten. Minnesota and Wisconsin went to the Big Ten from the WHCA. Penn State, who is adding a hockey team which will start play in 2012-13, will also join the Big Ten.


Then about 4 months later rumors popped up about a new conference that would take teams from the WHCA and the CCHA. On July 13th, the rumors were rumors no more. The National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) was officially formed with 6 charter members, Colorado College, Denver, Miami-Ohio, Minnesota-Duluth, Nebraska-Omaha and North Dakota that would start play in the 2013-14 season. They all came from the WHCA. In September, St. Cloud State and Western Michigan announced that they will join the NCHA, leaving the CCHA.

Will the CCHA just become a memory of the past?
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Due to the realignment, the WCHA took 4 teams, Alaska-Fairbanks (known as just Alaska), Ferris State, Lake Superior State, and Northern Michigan from the CCHA. This has put the CCHA in a tough situation. As of October 4th, they have only 2 teams, Notre Dame and Bowling Green. Bowling Green is has been offered a spot in the WCHA and Notre Dame is weighing it's options. However, this doesn't mean the end of the CCHA. Independent Alabama-Huntsville could join the league. Minnesota State-Moorhead is trying to launch a team to play Division 1. They could also get some Division 3 teams.


Here are what the conferences will look like in 2013-14 as of today.
Atlantic Hockey [No Moves]: Air Force, American International, Army, Bentley, Canisius, Holy Cross, Mercyhurst, Niagara, RIT (Rochester Institute of Technology), Sacred Heart, UCONN (Connecticut)
Big Ten [New Conference, Gets 6 Teams]: Ohio State, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Penn State, Wisconsin
CCHA [Loses 9 Teams]: Bowling Green, Notre Dame
ECHA [No Moves]: Brown, Clarkson, Colgate, Cornell, Dartmouth, Harvard, Princeton, Quinnipiac, Rensselaer, St. Lawerence, Union, Yale
Hockey East [No Moves]: Boston College, Boston University, Maine, UMASS (Massachusetts), Massachusetts-Lowell, Merrimack, New Hampshire, Northeastern, Providence ,Vermont
NCHC [New Conference]: Colorado State, Denver, Miami-Ohio, Nebraska-Omaha, North Dakota, St. Cloud State, Western Michigan
WCHA [Gains 4, Loses 8]: Alaska, Alaska-Anchorage, Bemidji State, Ferris State, Lake Superior State, Michigan Tech, Minnesota State, Northern Michigan
Independents: Alabama-Huntsville 
Note: New teams are in italics


With questions that still haven't found their answers, college hockey is in for one wild ride.