Wayne State Men's Hockey To Fold After 2007-08

This will leave the CHA with four teams.

[www.uscho.com]

From the sounds of it the program staked its future on getting into the CCHA. Once that failed and chances of playing Michigan and Michigan State vanished they were pretty much sunk. Even in a hockey rich area like south eastern Michigan it's hard to compete for fan dollars when you're playing Robert Morris... and not even winning. (Not having a real home rink couldn't help either.)

The story says that the women's team will probably keep playing. I guess travel costs are a little lower for the women's CHA (Mercyhurst instead of UAH and Bemiji). But come on. You've got to love how Title IX equalizes opportunities between the sexes...

KeithK
From the sounds of it the program staked its future on getting into the CCHA. Once that failed and chances of playing Michigan and Michigan State vanished they were pretty much sunk. Even in a hockey rich area like south eastern Michigan it's hard to compete for fan dollars when you're playing Robert Morris... and not even winning. (Not having a real home rink couldn't help either.)

The story says that the women's team will probably keep playing. I guess travel costs are a little lower for the women's CHA (Mercyhurst instead of UAH and Bemiji). But come on. You've got to love how Title IX equalizes opportunities between the sexes...

Actually, it does work. Not to upset some with thread drift, but there are many, many more girls and women in sports now than ever before.

I won't argue that Title IX hasn't had some beneficial effects. But canceling a men's team while keeping the equivalent women's team is at best an unintended consequence that is unfair.

KeithK
I won't argue that Title IX hasn't had some beneficial effects. But canceling a men's team while keeping the equivalent women's team is at best an unintended consequence that is unfair.

But where is the data that the women's team had anything at all to do with canceling the men's team? I didn't see any mention of that. Are you just guessing that or do you have some other info. All I can see from the article is that they have the only D1 women's team in Michigan. So I'd hardly blame them for the demise of D1 men's hockey. Maybe more D1 universities should start women's teams, at least those in the state of Michigan.

As you might be imagining, I get annoyed when we men start blaming women for our problems. We should be enthusiastically supporting our daughters and wives. We have our own opportunities, let's not reduce theirs.

Man (or should I say woman ), I can see the protests about thread drift now. Trying to bring it back to men's hockey, maybe we should also be supportive of Coach when he schedules the so called lesser teams; at least in part because he wants to support them.

While there are legitimate times to comment on Title IX's questionable, unintended side effects. This doesn't appear to be one of them as it doesn't appear to have anything to do with it. Save it for when its related

I fully support including the "lesser" schools on our schedule. Supporting the rest of college hockey is a good thing. Although I have no great desire to grow D-I college hockey much further - too many possible negative consequences of growth - I'd like to maintain what we have.

On the other hand, I'd rather we limit the "lesser" schools to a small part of the yearly slate. Two games against Wayne State (like last year) is fine if we have five games against higher end programs.

For that matter, should we feel bad about Schafer's non-reciprocity towards lesser schools? Wayne State played two in Lynah last year but I doubt we had any plans to travel to Detroit. Then again, we probably shouldn't feel bad because it's doubtful that games against Cornell would bring in that many fans/dollars and I'd be surprised if this decision wasn't about dollars.

KeithK
For that matter, should we feel bad about Schafer's non-reciprocity towards lesser schools?

No.

KeithK
it's doubtful that games against Cornell would bring in that many fans/dollars and I'd be surprised if this decision wasn't about dollars.

Yes.

Jim Hyla
Trying to bring it back to men's hockey, maybe we should also be supportive of Coach when he schedules the so called lesser teams; at least in part because he wants to support them.

On top of that, I think Red Berenson should be singled out for criticism; in WSU's seven years playing DI hockey, he didn't find a spot for them on Michigan's schedule even once. (State, Northern, Western and Tech all played them at least four times.) He may have been protecting his program by not raising the profile of a potential competitor in the Detroit metro area, but he was doing a disservice to the sport as a whole.

I hope Garth State keeps partying on.

Josh '99

Jim Hyla
Trying to bring it back to men's hockey, maybe we should also be supportive of Coach when he schedules the so called lesser teams; at least in part because he wants to support them.

On top of that, I think Red Berenson should be singled out for criticism; in WSU's seven years playing DI hockey, he didn't find a spot for them on Michigan's schedule even once. (State, Northern, Western and Tech all played them at least four times.) He may have been protecting his program by not raising the profile of a potential competitor in the Detroit metro area, but he was doing a disservice to the sport as a whole.

Wayne State as competition for players vs. Michigan would only be possible for a recruit who hasn't comparared the campuses in person or seen pictures. It is a gritty urban campus. Without a rink. Serves an important educational function for metro Detroit that will probably continue on without the hockey program.

Any transfers we would like to have next year?

billhoward

Josh '99

Jim Hyla
Trying to bring it back to men's hockey, maybe we should also be supportive of Coach when he schedules the so called lesser teams; at least in part because he wants to support them.

On top of that, I think Red Berenson should be singled out for criticism; in WSU's seven years playing DI hockey, he didn't find a spot for them on Michigan's schedule even once. (State, Northern, Western and Tech all played them at least four times.) He may have been protecting his program by not raising the profile of a potential competitor in the Detroit metro area, but he was doing a disservice to the sport as a whole.

Wayne State as competition for players vs. Michigan would only be possible for a recruit who hasn't comparared the campuses in person or seen pictures. It is a gritty urban campus. Without a rink. Serves an important educational function for metro Detroit that will probably continue on without the hockey program.

I'm not saying so much competition for players (I can't imagine there are many players who considered both), as competition for public attention in the area.

Or it could just be that Red thought they weren't "good enough" to play Michigan and turned his nose up at them.

They were ranked ahead of us in the powerplay and penalty kill percentage. So there very well might be some contributors we could use.

Also the Wayne State head coach, Bill Wilkinson, was Schafer's boss back in Kalamazoo. It's possible Wilkinson would point folks toward Cornell. That said, between Wayne State's lower academic standards (Detroit commuter school) and lower level of play I wonder whether there would be much of a fit.