NCAA Hockey

[vtwhat etc]

I know it will be ridiculed, but with the Thunderbirds often outdrawing the basketball teams playing at the Joel... I'm wondering how much thought has been given to establishising a D1 ice hockey program.

I know hockey in w-s is an easy joke, but I feel like there's a missed opportunity because the facility is there, and happens to be hosting next year's mens' ACCHL tournament.

If you look at the geographics of current D1 conferences, specifically on the women's side, you'll see that NC would make as much sense as a third of the 35 teams currently fielded*.

It's certainly possible it's been discussed and rejected for entirely valid reasons.

There are a lot of 'chicken and egg' problems dealing with recruiting , etc... but, over the past 13 months, Winston-Salem has proven it has a solid core of hockey fans.

Again, I think it may be an opportunity worth considering. Let's use our echo chamber to discuss why/why not.

Flame away.


*here is the map of the NCAA D1 Western Collegiate Hockey League:

 

[DeacsPop]

I think it’s a great idea as is a D1 Lacrosse program.

 

[Bubble Boy]

Are you going to offer scholarships?

 

[pdogdke]

Our hockey team is playing for the ACC championship tomorrow in Chapel Hill.

 

[deacdixieboy]

I would love to have a hockey team. I go to college hockey all the time in New England. However, adding sports is much more than having facilities or we would have lacrosse as already mentioned. I inquired about the lacrosse issue a few years ago with a few people in the AD. It would cost millions to start a new program and more to sustain it. It doesn’t make sense to add non revenue sports in this day and age. Hockey is a revenue sport some places but wouldn’t be for us. Just think about the costs solely to travel to the other schools that play which would all be a couple hours flight away. It’s one of the reasons Maryland had to cut some non revenue sports. It doesn’t make sense to fly your volleyball team to Iowa for example.

 

[Deaconblue]

Title IX.

 

[Wakeforest22890]

Travel expenses would be an issue and it would be years before a team would be remotely competitive (see Arizona State hockey curve over the last few years - picked up first win over a top 10 team in program history this weekend).

That said college hockey is fun to watch and attend in person.

 

[Pilchard]

Title IX compliance would require a women's hockey team team or add another women's sport like softball or lacrosse to even the male/female scholly distribution. NCAA D-1 hockey scholly limit is 18. So, you would need 18 women's schollies too. So, WF would be adding 36 more scholarship athletes which amounts to $2 million+ per year financial commitment exclusive of facilities, travel, coaches salaries. FWIW, BC and VT offer women's lax as scholarship sport, but not men's lax because of Title IX. If WF offered lax as a scholly sport, they would add women first. Not going to happen unless a benefactor earmarks a massive donation for that particular purpose.

 

[DeacMan]

I live at ground zero for youth hockey in the United States and it is really hard for me to envision it working at Wake unless at least one other nearby school takes up the charge as well. College hockey players are like other college athletes. They want to go where they will be appreciated and followed. There is almost NO hockey culture in North Carolina. Hockey is not meaningful in North Carolina and it would make recruiting players needed to field a competitive team really hard. Another thing that would make it tough at Wake is that college hockey players generally don't matriculate until they are two (sometimes one) year out of high school. That works just fine at big state university. Not sure that works as well at Wake.