BOWLING GREEN -- It wasn't very long ago that the fate of the Bowling Green State University hockey team was unclear.
Now that the university has renewed its commitment to the program, a new dilemma has resurfaced in the form of conference affiliation and future opponents.
When the Big Ten announced in March that it would begin sponsoring hockey as a league sport, a rumbling was felt around the Central Collegiate Hockey Association. That move will strip the CCHA, a league Bowling Green helped form in 1971, of current members Ohio State, Michigan, and Michigan State for the 2013-14 season.
But that rumble became a full-fledged earthquake last weekend when several schools -- fellow CCHA member Miami and five members of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association -- announced that they were forming a new six-member conference that also will begin play in 2013-14.
Those six schools have scheduled a press conference for Wednesday in Colorado Springs, Colo., to make the new conference official.
BGSU athletic director Greg Christopher said he wasn't surprised by the formation of the new league, which also is expected to include Colorado College, the University of Denver, Minnesota-Duluth, Nebraska-Omaha, and North Dakota.
"I had heard rumblings about a new conference almost immediately after the Big Ten announcement," he said. "I'm disappointed some schools have left college hockey in such a fragile state that other schools may be forced to drop hockey or won't have a place to play in the future."
While it's unclear what league Bowling Green eventually will call home, Christopher said the school's commitment to the program won't change.
"I've spent a lot of time on the phone the last few weeks, and it's still hard to predict what the future will hold," he admitted. "But this doesn't change our commitment to Division I hockey.
"We crossed that bridge a couple of years ago. That's not even a question on our campus anymore."
Christopher said the Falcons did not hear from any of the schools organizing the news conference, but there are options available. Among those options are putting together a new conference that combines the leftover schools from the WCHA and CCHA; keeping the current CCHA schools together while adding other schools such as Alabama-Huntsville; or leaving the CCHA to join a different league.
Christopher said several factors will be weighed to determine what league Bowling Green will call home in three seasons.
"One factor is finding the league that gives us the best conditions to compete for a championship and a post-season berth," he said. "If that isn't at the top of the list, it certainly is near the top.
"Another is finding a league that resonates with our recruiting base. We want potential recruits, which are mostly in the Midwest and in Ontario, to recognize and respond to the teams we play every weekend. And geography and rivalries are important to us too.
"Our priority is to do what's best for our program at Bowling Green, but we will make the CCHA work if we can. You don't just toss away more than 40 years of history and traditions."
The fact that several current CCHA members seem to be doing just that saddens BG hockey coach Chris Bergeron.
"As a guy who played in the CCHA and has coached in the CCHA for a long time, I'm disappointed the league will cease to exist as we know it," Bergeron said. "I would hope that the league would survive, but change is coming.
"Right now we're trying to determine where is the best place for us to play moving forward, and that's something we hope to determine as the dust settles."
Indications are the dust hasn't completely settled quite yet. One change that likely will take place soon is that current CCHA member Northern Michigan will rejoin fellow Upper Peninsula school Michigan Tech in the WCHA.
"Northern Michigan has stopped returning phone calls from the league and from its fellow member schools, so that's a pretty strong signal of where they stand," Christopher said.
But the next "major" domino to fall involves Notre Dame, a school with a national reputation that reportedly has its pick between remaining in the CCHA, moving to the new "superconference," or joining an established conference such as the WCHA or even Hockey East, which features Boston College and Providence.
Notre Dame, which has remained mum on its intentions, is a member of the Big East for all sports except football and hockey. BC and Providence join the Fighting Irish as members of the Big East in most sports.
"All of the [hockey] conferences seem to be leaving a seat at the table for Notre Dame," Christopher said. "If a conference does that, it has to decide if it is leaving another seat at the table for another school to keep an even number of schools, or if it is allowing only Notre Dame to join and will have an odd number of schools."
Most conferences prefer to have an even number of schools so that each member can play a league opponent during conference play. Western Michigan often is mentioned as a possible partner for Notre Dame, but Bowling Green also is a possibility.
"I believe Bowling Green has a lot to offer any conference," Bergeron said. "Who is the judge and jury on what proves a school is committed to hockey?
"To not be included because the team hasn't been competitive the last two years, I'm not sure if that's fair. I don't think we get enough credit for the things that are being built here, and the things that this program has done over the years.
"Our fan base is passionate, and our alumni are passionate. I think it's a short-sighted decision to overlook what [having] this program would mean to any conference."
Bergeron said he doesn't see the current turmoil having much, if any, affect on recruiting.
"When we talk to potential players, we focus on the fact that there is no limit to what a player can be if he comes to Bowling Green," he said. "We will continue to play a great level of hockey here. We give all of our students a great education here. And there's a great social environment that allows a player to grow up and prepare for life."
Bergeron said the recent movement has not changed his commitment to the Falcons' program, either.
"I am grateful to Bowling Green for presenting me the opportunity to coach here," he said. "I believe that I, along with my assistant coaches and all of the players in the program, have a responsibility to make people proud of BG hockey.
"In adverse times, people's true colors are revealed. We are going to show people what Bowling Green's true colors are."
Conferences for 2011-12 & 12-13 seasons:
CCHA
Alaska-Fairbanks
Bowling Green
Ferris State
Lake Superior State
Miami
Michigan
Michigan State
Northern Michigan
Notre Dame
Ohio State
Western Michigan
WCHA
Alaska-Anchorage
Bemidji State
Colorado College
Denver
Michigan Tech
Minnesota
Minnesota-Duluth
Minnesota State-Mankato
Nebraska-Omaha
North Dakota
St. Cloud State
Wisconsin
Conferences for 2013-14 season:
Big Ten
Michigan
Michigan State
Minnesota
Ohio State
Penn State*
Wisconsin
*adding hockey in 2012-13
CCHA
Alaska-Fairbanks
Bowling Green
Ferris State
Lake Superior State
Northern Michigan#
Notre Dame%
Western Michigan%
# possibly moving to WCHA
% possibly leaving CCHA (destination unknown)
New conference
Colorado College
Denver
Miami
Minnesota-Duluth
Nebraska-Omaha
North Dakota
WCHA
Alaska-Anchorage
Bemidji State
Michigan Tech
Minnesota State-Mankato
St. Cloud State
Contact John Wagner at: jwagner@theblade.com or 419-724-6481.
First Published July 13, 2011, 5:26 a.m.
