USCHO.com is reporting that Wayne State will drop their hockey program following the completion of this season.
The news isn't much of a shock. Wayne State's program had been on shaky ground for quite some time. It's almost a surprise that they've lasted this long being an inner-city commuter college with no on-campus rink and very little fanbase.
Wayne State had applied to join the CCHA on a near annual basis, but was never accepted, mainly due to the fact that they had very little to offer the league. It's another nail in the coffin for Wayne State's conference, College Hockey America. This makes it even more important that Bemidji State be allowed into the WCHA, because they will have to drop their program without a conference to play in.
With one fewer college hockey program out there, the 16-team NCAA tournament could be a thing of the past. Currently, over 25% of the teams in the NCAA make the national tournament. The NCAA could bump the tournament back down to 12 teams to make the tournament a little more selective.
The news isn't much of a shock. Wayne State's program had been on shaky ground for quite some time. It's almost a surprise that they've lasted this long being an inner-city commuter college with no on-campus rink and very little fanbase.
Wayne State had applied to join the CCHA on a near annual basis, but was never accepted, mainly due to the fact that they had very little to offer the league. It's another nail in the coffin for Wayne State's conference, College Hockey America. This makes it even more important that Bemidji State be allowed into the WCHA, because they will have to drop their program without a conference to play in.
With one fewer college hockey program out there, the 16-team NCAA tournament could be a thing of the past. Currently, over 25% of the teams in the NCAA make the national tournament. The NCAA could bump the tournament back down to 12 teams to make the tournament a little more selective.