WCHA adds Nebraska-Omaha, Bemidji St
June 26, 2009
MINNEAPOLIS (AP)—Bemidji State’s 10-year wait proved to be worth it.
The Beavers finally gained admission to the powerful Western CollegiateHockey Association on Friday, ensuring that the first No. 16 seed to reach theNCAA Frozen Four will have a long-term home for a program moved up to Division Iin 1999.
The WCHA also admitted the University of Nebraska at Omaha to expand to 12teams.
“Awful excited, awful happy and awful proud,” WCHA commissioner BruceMcLeod said in a teleconference. “These two teams really solidify the WCHA.”
UNO had been part of the Central Collegiate Hockey Association and BemidjiState was with the College Hockey America league. The four-team CHA was set todisband after next season, and the Beavers were starting to get desperate.
“It’s just kind of like a 200-pound monkey off our back,” coach TomSerratore said. “It’s a very speical day and I’m very honored.”
UNO entered the Michigan-based CCHA for the 1999-2000 season after theschool’s efforts to join the WCHA stalled.
The WCHA, which announced the expansion Friday, also includesAlaska-Anchorage, Colorado College, Denver, Michigan Tech, Minnesota,Minnesota-Duluth, Minnesota State-Mankato, North Dakota, St. Cloud State andWisconsin.
It’s been a long climb up the hockey ranks for the school of 5,000 innorthern Minnesota. The Beavers won 13 national championships in Division II,III and NAIA before making the jump to Division I.
Last year they burst onto the national scene when they defeated Notre Dameand Cornell in the NCAA tournament to advance to the Frozen Four, where theylost to Miami of Ohio.
The WCHA lifted its long-standing moratorium on expansion in April and saidat the time that it needed to find a 12th team to accompany Bemidji State topreserve a balanced schedule.
That’s where UNO comes in.
“Our effort is to help build this program to an elite level,” athleticdirector Trev Alberts said. “We think an association with a conference like theWCHA will help do that.”
Nebraska-Omaha will have plenty of help making the transition. The programis coached by Dean Blais, who won two national titles at North Dakota from1994-2004.
“Happy to be back after five years of running all over the country,” saidBlais, who served as an assistant with the Columbus Blue Jackets and the coachand GM of the Fargo Force in the USHL after leaving North Dakota. “My deep downlove is the for the WCHA and I’m happy to be back.”
McLeod said the additions will change the way the playoff system isstructured. League officials are still discussing several options, but McLeodsaid the current Final Five setup will not continue.
McLeod said it is likely that all 12 teams will qualify for the postseason,with the final six advancing to St. Paul, Minn., to play for the league’stournament title.
