UNO to the Frozen Four - why not Iowa?

[uirx2002]

Must be due to all those powerhouse HS hockey programs across Nebraska, eh?

I see that Coralville is hoping ot build a 7000 seat arena/sports training center that will include an ice arena. Does anyone know if Barta is at the table to see how the UI can partner with them?

With B1G Hockey up and running, an arena being planned in Coralville...why not lay the footings to eventually add mens and women's hockey? Why not see if we can get the monies raised to fund the program and have Hawkeye Hockey by 2020?

Coralville Ice Arena

 

[Birky]

Hawkey was the first thing I thought of when I heard about the potential arena. That seems to be the main road block for a team.
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[SoDakHawk]

I was talking with my brother about this last night. Something is up, I don't know what it is though. You don't just go and drop the money to build an arena like this without having a permanent tenant. Also, they seem to make it a point that it is ice hockey ready. A USHL or another junior team won't be residing there, Cedar Rapids is too close. Des Moines has an AHL team. If a new hockey team is to call that place home the only logical level I can think of is an NCAA team.

 

[IamHawkeye]

Omaha, North Dakota, Providence and Boston U. Frozen Four--2015. Why do you think Iowa would be one of them rather than like those BiG teams that didn't get in? Granted Omaha is new compared to the other three as far as hockey teams, but ....

 

[Alum-Ni]

Originally posted by IamHawkeye:
Omaha, North Dakota, Providence and Boston U. Frozen Four--2015. Why do you think Iowa would be one of them rather than like those BiG teams that didn't get in? Granted Omaha is new compared to the other three as far as hockey teams, but ....

UNO is also a member of a hockey-centric conference, the NCHC. Six of the eight members of that league made the 16-team NCAA Tournament whereas only one Big Ten team made it into the tourney.

There are rumblings that UNL may be close to adding a Big Ten hockey team. Penn State has shown it can be successful and profitable right off the bat.

 

[Titanhawk2]

Hockey is one of those sports that you can compete at D1 without all the other D1-football-title IX baggage.

 

[HawksR1]

with the proviso of finding a sugar daddy for a 100mill donation

 

[Birky]

Originally posted by HawksR1:
with the proviso of finding a sugar daddy for a 100mill donation

I would guess that is not nearly as necessary if the arena already exists. Isn't that what most of 100 million would be needed for?
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[Birky]

Originally posted by IamHawkeye:
Omaha, North Dakota, Providence and Boston U. Frozen Four--2015. Why do you think Iowa would be one of them rather than like those BiG teams that didn't get in? Granted Omaha is new compared to the other three as far as hockey teams, but ....

I think his point was more that, why not a hockey team for Iowa? It has been debated on these boards a hundred times, but always has been a pipe dream. The potential new arena in Coralville is at the very least interesting.
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[SoDakHawk]

Things are lining up for Iowa hockey to the Big Ten, no matter what the nay sayers on here want to post. The Coralville Arena gives the team a place to play and gives the arena a permanent tenant which would make the project financially viable. The University athletic dept will soon receive a financial windfall of over $14 million annually thanks to the upcoming TV contract re-negotiations. What to do with all that money? The Big Ten Network is in need of more programming in order to increase the value of that property. Hockey has been fitting the bill this winter with BTN Frozen Fridays but more than 6 teams are needed. Arizona State announces it will start a D1 program, which has prompted several other schools to begin exploring the sport in the Pac 12 and the Big Ten. The rumors are on the college hockey message boards that after ASU made the announcement 4 Big Ten schools inquired with College Hockey Inc. about starting up programs. The rumored schools are Nebraska (Pinnacle Bank Arena is hockey ready), Iowa, Illinois, and Northwestern.

I am in agreement that the biggest hurdle to any school starting a program is the arena, it is a huge expense. Take that out of the equation and the path to startup is really simple given you now have $14 million more to work with each year. Oh, also keep in mind that these program startups could actually be driven by WOMEN'S hockey. Right now the BIG schools with women's hockey play in the WCHA. More conference schools need to start programs in order to have a women's Big Ten conference. If the $14 million dollars is used to start men's and women's hockey programs at Iowa, Nebraska, etc. the Big Ten gains a women's hockey conference and BTN programming.

As far as competitiveness (I saw that mentioned earlier) Minnesota, Wisco, scUM, and, MSU are college hockey blue bloods, some of them just had a down year. PSU is building a good program and OSU is no slouch. The conference is a good hockey conference, just need more programs. By association, new Big Ten teams will instantly become destinations for top recruits.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/mikeozanian/2014/12/30/mickey-mouse-will-pay-much-of-jim-harbaughs-48-million-michigan-contract/

 

[SoDakHawk]

Here is a good article in the Star Tribune aboute college hockey expansion. It's really taking off.

Of note, PSU men's hockey is alredy turning a profit of a million dollars a year.

http://www.startribune.com/sports/gophers/296003651.html

 

[mikegsvu]

In UNO's case, they actually dropped football and wrestling so they could go D1 in hockey and bball. And the city of Ralston built them an arena.
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[john bames]

UNO plays basketball at the Ralston arena, but the new hockey stadium isn't in Ralston, so I doubt Ralston built it for them correct, I think they just raised funds. (Correct me if I'm wrong). UNO has been trying to get an on campus arena for years, and they finally have got one that is about to go up (although I'm not sure if it is technically on campus). That area of Omaha had been redeveloped the past 5-10 or so years, and it will be a nice area for games.

UNO dropped football because literally no one cares about it and it was running in the red hardcore. UNO's finances were really bad. So now they have rebranded and I see UNObeing very successful in their niche as a hockey school and small conference basketball school. I actually see UNO basketball exploding, they have huge advantages over similar league teams. This is just a thought but maybe some day they could join the Missouri Vally Conference, but thst is down the line.

As for Big Ten hockey, I seriously doubt Nebraska adds it anytime soon, only way I see thst happening is if UNO gets really good at it and wins a few national championships in the next 10 or so years. Unitl then, I don't see Nebraska doing anything as they don't want to hurt UNOs program.

Iowa, I don't see why they shouldn't add hockey. Do any other major college programs in Iowa have a team? The start up might be a high, but I think at worse a hockey program would be able to break even. But I don't know the how much Iowans would want a program. Like someone previously said, it seems like a pretty big niche sport thst a university has to be committed too or be in an area (Upper Midwest) where it is popular.

 

[SoDakHawk]

Originally posted by mikegsvu:
In UNO's case, they actually dropped football and wrestling so they could go D1 in hockey and bball. And the city of Ralston built them an arena.


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UNO has been a D1 hockey program since 1997, long before the football and wrestling programs were ended. UNO transitioned the rest of their athletic department to D1 in 2011. In order to afford that move they dropped football and wrestling. Dropping those sports had nothing to do with hockey and everything to do with elevating the rest of their sports (men's basketball) to the D1 level.

UNO hockey plays in the CenturyLink Center. UNO basketball shares the Ralston Arena with the Omaha Lancers USHL hockey club. Prior to that UNO basketball played on-campus at Sapp Fieldhouse. Ralston built their arena for the Lancers. It also houses a second sheet of ice used for practice, youth hockey, and public skating.

UNO hockey is in the hunt for a National Title this season as they have advanced to the Frozen Four.

Is there anybody else in this thread that is knowledgeable of the college hockey landscape or the history of UNO athletics?



Edited to add: UNO's financials were in deep trouble. They really had no choice other than to drop football and wrestling and rebrand as a D1 basketball school. Going D1 was the only way they were going to sell their product in a market dominated by UNL and Creighton. UNO hockey held it's own and was revenue positive but not enough to support a football program deep in the red. Wrestling was victim of Title 9. They couldn't afford to keep it and add a corresponding women's program.
This post was edited on 4/2 1:40 PM by SoDakHawk

 

[HawksR1]

Good ? Would think a lot of it went to endow scholarships for both men and women's teams(which could be ?what at least 20 per team.)