On Thursday, the Western Collegiate Hockey Association formally invited CCHA member Western Michigan University to join the conference in 2013-14. In addition to WMU, the WCHA also invited Lake Superior State, Ferris State, Bowling Green State and Alaska-Fairbanks further signaling the CCHA could truly be at its end.
According to David Drew of the Kalamazoo Gazette, the invitation was submitted by school presidents from Bemidji State, St. Cloud State, Michigan Tech, Alaska-Anchorage, Minnesota State-Mankato and Northern Michigan, the schools that will make up the WCHA after the 2012-13 season.
Depsite the invitation, Western Michigan announced that they will continue to explore all their opportunities and that they’ve had “ongoing conversations with hockey schools across the country.”
“As identified earlier today in a joint release by the CCHA and WCHA, we have recently been engaged in discussions with those institutions who will remain members of their respective leagues at the conclusion of the 2012-13 season,” Beauregard said.
“We, at Western Michigan, are very appreciative of this invitation and are equally appreciative of the stability this combined league will provide for the changing landscape of college hockey.”
The five CCHA schools have 30 days accept the invitation from the WCHA.
One team that didn’t get a formal invitation was the University of Notre Dame who will either join the newly formed National Collegiate Hockey Conference or Hockey East.
Source: Kalamazoo Gazette