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The Lake Superior State Lakers and the Ferris State Bulldogs in action in Big Rapids, Mich. (Photo by Michael Miller/MiHockey)
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WCHA announces new playoff format, games to be played on campus sites

MiHockey Staff
The Lake Superior State Lakers and the Ferris State Bulldogs in action in Big Rapids, Mich. (Photo by Michael Miller/MiHockey)
The Lake Superior State Lakers and the Ferris State Bulldogs in action in Big Rapids, Mich. (Photo by Michael Miller/MiHockey)

 

PrintBy @MichaelCaples –

Home ice just got a lot more important for the WCHA playoffs.

On a teleconference to make a ‘major business announcement,’ WCHA leaders announced that for the upcoming 2016-17, all conference playoff games will be played at campus sites.

All postseason WCHA games – from the quarterfinals through the championship game – will be hosted by the highest remaining seeds at on-campus arenas for at least the next four seasons.

“There is no greater thrill for hockey fans than watching their favorite team play for a championship on home ice,” said WCHA President and Men’s Commissioner Bill Robertson in a press release. “Much of what makes the WCHA so special are our passionate fan bases and fantastic in-arena atmospheres, which will only be heightened in a playoff series or in a single game with a championship and NCAA Tournament berth on the line.

“The opportunity to compete for the Broadmoor Trophy in a unique, frenzied atmosphere promises to be a fantastic experience for our student-athletes, our institutions and our fans. We look forward to watching a new WCHA tradition grow and flourish.”

PrintThe WCHA playoffs will consist of four best-of-three quarterfinal round series hosted by the league’s top four regular-season finishers.

A “WCHA Championship” game will be a single game, hosted by the highest remaining seed on the third Saturday of March – the same weekend as the “Final Five” of previous seasons.

The WCHA men’s hockey conference serves as the home of four Michigan-based NCAA Division I programs – Ferris State University, Lake Superior State University, Michigan Technological University and Northern Michigan University.

The move to campus sites was approved with a unanimous vote from the league’s board of directors.

“This is an historic moment for the WCHA, and the Board of Directors applauds Commissioner Robertson and our member institutions for moving the league forward into an exciting new era,” said Bowling Green State University President D. Mary Ellen Mazey, head of the board of directors. “College athletics, at its core, is about providing the best possible experience for our student-athletes first, and our fans. By bringing our playoff tournament on campuses, in front of the tremendous fans that cheer our teams all season, we are changing the WCHA – and perhaps college hockey – for the better.”

 

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