November 10, 2025 • 51 mins
This week, Bill and Alex welcome back NCHC commish Heather Weems to discuss how the league is navigating college hockey’s evolving landscape, the importance of non-conference success, and the new-look Frozen Faceoff (2:09). Then, the guys look back on a busy start to November for Fighting Hawks Athletics, highlighted by hockey’s road sweep at Omaha, football’s instant classic against NDSU, and the first week of the men’s and women’s basketball seasons
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
You're listening to the Bill Shafes Podcast presented by Mid
Coast Sports. Crossover Season is in full effect on Mid
Coast Sports with Wall de Wall Lap coverage of college football,
college hockey, volleyball, postseason, soccer, and now basketball as well.
Watch on Mid Coast Sports stream on the Summer League
Network Parla by Mid Coast Sports Plus. This is how
we do sports and this is the Bill Shafes Podcast.
(00:24):
Welcome to another edition of the Bill Shapes Podcast. We
are taping this on a Monday morning, the tenth of November.
Bill Shaves Alex Hender a special guest that we're going
to introduce in just two moments. Bill, how are you?
How are things?
Speaker 2 (00:36):
I would say this crossover You're right, So basketball on
Thursday night, basketball on Friday night, little football game on Saturday,
volleyball on Saturday night, followed by basketball on Sunday. And
that doesn't even include what's happening, you know, with a
(00:56):
lot of the other sports that were on the road.
So you're right, it is complete crossover season.
Speaker 1 (01:03):
What is this time of your like for you as
you try and keep up with everything and make sure
people are in the right spots and then things are
humming smoothly and all these different events.
Speaker 2 (01:11):
Yeah, we try our best to divide and conquer.
Speaker 3 (01:14):
I mean, that's what we do.
Speaker 2 (01:16):
And you know, even this this week, this past weekend,
you know, someone normally is with hockey all the time,
you know, administratively, it's just with the game that we
had or the Saturday that we had this past week
in Grand Forks, it was almost impossible to kind of
you know, you know, navigate those waters. On top of
(01:39):
we had the National Football Foundation here to honor Jim Kleinsaucer,
and so there were just a lot of pieces of
the puzzle that we had to kind of move around.
But you know what, you do the best you can.
Here's the deal. We hire coaches to do their job too,
and you know what, they have staffs that go down
with them and they know what they're doing. So it
doesn't happen often. But that was a weird one this
(01:59):
weekend where none of us were in Omaha.
Speaker 3 (02:02):
I was there, though. We're gonna get you into the
let's do it.
Speaker 1 (02:09):
That voice you heard who was in Omaha at Baxter
Arena this weekend from North Dakota Omaha is the commissioner
of the National Collegiate Hockey Conference. She's now in her
fourth season in charge. She is Miss Heather Weims and
she joins us now, Heather, great to have you on
the podcast.
Speaker 4 (02:24):
Sorry, I didn't mean to insert myself there.
Speaker 3 (02:27):
No, No, you couldn't help And.
Speaker 2 (02:29):
I knew you were there and I was I knew
if I kept on talking long enough, you.
Speaker 3 (02:33):
Couldn't help it. You're just gonna go. We're all type
a right, you just have to say something.
Speaker 4 (02:39):
Unfortunately, Yes, that's sometimes happens.
Speaker 1 (02:42):
You were in Omaha. You you get to go to
these different buildings throughout the course of the year just
to check on things, see how things are going. This
is your fourth year now doing this. What is it
like now that you really are embedded in this position.
I'm sure feel like you've got a really good handle
on what it takes to run this conference effectively.
Speaker 4 (02:59):
Yeah, yea, I think I would. It would be sad
if I didn't say that I'm in you know, better
in the year four than I was in year one.
But certainly just a better understanding amidst all of the
things that we don't understand about the NCAA in general.
I mean, I think any of us if we go
back four years, would not maybe have anticipated some of
the directions that we've gone, and you know, just the
(03:22):
general changes that have happened in the landscape of collegiate athletics.
Speaker 3 (03:26):
But from an.
Speaker 4 (03:27):
NCC perspective, you know, certainly, I think that we continue
to demonstrate across all of our membership just how committed
we are to college hockey, and I think we're seeing
that in results this year and just in terms of
how we're going forward. So I will actually be in
Grand Forks this weekend, so I am making my tour
(03:49):
and the benefit this weekend is that my two youngest
boys are also playing in East Grand Forks in a
preseason hockey tournament, high school hockey tournament. So I'll get
to kill two birds with stone, so to speak, and
catch another series with North Dakota and see my kids play.
Speaker 1 (04:07):
That's good planning, Heather. You mentioned some of the changes
between COVID eligibility and then transfer portal and then the
HL players gaining eligibility. We've seen the NCACHD be able
to navigate these things. How do you think college hockey
as a whole has weathered all that change? And I'm
assuming more is coming probably in the near future.
Speaker 4 (04:25):
I think we all know that right now, don't blink
in something might change. So I think college hockey has
done a good job. And you know, if you look
at I would argue and Bill would likely agree that
you've probably never seen such parody, and to be honest,
just strong skill and speed in the sport, you know,
(04:48):
with the addition of the CHL and you know that
it took its own evolution. You know, for a number
of years, months, however long it was coaches and we're
probably a little bit more skeptical of that addition, I
think as it occurred, and in some ways, you know,
to be honest, given litigation and those sorts of things,
was forced upon the membership and just college hockey in general.
(05:11):
I think that what we've learned, probably I would go
back to COVID, is that you've just got to roll
with the punches, and the sooner that coaches and programs
begin to adapt, the better off they are longer term.
And that doesn't mean to be you know, I don't
think that everything needs to be an emergency, but I
think that we've all learned as administrators that we have
(05:32):
to go in with a much more open mind, and
we have to be able to look at just what's
going on in the general ecosystem. I think one of
the things that I will just say, and the benefit
of sitting in my seat is obviously that I get do,
get to travel and talk to the different ads, and
maybe I get a little bit more information. I won't
say too much, but I think one of the telling
(05:53):
things is as I go across the conference and talk
to the various athletics directors, the work that they are
doing on their own campuses to adjust to the new landscape,
I think is really quite remarkable. And you know, I
go back to when the NCAAT was founded, when I
sat in an athletics director chair, I think it was
a little bit more predictable. I think there were certain
(06:15):
things that were just across the board. This is how
you do stuff. So, for instance, you know, the membership
from the very beginning committed to the full eighteen scholarships
and that we were going to make sure that you know,
we we funded hockey in a level that could be
nationally competitive. I think that definition definition has changed, and
I don't know that there's any longer one size fits
(06:36):
all formula because every campus has their own opportunities and
you know, challenges as well that they have to navigate.
So whether that comes as you know, the number of scholarships,
you know, initially it was some opt in and some
folks not opting in. Right now, we've only got one
school who's not opted in, but I anticipate that changes
next year. But I think that the work that they
(06:59):
do on all of r d's and programs are doing
on their campuses to navigate nil, to navigate revenue share
that works for their program is really really quite impressive,
to be honest.
Speaker 2 (07:14):
So, Heather, you talked a little bit about the chl
in the scenario with those students that are now able
to play the college game. We kind of had seen
that in the horizon to some degree, and those conversations
I think have had been had over the course of time.
Speaker 3 (07:36):
The one that was.
Speaker 2 (07:36):
Tricky that probably transpired over the summer was students now
in some instances that were never enrolled in college but
had signed a professional contract and played significant amount of
games are now I would say eligible, I guess is
probably the word right. I mean, I don't know how
(07:59):
else to say it, but I think that's the word.
Speaker 4 (08:01):
Right, right, And and I think you and I obviously
had some conversation earlier. And you know when when the
first kids from the e C, the Coast, the ECHL
and HL were first admitted as eligible. What was that
back in September? I think, yeah, it did kind of
catch us all off guard. That said, there was some
(08:24):
legislation that changed that was, I don't want to say
sneakily changed because we agreed to it. You know, like
we redefined a little bit the rules are in college
hockey about pre pre enrollment activities. I think the thing
that has changed the most is actually, i'll call it
actually the definition of actual and necessary expenses. And you
(08:46):
know I did compliance in a former life, and when I,
you know, looked at actual and necessary expenses, I was
pretty conservative. You know, you're looking at basic things like
lodging and travel, and you know, any sort of stipend
that covered basic costs, sorts of things. But it was
done on a one for one. Okay, give me a receipt,
(09:07):
show me this, and then did you get more than
did the stipend?
Speaker 3 (09:11):
You get exceed that?
Speaker 4 (09:12):
I think the formula that we've learned loosely about from
the NCAA is it's based more on a larger market,
so like if you play in the coast and they
base it and again and I don't know that, Okay,
I can certainly say we weren't aware of this, and
whether or not we like the formula is a different perspective.
But the formula is what is the expense which they
(09:36):
pulled over from from how they evaluated European professional leagues previously,
is the average expenses of a family of four in
the market that they live in. So if those average expenses,
if you play in South Carolina somewhere in the in
the coast, and the average expenses you know, for a
(09:56):
family of four are fifty two thousand dollars, then technically
you can have up to fifty two thousand in actual
and necessary expenses, which in a lot of those leagues doesn't,
you know, exceed what they're actually making. So again I
think it did. We just weren't sure or where where
that was going to be maybe as liberally applied, and
(10:18):
I think, to be honest, the original coaches who who
did it through some spaghetti on the wall and it stuck.
You know. The direction I would say at this point
is at least from what we've discussed with the NCAA
and on an HCA call last week, I would say
that for most of the kids, if they've played at
(10:39):
those lower levels of professional and a coach is interested
in them, the waiver process is alive and well and
they can go through that process. I think the piece
that I would say our programs and our coaches particularly
just need to tread lightly on is you know, for
those kids who are under contract, that becomes a little
(10:59):
bit of a riff with their AHL team or their
NHL kind of parts, you know, because those those students
are actually on a signed contract now theoretically, if the
AHL or NHL wanted to pursue that legally they certainly could.
That puts the student in a bad position. The one
(11:20):
thing Bill that I will add is that, and I've
had some conversation with various coaches about it as well.
What I don't know is, and I've asked if the
if the NCAA or someone can give me, you know,
a report on it, of the kids who have played
professionally so to speak, and have now been deemed eligible,
(11:40):
how many of them got to that position because of
the former CHL rules, So how many of them aged
out of CHL at the age of twenty and then
went because they didn't have another option to the coaster
to the AHL and now are just recalibrating and coming back.
And so will it play itself through couple of years
(12:00):
now that there's a direct pathway, and will we not
see it actually take as much hold. So that's one
perspective I would.
Speaker 2 (12:09):
Say, Yeah, I think that's interesting, you know, if you
think it through in other sports, you know, I think
there were students that you know, made a decision to say,
go to the G league and maybe then they you know,
got through the first year and said, you know, maybe
maybe my better option might be back to go to college,
(12:32):
if you will. Now that could also be I'll call
it pre internal nil as well. And so so maybe
there's just a settling period that's going to go on.
Speaker 4 (12:42):
Maybe maybe, I mean the reality is we could pursue
as a conference, you could pursue more restrictive rules that
and you know, I've talked to some of the coaches.
They brought that up because I would say that generally
the coaches don't overwhelmingly love the ability. They don't think
it's right for the developmental model. The challenge is then
(13:03):
you just the enforcement of that from my perspective, would
be really really difficult from a conference office. And so
you know, while that exists and it would be something
that could be out there, I think right now, you know,
part of it is simply waiting a little bit to
see how it settles in and what sort of impact
(13:23):
it has that's fair, and how much it's actually used,
because again I do think that coaches see the value
of a developmental league where kids are moving in the
upward direction, you know, next steps, and that's that really
aligns with what college athletics I think is supposed to do.
Speaker 2 (13:41):
Yeah, I think that's right, and I think I appreciate
you taking the lead, certainly from the commissioner standpoint, to
have those conversations, because the one thing you want to
do is to make sure you have awesome relationships at
the professional level too, and so I think you don't
want to be so short termed to think, you know, well,
this one player might get us what over the hump
(14:04):
if you will, But but there's a long term, long stream.
Speaker 3 (14:07):
Effect to it, and I and I do worry about that.
Let me talk.
Speaker 2 (14:10):
You talked about the you were in Omaha, and you've
seen a lot of games so far, but it seems
as if from what we can tell so far, the
NCCHC is at least pulling its weight right now in
the non conference a little bit.
Speaker 4 (14:22):
Yeah, we really, I mean compared to last year where
I think we had a little bit of a down
year and then non conference, I think we're up about
eight percentage points in terms of wins this far in
the in the non conference season. So you know, I
think that that's good direction for us. Obviously, I would say,
you know, one of the biggest changes certainly has been
(14:44):
maybe at the bottom of our of our standings from
last year. You know, Miami particularly came into the season
and they won a number of games that last year
they didn't win, And and you know, you look across
the board and really we land with most of our
programs coming out of the first majority of non conference
(15:05):
seasons with a winning record and getting some good wins.
Speaker 3 (15:09):
The one thing I.
Speaker 4 (15:10):
Will also say, however, is I think that now that
rosters have changed so much and we're seeing it across sports,
but there is also a kind of a settling in period,
I would say in October, where when you've got thirteen
or fourteen or fifteen new players on a roster, and
you know, they truly get a week before the season
to practice other than captain's practices and some of the
(15:32):
more individual team skill workouts. It does take a little
bit more time. I think, you know, like I for
years spent time when you had six to eight new
players in any given year, and so everyone was coming
into a corps of people who already kind of knew
how the culture worked, and how the practices worked, and
how coach approached drills and sessions and all of that
(15:54):
sort of thing. Well, when over half of your team
is new, that transition is just a little bit different.
And so I think sometimes that's where you see a
Friday and a Saturday night that look completely different games.
You still have a lot of young or new players,
transfer players who are adjusting and they haven't you know,
you don't have the feel of your teammate yet. And
(16:15):
so you know those passes that you did last year
that you knew that your winger was going to catch, well,
your winger is still learning, you know, the pace and
tempo of what you're doing. So I think we saw
a little bit of that in October for sure, but overwhelmingly,
I just I think the skill of our league from
top to bottom is better and the physicality and they're
fun games, they really are, And I think everybody is adjusting,
(16:40):
but they've all adjusted up.
Speaker 1 (16:41):
You mentioned, by the way, just that that change from
Miami and Miami was might be obviously really struggled last
year in non conference. This season six and oh and
right now the NCC six ninety three win percentage, thirty
nine wins, seventeen losses, and it's high. Miami going six
and oh changes that from a six ninety three. If
they don't if they win five of the early lose
(17:02):
five of those games, that's now like a fifty five
to seven three win percentage. Like that's it's the drastic difference.
And that was the last year. Last year the NCC
had so many injuries and non conference which didn't help
either even from the really really good teams. But the
RedHawks now they would be in the NCUBAA Tournament NPI wise,
it's incredibly early, but they would be one of the
four teams that would be moving. I mean, Dartmouth is
(17:23):
number one in the NPI right now, so it's early.
We're were really early in this season, but it's it's
fascinating to look at that and just the small changes
that a win, loss here, a tie here, it really
makes a massive difference when determining who's going to be
going on to the NCAA Tournament. And we saw that
last year.
Speaker 2 (17:41):
Heather's it's mentally hard to you play twenty four games
against the NCCHC and it's mentally hard to put yourself
into the bucket of really rooting for your NCCHC mats.
But it really is important, it really is important.
Speaker 4 (18:02):
Well and certainly, yes, we see that, and we saw
that last year. But at the end of the season,
you know, when we were in the fifteen sixteen that
fifteen sixteen spot and ASU happened to be in it
last year and they just couldn't they couldn't adjust, Like
there just wasn't enough called it oomph to get us
over to get three teams into the tournament. And so
(18:24):
I think that that's where you're going to see the difference.
And again, NPI really early to even talk about it,
but as we get into February, you'll begin to see
that the non conference season plays a much bigger role
in terms of how we advanced teams into the tournament.
Speaker 1 (18:40):
And CFC just got to last year, but they both
made the Frozen four and obviously Western Machine the National Championships.
You know, the league was still pretty good. The league
was still pretty good last year. Just looking ahead to
postseason wise, this postseason will look different, I know right now. Again,
if teams keep winning games and non conference you're going
to have kind of back to the usual four or
five teams make the Big Dance. But previous to that,
(19:01):
we won't be meeting in Saint Paul. This will be
the first year of a home site and HC tournament.
We will not call this the Frozen face off anymore correct,
this will be or what will you?
Speaker 4 (19:10):
Right now, we're still calling it the frozen face off.
We don't have a better replacement, and I think that
people are familiar with it, so it will determine if
that needs to change. But at this point, all of
our marketing materials were already well, you know, moving forward.
So we are the Frozen face off just on on
campus sites.
Speaker 1 (19:30):
Oh I love that I have a cup right here
that says end of ven era Frozen Faceoff.
Speaker 3 (19:34):
Right on my shelf.
Speaker 1 (19:36):
But end of an era of it being at the
Excell Energy Center, which makes sense. Yeah, I know, there
was conversation about trying to change the name of the trophy,
which has always just been the frozen face off Trophy. Name,
how's that coming along? Any any traction will you make
a change?
Speaker 4 (19:47):
So at this point we're going to call it the
National the National Trophy or the National Cup, and that
kind of goes along with the addition of our secondary mark,
which I think presented some confusion in early on for
for general folks. You know, we added a little bit
more call it logo fun, you know, a little bit
(20:08):
different representation. We are still our primary mark is still
the NCHC shield with the eight stars and you know,
blue and red and everything, but the National really represents,
I think where we see ourselves, you know, as as
being nationally representative across the country and footprint in terms
of our national competitiveness, uh, in terms of just how
(20:29):
we're going forward. But that's a secondary logo, so we'll
encompass both of those, and what we settled on was
just the National Cup for the end of our tournament.
And again I think that leaves us it gives us
something to call it. While at the same time leaving
us flexibility in the future if at some point there
is a name that that kind of raises to the
(20:53):
level where we think that that it's appropriate to change
the trophy name. So we got there.
Speaker 3 (20:58):
Yeah, I'll add in, Alex.
Speaker 2 (21:00):
You know, I think, you know, Heather in staff have
done a good job of trying to be really thoughtful
about this, because you know, I think whenever you get
into naming of something, people can get really passionate about something,
and I think you want to be really thoughtful that
there's a long term effect with this.
Speaker 3 (21:19):
But you're right.
Speaker 2 (21:19):
I think you just don't want to like trot out
something and not have the ability.
Speaker 3 (21:23):
To call it something.
Speaker 2 (21:25):
So I think that probably made sense. Given how we
approach to secondary logos as well.
Speaker 1 (21:30):
This year, well, I would say your initial logo, like
you mentioned, with the NCAC and the eight stars, that
might represent the number of national championships the conference is
won after this year, So even though you'll have ten
teams next season, it still might be appropriate, Heather, just
in case.
Speaker 4 (21:45):
The feedback even with the secondary logo was the initial
primary was a home run. It's iconic, it's what people
know us for. It's just for us, particularly in the
office because and Bill knows this, I mean, when you're
doing logos and you're doing you know, apparel or whatever,
sometimes it's nice to have another look that you can use.
(22:07):
I think students particularly sometimes like having multiple things that
they can put on. So I think from that standpoint,
you know, I look at our website and you know,
if you scroll through it, there's some different places where
we use now both just the National as well as
the NCCHC shield. So it just gives us a little
bit more flexibility and some additional assets to use when
(22:29):
we're doing branding and sponsorship and those sorts of things.
Speaker 1 (22:32):
Well, certainly it's been as strong brands since day one,
and it's only gotten stronger under your leadership, and so
it's been fun to see this conference continue to have success. Hether,
We appreciate you taking some time safe travels to Grant Forks.
Enjoyed the college hockey, enjoyed the youth hockey as well.
Speaker 4 (22:46):
We'll talk to you soon, Okay, Thank care, Thank yous.
Speaker 3 (22:49):
Hether.
Speaker 1 (22:50):
Always great to have NCC Commissioner head of the Reams
on again doing a great job steering the ship and
keeping this conference moving forward. Seven National championships now for
the NCCHC, not too shabby, and it's been a great year.
You mentioned it again. This conference is number two, just
fifteen percentage points back of what the Big Ten has
done this year. They're solidly and second right now in
a great spot to get multiple teams back in the
(23:12):
big dance. She's had to navigate a lot. There's a
lot going on in college hockey, and she's done a
great job doing so.
Speaker 3 (23:17):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (23:19):
So if you take if you take college hockey and
you just look at the strength of the sixth conferences
over the course of time, it's been the Big Ten,
the NCCHC. In Hockey East, certainly Quinnipiac and teams like
Cornell have had you know, runs and have been really
good teams in the ECAC. But those have been the three.
(23:41):
Last year, Hockey East and the Big Ten came out
of the non conference ahead, and as she mentioned, it
was hard to make statistical movement once you get into
conference play. About the only thing you could do is
kind of run the table. And we know how hard
it is to kind of run a table. And I think,
(24:04):
you know, Arizona State being that team on the outside
looking in last year that's what they had to do.
But it's just incredibly difficult in this It's incredibly difficult
in college hockey to sweep seasons, sweep weekends, but certainly
in our conference that was.
Speaker 1 (24:22):
The thing last year. I think from a fans perspective,
it just didn't seem to make any sense, Like Arizona
State was a top ten team, they had made they
made it to Saint Paul, they were in the NCCHC
semi finals, and they had this great and they're second
in the league, Like they had this great season, and
I think people just had a hard time coming to
grips with like, well, yeah, why are they not why
(24:43):
are they on the bubble? Like we have the best
league and this team is great, But it was just
that it was that, you know, they were The NCCHC
was six oh seven in non conference play last year,
which is still good, third best, but Hockey East and
the Big Ten were up in the seventy percent win
ratio and they got ten teams into the tournament, and
if the NCCHC just got too and.
Speaker 2 (25:03):
Yeah and in every every weekend you'd watch, you know,
those those two leagues. It almost felt like regardless of
the outcomes, They just they moved just slightly because there
was so much data already into the system you couldn't
really move it.
Speaker 3 (25:20):
So so yeah, I think, you.
Speaker 2 (25:22):
Know, knock on wood, there'll be another kind of round
of non conference games coming up and those will be
incredibly important as well. So obviously for us, no doubt
about it. I mean, like, it's just it's crazy to think, right, like,
you go into conference play and well that's important.
Speaker 3 (25:38):
Yeah, no, every weekend's important.
Speaker 1 (25:40):
Every time we have pre production meetings to talk about
what do you want to say in the open, what
are some of the big storylines non conference? These are
the games you really got to win, And then we
turn the page to Minnesota to lose two weeks ago, like, well,
now these are the ones that matter, these are the points,
the points are on the line, And I think that's
just it. It's a small season and all these games
are so all of them, all of them are so important,
and it's crazy.
Speaker 2 (26:00):
We're into development mode, you know, for a lot of
our all of our guys of course, but at the end,
because you know, they get to practice in a sense,
let's call it twice as much as they play games.
But when you do play the games. It's an all
in event, and I think that's some of the things
that probably college hockey's going through a little bit. So
(26:22):
with the influx of CHL players where you're playing what
seventy maybe seventy two games during the regular season, I
think up there, I think, if I remember my WHL.
Speaker 3 (26:31):
Days, is that right?
Speaker 2 (26:32):
And so seventy two and then playoffs, I mean in
their playoffs are significant, Alex. I mean they start like
I think best of sevens, like right away, and so
I mean they just keep on going and going and going,
holy cow, all away into the Memorial Cup, which is
feels like around the Stanley Cup time.
Speaker 3 (26:51):
It's really not.
Speaker 2 (26:52):
It's end in May, but it's a long, long, long season.
Speaker 1 (26:57):
That was always one of the big pushbacks from EHL
people about why kids shouldn't go to college hockey, like, well,
don't you you're gonna play half the games, Like these
kids should be playing more games. We're on the college side.
I think the idea is you had a chance to
practice and work on your body and work on nutrition
and growing yourself into being a professional. And there's benefits
(27:18):
to just playing two games a week and spending that
other time doing skill development, et cetera. So it's been
interesting to see that kind of play out, and obviously
again it's only a month and a half into the season. Yeah,
kids are making the adjustment pretty well.
Speaker 3 (27:31):
I think so, Fat, I think so.
Speaker 2 (27:32):
And so if anybody you know listens to this pod
and they know, towards the end we like to just
talk about the things I'd interest you and I, but
we always talk about the amount of games or fixtures
as we like to say, in soccer right at the
highest levels, and there's so many soft tissue injuries to
(27:53):
some degree that I think, as as these athletes are
growing still into their body, you could argue this is
the better model to some degree. Now, Brash Lossman had
an article on some of the injuries that are occurring.
I think that's just the nature of the physical game. Yeah,
because it's a very physical game which is played at
(28:13):
a pretty intense level every time you go out onto
the ice.
Speaker 1 (28:17):
Yeah, that goes back to what we were just talking about,
how every game is so important and these guys are
given everything every night and everybody's good. So you don't
get a third period off because you're up by seven
goals against a weak team. No, everybody's good in college hockey,
especially now, and that you have that you have that
chance for injury increase because of that. But I don't know.
(28:38):
At the same time, like, the product has been phenomenal.
If you've been watching college hockey, if you watch this
weekend down at Baxter Arena in Omaha or the week
previous against Minnesotada Luth, like, these are high, high level
college hockey games with a ton of talent on the ice.
And it's a credit for North Dakota as we transition
into this conversation about you and the athletics for them
to be seven and three right now and a top
(28:59):
the HC standings and having played as well as they
have with all these new pieces against really quality opposition.
It's been a really positive start to the season for
Dan Jackson in company.
Speaker 2 (29:09):
Well, it has, and if you looked at the first
ten games, I think going into the season you probably
maybe would have inverted in a sense how Duluth has
gotten off versus the Gophers. Now I'm I think the
Gophers are going to figure it out, and I think
they're going to continue to get better as the year
goes on. But I do I do think that that
(29:30):
Duluth team obviously with that that top.
Speaker 3 (29:32):
Line is very very good.
Speaker 2 (29:34):
And yeah, so we've had, you know, I think some
pretty good results. Going on the road is huge, you know,
especially after Omaha had gone on the road and swept
Colorado College themselves. So you know, it's it's a it's
a it's.
Speaker 3 (29:52):
A week by week thing.
Speaker 2 (29:53):
And you know you're going to get an Arizona State
team that I think is zuber talented coming into Grant
Forks this week and you know we're going to have
two games that we're gonna have handful, no doubt about it.
Speaker 1 (30:05):
Yeah, that will be fun this weekend. One of those
games on the TSN three This weekend Big Spotlight Gibson
Homer taken on its former team again, an ASU team
that is kind of like North Dkota, a lot of
new faces but a lot of talent. So big weekend
coming up at Grand Forks. By the way, hockey will
be home each of the next three weekends, although this
is the only series that will be at the Ralph.
It'll be Arizona State Friday Saturday this weekend, then just
(30:27):
the single game against the National team Development program on
the twenty first and then the home and away with
Midgie State over Thanksgiving. So an opportunity to see und
at home every weekend. But this is the only series
at least until December, so just keep that in mind
as we transition towards the holidays. Hockey again, great star
for them. Football had a monster weekend of course of
(30:48):
North Dakota State in town, and so much emotion and
so much pageantry in that game, and it lived up
to the hype obviously, a fantastic, nail biting football game
where the defenses really rose up. It just came down
to a couple of plays, like it always does when
two really good teams go head tohead. You and he
finds themselves on the losing end of a tough fifteen
ten defeat.
Speaker 3 (31:09):
Yeah, I thought.
Speaker 2 (31:09):
I thought big plays and field position, everything was at
a premium. Everything seemed like it was at a just
an uber level. And I think it was a it
was kind of a flip the coin game, you know.
I thought, you know, they made a few more bigger
plays than we did as far as chunk plays, and
I think that made a little bit of a difference. Obviously,
(31:32):
Bryce Lance really good receiver, and so you know, in there.
You know, it was kind of a fifty to fifty game,
and we've had the ability to have the ball at
the end right every time we've we've unfortunately lost games
this year and just haven't been able to pull the
trigger at this point and get it done. So I
(31:55):
do think that Coach Schmidt has, you know, just tremendous
perspective as as as our team does as well.
Speaker 3 (32:01):
I believe this, Alex.
Speaker 2 (32:02):
I mean, as big a game as that was, and
of course it's huge, it's like monstrous, right, gargantuan, all
of those things. It's it's in state rivalry. We have
just this big a game really from just a season standpoint.
This week down in Murray, I mean, there's these these
This game is huge in regard to you know, what
(32:25):
transpired this past weekend. We got to bounce back and
get on the right side of the ledger.
Speaker 1 (32:30):
You would, I would agree with you that this is
against it's the biggest game because it's the next game.
But of course you absolutely need this one.
Speaker 2 (32:38):
I'd say, there's there's this i'll say somewhat magical thing
about getting seven Division one wins, and that's what this
weekend would provide.
Speaker 3 (32:48):
South Dakota State.
Speaker 2 (32:49):
I know they've had, you know, a little bit of
a tough go here because they've had some quarterback issues.
But they play Illinois State this week. That'll be an
interesting game, and then come to the A Layer Center
the following week. You know, I you literally can worry
about this weekend and and try to get to seven,
take a deep breath, figure it out at that point
(33:12):
and and and have a good end of the year.
I think there's a couple of reasons why, you know,
you want to You want to win out because you
want to feel good about yourself going into the playoffs
for sure, and then you want to put yourself in
the best possible position obviously from a positioning standpoint. So
a lot to come, a lot to come. There's if
you look at two through seven in the valley right now,
(33:33):
so you've got South Dakota State, North Dakota s I,
U U S d I s U, and y s U.
There are eleven games left in eight are against each other,
so so one of them being not being the one
we're going to this weekend. So and then then why
(33:56):
y SU has Indiana State and U n I left,
but everybody else plays everybody, so so much more to
be determined as far as shaking out my eyes tell
me though, there are a lot of playoff teams in
the valley this year.
Speaker 1 (34:11):
Yeah, I would agree with that. Yeah, certainly from what
we've seen, North Dcota will take on one that maybe
hasn't had the success that perhaps some of the talent
they've got in their team has merited this season. But
tough to go on the road to Kentucky after a
really tough loss. Again, not a gimme this weekend. And yeah,
for und you got a response to what happened this
past weekend in the Alera Center, North Dakota six and four.
Those four losses by a combined fourteen points. Like just
(34:34):
these close games that just haven't quite gone their way,
but a chance to turn it around this weekends and
keep pressing on towards the postseason, which is still very
much in the picture. Speaking of postseason, volleyball has a
key match coming up on the thirteenth against Omaha. North
Dakota right now in seventh in the semi league standings.
Omaha is the team in sixth place top six make
the tournament. One game separating those two another really big
(34:56):
game coming up. Big week for und as they try
and finish strong and make the chance pion hips coming
up over Thanksgiving.
Speaker 3 (35:02):
Yeah, I think that's right. There's no sugar coating. It's huge.
Speaker 2 (35:05):
So it's a big one for that team, that program.
So we'll see what transpires. I think Omaha having beaten
US down in Omaha would pretty much seal things at
that point because they'd have the tie break on US.
So needless to say, pretty simple, Alex, gotta win the match.
Speaker 1 (35:24):
Gotta win the match, I know, gotta win the match.
Jesse Tupakin Company did have a couple of wins just recently,
so trying to build on some of that momentum. We'll
see how things go on Thursday night to get home
match against Omaha. Two home games left Omaha on Thursday,
Saint Thomas on Saturday, before a road game at South
Dakota State on the eighteenth, and the tournament right around
the corner. Big one coming up for the Fighting Hawks
(35:44):
on the hardwood, Big one coming up for our Harriers
on the cross country course. They will take the trip
to Stillwater, Oklahoma on the fourteenth this weekend to compete
in the NCAA Midwest Regional I think based on what
we saw at the some of league championships, there'll be
some confidence going into those channels.
Speaker 3 (36:01):
I think so.
Speaker 2 (36:01):
I think so, you know, having checked out the weather
and still Water this week, hopefully it's good, good weather.
Speaker 3 (36:08):
But yeah, I know. I talked to coach Scott.
Speaker 2 (36:11):
And I know both teams are they're they're jazzed up,
ready to go. So it should be fun as Alex
is looking up the weather and still Water, Oklahoma, and
he'll give us the idea of is it ideal or not?
Speaker 1 (36:25):
I mean, seventy nine is what the high is? Windy,
maybe a little bit too warm, right that maybe just
the just the tick. I think they would prefer if
it was maybe a ten degrees cooler than that.
Speaker 3 (36:35):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (36:35):
Interesting, interesting, what's.
Speaker 3 (36:37):
The sweet spot you think?
Speaker 2 (36:38):
I mean, I think if there's no there's no wind
and elements.
Speaker 1 (36:42):
Yeah, I would say if you're a cross country runner,
you'd love it. If it's sixty I would say, like
anywhere between fifty five and sixty five is probably about
where you'd like it. Everybody's a little bit different, but
you would prefer you'd prefer not too hot. I got
to see a cross country meet yesterday where it was
the feelds like temperature was three degrees and there was
snow on the ground. That would be on the opposite
(37:03):
side of things.
Speaker 2 (37:04):
So that doesn't feel great, doesn't sound great.
Speaker 1 (37:08):
Those poor kids got it, but yes, you would prefer
somewhere maybe a little cooler than seventy nine. But maybe
that's maybe maybe the forecast will change. But hopefully again,
if our runners continue to do what they've done this season,
they're gonna have a great chance to move on to
the NCAA Championships in Columbia, Missouri the following week. So
best of luck to that crew as they take on
(37:28):
the rest of the Midwest this weekend in Stillwater. Cross country, volleyball,
et cetera, football, all kind of at the end of
their season. Hoops just got started this past week, both
the men and women getting going. Both teams have so
many new faces. Good to see some good competition at home,
even if none of those games ended up in victory
for both the men and for the women.
Speaker 2 (37:49):
This past week, I feel like what Commissioner Weims had said,
and I think she's right. Trying to get the teams
sorted and figuring out rolls on both sides so many
new faces, and I think that's what coach say there
and howther is dealing with right now. So obviously this
is the time where the games come fast and furious,
(38:12):
and a lot of times, Alex, it's just hard to
keep up. I'll call it from a basketball standpoint on
a national level, like who's playing tonight?
Speaker 3 (38:20):
What's going on?
Speaker 2 (38:20):
It's almost like one of those there's so many games
they come thick and furious.
Speaker 1 (38:25):
One of the unique things about the early season schedule
for both the men and the women, they both have
home and homes coming up in this first month. The
men have got UC riverside on the road after they
just dropped a tough four point decision to them this
past week. The women coming up will go to Eastern
Kentucky and then get the return fixture two days later.
It's almost like a hockey series, a little home and
home there. Just talk about I know, scheduling is so
(38:47):
hard for our programs in that sport, talk about how
these two came about, how big that is to get
home games against the one opponents like that.
Speaker 3 (38:55):
I think that's it.
Speaker 2 (38:56):
I think at the end of the day, I think
everybody's dealing with the same stuff, and it becomes normally
the home and I shouldn't say normally, I would say
traditionally the home and home would always be, well, you
come to my place this year, I'll go back next year.
I think it's become so difficult to schedule, and schools
are looking for Division IE home games.
Speaker 3 (39:19):
I think it just makes sense.
Speaker 2 (39:21):
I mean, we play conference teams twice, I mean, I
mean why not play Why not play a school twice
and then you can kind of fit in possibly another
game while you're there that maybe you get the return.
Speaker 3 (39:34):
On at some point. So and then schools, you know, you.
Speaker 2 (39:37):
Know, for us, so we played nor through It yesterday
in basketball, they're going to play the Byson on Tuesday,
and so you know, that's what the beauty is, only
being an hour apart that a lot of times, you know,
we'll connect with with NDSU no matter what sport it is,
could be volleyball, to try to just get more home games.
(39:58):
I mean from that where on the same page, I mean,
we would love to get as many home games as
possible because travel, you know, becomes challenging. I mean, aside
from potentially what's happening in DC at this point, which
has made.
Speaker 3 (40:10):
Travel even more difficult.
Speaker 2 (40:12):
But you know, once we literally land that plane, hopefully
travel will be better.
Speaker 1 (40:17):
Can I ask, this is something that has been talked
about for a long time, how difficult it is in
college basketball to schedule for mid majors. Could you give
us an insight of why that is? What is the
biggest factor in why it is so hard to be
able to fill up your schedule with fellow.
Speaker 2 (40:33):
D one's Yeah, So, I guess the simplest way to
say it is either you are buying teams to come
play you, or you're being bought. Let's add on the
most macro level, that's the start of it. Now, we
don't go to many buy games, but if there's reasons
(40:56):
why we do it for a variety of reasons. One,
obviously it's a helpful budgetary standpoint, that's one. But two,
those games are great for our teams too. They want
to play in those games, they want to be in
the environment like playing at Alabama and you know, possibly
playing at a Nebraska or Creighton. Those are great, you know,
opportunities for our student athletes. They relish those, So I
(41:22):
would start there, But those schools that I would say,
in a sense by other.
Speaker 3 (41:29):
Schools to come in.
Speaker 2 (41:30):
They don't go on the road, and if they don't,
they just don't. They're not going to go to your place.
You know, think about what happened last year when the
Crimson Tide came. That's probably a lot of the reasons
why those schools that have aspirations to being one of
the sixty eight in the tournament will not go somewhere.
(41:52):
They might play a neutral game somewhere, they might play
a neutral site game, but you know, they are not
going to go your play. So that's why you need
to go get like institutions that are doing similar things
and say, hey, do you have an opportunity to slide
in a home and home And it becomes, you know,
(42:14):
challenging because sometimes there's just not enough days in the
calendar to figure it out. Weirdly, we play as many
games in a truncated period of time early in the season,
and then it gets lengthened out when you're playing conference games,
so you're not using the entire calendar effectively, if you will,
(42:37):
and so that becomes difficult.
Speaker 3 (42:38):
So it's a.
Speaker 2 (42:39):
Challenge, it really really is. And our coaches do a
really good job. They're thoughtful about it, but you know,
you think about it. Even on our men's side, just
playing home games. Obviously you want to win the home games,
but not having to be on the road is a
huge deal. And so all of those things together some
years are better than others.
Speaker 1 (43:00):
I always just think it's so fascinating, especially talking with coaches.
And I had a chance to work a triple header
college basketball event on the opening day of the season
in Swo Falls this past week, so we had a
chance to talk with six different coaches, two from the
Summer League, you know, some from the Missouri Valley, some
from the Metro Atlantic Athletic Association on the East Coast,
and so kind of have a good, a good wide spectrum,
(43:20):
and all those coaches said, yeah, yeah, we would, we'd
play anybody, Like we're open to coming. We're going to
play a tough team from outside of our conference at
a neutral site. We're fine with that. But at the
same time, there was always kind of that underlying like, yeah,
but we can't do this too often, like this, this
isn't something that we can do all the time because
we know you know, again, no, no coach actually said this,
(43:41):
but like, we want to win games, and we know,
we have a much better chance to get to twenty wins,
which is kind of like that benchmark a lot of
these programs are aiming for if we're playing lesser teams
at home and just that that's not job security. But like,
you know, they're smart, These coaches are smart, like they
don't want to go play teams that they know the
odds of them losing are greater if you're on the road,
(44:03):
of course, and if you're playing a good team, same story.
It's so tough. It's just you get it when you
talk to them and understands how fragile all this is
and how you have to win and you want to
give yourself the best shot.
Speaker 2 (44:14):
If you have a chance to be an at large team,
which you know, we know there's a number of one
bid leagues in the country and we're part of that
in the Summit League. But if you're in a multi
bid league, the very first thing always is win games.
That I mean the top metric. I mean it could be, hey,
(44:36):
I went on the road and played X School and
it was a great you know, a great loss if
you will, But at the end of the day, there's
no greater upside than winning games. And so that's what transpired,
and so yeah, So anyways, on the basketball side, it
is always been challenging, less challenging truly on the women's side.
(44:59):
The women over the course of time have still traveled
and gone on the road and had home and homes
and in those types of things. So but the men,
you know, it is really really challenging to have what
Alabama did that is atypical with a capital A considering
(45:23):
we're talking about Alabama.
Speaker 1 (45:25):
And that was exhibit a why those schools don't do
that because they just about got.
Speaker 3 (45:28):
Beat Certainly could have, right, certainly.
Speaker 1 (45:31):
Could have you could have? Oh one, some of the
question for you. We have a membership change coming up
next season that was a bit of a surprise. The
University of Denver announced last week they're going to make
the shift from the Summit to the West Coast Conference.
Just your thoughts about the Summer League losing a member,
and certainly a member that North Dakota has been so
closely aligned with, not just in some of the league activity,
(45:54):
but of course within the NCC as well.
Speaker 2 (45:57):
Yeah, I you know, I think themple answer is nothing
surprises me. I think each institution always is thinking about
what's in their best interest as much as their conference members.
You know, they've got to think about their institution first
and foremost. So I think every every school's thinking, Hey,
(46:20):
if an opportunity came up in ext conference, is that
a better situation for us on a broader level, because
you know, again to some level, Alex Whye you have athletics,
it's to provide some notoriety, the whole front porch adage,
trying to increase enrollment, get get students.
Speaker 3 (46:42):
To your school.
Speaker 2 (46:44):
And if they believe being in the West Coast Conference
is a better fit for them, you know, as far
as who they're going to play, you know, whether let's
just say it's a Santa Clara or a Pacific or Pepperdine,
if they feel like those schools are maybe more aligned
with maybe you know, the kind of institution they are
(47:04):
number one, But number two, where do they see themselves
wanting to be to try to attract students to the
University of Denver, you know in this case and so yeah,
I I you know, nothing somewhat surprises me. It really doesn't,
you know. You know, it gets us to eight schools.
You know, we have to be measured and thoughtful I
think going forward. And I know this, We've got, you know,
(47:28):
a great commissioner and Josh Fenton, and it's something that
you know he thinks about all the time. But I
don't think there was anything particularly that the Summit League
did in any way, shape or form. I just think
it was decision. I haven't talked to Josh Burlaw on
my counterpart, so I'm just surmising right now that you know,
having been in it for a long long time, I
(47:48):
just know that institutions make decisions based on what they
think their vision is for their school.
Speaker 1 (47:55):
They were always the westernmost outposts in the conference, and
so instead of for them coming east now, I'll just
go west instead. And obviously that will not affect their
hockey membership. They will still be a member of the
NCC moving forward, That's correct. So we'll still get to
see a lot of the pioneers, just more on the
rink less so on the court and on the pitch, etc.
Speaker 3 (48:14):
Well, the last thing I'll say is, and I'll close this.
Speaker 2 (48:17):
I know because I sometimes think, you know, it's always
interesting and I'm always more concerned for doctor Armacos and
I am myself having to be in three leagues and
go to three league meetings.
Speaker 3 (48:29):
Denvers in five.
Speaker 2 (48:30):
Yeah, and so so now did they go from five
to four? I don't know that answer that I don't know,
but that's even significant. So sometimes it's just broader than
you know. It's the moving pieces for that particular institution.
That's why you're always having to think ahead, you know,
what makes sense for schools, and you know, I would
(48:53):
say that's what Josh Fenton does every day waking up.
Speaker 1 (48:56):
I leave Denver is in the Big twelve for gymnastics. Ye,
now I'm going to be in the West Coast Conference
for most of their other Olympic sports. They'll have the
Nordic skiing piece, which is in kind of their own thing,
the NCAAC for hockey. Yeah, I feel like there's even
one more. Lacrosse probably is in something else to you, I.
Speaker 2 (49:13):
Guess lacrosse, I think something else, Yeah, something like that.
Speaker 1 (49:16):
So yeah, they so they probably still have five.
Speaker 2 (49:18):
Yeah, their array of sports were just a little bit
different as well. Then I would say the majority of
the Summit League. So anyways, all that to be said, Yeah,
I guess it's surprising and not all because when it
actually happens, maybe you're surprised, but then you start digging deep.
You take maybe one peel the onion back and you
(49:38):
start going, oh, I kind of get that.
Speaker 1 (49:42):
Well, North Dakota is staying in the Summit and in
the in the NCAC and in the Valley, and all
of those conferences and the sports that North Dakota plays
in in those conferences will be busy this week, as
will you, Bill, So we're gonna we're gonna skip the
B side this week. A robust B side coming on
our next podcast. In the meantime, here's your B side homework.
(50:02):
Go watch Mickey van Deven's wonder goal against Copenhagen in
the Europa League this last week. If you want something
to do, my goodness, messy van Deven.
Speaker 2 (50:11):
He's a freak athlete. In the last one. Because we
can't help ourselves with some sort of B side. The
differential in that table is crazy. Between really two through.
Speaker 1 (50:21):
Thirteen, everybody's on nineteen or eighteen points, it feels like.
Speaker 2 (50:26):
And the one thing I wasn't tracking on I still
think supposedly maybe the Man City stuff is going to
be coming out at some point. If that ever came out,
and they took a deduction. Arsenal should be like dancing
their way to the title. Paul Ralston branch Lassman.
Speaker 1 (50:42):
Yeah, boy, it feels like it's a two horse race
now after this past weekends.
Speaker 3 (50:46):
Feels that way. Feels that way, Bandai goal Citizen.
Speaker 1 (50:50):
Anyway, we're gonna go. We gotta go, but big thanks
to Heather wims Bill. Thanks to you as always as well.
Great to chat and catch up. Enjoy the week ahead, buddy.
Speaker 3 (50:58):
Thanks Alex, appreciate you.
Speaker 1 (50:59):
Awesome, Thank you for listening. Everybody out there, big thanks
to Paul Ralston, Alex Socker Johnson on the back end
for getting this podcast out. I'm Alex Sinners. Enjoy a
great week of November Ahead, and we'll talk to you soon.
You're listening to the Bill Shafes Podcast presented by Mid
Coast Sports. Crossover Season is in full effect on Mid
Coast Sports with Wall de Wall Lap coverage of college football,
college hockey, volleyball, postseason, soccer, and now basketball as well.
Watch on Mid Coast Sports stream on the Summer League
Network Parla by Mid Coast Sports Plus. This is how
we do sports and this is the Bill Shafes Podcast.
(00:24):
Welcome to another edition of the Bill Shapes Podcast. We
are taping this on a Monday morning, the tenth of November.
Bill Shaves Alex Hender a special guest that we're going
to introduce in just two moments. Bill, how are you?
How are things?
Speaker 2 (00:36):
I would say this crossover You're right, So basketball on
Thursday night, basketball on Friday night, little football game on Saturday,
volleyball on Saturday night, followed by basketball on Sunday. And
that doesn't even include what's happening, you know, with a
(00:56):
lot of the other sports that were on the road.
So you're right, it is complete crossover season.
Speaker 1 (01:03):
What is this time of your like for you as
you try and keep up with everything and make sure
people are in the right spots and then things are
humming smoothly and all these different events.
Speaker 2 (01:11):
Yeah, we try our best to divide and conquer.
Speaker 3 (01:14):
I mean, that's what we do.
Speaker 2 (01:16):
And you know, even this this week, this past weekend,
you know, someone normally is with hockey all the time,
you know, administratively, it's just with the game that we
had or the Saturday that we had this past week
in Grand Forks, it was almost impossible to kind of
you know, you know, navigate those waters. On top of
(01:39):
we had the National Football Foundation here to honor Jim Kleinsaucer,
and so there were just a lot of pieces of
the puzzle that we had to kind of move around.
But you know what, you do the best you can.
Here's the deal. We hire coaches to do their job too,
and you know what, they have staffs that go down
with them and they know what they're doing. So it
doesn't happen often. But that was a weird one this
(01:59):
weekend where none of us were in Omaha.
Speaker 3 (02:02):
I was there, though. We're gonna get you into the
let's do it.
Speaker 1 (02:09):
That voice you heard who was in Omaha at Baxter
Arena this weekend from North Dakota Omaha is the commissioner
of the National Collegiate Hockey Conference. She's now in her
fourth season in charge. She is Miss Heather Weims and
she joins us now, Heather, great to have you on
the podcast.
Speaker 4 (02:24):
Sorry, I didn't mean to insert myself there.
Speaker 3 (02:27):
No, No, you couldn't help And.
Speaker 2 (02:29):
I knew you were there and I was I knew
if I kept on talking long enough, you.
Speaker 3 (02:33):
Couldn't help it. You're just gonna go. We're all type
a right, you just have to say something.
Speaker 4 (02:39):
Unfortunately, Yes, that's sometimes happens.
Speaker 1 (02:42):
You were in Omaha. You you get to go to
these different buildings throughout the course of the year just
to check on things, see how things are going. This
is your fourth year now doing this. What is it
like now that you really are embedded in this position.
I'm sure feel like you've got a really good handle
on what it takes to run this conference effectively.
Speaker 4 (02:59):
Yeah, yea, I think I would. It would be sad
if I didn't say that I'm in you know, better
in the year four than I was in year one.
But certainly just a better understanding amidst all of the
things that we don't understand about the NCAA in general.
I mean, I think any of us if we go
back four years, would not maybe have anticipated some of
the directions that we've gone, and you know, just the
(03:22):
general changes that have happened in the landscape of collegiate athletics.
Speaker 3 (03:26):
But from an.
Speaker 4 (03:27):
NCC perspective, you know, certainly, I think that we continue
to demonstrate across all of our membership just how committed
we are to college hockey, and I think we're seeing
that in results this year and just in terms of
how we're going forward. So I will actually be in
Grand Forks this weekend, so I am making my tour
(03:49):
and the benefit this weekend is that my two youngest
boys are also playing in East Grand Forks in a
preseason hockey tournament, high school hockey tournament. So I'll get
to kill two birds with stone, so to speak, and
catch another series with North Dakota and see my kids play.
Speaker 1 (04:07):
That's good planning, Heather. You mentioned some of the changes
between COVID eligibility and then transfer portal and then the
HL players gaining eligibility. We've seen the NCACHD be able
to navigate these things. How do you think college hockey
as a whole has weathered all that change? And I'm
assuming more is coming probably in the near future.
Speaker 4 (04:25):
I think we all know that right now, don't blink
in something might change. So I think college hockey has
done a good job. And you know, if you look
at I would argue and Bill would likely agree that
you've probably never seen such parody, and to be honest,
just strong skill and speed in the sport, you know,
(04:48):
with the addition of the CHL and you know that
it took its own evolution. You know, for a number
of years, months, however long it was coaches and we're
probably a little bit more skeptical of that addition, I
think as it occurred, and in some ways, you know,
to be honest, given litigation and those sorts of things,
was forced upon the membership and just college hockey in general.
(05:11):
I think that what we've learned, probably I would go
back to COVID, is that you've just got to roll
with the punches, and the sooner that coaches and programs
begin to adapt, the better off they are longer term.
And that doesn't mean to be you know, I don't
think that everything needs to be an emergency, but I
think that we've all learned as administrators that we have
(05:32):
to go in with a much more open mind, and
we have to be able to look at just what's
going on in the general ecosystem. I think one of
the things that I will just say, and the benefit
of sitting in my seat is obviously that I get do,
get to travel and talk to the different ads, and
maybe I get a little bit more information. I won't
say too much, but I think one of the telling
(05:53):
things is as I go across the conference and talk
to the various athletics directors, the work that they are
doing on their own campuses to adjust to the new landscape,
I think is really quite remarkable. And you know, I
go back to when the NCAAT was founded, when I
sat in an athletics director chair, I think it was
a little bit more predictable. I think there were certain
(06:15):
things that were just across the board. This is how
you do stuff. So, for instance, you know, the membership
from the very beginning committed to the full eighteen scholarships
and that we were going to make sure that you know,
we we funded hockey in a level that could be
nationally competitive. I think that definition definition has changed, and
I don't know that there's any longer one size fits
(06:36):
all formula because every campus has their own opportunities and
you know, challenges as well that they have to navigate.
So whether that comes as you know, the number of scholarships,
you know, initially it was some opt in and some
folks not opting in. Right now, we've only got one
school who's not opted in, but I anticipate that changes
next year. But I think that the work that they
(06:59):
do on all of r d's and programs are doing
on their campuses to navigate nil, to navigate revenue share
that works for their program is really really quite impressive,
to be honest.
Speaker 2 (07:14):
So, Heather, you talked a little bit about the chl
in the scenario with those students that are now able
to play the college game. We kind of had seen
that in the horizon to some degree, and those conversations
I think have had been had over the course of time.
Speaker 3 (07:36):
The one that was.
Speaker 2 (07:36):
Tricky that probably transpired over the summer was students now
in some instances that were never enrolled in college but
had signed a professional contract and played significant amount of
games are now I would say eligible, I guess is
probably the word right. I mean, I don't know how
(07:59):
else to say it, but I think that's the word.
Speaker 4 (08:01):
Right, right, And and I think you and I obviously
had some conversation earlier. And you know when when the
first kids from the e C, the Coast, the ECHL
and HL were first admitted as eligible. What was that
back in September? I think, yeah, it did kind of
catch us all off guard. That said, there was some
(08:24):
legislation that changed that was, I don't want to say
sneakily changed because we agreed to it. You know, like
we redefined a little bit the rules are in college
hockey about pre pre enrollment activities. I think the thing
that has changed the most is actually, i'll call it
actually the definition of actual and necessary expenses. And you
(08:46):
know I did compliance in a former life, and when I,
you know, looked at actual and necessary expenses, I was
pretty conservative. You know, you're looking at basic things like
lodging and travel, and you know, any sort of stipend
that covered basic costs, sorts of things. But it was
done on a one for one. Okay, give me a receipt,
(09:07):
show me this, and then did you get more than
did the stipend?
Speaker 3 (09:11):
You get exceed that?
Speaker 4 (09:12):
I think the formula that we've learned loosely about from
the NCAA is it's based more on a larger market,
so like if you play in the coast and they
base it and again and I don't know that, Okay,
I can certainly say we weren't aware of this, and
whether or not we like the formula is a different perspective.
But the formula is what is the expense which they
(09:36):
pulled over from from how they evaluated European professional leagues previously,
is the average expenses of a family of four in
the market that they live in. So if those average expenses,
if you play in South Carolina somewhere in the in
the coast, and the average expenses you know, for a
(09:56):
family of four are fifty two thousand dollars, then technically
you can have up to fifty two thousand in actual
and necessary expenses, which in a lot of those leagues doesn't,
you know, exceed what they're actually making. So again I
think it did. We just weren't sure or where where
that was going to be maybe as liberally applied, and
(10:18):
I think, to be honest, the original coaches who who
did it through some spaghetti on the wall and it stuck.
You know. The direction I would say at this point
is at least from what we've discussed with the NCAA
and on an HCA call last week, I would say
that for most of the kids, if they've played at
(10:39):
those lower levels of professional and a coach is interested
in them, the waiver process is alive and well and
they can go through that process. I think the piece
that I would say our programs and our coaches particularly
just need to tread lightly on is you know, for
those kids who are under contract, that becomes a little
(10:59):
bit of a riff with their AHL team or their
NHL kind of parts, you know, because those those students
are actually on a signed contract now theoretically, if the
AHL or NHL wanted to pursue that legally they certainly could.
That puts the student in a bad position. The one
(11:20):
thing Bill that I will add is that, and I've
had some conversation with various coaches about it as well.
What I don't know is, and I've asked if the
if the NCAA or someone can give me, you know,
a report on it, of the kids who have played
professionally so to speak, and have now been deemed eligible,
(11:40):
how many of them got to that position because of
the former CHL rules, So how many of them aged
out of CHL at the age of twenty and then
went because they didn't have another option to the coaster
to the AHL and now are just recalibrating and coming back.
And so will it play itself through couple of years
(12:00):
now that there's a direct pathway, and will we not
see it actually take as much hold. So that's one
perspective I would.
Speaker 2 (12:09):
Say, Yeah, I think that's interesting, you know, if you
think it through in other sports, you know, I think
there were students that you know, made a decision to say,
go to the G league and maybe then they you know,
got through the first year and said, you know, maybe
maybe my better option might be back to go to college,
(12:32):
if you will. Now that could also be I'll call
it pre internal nil as well. And so so maybe
there's just a settling period that's going to go on.
Speaker 4 (12:42):
Maybe maybe, I mean the reality is we could pursue
as a conference, you could pursue more restrictive rules that
and you know, I've talked to some of the coaches.
They brought that up because I would say that generally
the coaches don't overwhelmingly love the ability. They don't think
it's right for the developmental model. The challenge is then
(13:03):
you just the enforcement of that from my perspective, would
be really really difficult from a conference office. And so
you know, while that exists and it would be something
that could be out there, I think right now, you know,
part of it is simply waiting a little bit to
see how it settles in and what sort of impact
(13:23):
it has that's fair, and how much it's actually used,
because again I do think that coaches see the value
of a developmental league where kids are moving in the
upward direction, you know, next steps, and that's that really
aligns with what college athletics I think is supposed to do.
Speaker 2 (13:41):
Yeah, I think that's right, and I think I appreciate
you taking the lead, certainly from the commissioner standpoint, to
have those conversations, because the one thing you want to
do is to make sure you have awesome relationships at
the professional level too, and so I think you don't
want to be so short termed to think, you know, well,
this one player might get us what over the hump
(14:04):
if you will, But but there's a long term, long stream.
Speaker 3 (14:07):
Effect to it, and I and I do worry about that.
Let me talk.
Speaker 2 (14:10):
You talked about the you were in Omaha, and you've
seen a lot of games so far, but it seems
as if from what we can tell so far, the
NCCHC is at least pulling its weight right now in
the non conference a little bit.
Speaker 4 (14:22):
Yeah, we really, I mean compared to last year where
I think we had a little bit of a down
year and then non conference, I think we're up about
eight percentage points in terms of wins this far in
the in the non conference season. So you know, I
think that that's good direction for us. Obviously, I would say,
you know, one of the biggest changes certainly has been
(14:44):
maybe at the bottom of our of our standings from
last year. You know, Miami particularly came into the season
and they won a number of games that last year
they didn't win, And and you know, you look across
the board and really we land with most of our
programs coming out of the first majority of non conference
(15:05):
seasons with a winning record and getting some good wins.
Speaker 3 (15:09):
The one thing I.
Speaker 4 (15:10):
Will also say, however, is I think that now that
rosters have changed so much and we're seeing it across sports,
but there is also a kind of a settling in period,
I would say in October, where when you've got thirteen
or fourteen or fifteen new players on a roster, and
you know, they truly get a week before the season
to practice other than captain's practices and some of the
(15:32):
more individual team skill workouts. It does take a little
bit more time. I think, you know, like I for
years spent time when you had six to eight new
players in any given year, and so everyone was coming
into a corps of people who already kind of knew
how the culture worked, and how the practices worked, and
how coach approached drills and sessions and all of that
(15:54):
sort of thing. Well, when over half of your team
is new, that transition is just a little bit different.
And so I think sometimes that's where you see a
Friday and a Saturday night that look completely different games.
You still have a lot of young or new players,
transfer players who are adjusting and they haven't you know,
you don't have the feel of your teammate yet. And
(16:15):
so you know those passes that you did last year
that you knew that your winger was going to catch, well,
your winger is still learning, you know, the pace and
tempo of what you're doing. So I think we saw
a little bit of that in October for sure, but overwhelmingly,
I just I think the skill of our league from
top to bottom is better and the physicality and they're
fun games, they really are, And I think everybody is adjusting,
(16:40):
but they've all adjusted up.
Speaker 1 (16:41):
You mentioned, by the way, just that that change from
Miami and Miami was might be obviously really struggled last
year in non conference. This season six and oh and
right now the NCC six ninety three win percentage, thirty
nine wins, seventeen losses, and it's high. Miami going six
and oh changes that from a six ninety three. If
they don't if they win five of the early lose
(17:02):
five of those games, that's now like a fifty five
to seven three win percentage. Like that's it's the drastic difference.
And that was the last year. Last year the NCC
had so many injuries and non conference which didn't help
either even from the really really good teams. But the
RedHawks now they would be in the NCUBAA Tournament NPI wise,
it's incredibly early, but they would be one of the
four teams that would be moving. I mean, Dartmouth is
(17:23):
number one in the NPI right now, so it's early.
We're were really early in this season, but it's it's
fascinating to look at that and just the small changes
that a win, loss here, a tie here, it really
makes a massive difference when determining who's going to be
going on to the NCAA Tournament. And we saw that
last year.
Speaker 2 (17:41):
Heather's it's mentally hard to you play twenty four games
against the NCCHC and it's mentally hard to put yourself
into the bucket of really rooting for your NCCHC mats.
But it really is important, it really is important.
Speaker 4 (18:02):
Well and certainly, yes, we see that, and we saw
that last year. But at the end of the season,
you know, when we were in the fifteen sixteen that
fifteen sixteen spot and ASU happened to be in it
last year and they just couldn't they couldn't adjust, Like
there just wasn't enough called it oomph to get us
over to get three teams into the tournament. And so
(18:24):
I think that that's where you're going to see the difference.
And again, NPI really early to even talk about it,
but as we get into February, you'll begin to see
that the non conference season plays a much bigger role
in terms of how we advanced teams into the tournament.
Speaker 1 (18:40):
And CFC just got to last year, but they both
made the Frozen four and obviously Western Machine the National Championships.
You know, the league was still pretty good. The league
was still pretty good last year. Just looking ahead to
postseason wise, this postseason will look different, I know right now. Again,
if teams keep winning games and non conference you're going
to have kind of back to the usual four or
five teams make the Big Dance. But previous to that,
(19:01):
we won't be meeting in Saint Paul. This will be
the first year of a home site and HC tournament.
We will not call this the Frozen face off anymore correct,
this will be or what will you?
Speaker 4 (19:10):
Right now, we're still calling it the frozen face off.
We don't have a better replacement, and I think that
people are familiar with it, so it will determine if
that needs to change. But at this point, all of
our marketing materials were already well, you know, moving forward.
So we are the Frozen face off just on on
campus sites.
Speaker 1 (19:30):
Oh I love that I have a cup right here
that says end of ven era Frozen Faceoff.
Speaker 3 (19:34):
Right on my shelf.
Speaker 1 (19:36):
But end of an era of it being at the
Excell Energy Center, which makes sense. Yeah, I know, there
was conversation about trying to change the name of the trophy,
which has always just been the frozen face off Trophy. Name,
how's that coming along? Any any traction will you make
a change?
Speaker 4 (19:47):
So at this point we're going to call it the
National the National Trophy or the National Cup, and that
kind of goes along with the addition of our secondary mark,
which I think presented some confusion in early on for
for general folks. You know, we added a little bit
more call it logo fun, you know, a little bit
(20:08):
different representation. We are still our primary mark is still
the NCHC shield with the eight stars and you know,
blue and red and everything, but the National really represents,
I think where we see ourselves, you know, as as
being nationally representative across the country and footprint in terms
of our national competitiveness, uh, in terms of just how
(20:29):
we're going forward. But that's a secondary logo, so we'll
encompass both of those, and what we settled on was
just the National Cup for the end of our tournament.
And again I think that leaves us it gives us
something to call it. While at the same time leaving
us flexibility in the future if at some point there
is a name that that kind of raises to the
(20:53):
level where we think that that it's appropriate to change
the trophy name. So we got there.
Speaker 3 (20:58):
Yeah, I'll add in, Alex.
Speaker 2 (21:00):
You know, I think, you know, Heather in staff have
done a good job of trying to be really thoughtful
about this, because you know, I think whenever you get
into naming of something, people can get really passionate about something,
and I think you want to be really thoughtful that
there's a long term effect with this.
Speaker 3 (21:19):
But you're right.
Speaker 2 (21:19):
I think you just don't want to like trot out
something and not have the ability.
Speaker 3 (21:23):
To call it something.
Speaker 2 (21:25):
So I think that probably made sense. Given how we
approach to secondary logos as well.
Speaker 1 (21:30):
This year, well, I would say your initial logo, like
you mentioned, with the NCAC and the eight stars, that
might represent the number of national championships the conference is
won after this year, So even though you'll have ten
teams next season, it still might be appropriate, Heather, just
in case.
Speaker 4 (21:45):
The feedback even with the secondary logo was the initial
primary was a home run. It's iconic, it's what people
know us for. It's just for us, particularly in the
office because and Bill knows this, I mean, when you're
doing logos and you're doing you know, apparel or whatever,
sometimes it's nice to have another look that you can use.
(22:07):
I think students particularly sometimes like having multiple things that
they can put on. So I think from that standpoint,
you know, I look at our website and you know,
if you scroll through it, there's some different places where
we use now both just the National as well as
the NCCHC shield. So it just gives us a little
bit more flexibility and some additional assets to use when
(22:29):
we're doing branding and sponsorship and those sorts of things.
Speaker 1 (22:32):
Well, certainly it's been as strong brands since day one,
and it's only gotten stronger under your leadership, and so
it's been fun to see this conference continue to have success. Hether,
We appreciate you taking some time safe travels to Grant Forks.
Enjoyed the college hockey, enjoyed the youth hockey as well.
Speaker 4 (22:46):
We'll talk to you soon, Okay, Thank care, Thank yous.
Speaker 3 (22:49):
Hether.
Speaker 1 (22:50):
Always great to have NCC Commissioner head of the Reams
on again doing a great job steering the ship and
keeping this conference moving forward. Seven National championships now for
the NCCHC, not too shabby, and it's been a great year.
You mentioned it again. This conference is number two, just
fifteen percentage points back of what the Big Ten has
done this year. They're solidly and second right now in
a great spot to get multiple teams back in the
(23:12):
big dance. She's had to navigate a lot. There's a
lot going on in college hockey, and she's done a
great job doing so.
Speaker 3 (23:17):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (23:19):
So if you take if you take college hockey and
you just look at the strength of the sixth conferences
over the course of time, it's been the Big Ten,
the NCCHC. In Hockey East, certainly Quinnipiac and teams like
Cornell have had you know, runs and have been really
good teams in the ECAC. But those have been the three.
(23:41):
Last year, Hockey East and the Big Ten came out
of the non conference ahead, and as she mentioned, it
was hard to make statistical movement once you get into
conference play. About the only thing you could do is
kind of run the table. And we know how hard
it is to kind of run a table. And I think,
(24:04):
you know, Arizona State being that team on the outside
looking in last year that's what they had to do.
But it's just incredibly difficult in this It's incredibly difficult
in college hockey to sweep seasons, sweep weekends, but certainly
in our conference that was.
Speaker 1 (24:22):
The thing last year. I think from a fans perspective,
it just didn't seem to make any sense, Like Arizona
State was a top ten team, they had made they
made it to Saint Paul, they were in the NCCHC
semi finals, and they had this great and they're second
in the league, Like they had this great season, and
I think people just had a hard time coming to
grips with like, well, yeah, why are they not why
(24:43):
are they on the bubble? Like we have the best
league and this team is great, But it was just
that it was that, you know, they were The NCCHC
was six oh seven in non conference play last year,
which is still good, third best, but Hockey East and
the Big Ten were up in the seventy percent win
ratio and they got ten teams into the tournament, and
if the NCCHC just got too and.
Speaker 2 (25:03):
Yeah and in every every weekend you'd watch, you know,
those those two leagues. It almost felt like regardless of
the outcomes, They just they moved just slightly because there
was so much data already into the system you couldn't
really move it.
Speaker 3 (25:20):
So so yeah, I think, you.
Speaker 2 (25:22):
Know, knock on wood, there'll be another kind of round
of non conference games coming up and those will be
incredibly important as well. So obviously for us, no doubt
about it. I mean, like, it's just it's crazy to think, right, like,
you go into conference play and well that's important.
Speaker 3 (25:38):
Yeah, no, every weekend's important.
Speaker 1 (25:40):
Every time we have pre production meetings to talk about
what do you want to say in the open, what
are some of the big storylines non conference? These are
the games you really got to win, And then we
turn the page to Minnesota to lose two weeks ago, like, well,
now these are the ones that matter, these are the points,
the points are on the line, And I think that's
just it. It's a small season and all these games
are so all of them, all of them are so important,
and it's crazy.
Speaker 2 (26:00):
We're into development mode, you know, for a lot of
our all of our guys of course, but at the end,
because you know, they get to practice in a sense,
let's call it twice as much as they play games.
But when you do play the games. It's an all
in event, and I think that's some of the things
that probably college hockey's going through a little bit. So
(26:22):
with the influx of CHL players where you're playing what
seventy maybe seventy two games during the regular season, I
think up there, I think, if I remember my WHL.
Speaker 3 (26:31):
Days, is that right?
Speaker 2 (26:32):
And so seventy two and then playoffs, I mean in
their playoffs are significant, Alex. I mean they start like
I think best of sevens, like right away, and so
I mean they just keep on going and going and going,
holy cow, all away into the Memorial Cup, which is
feels like around the Stanley Cup time.
Speaker 3 (26:51):
It's really not.
Speaker 2 (26:52):
It's end in May, but it's a long, long, long season.
Speaker 1 (26:57):
That was always one of the big pushbacks from EHL
people about why kids shouldn't go to college hockey, like, well,
don't you you're gonna play half the games, Like these
kids should be playing more games. We're on the college side.
I think the idea is you had a chance to
practice and work on your body and work on nutrition
and growing yourself into being a professional. And there's benefits
(27:18):
to just playing two games a week and spending that
other time doing skill development, et cetera. So it's been
interesting to see that kind of play out, and obviously
again it's only a month and a half into the season. Yeah,
kids are making the adjustment pretty well.
Speaker 3 (27:31):
I think so, Fat, I think so.
Speaker 2 (27:32):
And so if anybody you know listens to this pod
and they know, towards the end we like to just
talk about the things I'd interest you and I, but
we always talk about the amount of games or fixtures
as we like to say, in soccer right at the
highest levels, and there's so many soft tissue injuries to
(27:53):
some degree that I think, as as these athletes are
growing still into their body, you could argue this is
the better model to some degree. Now, Brash Lossman had
an article on some of the injuries that are occurring.
I think that's just the nature of the physical game. Yeah,
because it's a very physical game which is played at
(28:13):
a pretty intense level every time you go out onto
the ice.
Speaker 1 (28:17):
Yeah, that goes back to what we were just talking about,
how every game is so important and these guys are
given everything every night and everybody's good. So you don't
get a third period off because you're up by seven
goals against a weak team. No, everybody's good in college hockey,
especially now, and that you have that you have that
chance for injury increase because of that. But I don't know.
(28:38):
At the same time, like, the product has been phenomenal.
If you've been watching college hockey, if you watch this
weekend down at Baxter Arena in Omaha or the week
previous against Minnesotada Luth, like, these are high, high level
college hockey games with a ton of talent on the ice.
And it's a credit for North Dakota as we transition
into this conversation about you and the athletics for them
to be seven and three right now and a top
(28:59):
the HC standings and having played as well as they
have with all these new pieces against really quality opposition.
It's been a really positive start to the season for
Dan Jackson in company.
Speaker 2 (29:09):
Well, it has, and if you looked at the first
ten games, I think going into the season you probably
maybe would have inverted in a sense how Duluth has
gotten off versus the Gophers. Now I'm I think the
Gophers are going to figure it out, and I think
they're going to continue to get better as the year
goes on. But I do I do think that that
(29:30):
Duluth team obviously with that that top.
Speaker 3 (29:32):
Line is very very good.
Speaker 2 (29:34):
And yeah, so we've had, you know, I think some
pretty good results. Going on the road is huge, you know,
especially after Omaha had gone on the road and swept
Colorado College themselves. So you know, it's it's a it's
a it's.
Speaker 3 (29:52):
A week by week thing.
Speaker 2 (29:53):
And you know you're going to get an Arizona State
team that I think is zuber talented coming into Grant
Forks this week and you know we're going to have
two games that we're gonna have handful, no doubt about it.
Speaker 1 (30:05):
Yeah, that will be fun this weekend. One of those
games on the TSN three This weekend Big Spotlight Gibson
Homer taken on its former team again, an ASU team
that is kind of like North Dkota, a lot of
new faces but a lot of talent. So big weekend
coming up at Grand Forks. By the way, hockey will
be home each of the next three weekends, although this
is the only series that will be at the Ralph.
It'll be Arizona State Friday Saturday this weekend, then just
(30:27):
the single game against the National team Development program on
the twenty first and then the home and away with
Midgie State over Thanksgiving. So an opportunity to see und
at home every weekend. But this is the only series
at least until December, so just keep that in mind
as we transition towards the holidays. Hockey again, great star
for them. Football had a monster weekend of course of
(30:48):
North Dakota State in town, and so much emotion and
so much pageantry in that game, and it lived up
to the hype obviously, a fantastic, nail biting football game
where the defenses really rose up. It just came down
to a couple of plays, like it always does when
two really good teams go head tohead. You and he
finds themselves on the losing end of a tough fifteen
ten defeat.
Speaker 3 (31:09):
Yeah, I thought.
Speaker 2 (31:09):
I thought big plays and field position, everything was at
a premium. Everything seemed like it was at a just
an uber level. And I think it was a it
was kind of a flip the coin game, you know.
I thought, you know, they made a few more bigger
plays than we did as far as chunk plays, and
I think that made a little bit of a difference. Obviously,
(31:32):
Bryce Lance really good receiver, and so you know, in there.
You know, it was kind of a fifty to fifty game,
and we've had the ability to have the ball at
the end right every time we've we've unfortunately lost games
this year and just haven't been able to pull the
trigger at this point and get it done. So I
(31:55):
do think that Coach Schmidt has, you know, just tremendous
perspective as as as our team does as well.
Speaker 3 (32:01):
I believe this, Alex.
Speaker 2 (32:02):
I mean, as big a game as that was, and
of course it's huge, it's like monstrous, right, gargantuan, all
of those things. It's it's in state rivalry. We have
just this big a game really from just a season standpoint.
This week down in Murray, I mean, there's these these
This game is huge in regard to you know, what
(32:25):
transpired this past weekend. We got to bounce back and
get on the right side of the ledger.
Speaker 1 (32:30):
You would, I would agree with you that this is
against it's the biggest game because it's the next game.
But of course you absolutely need this one.
Speaker 2 (32:38):
I'd say, there's there's this i'll say somewhat magical thing
about getting seven Division one wins, and that's what this
weekend would provide.
Speaker 3 (32:48):
South Dakota State.
Speaker 2 (32:49):
I know they've had, you know, a little bit of
a tough go here because they've had some quarterback issues.
But they play Illinois State this week. That'll be an
interesting game, and then come to the A Layer Center
the following week. You know, I you literally can worry
about this weekend and and try to get to seven,
take a deep breath, figure it out at that point
(33:12):
and and and have a good end of the year.
I think there's a couple of reasons why, you know,
you want to You want to win out because you
want to feel good about yourself going into the playoffs
for sure, and then you want to put yourself in
the best possible position obviously from a positioning standpoint. So
a lot to come, a lot to come. There's if
you look at two through seven in the valley right now,
(33:33):
so you've got South Dakota State, North Dakota s I,
U U S d I s U, and y s U.
There are eleven games left in eight are against each other,
so so one of them being not being the one
we're going to this weekend. So and then then why
(33:56):
y SU has Indiana State and U n I left,
but everybody else plays everybody, so so much more to
be determined as far as shaking out my eyes tell
me though, there are a lot of playoff teams in
the valley this year.
Speaker 1 (34:11):
Yeah, I would agree with that. Yeah, certainly from what
we've seen, North Dcota will take on one that maybe
hasn't had the success that perhaps some of the talent
they've got in their team has merited this season. But
tough to go on the road to Kentucky after a
really tough loss. Again, not a gimme this weekend. And yeah,
for und you got a response to what happened this
past weekend in the Alera Center, North Dakota six and four.
Those four losses by a combined fourteen points. Like just
(34:34):
these close games that just haven't quite gone their way,
but a chance to turn it around this weekends and
keep pressing on towards the postseason, which is still very
much in the picture. Speaking of postseason, volleyball has a
key match coming up on the thirteenth against Omaha. North
Dakota right now in seventh in the semi league standings.
Omaha is the team in sixth place top six make
the tournament. One game separating those two another really big
(34:56):
game coming up. Big week for und as they try
and finish strong and make the chance pion hips coming
up over Thanksgiving.
Speaker 3 (35:02):
Yeah, I think that's right. There's no sugar coating. It's huge.
Speaker 2 (35:05):
So it's a big one for that team, that program.
So we'll see what transpires. I think Omaha having beaten
US down in Omaha would pretty much seal things at
that point because they'd have the tie break on US.
So needless to say, pretty simple, Alex, gotta win the match.
Speaker 1 (35:24):
Gotta win the match, I know, gotta win the match.
Jesse Tupakin Company did have a couple of wins just recently,
so trying to build on some of that momentum. We'll
see how things go on Thursday night to get home
match against Omaha. Two home games left Omaha on Thursday,
Saint Thomas on Saturday, before a road game at South
Dakota State on the eighteenth, and the tournament right around
the corner. Big one coming up for the Fighting Hawks
(35:44):
on the hardwood, Big one coming up for our Harriers
on the cross country course. They will take the trip
to Stillwater, Oklahoma on the fourteenth this weekend to compete
in the NCAA Midwest Regional I think based on what
we saw at the some of league championships, there'll be
some confidence going into those channels.
Speaker 3 (36:01):
I think so.
Speaker 2 (36:01):
I think so, you know, having checked out the weather
and still Water this week, hopefully it's good, good weather.
Speaker 3 (36:08):
But yeah, I know. I talked to coach Scott.
Speaker 2 (36:11):
And I know both teams are they're they're jazzed up,
ready to go. So it should be fun as Alex
is looking up the weather and still Water, Oklahoma, and
he'll give us the idea of is it ideal or not?
Speaker 1 (36:25):
I mean, seventy nine is what the high is? Windy,
maybe a little bit too warm, right that maybe just
the just the tick. I think they would prefer if
it was maybe a ten degrees cooler than that.
Speaker 3 (36:35):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (36:35):
Interesting, interesting, what's.
Speaker 3 (36:37):
The sweet spot you think?
Speaker 2 (36:38):
I mean, I think if there's no there's no wind
and elements.
Speaker 1 (36:42):
Yeah, I would say if you're a cross country runner,
you'd love it. If it's sixty I would say, like
anywhere between fifty five and sixty five is probably about
where you'd like it. Everybody's a little bit different, but
you would prefer you'd prefer not too hot. I got
to see a cross country meet yesterday where it was
the feelds like temperature was three degrees and there was
snow on the ground. That would be on the opposite
(37:03):
side of things.
Speaker 2 (37:04):
So that doesn't feel great, doesn't sound great.
Speaker 1 (37:08):
Those poor kids got it, but yes, you would prefer
somewhere maybe a little cooler than seventy nine. But maybe
that's maybe maybe the forecast will change. But hopefully again,
if our runners continue to do what they've done this season,
they're gonna have a great chance to move on to
the NCAA Championships in Columbia, Missouri the following week. So
best of luck to that crew as they take on
(37:28):
the rest of the Midwest this weekend in Stillwater. Cross country, volleyball,
et cetera, football, all kind of at the end of
their season. Hoops just got started this past week, both
the men and women getting going. Both teams have so
many new faces. Good to see some good competition at home,
even if none of those games ended up in victory
for both the men and for the women.
Speaker 2 (37:49):
This past week, I feel like what Commissioner Weims had said,
and I think she's right. Trying to get the teams
sorted and figuring out rolls on both sides so many
new faces, and I think that's what coach say there
and howther is dealing with right now. So obviously this
is the time where the games come fast and furious,
(38:12):
and a lot of times, Alex, it's just hard to
keep up. I'll call it from a basketball standpoint on
a national level, like who's playing tonight?
Speaker 3 (38:20):
What's going on?
Speaker 2 (38:20):
It's almost like one of those there's so many games
they come thick and furious.
Speaker 1 (38:25):
One of the unique things about the early season schedule
for both the men and the women, they both have
home and homes coming up in this first month. The
men have got UC riverside on the road after they
just dropped a tough four point decision to them this
past week. The women coming up will go to Eastern
Kentucky and then get the return fixture two days later.
It's almost like a hockey series, a little home and
home there. Just talk about I know, scheduling is so
(38:47):
hard for our programs in that sport, talk about how
these two came about, how big that is to get
home games against the one opponents like that.
Speaker 3 (38:55):
I think that's it.
Speaker 2 (38:56):
I think at the end of the day, I think
everybody's dealing with the same stuff, and it becomes normally
the home and I shouldn't say normally, I would say
traditionally the home and home would always be, well, you
come to my place this year, I'll go back next year.
I think it's become so difficult to schedule, and schools
are looking for Division IE home games.
Speaker 3 (39:19):
I think it just makes sense.
Speaker 2 (39:21):
I mean, we play conference teams twice, I mean, I
mean why not play Why not play a school twice
and then you can kind of fit in possibly another
game while you're there that maybe you get the return.
Speaker 3 (39:34):
On at some point. So and then schools, you know, you.
Speaker 2 (39:37):
Know, for us, so we played nor through It yesterday
in basketball, they're going to play the Byson on Tuesday,
and so you know, that's what the beauty is, only
being an hour apart that a lot of times, you know,
we'll connect with with NDSU no matter what sport it is,
could be volleyball, to try to just get more home games.
(39:58):
I mean from that where on the same page, I mean,
we would love to get as many home games as
possible because travel, you know, becomes challenging. I mean, aside
from potentially what's happening in DC at this point, which
has made.
Speaker 3 (40:10):
Travel even more difficult.
Speaker 2 (40:12):
But you know, once we literally land that plane, hopefully
travel will be better.
Speaker 1 (40:17):
Can I ask, this is something that has been talked
about for a long time, how difficult it is in
college basketball to schedule for mid majors. Could you give
us an insight of why that is? What is the
biggest factor in why it is so hard to be
able to fill up your schedule with fellow.
Speaker 2 (40:33):
D one's Yeah, So, I guess the simplest way to
say it is either you are buying teams to come
play you, or you're being bought. Let's add on the
most macro level, that's the start of it. Now, we
don't go to many buy games, but if there's reasons
(40:56):
why we do it for a variety of reasons. One,
obviously it's a helpful budgetary standpoint, that's one. But two,
those games are great for our teams too. They want
to play in those games, they want to be in
the environment like playing at Alabama and you know, possibly
playing at a Nebraska or Creighton. Those are great, you know,
opportunities for our student athletes. They relish those, So I
(41:22):
would start there, But those schools that I would say,
in a sense by other.
Speaker 3 (41:29):
Schools to come in.
Speaker 2 (41:30):
They don't go on the road, and if they don't,
they just don't. They're not going to go to your place.
You know, think about what happened last year when the
Crimson Tide came. That's probably a lot of the reasons
why those schools that have aspirations to being one of
the sixty eight in the tournament will not go somewhere.
(41:52):
They might play a neutral game somewhere, they might play
a neutral site game, but you know, they are not
going to go your play. So that's why you need
to go get like institutions that are doing similar things
and say, hey, do you have an opportunity to slide
in a home and home And it becomes, you know,
(42:14):
challenging because sometimes there's just not enough days in the
calendar to figure it out. Weirdly, we play as many
games in a truncated period of time early in the season,
and then it gets lengthened out when you're playing conference games,
so you're not using the entire calendar effectively, if you will,
(42:37):
and so that becomes difficult.
Speaker 3 (42:38):
So it's a.
Speaker 2 (42:39):
Challenge, it really really is. And our coaches do a
really good job. They're thoughtful about it, but you know,
you think about it. Even on our men's side, just
playing home games. Obviously you want to win the home games,
but not having to be on the road is a
huge deal. And so all of those things together some
years are better than others.
Speaker 1 (43:00):
I always just think it's so fascinating, especially talking with coaches.
And I had a chance to work a triple header
college basketball event on the opening day of the season
in Swo Falls this past week, so we had a
chance to talk with six different coaches, two from the
Summer League, you know, some from the Missouri Valley, some
from the Metro Atlantic Athletic Association on the East Coast,
and so kind of have a good, a good wide spectrum,
(43:20):
and all those coaches said, yeah, yeah, we would, we'd
play anybody, Like we're open to coming. We're going to
play a tough team from outside of our conference at
a neutral site. We're fine with that. But at the
same time, there was always kind of that underlying like, yeah,
but we can't do this too often, like this, this
isn't something that we can do all the time because
we know you know, again, no, no coach actually said this,
(43:41):
but like, we want to win games, and we know,
we have a much better chance to get to twenty wins,
which is kind of like that benchmark a lot of
these programs are aiming for if we're playing lesser teams
at home and just that that's not job security. But like,
you know, they're smart, These coaches are smart, like they
don't want to go play teams that they know the
odds of them losing are greater if you're on the road,
(44:03):
of course, and if you're playing a good team, same story.
It's so tough. It's just you get it when you
talk to them and understands how fragile all this is
and how you have to win and you want to
give yourself the best shot.
Speaker 2 (44:14):
If you have a chance to be an at large team,
which you know, we know there's a number of one
bid leagues in the country and we're part of that
in the Summit League. But if you're in a multi
bid league, the very first thing always is win games.
That I mean the top metric. I mean it could be, hey,
(44:36):
I went on the road and played X School and
it was a great you know, a great loss if
you will, But at the end of the day, there's
no greater upside than winning games. And so that's what transpired,
and so yeah, So anyways, on the basketball side, it
is always been challenging, less challenging truly on the women's side.
(44:59):
The women over the course of time have still traveled
and gone on the road and had home and homes
and in those types of things. So but the men,
you know, it is really really challenging to have what
Alabama did that is atypical with a capital A considering
(45:23):
we're talking about Alabama.
Speaker 1 (45:25):
And that was exhibit a why those schools don't do
that because they just about got.
Speaker 3 (45:28):
Beat Certainly could have, right, certainly.
Speaker 1 (45:31):
Could have you could have? Oh one, some of the
question for you. We have a membership change coming up
next season that was a bit of a surprise. The
University of Denver announced last week they're going to make
the shift from the Summit to the West Coast Conference.
Just your thoughts about the Summer League losing a member,
and certainly a member that North Dakota has been so
closely aligned with, not just in some of the league activity,
(45:54):
but of course within the NCC as well.
Speaker 2 (45:57):
Yeah, I you know, I think themple answer is nothing
surprises me. I think each institution always is thinking about
what's in their best interest as much as their conference members.
You know, they've got to think about their institution first
and foremost. So I think every every school's thinking, Hey,
(46:20):
if an opportunity came up in ext conference, is that
a better situation for us on a broader level, because
you know, again to some level, Alex Whye you have athletics,
it's to provide some notoriety, the whole front porch adage,
trying to increase enrollment, get get students.
Speaker 3 (46:42):
To your school.
Speaker 2 (46:44):
And if they believe being in the West Coast Conference
is a better fit for them, you know, as far
as who they're going to play, you know, whether let's
just say it's a Santa Clara or a Pacific or Pepperdine,
if they feel like those schools are maybe more aligned
with maybe you know, the kind of institution they are
(47:04):
number one, But number two, where do they see themselves
wanting to be to try to attract students to the
University of Denver, you know in this case and so yeah,
I I you know, nothing somewhat surprises me. It really doesn't,
you know. You know, it gets us to eight schools.
You know, we have to be measured and thoughtful I
think going forward. And I know this, We've got, you know,
(47:28):
a great commissioner and Josh Fenton, and it's something that
you know he thinks about all the time. But I
don't think there was anything particularly that the Summit League
did in any way, shape or form. I just think
it was decision. I haven't talked to Josh Burlaw on
my counterpart, so I'm just surmising right now that you know,
having been in it for a long long time, I
(47:48):
just know that institutions make decisions based on what they
think their vision is for their school.
Speaker 1 (47:55):
They were always the westernmost outposts in the conference, and
so instead of for them coming east now, I'll just
go west instead. And obviously that will not affect their
hockey membership. They will still be a member of the
NCC moving forward, That's correct. So we'll still get to
see a lot of the pioneers, just more on the
rink less so on the court and on the pitch, etc.
Speaker 3 (48:14):
Well, the last thing I'll say is, and I'll close this.
Speaker 2 (48:17):
I know because I sometimes think, you know, it's always
interesting and I'm always more concerned for doctor Armacos and
I am myself having to be in three leagues and
go to three league meetings.
Speaker 3 (48:29):
Denvers in five.
Speaker 2 (48:30):
Yeah, and so so now did they go from five
to four? I don't know that answer that I don't know,
but that's even significant. So sometimes it's just broader than
you know. It's the moving pieces for that particular institution.
That's why you're always having to think ahead, you know,
what makes sense for schools, and you know, I would
(48:53):
say that's what Josh Fenton does every day waking up.
Speaker 1 (48:56):
I leave Denver is in the Big twelve for gymnastics. Ye,
now I'm going to be in the West Coast Conference
for most of their other Olympic sports. They'll have the
Nordic skiing piece, which is in kind of their own thing,
the NCAAC for hockey. Yeah, I feel like there's even
one more. Lacrosse probably is in something else to you, I.
Speaker 2 (49:13):
Guess lacrosse, I think something else, Yeah, something like that.
Speaker 1 (49:16):
So yeah, they so they probably still have five.
Speaker 2 (49:18):
Yeah, their array of sports were just a little bit
different as well. Then I would say the majority of
the Summit League. So anyways, all that to be said, Yeah,
I guess it's surprising and not all because when it
actually happens, maybe you're surprised, but then you start digging deep.
You take maybe one peel the onion back and you
(49:38):
start going, oh, I kind of get that.
Speaker 1 (49:42):
Well, North Dakota is staying in the Summit and in
the in the NCAC and in the Valley, and all
of those conferences and the sports that North Dakota plays
in in those conferences will be busy this week, as
will you, Bill, So we're gonna we're gonna skip the
B side this week. A robust B side coming on
our next podcast. In the meantime, here's your B side homework.
(50:02):
Go watch Mickey van Deven's wonder goal against Copenhagen in
the Europa League this last week. If you want something
to do, my goodness, messy van Deven.
Speaker 2 (50:11):
He's a freak athlete. In the last one. Because we
can't help ourselves with some sort of B side. The
differential in that table is crazy. Between really two through.
Speaker 1 (50:21):
Thirteen, everybody's on nineteen or eighteen points, it feels like.
Speaker 2 (50:26):
And the one thing I wasn't tracking on I still
think supposedly maybe the Man City stuff is going to
be coming out at some point. If that ever came out,
and they took a deduction. Arsenal should be like dancing
their way to the title. Paul Ralston branch Lassman.
Speaker 1 (50:42):
Yeah, boy, it feels like it's a two horse race
now after this past weekends.
Speaker 3 (50:46):
Feels that way. Feels that way, Bandai goal Citizen.
Speaker 1 (50:50):
Anyway, we're gonna go. We gotta go, but big thanks
to Heather wims Bill. Thanks to you as always as well.
Great to chat and catch up. Enjoy the week ahead, buddy.
Speaker 3 (50:58):
Thanks Alex, appreciate you.
Speaker 1 (50:59):
Awesome, Thank you for listening. Everybody out there, big thanks
to Paul Ralston, Alex Socker Johnson on the back end
for getting this podcast out. I'm Alex Sinners. Enjoy a
great week of November Ahead, and we'll talk to you soon.
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