NCHA and WIAC agree on early departure

The Northern Collegiate Hockey Association and The Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference announced Tuesday morning that the two conferences have reached an agreement that will result in the WIAC members leaving the NCHA following the 2012-13 season — a year earlier than originally planned.

The conferences elected to expedite the departure of the WIAC members due primarily to the scheduling complications that would result if the WIAC members remained through the 2013-14 academic year.

The NCHA men’s conference will conclude its two-year scheduling rotation at the conclusion of the 2012-13 season and the NCHA women’s conference will conclude its four-year schedule rotation also at the end of the 2012-13 season.

NCHA Commissioner Bill Kronschnabel and WIAC Commissioner Gary Karner issued the following statement. “After considerable discussion, it was determined that it was in the best interest of both the NCHA and WIAC to move up the departure date. In so doing, both conferences can begin immediately to stabilize their respective memberships and to develop long-term scheduling arrangements.”

University of Wisconsin-Superior Director of Athletics Steve Nelson echoed the sentiment.

“This was a long discussion, agonizing at times, but in the end it was just in everyone’s best interest to move up the date of withdrawal,” Nelson said. “Next season will be the final year of the NCHA as we know it. For me, and I’m sure for the other WIAC schools it will be bittersweet. We have such a long history in the NCHA that it’s hard to leave, but at the same time we are all excited to see what the future holds as we work to make the WIAC one of the strongest men’s and women’s hockey conferences in the nation.”

The WIAC members withdrawing from NCHA are UW-Eau Claire, UW-River Falls, UW-Stevens Point, UW-Stout and UW-Superior.

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