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alcloseshaver wrote:NWSC will not take Buffalo. If they are a package deal the Lake with only 5 teams would gladly take more schools. NWSC already has two 7 team divisions and could easily add 2 schools. STMA has already moved on from Buffalo in football and would create new rivalries in a new league. Wouldn't leave much room for non-conference games in 8AA hockey though.

That seems dubious. Buffalo has almost exactly the same enrollment as STMA and is a slightly wealthier district. It has a healthy overall athletic program, with beautiful new facilities as the result of a 2014 bond referendum (which prompted STMA to upgrade its facilities). Setting aside football, which is its own separate animal, and wrestling, in which STMA would dominate most conferences, the Bison have regularly competed for conference titles in nearly every other sport, including girls’ and boys’ hockey. It has only been over the last few years that STMA has separated themselves from the rest of the pack in boys hockey.

Hockey-wise, it isn’t exactly like Buffalo is light years behind STMA. They had two one-goal losses to the Knights this year, and split the regular season series last year. The Bison are also extremely young, and poised to take a step forward next season, while STMA will graduate 12 seniors.

The Buffalo district also borders on the OMG, STMA, Elk River (Rogers), and Wayzata districts, so it isn’t geographically remote.

That was all just a lengthy way to say that if a conference were to accept STMA as a member, there is little logical reason to believe that Buffalo would be rejected. I don’t think Buffalo and Rogers (and Monticello?) will sit idly by, either, and the Miss 8 is likely to see a mass exodus.

Anyway, this thread has probably been derailed enough already with conference talk. More importantly, best of luck to STMA tomorrow in their first tournament game! (And that is coming from someone who roots for Buffalo as his second team.)

Stang5280 wrote:

alcloseshaver wrote:NWSC will not take Buffalo. If they are a package deal the Lake with only 5 teams would gladly take more schools. NWSC already has two 7 team divisions and could easily add 2 schools. STMA has already moved on from Buffalo in football and would create new rivalries in a new league. Wouldn't leave much room for non-conference games in 8AA hockey though.

That seems dubious. Buffalo has almost exactly the same enrollment as STMA and is a slightly wealthier district. It has a healthy overall athletic program, with beautiful new facilities as the result of a 2014 bond referendum (which prompted STMA to upgrade its facilities). Setting aside football, which is its own separate animal, and wrestling, in which STMA would dominate most conferences, the Bison have regularly competed for conference titles in nearly every other sport, including girls’ and boys’ hockey. It has only been over the last few years that STMA has separated themselves from the rest of the pack in boys hockey.

Hockey-wise, it isn’t exactly like Buffalo is light years behind STMA. They had two one-goal losses to the Knights this year, and split the regular season series last year. The Bison are also extremely young, and poised to take a step forward next season, while STMA will graduate 12 seniors.

The Buffalo district also borders on the OMG, STMA, Elk River (Rogers), and Wayzata districts, so it isn’t geographically remote.

That was all just a lengthy way to say that if a conference were to accept STMA as a member, there is little logical reason to believe that Buffalo would be rejected. I don’t think Buffalo and Rogers (and Monticello?) will sit idly by, either, and the Miss 8 is likely to see a mass exodus.

Anyway, this thread has probably been derailed enough already with conference talk. More importantly, best of luck to STMA tomorrow in their first tournament game! (And that is coming from someone who roots for Buffalo as his second team.)

Agreed on all of this and especially on good luck for success to the Knights. Unless the MSHSL get's involved in placing schools in conferences the NWSC is not interested in Buffalo. Rogers because of being in the same district as current member ER and STMA are the only schools they would be interested in.

As far as STMA and Buffalo hockey goes I would go a little further and say that Buffalo will be the favorite in that matchup next year. STMA will return Laylin and Flammang but not much else. Buffalo returns almost everyone, including the Braccini brothers and a really good young goaltender. I don’t want to be the downer on STMA’s successful run to state but this isn’t the start of a 5 year dominant stretch or anything like that. They will graduate a ton and there isn’t a talent loaded group coming in to replace the depth they have currently.