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Big Ten ADs recommend addition of men’s ice hockey

Big Ten athletics directors recommended the conference’s presidents and chancellors add men’s ice hockey as a sponsored sport in 2013-14. The Presidents and Chancellors Council meets next in June.

Penn State announced last year its intention to add men’s and women’s ice hockey, joining Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Ohio State and Wisconsin.

The athletics directors also recommended a 20-game conference schedule with each team playing the other five schools four times (two home games and two away games) and the creation of a Big Ten Men’s Ice Hockey Tournament in March 2014. The winner would receive the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA championship.

The conference would continue to work with both the Central Collegiate Hockey Association (current conference home of Michigan, Ohio State and Michigan State) and the Western Collegiate Hockey Association (which counts Minnesota and Wisconsin as members) in scheduling.

The last sport the Big Ten added was women’s rowing in 1999-2000. The addition of men’s ice hockey would bring the conference’s total sponsorship to 12 men’s and 13 women’s sports.