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Back to Class: Paul Kelly’s exit from College Hockey, Inc. still stinging

Paul Kelly

We’re taking you “Back To Class” for our roundup of the weekend’s action in college hockey. Look for more college hockey on NBCSN this Friday night as No. 9 Denver takes on Nebraska-Omaha.

When College Hockey, Inc. leader Paul Kelly resigned/was asked to leave last week, it sent a shockwave through the college hockey community. After all, Kelly went from being the leader of the NHLPA to being the figurehead of college hockey’s campaign to start marketing the game better and turn it into something bigger and attempt to get it on the same level of awareness as other major college sports.

In the wake of that we’ve seen College Hockey News’ Adam Wodon get the disappointed and even angry thoughts from some college coaches about Kelly’s sudden removal only to see Kelly sound off in return via Chris Peters’ United States of Hockey blog. People are confused, the situation sounds uncomfortable, and there’s seeming disarray across the college hockey landscape.

If this were an episode of Jeopardy! the question to this would be: What are three things college hockey didn’t need right now? Regardless of which side of the fence you fall on in this, it’s up to college hockey’s leaders from the athletic directors, conference leaders, coaches and CHI’s interim leader Nate Ewell to get it all figured out and let the mission of what they’re looking to get done be what guides them or else disarray and mistrust will never go away.

Elsewhere in college hockey:

Union College wrapped up a regular season ECAC title and head into the ECAC tournament as the top seed. The playoffs kick off this weekend with the top four teams with byes. (Parting Schotts, USCHO)

Air Force took home the Atlantic Hockey regular season title and top seed in their tournament. (USCHO, CHN)

Ferris State, Michigan, and Western Michigan will be the top three seeds in the oddly set up CCHA tournament. (CHN)

Boston College throttling Providence helped move them closer to the top seed in the Hockey East tournament. (BC Interruption)

Minnesota and Minnesota-Duluth are in for a Gopher-Bulldog fight down to the wire for the lead in the WCHA thanks to the Gophers sweeping Nebraska-Omaha. (USCHO)