MARQUETTE – During Monday’s WCHA media teleconference, the focus was on the league’s coaches, their teams and the release of the conference polls.

However, WCHA commissioner Bill Robertson and supervisor of officials Greg Shepherd were also present to make statements and answer questions.

Robertson took over his post last year and described it as “a learning curve.” He feels that the WCHA is a quality league and that its profile is rising.

“I want to say that we have from top to bottom a superb conference that will be competitive,” he said.

Robertson also mentioned that he feels positive about the conference’s ability to compete with the powerhouse conferences like the Big Ten, the NCHC and Hockey East, saying “I do believe that we’ll have several teams representing the conference in the NCAA Tournament.”

He also highlighted the fact that the league had redesigned its website, wcha.com, and has a new video streaming partner in Stretch Internet.

Robertson later said that they league is taking “baby steps” toward having national television exposure, but will be making an announcement in the near future about a potential partnership.

The other main points Robertson focused on were future WCHA Final Five locations and league expansion. This season, the Final Five will be held in Grand Rapids and then the following year in St. Paul, Minnesota. After that, it’s up in the air. The league may keep the event in their current locations or look elsewhere.

“From 2018 on, we’re looking at all sorts of different options for this conference and different models,” he said. “We’re looking at all sorts of variables to figure out what is best and what we can work most successfully from a revenue perspective and from a business perspective. Also at the same time, get a great experience for the student-athletes and the coaches and all the teams and fans and cheerleaders that come to those venues.”

In regard to expansion, this season’s inclusion of Arizona State into the world of college hockey has caused other leagues to either add current teams or see if other colleges or universities were interested in moving up their club programs or creating programs from scratch.

Robertson says he is looking all over the country and he is working with College Hockey Inc. to help figure things out. He is positive that the league will be adding teams in the future and that the future is bright.

“I’m hopeful that in time, it is a process to work through, to have more teams enter the WCHA and to continue to build this into the best college hockey conference in the country,” Robertson said.

WCHA supervisor of officials Greg Shepherd also spoke briefly, mostly to mention an adjustment to the rule of goaltender contact that was requested by the league’s coaches.

Last season, if a player made contact with a goaltender and a goal was scored, the goal was waved off. This season, that will only occur if the goalie is interfered with in the crease. If the contact occurs outside of the crease, the goal will count.

“As long as the goalie is in the crease, you can be in there as long as you do not hinder his movement, block his vision, or keep him from making a save,” Shepherd said. “If you’re out of the crease and the goalkeeper comes out and kind of bumps you, as long as you have position, it’s going to be a good goal.

“Their overall philosophy was when in doubt, the goal must count and we had a meeting with our officials, both referees and I’ll have one with the linesmen, instructing them how to do this, watch tape and we still have the video that’s at our disposal if we want to take a peek at it, and again, we’re not going to use it as a crutch, but we will use it. If they can’t say it’s 100 percent sure that it’s somebody’s fault, the goal is going to count and that’s what the coaches want.”

Ryan Stieg can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 246. His email address is rstieg@miningjournal.net.