It could be worse. We could be Miami University.

What in the heck happened there?

For 10 seasons between 2004 and 2013 (when all the deck chairs got rearranged) they were on a very similar trajectory as Notre Dame. 9 NCAA bids over those ten seasons, 4 times winning either a CCHA regular season crown or conference playoff championship, and 2 FFs. They also opened a new arena, sent a couple dozen players to the NHL for at least a cup of coffee, and claimed the 2011 Hobey Baker winner (Andy Miele).

But in their ten complete seasons in the NCHC they have finished last or next-to-last 7 times, and will do so an 8th time this season, as they are an astonishingly awful 1-15 in league play. Ouch.

They fired Enrico Blasi following the 2019 season and poached Chris Bergeron from Bowling Green. Blasi managed just 32 wins in his final 3 seasons at Miami, but that was more than Bergeron managed in his first four seasons there. Bergeron was coming off five consecutive 20+ win seasons at BG, and in 2019 took them to their first NCAA tournament since Jerry York was still their coach. They have a total of 35 wins in the last 5 seasons. Robert Morris has 38, and they didn't even play in two of those seasons.

Clearly they made a huge blunder by partnering with the NCHC. But after a decade + they really can't do much about it. If they bail on a tough league to catch on with the CCHA it would be tantamount to admitting failure. Good luck attracting top-level NCAA talent with on that note. Part of me says it Karma. They developed into one of the dirtiest, head-hunting teams around in their final years in the old CCHA. Multiple Notre Dame players found out about that the hard way.