The 2024-25 season was Illinois’ debut in the Midwest College Hockey division, but it was also the last.
Head coach John Opilka announced the team will be independent next season, just as the Illini were before joining MCH.
Why it’s happening
The Illini joined MCH initially for the additional chance of making the American Collegiate Hockey Association National Tournament. The winner of the MCH tournament earns an automatic bid to the big dance.
Illinois was always a long shot to earn the MCH crown, but it represented a new opportunity for the team to return to the national tournament for the first time since 2022.
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MCH was also home to several regular opponents that the team had already been playing multiple times per season.
“That’s the whole reason we joined because we always play Iowa State, Illinois State and McKendree,” Opilka said. “It just made sense for us. We already played these teams, and then obviously, if you win your league tournament, you get an automatic bid.”
However, joining MCH also brought new opponents. Some teams that Illinois would play yearly, like Jamestown and Minot State, are more than 12 hours away. To make a trip that far every season would be costly, financially and in terms of performance.
“Now, it doesn’t make sense,” Opilka said about the team remaining in the division. “Every year, we’d have to make a trip to North Dakota.”
It was a cost that the team, which receives no outside funding, couldn’t bear every season, according to Opilka.
What it means
The product on the ice will remain largely unchanged. Illinois will still play teams like Iowa State, Illinois State and McKendree. The schedule will likely look similar to the 2023-24 season — when Illinois was independent.
It will be slightly tougher for the team to make it to the national tournament. The ACHA rankings will be the only chance for the Illini to make it to the series, although the quality of teams in the MCH tournament always made this the most likely way.
Illinois is not alone in its declaration of independence. Among others, in-state rival Illinois State is also leaving the division, according to Opilka.
“The MCH is kind of dissolving a little bit,” Opilka said.
The future of the division may be uncertain, but Illinois will continue as it did for many years — independently.
@BrendanGallian
