BOWLING GREEN, Ohio -- The Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) held its yearly virtual media day on Tuesday, Sep. 16, where each coach in the CCHA had an opportunity to give a statement on the progression of their programs and also face questions from the media. The broadcast can be viewed in its entirety on Midco Sports Plus, the official streaming partner of the CCHA, and the premier place to watch Falcon hockey all season long. 

Media day began with an opening statement from CCHA Commissioner Don Lucia, who provided some important updates heading into the 2025-26 season. Augustana was granted full membership to the CCHA for the upcoming season, and will play a full schedule of 26 CCHA games, as opposed to their 16-game CCHA schedule in 2024-25. St.Thomas was also granted eligibility in the NCAA tournament, meaning all nine teams in the CCHA are now eligible to represent the conference on the national stage in the postseason. 

Along with changes within the CCHA, Lucia highlighted the change in eligibility restrictions that now allows for Canadian Hockey League (CHL) players to compete in the NCAA. "We have a number of players coming into our league that participated in the CHL, looking forward to seeing that impact." Said Lucia, "I know I've talked to a lot of the coaches, in prospects to their team and to a one they all think they're going to be better this year, a little bit more skilled, but at the same time they have guarded optimism because they think everybody else will be better as well."

Following Lucia's opening remarks, each coach within the CCHA was given a 10-minute time slot to give a brief statement regarding their team, followed by questions from the media. Coach Williams of the BGSU hockey program joined the press conference at 11:40 to share his thoughts. Williams opened up by addressing the new faces joining the BGSU hockey program including director of hockey operations Dustin Carlson, assistant coaches Jacob Pritchard and Matt Nicholson, and the addition of 14 new players to the roster. "Like everybody, we're in the early stages of navigating this change" Said Williams. "I think really the biggest thing we've talked to our guys about is, you know, being patient with it, understanding that it takes time." 

"A lot of our focus has just been on team building, getting the guys acclimated. Our returners have done an excellent job, we're really proud of the way they've assimilated and brought the 14 new players in." Said Williams. "It's an exciting year for our group, going into year two here, I really like the foundation that is in place, but now we as a group have to continue to build off that and we also know that our opponents have gotten better, new coaches in the league, its gonna be a battle and like most of them we're excited to drop the puck and get going."

Following Williams' opening statement, he answered questions from the media regarding his CHL players and their adjustment to the college game, his leadership group for the upcoming season, Cole Moore and the goaltending competition within his squad, and his expectations out of junior defenseman Gustav Stjernberg. 

The 2025-26 virtual media is available to view in its entirety on Midco Sports Plus, the official streaming home of the CCHA. Right now through Oct. 3, fans can save big with an annual subscription. Options include: 

• Midco Sports Plus 2: Get access to CCHA TV and Midco Sports for $8.99 per month when paid annually! (That's 64% in savings!) 
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NOTE: Those subscribing through the website, use the offer code ERLY3, while other platforms will have the discount applied automatically.

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