It’s no secret that those involved with College Hockey Inc. covet the California market. Yes, we’ve seen executive director Paul Kelly talk about the potential for Division I programs in the state, but the more immediate challenge is getting the increasingly fertile ground for players to become even more of a recruiting target for current college programs.

So it’s no surprise to learn of a USA Hockey Collegiate Summit scheduled for this weekend in Valencia, Calif.

Four WCHA coaches are scheduled to attend: Wisconsin’s Mike Eaves, Denver’s George Gwozdecky, North Dakota’s Dave Hakstol and Colorado College’s Scott Owens. It’s billed as an event to educate about the benefits of college hockey and not about those coaches doing some free recruiting, which is an important distinction to make under the NCAA umbrella.

Boston University associate head coach Mike Bavis and Notre Dame associate head coach Andy Slaggert are also among those scheduled to attend.

There has to be a better way, right?

When you look at the attendance numbers from this year’s NCAA regionals and consider the less-than-impressive atmosphere at some of the venues, it’s natural to try to come up with a tweak — an improvement that will make things right.

One such proposal emerged at last week’s American Hockey Coaches Association convention, according to Brad Schlossman of the Grand Forks Herald. Read his story for the full details (he deserves the pub and his paper’s site deserves the click), but in a nutshell, a popular idea is to make eight best-of-three series at campus sites in the first round, with the winners proceeding to one of two regional sites where single-elimination games will determine the Frozen Four field.

On the surface, it sounds like a decent idea in the interest of overall attendance and atmosphere. Nothing will be better than a home rink for fostering an intense, interested setting, but the NCAA has also realized there are overwhelming advantages to playing at home, and we’ve seen in recent years a move away from campus sites for the regionals.

I’ll list a few other problems I have with this proposal below, but here’s my main one: Doesn’t this just push the same problems onto another weekend?

So you play the first round on campus. Fine. The eight teams that remain get divided into two regionals, where each will play one game with a spot in the Frozen Four on the line. I can see the same problems we’ve seen in the past (crowds not big enough, not loud enough, not interested enough) still happening. If you have a regional in Worcester, Mass., for instance, you’re going to have two games, and what’s to say that the Boston College fans that show up to watch their team play in the first are going to stay around for the second, or vice versa? Even if your overall attendance number looks better, does that make it better that the second game is played in front of a half-empty arena?

If you’re going to go to home sites for the first round, I think you have to do it for the second round, too.

Other issues:

* How do you make television work? It’s not great right now, but at least SOMEONE is televising all of the games as the system stands. That becomes a lot tougher when you add games, sites and the potential for third games when the networks won’t know for sure they have it until the day before.

* Taking last year as an example (more on that later), Bemidji State would have hosted a first-round series, and it would have been at the Glas Fieldhouse, capacity 2,500. I don’t doubt the Bemidji fans’ ability to make that a championship atmosphere, but could that building really have been a championship site? How do you get TV produced there? (I’ve seen it tried; it isn’t pretty.) I know this is a moot point as far as Bemidji is concerned because of its new arena, but there are rinks across the country about which you could ask the same questions. You never know when they’re going to be a one or two seed.

* The NCAA has to have some financial guarantees when it comes to the postseason, and it is a lot tougher to make those when you’re awarding the hosting privileges to schools a week in advance.

I’ll give those who came up with this idea full marks for effort. I just don’t think it’s the way to go.

But in the spirit of playing along, here’s how the 2010 tournament may have looked under this format, if you went straight down the bracket 1-16:

Alabama-Huntsville at Miami

RIT at Denver

Vermont at Wisconsin

Alaska at Boston College

Michigan at North Dakota

New Hampshire at St. Cloud State

Northern Michigan at Cornell

Yale at Bemidji State

There are a lot of teams traveling a long way in that scenario, and unless the NCAA suddenly is OK with that under this proposal, I’m guessing they’d move things around. I’m no Jayson Moy, but my guess is you’d actually see something like this:

Alabama-Huntsville at Miami

Alaska at Denver (although this would have been really unfair to the Pioneers)

Vermont at Wisconsin

RIT at Boston College

Michigan at North Dakota

Northern Michigan at St. Cloud State

New Hampshire at Cornell

Yale at Bemidji State

Do you like the new proposal? Let us know in the comments.

Think about all Chris Kreider has seen this season, and then put the situation the Boston College freshman will be in today in context.

Kreider scored a goal in the gold-medal game, helping the United States win the World Junior Championship, then two days later returned to Boston to play in front of 38,472 at Fenway Park.

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He scored a big goal as BC won the Beanpot with a victory over Boston University in front of 17,565 at TD Garden.

He scored a goal in a national title game witnessed in person by 37,592 at Detroit’s Ford Field, then celebrated with his Eagles teammates as NCAA champions.

Combine the attendance of the two biggest games (76,064), and you still don’t get to the size of the crowd they’re expecting when Kreider and his U.S. teammates open the World Championships on Friday at VELTINS-Arena in Gelsenkirchen, Germany. The crowd is expected to be 76,152 — a world record, at least until the game next season at Michigan Stadium.

That’s a lot of eyes watching you play. At least he should be prepared.

Contributing: USCHO national columnist Dave Starman

We probably shouldn’t be surprised that Chay Genoway is coming back to North Dakota, like he announced Thursday afternoon.

He said at a news conference that he hasn’t yet been cleared to play competitively after his bout with post-concussion syndrome, an injury that cost him all but nine games of last season. Genoway is a special talent, but you can understand why pro teams would be hesitant to commit (or maybe commit enough) to the free agent at this point.

There also has to be a little of the unfinished business angle to the decision. Genoway had the kind of start to the season that, had it continued on that path, would have launched him into Hobey Baker Award consideration and launched his team into more solid ground.

With his decision to return for a fifth season on a medical redshirt, he has to be considered among the top handful of contenders for the 2011 Hobey, and the Fighting Sioux may be among the handful of favorites for the 2011 national championship.

Even without Genoway in the lineup, North Dakota was considered one of the most dangerous teams in the nation toward the end of last season — until that first-round NCAA flameout against Yale.

From that group, the Sioux lost leading scorer Chris VandeVelde and third-liner Darcy Zajac, for a total of 24 goals and 60 points. With a good freshman class coming in, the incoming team looks stronger than the last.

We’re a long way out from seeing which teams will look like contenders, let alone from deciding which ones will be in the title hunt down the stretch in 2011. And there have been some good-looking teams that haven’t lived up to their potential.

In his news conference Thursday, Genoway talked of the high level of motivation for the Sioux this offseason. Many other teams could say the same. I tend to think, though, that with Genoway, it’s off the charts, and that’s why you have to think he and the Sioux will be right in the mix next season.

Just a quick note here that the annual American Hockey Coaches Association Convention begins Thursday in Naples, Fla. The interesting bit to me is that it’s the first one that will be attended by the newly formed College Hockey Inc.

So this is where we might to see some lines being drawn. The mission of College Hockey Inc. is to promote the game, but to do so, it’s going to have to help improve the game.

In Detroit, we at USCHO heard from people saying it was time for college hockey to address some big issues instead of squabbling about little ones. Today’s agenda includes a 90-minute meeting with Paul Kelly, the executive director of College Hockey Inc. With Kelly’s group positioned as the mouthpiece of college hockey in a lot of circles, that meeting may be the place where some of those big issues are put forward.

This is not to say that heavy issues have never been discussed before at the convention. It, in fact, is the place where great dialogue takes place in regard to rule changes, recruiting issues and the like.

With College Hockey Inc. in the mix, however, add another voice to the debate. And to date, that particular voice has proven to be one that’s not afraid to touch on touchy subjects.

There are two reasons why I bring you the Detroit weather forecast for the rest of the week.

One, because it’s always good to plan ahead. You may expect Anaheim weather and get Wisconsin weather, like I did in 1999.

Two, because I’ve heard people wondering whether warm weather would negatively impact the ice at Ford Field.

So, here goes, courtesy the National Weather Service:

Wednesday: Showers and possibly a thunderstorm. High 73.

Thursday: Chance of showers. High 52.

Friday: Partly sunny. High 52.

Saturday: Mostly sunny. High 55.

Sunday: Mostly sunny. High 62.

It sounds like they’re doing a pretty good job of keeping the building (60 degrees) and ice (low-20s) temperatures in place even though it has been warm in recent days.

Then again, let’s wait until they add 30,000 people to the building to judge.

In the end — after quite a while Sunday night in Fort Wayne — we have three No. 1 seeds in the Frozen Four. Regional leaders Miami, Wisconsin and Boston College join No. 4 seed RIT in heading to Detroit’s Ford Field next week.

It’s the first time since 2005 that three top seeds are in the field. That year, Denver, Colorado College and Minnesota advanced as top seeds to an all-WCHA Frozen Four.

This season, the teams represent four conferences — Atlantic Hockey (a first), the CCHA, Hockey East and the WCHA.

Even with those top seeds in the mix, the story of the leadup to Detroit likely will be RIT.

And why not? In just their fifth season as a Division I team, the Tigers have ascended all the way to the final weekend of the season, an impressive achievement that serves as a testimony to the institutional support that lifted the program to a situation where it could so quickly be perennial contenders for the automatic bid in Atlantic Hockey.

Last season, the talk going into the tournament was about Bemidji State. This year, it’s RIT in that place. We’ll see if the Tigers can do more than just get there.

RIT gets Wisconsin in the 5 p.m. Eastern semifinal on Thursday, April 8. The Badgers have a pair of Hobey Baker Award finalists in Blake Geoffrion and Brendan Smith, and Geoffrion was named the most outstanding player of the West Regional to help his individual award prospects.

It’ll be Miami and Boston College in the 8:30 p.m. semifinal after Miami knocked off Michigan 3-2 in double overtime.

Having the Wolverines in the Frozen Four probably would have been a big boost for attendance at Ford Field, but instead, the RedHawks will have a chance to go at the national title again after coming so painfully close last season.

Ranked No. 1 for most of the season, the RedHawks still go into the national semifinals with one big question: Who’ll be in goal?

Hobey finalist Cody Reichard won the regional semifinal against Alabama-Huntsville; Connor Knapp stood on his head against Michigan.

Miami and Boston College are familiar NCAA tournament foes. In 2008, the Eagles advanced to the Frozen Four with a 4-3 overtime victory. A year earlier, BC won the same game 4-0. In 2006, Boston College won 5-0 in the first round.

Is this the year the RedHawks get past the Eagles? It may be unless BC can shore up its defense.

The Eagles have allowed 14 goals in their last three games, but they’ve won them all by scoring 19 times in that span.

There are three games left in the college hockey season, and there should be plenty of story lines.

Here’s what we’ve compiled for live television plans for NCAA regional games this weekend, including which local and regional stations are picking up the games not broadcast live on ESPNU (all times Eastern):

FRIDAY

Denver vs. RIT, 3 p.m. (ESPNU HD)

St. Cloud State vs. Northern Michigan, 5:30 p.m. (WBUP-TV, Marquette, Mich.; MASN)

Cornell vs. New Hampshire, 6:30 p.m. (ESPNU HD)

Wisconsin vs. Vermont, 9 p.m. (ESPNU HD)

SATURDAY

Boston College vs. Alaska, 1:30 p.m. (Comcast Sports Net New England; KFXF-TV, Fairbanks, Alaska; GCI Cable, Alaska; MASN)

Miami vs. Alabama-Huntsville, 4 p.m. (ESPNU)

North Dakota vs. Yale, 5 p.m. (FSN North; WCTX-TV, New Haven, Conn.; MASN)

East Regional final (Denver/RIT vs. Cornell/New Hampshire), 6:30 p.m. (ESPNU HD)

Bemidji State vs. Michigan, 7:30 p.m. (FSN North; MASN)

West Regional final (Wisconsin/Vermont vs. St. Cloud State/Northern Michigan), 9 p.m. (ESPNU HD)

SUNDAY

Northeast Regional final (Boston College/Alaska vs. North Dakota/Yale), 5:30 p.m. (ESPNU)

Midwest Regional final (Miami/Alabama-Huntsville vs. Bemidji State/Michigan), 8 p.m. (ESPNU)

Honestly, what I think this week is that there aren’t enough hours in the day. Sorry for not posting until now. NCAA time gets a little crazy around here.

I’m going to go through how I filled out my bracket, but I have to say right away that I don’t feel good about it. One problem is I don’t have any No. 4 seeds winning. That’s going to come back to bite me.

I have Cornell beating Denver in the East Regional final. I’m going with the goaltender that’s going into the weekend hotter, and that’s Cornell’s Ben Scrivens.

I have Wisconsin beating Northern Michigan in the West Regional final. The Badgers showed how they can play against Denver last Saturday. Will it continue? We shall see.

I have North Dakota beating Boston College in the Northeast Regional final. Coin toss, really, if it comes down to these teams. But I do like how North Dakota looked last weekend.

I have Michigan beating Miami in the Midwest Regional final. I think it would be closer than the CCHA semifinal game between the teams, but there’s something intriguing about the Wolverines right now.

In Detroit, I have Wisconsin beating North Dakota for the title. Just a hunch.

But I’m fully expecting the whole thing to crumble within hours of the start of the tournament. That’s why my investment in this in monetary terms is zero.

Here’s the TV information for this weekend’s conference tournaments. Also, watch for our live blogs for each tournament:

ECAC

This schedule comes from a league release. All times Eastern.

FRIDAY, MARCH 19 (SEMIFINALS)

NHL Network (Live in the U.S. and taped delayed in Canada) Semifinal #1 – Cornell vs. Brown at 4 p.m. and Semifinal

#2 – Union vs. St. Lawrence at 7 p.m.

SATURDAY, MARCH 20 (CHAMPIONSHIP GAME)

Fox College Sports (Live) 7 p.m.

NHL Network (Encore Presentation of Semifinals – Cornell vs. Brown at 12 p.m. and Union vs. St. Lawrence at 4 p.m. in U.S.)

NHL Network (Encore Presentation of Semifinals – Cornell vs. Brown at 2 p.m. and Union vs. St. Lawrence at 4 p.m. in Canada)

SUNDAY, MARCH 21 (CHAMPIONSHIP GAME)

NHL Network (Encore Presentation of Championship Game at 11 a.m. in U.S.)

NHL Network (Encore Presentation of Championship Game at 4 p.m. in Canada)

HOCKEY EAST

All games will be shown live on NESN.

WCHA

All games will be shown live on Fox Sports North and Fox College Sports Central.

CCHA

Friday’s first semifinal (Ferris State vs. Northern Michigan) live on Fox Sports Detroit and Fox College Sports Atlantic. The second semifinal (Miami vs. Michigan) live on Big Ten Network.

Saturday’s championship game on Fox Sports Detroit and Fox College Sports Atlantic.

ATLANTIC HOCKEY

Games on pay-per-view Internet broadcast at www.b2tv.com.