Northwest Notes Nov. 5, 2026

WHL approves 24th franchise in Chilliwack for 2027-28 season

The Western Hockey League announced Wednesday the awarding of an expansion franchise to Chilliwack, British Columbia, and the ownership group led by Jeremy Colliton, Brett Motherwell, Mason Raymond, Mario Amantea, and Patrick Lathrop. 

Colliton will serve as governor, general manager and head coach of the club.

Chilliwack will play out of the Chilliwack Coliseum and will be aligned in the B.C. Division and Western Conference starting in the 2027-28 season. The club’s brand and name will be unveiled at a future local launch event in Chilliwack. 

The Chilliwack Coliseum — a WHL-ready, multi-purpose facility that seats 5,000 — opened in 2004 and is now owned and operated by the city of Chilliwack, with substantial upgrades approved ahead of 2027-28.

The 144,000 square-foot facility includes two NHL-sized ice rinks, modern dressing rooms, food and beverage service, team merchandise store, and 13 premium suites. 

This marks the return of the WHL to Chilliwack since the previous franchise relocated to Victoria following the 2010-11 WHL season. 

Led by Colliton, hockey operations staff for the WHL Chilliwack franchise will begin work assembling a roster immediately, including participating in the WHL expansion draft and WHL prospects draft in the spring of 2027. Parameters for the 2027 WHL expansion draft will be announced at a later date.

Idaho State-Montana football game set to air on ESPN2

The Big Sky Conference announced Wednesday that the Idaho State-Montana football game on Saturday, Nov. 14, will air nationally on ESPN2, with kickoff slated for 7:30 p.m. PT at Washington-Grizzly Stadium in Missoula.

The matchup was previously announced as part of the Big Sky’s record five-game ESPN linear television package for the 2026 season, with its specific network designation unknown until ESPN announced it today.

The contest will mark the third Big Sky football game to air on ESPN2 this season, joining Northern Arizona at Montana State on Sept. 26 and Eastern Washington at UC Davis on Oct. 3. The league’s other two nationally televised conference games aired on ESPN, with Idaho at Cal Poly on Aug. 28 to open the season and Montana State at Idaho on Oct. 2. The home team has won all four ESPN linear games so far this season.

NAIA approves fifth year of eligibility

The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) membership has approved a fifth year of eligibility, replacing the current four-year limit.

The new model, which goes into effect in fall 2027, links the fifth year of eligibility to academic progress rather than age. If the student-athlete is earning the required number of credit hours, and they meet all other eligibility requirements, they can compete for a fifth year. 

Another distinction is that under the NAIA guidelines, the five years of eligibility do not have to be completed simultaneously, thus allowing student-athletes to take time away from school or enroll part-time.

The legislative proposal was made by the Council of Presidents in September.

Under the NAIA’s new model, the expiration of the NCAA’s five-year clock will not automatically exclude a transfer student’s eligibility. Depending on a student-athlete’s previous participation and enrollment, they may have eligibility remaining in the NAIA.

The new rule is an option for students who began 2026-27 with eligibility remaining and have sufficient terms of attendance available. Athletes who have exhausted their four years of eligibility before the 2026-27 academic year will not have an additional year of eligibility restored.