OMAHA, Neb. (AP)—Six of the top college hockey programs will form a newleague in 2013-14, meaning the sport is headed for another conference shake-up.

The schools involved issued a joint statement confirming their plans onSaturday.

Colorado College, Denver, reigning NCAA champion Minnesota Duluth,Nebraska-Omaha and North Dakota will leave the Western Collegiate HockeyAssociation to create the new conference. They’ll be joined by current CentralCollegiate Hockey Association member Miami of Ohio.

The schools said details of the league will be provided at a news conferencein Colorado Springs on Wednesday.

The statement didn’t mention Notre Dame, which was rumored to be consideringjoining the new league.

The landscape of college hockey was already significantly altered this yearwhen the Big Ten announced a plan to form a hockey conference in two seasons.

The new Big Ten hockey league will take Minnesota and Wisconsin from the50-year-old WCHA to play with Michigan, Michigan State and Ohio State of theCCHA and the startup program at Penn State.

Once the new hockey league is established, the WCHA will have only fiveteams: Alaska Anchorage, Bemidji State, Michigan Tech, Minnesota State inMankato and St. Cloud State. None of those remaining WCHA programs have thetradition or revenue-producing ability of schools like Minnesota, North Dakotaor Denver.

The CCHA also would be diminished with only seven teams after the new leagueis formed.

Officials from the five remaining WCHA schools are expected to meet nextweek to discuss their future.

Updated 9 hours, 50 minutes ago