Showing posts with label Alabama–Huntsville Chargers men's ice hockey. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Alabama–Huntsville Chargers men's ice hockey. Show all posts
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
UAH Fundraiser Webpage
Tuesday, December 06, 2011
Not so fast, UAH isn't done yet...
Image via WikipediaThey aren't going away just yet... This is the latest from the UAH story. Paul Gattis, The Huntsville Times--- Members of The University of Alabama in Huntsville administration met this evening with hockey supporters, following discussions with Chancellor Malcolm Portera, and came to a consensus to work closely together to pursue institutional and community support to continue UAH hockey at the Division I level.
UAH hockey supporters to meet with new UAH President tonight
Paul Gattis, The Huntsville Times --- Members of the Save UAH Hockey grass-roots effort will meet with new UAH President Robert Altenkirch tonight to discuss the hockey program, the school confirmed Monday.
Huntsville attorney Doug Martinson Jr., a vocal advocate for hockey, said the expectation is that Altenkirch may spell out specifically what is needed to sustain the program financially. That's something UA System Chancellor Malcolm Portera never did when he ended the 30-year program in October while serving as interim president at UAH, Martinson said.
"I guess it will be what (financial) number he throws out (to sustain the program)," Martinson said of any optimism going into the meeting. "We think we can come up with a plan.
"If they get in a conference and have home games, they will have more attendance and get a better deal at the (Von Braun Center). You bring in the alumni money and possibly more along with that."
Wednesday, November 02, 2011
Alabama Lawmaker Leading Last-Ditch Effort To Save UAH Hockey
Image via WikipediaIt would appear that there is still a glimmer of hope to save the UAH Hockey program. Some wealthy donors, whose names have not been revealed, have said they will donate 1.5 Million to keep the UAH hockey program running. That is a lot of money and I think you could support a Division I hockey program with that kind of a donation. [Link to the video]HUNTSVILLE, AL— Details of the plan have yet to be revealed, but Williams said it involves a group of wealthy hockey supporters who would fund the team's yearly budget of $1.5 million. But even if enough money was raised, there's no guarantee that a decision which dropped the program from varsity status could be reversed.
The death blow for Charger hockey appeared to come last week, when officials announced that UAH would no longer field a varsity team. University of Alabama System Chancellor Dr. Malcolm Portera cited lack of finances as the main reason behind eliminating hockey, which will be relegated to club level status starting next year.
Rep. Williams is an avid hockey fan, and said he has also been discussing the matter with Governor Robert Bentley's office. A meeting between the two is scheduled for later in the week.
UA-Huntsville Athletic Director E.J. Brophy said he had been contacted about the last-ditch effort, but said financial committments would have to be made in a matter of days if varsity hockey were to stay alive.
"I am aware that there are some people who want to help, and quite frankly we appreciate that sentiment," said Brophy. "If there is a benefactor, a heavy hitter, a benevolent angel that wants to write a monster check, that needs to happen very, very quickly."
The UA-Huntsville Athletic Department said for now they were moving forward with plans to convert hockey into a club level sport starting next year.
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Something stinks in Huntsville...
Also, university president Dr. Malcolm Portera, had no other intentions but to kill the UAH Chargers and there was no other plan. If I was a fan of UAH hockey program I would be very upset.
Shanon Lampton; Madison County Record --- Portera said that the hockey team, which has been independent since the CHA conference folded, cannot continue to exist as without a conference affiliation. According Portera, he was told that it would cost $1.5 million to join a conference and this is money the university just doesn’t have.People wonder why some have so little respect for the people that run institutions of higher education, these highly educated people seem to lack reality or are so out of touch with the "real world". Some of these people have never had a real job in their life and yet have the power to affect so many people with their decisions.
Western Collegiate Hockey Association commissioner Bruce McLeod, disagrees. He said that the conference has no minimum budgetary requirements, and none were given to Portera. Portera also shared a concern that because of the distance from other conference schools UAH would be required to subsidize other teams’ travel expenses. McCleod again disagreed. He says Portera asked him about it and was told it was not a requirement.
Nathan Bowen, who played hockey at UAH from 1996-2000, and coached at the school, wants to know how the numbers break down, and why offers of help were turned away. “We haven’t been given a lot of information. Just give us the breakdown of the figures.” He and other hockey alums and supporters pledged almost $600,000 in funding to be disbursed over the next three years. He knows it is not enough but thinks, given time, they could get there. “I think we could ramp up to the figures we need.”
My heart goes out to the people that are fans of the UAH hockey program. There has been a group of people working their tails off to save their favorite hockey program and this administrator disregarded the will of the people. Also, it appears that the president lied about the WCHA having budgetary requirements and Bruce McLeod even refuted that claim.
Monday, October 24, 2011
UAH to end College Hockey
Image via WikipediaCross Posted at Inside Hockey. The University of Alabama Huntsville’s Interim President Malcolm Portera announced today that following the 2011-12 hockey season, the University of Alabama Huntsville Chargers will cease to exist as a Division I college hockey program.
This announcement means that there will no longer be a Division I college hockey program south of the Mason Dixon line.
This announcement officially ends 33 years of NCAA college hockey history for UAH. No other program that’s ever won an NCAA title has ever disbanded.
According to USCHO, UAH Chargers head coach Chris Luongo informed his team of the president’s decision on Sunday night.
There are many factors that have led to this decision; one the major factor is that UAH doesn’t have a conference to call home. After the 2008-09 season, the College Hockey American Conference disbanded and the UAH Chargers were left without a conference.
The Chargers applied for membership in the CCHA during 2009. On August 11th, 2009 the Chargers were informed that their bid for membership to the CCHA was denied. Without a conference to call home, the Chargers have had to play as an Division I independent, which put their program in further jeopardy. It’s very hard to get teams to travel to Huntsville to play hockey if they are not in a conference.
The Chargers also have don’t have a building of their own, they share the Von Braun Center with the Huntsville Havoc of the SPHL and are not the primary tenet, meaning the Chargers have had to play their games at odd times, which further complicates things for the Chargers.
Here is the official announcement from of the UAH interim president Malcolm Portera.
I want to share with you a decision that has been made following months of careful study. As a result of a financial analysis of our athletic program, and numerous conversations I have had with athletic directors, university presidents and commissioners of Division I ice hockey programs, it has become obvious that, for the best interest of this university, our athletic department and the ice hockey program, we move the team from the Division I level back to its original classification as a club sport at the end of the 2011-2012 season.In conclusion, this is a sad day for college hockey and for the University of Alabama Huntsville Chargers hockey team and their fans. This story makes me physically sick to my stomach that in one swoop of a pen, a college administrator can kill a college hockey program with a rich hockey history.
Finally, I have been told by a source close to the UAH program that there is a businessman from Nashville Tennesee that has stepped forward to bankroll the operating expenses for the Chargers. All we know is that he is a top executive of a large corporation.
Sunday, October 23, 2011
EDIT - UAH to kill hockey
Holy Cow, after reading this newspaper article it doesn't look good for the University of Alabama Huntsville Chargers hockey team. One doesn't really have to look very far into these comments to see where this is going, you have a non hockey friendly college administrator, who probably doesn't know what a hockey puck is, that is hell bent on axing a college hockey program to save money and make a political point... It would be an absolute shame if UAH killed their Division I college Hockey program.
John Turner, The Huntsville Times ---- Nathan Bowen, a 2000 UAH hockey alum and leader in private fundraising efforts to support the program, said in an email to The Times that $546,875 has been pledged over three years since that point. Bowen and a handful of supporters had hoped to meet with Portera on Tuesday to discuss the decision, but, according to Bowen, that sit-down will be preempted by the announcement.EDIT - I just got some very bad news; just a few minutes ago, I got word from a source that the UA Systems chancellor and interim UAH president Malcolm Portera is going to kill UAH Hockey, the announcement is coming tomorrow.
"It's just been amazing that one person has this much power to end 33 years of tradition," Bowen said. "And it really is coming down to just him. It makes no sense to me.
"He is completely disregarding the mayor, the people of Huntsville, the student council at UAH and 23 athletes that gave up opportunities to play at other places," he continued. "He's completely disregarding those people and going back to his home in Tuscaloosa. To me, it's astounding." Portera Altenkirch UA System chancellor Malcolm Portera, right, will deciding on the future of the UAH hockey program before removing his interim title and appointing Robert Altenkirch as university president on Oct. 31. (The Huntsville Times/Robin Conn)
Portera has maintained that he plans to announce a decision on the program's future before handing over the presidency to Robert Altenkirchen on Oct. 31. In the meantime, Portera has met with various groups associated with UAH or college hockey to discuss the team's status.
Thursday, October 20, 2011
UAH students vote to keep hockey at Division I level
Image via WikipediaHere is the latest information regarding the UAH hockey program. Nice to see the student getting behind their hockey program which is in dire straights and needs a conference to play in. It's time for the WCHA to step up and accept the Chargers. HUNTSVILLE, Alabama -- The student government association at the University of Alabama in Huntsville voiced its support of the school's beleaguered hockey program.
The SGA announced in a press release today that it voted to keep the Chargers hockey program at the NCAA Division I level rather than scale back to club level or abolish the program altogether.
The UAH hockey program is under close scrutiny from Dr. Malcolm Portera, chancellor of the University of Alabama System. Portera is considering scaling back the hockey program to a club team to save on expenses. Portera said maintaining hockey at the Division I level would cost the school about $1.5 million annually.
Monday, August 29, 2011
Save UAH Hockey - a program on the "brink"
Image via WikipediaAs the WCHA has extended five CCHA teams invitations to join the WCHA and with the CCHA ceasing to exist after the 2013-2014 season it would appear that the UAH administration is entertaining ideas of dropping their Divsion I hockey program or dropping it down to the club level. Mark McCarter, The Huntsville Times --- UAH hockey has become, by all accounts, an endangered species as you try to erase all the red ink on your ledgers.A program on the "brink"
At first blush, it'd be an easy thing to do. Drop intercollegiate hockey. Go to club level. Take the heat and hand over the keys to your successor and head back to Tuscaloosa.
It's time to do the hard thing.
It's time to do the right thing.
It's time to commit to save UAH hockey.
We've been told for the last two years that a conference affiliation would save the program. The college hockey buzz says the opportunity is there again. But, rightfully so, a conference needs to see your own commitment. Show it, and show it strongly.
Somebody wants you in the club. Join it.
UAH hockey has been kept alive through private funding through the years, and there's a groundswell of boosters ready with big-time commitments with a lot of zeroes at the end.
Listen to them. Work with them. Give them a price tag.
There are some major problems facing the UAH hockey program and their survivability, first off the UAH Chargers have been on the outside looking in since the CHA disbanded after the 2009-2010 season. The WCHA picked up (or poached depending on how you see this) BSU and UNO but UAH was left on the outside looking in after the CCHA failed to pick up the UAH Chargers.
With the major realignment taking place in college hockey this summer it appears that the CCHA would again be a logical solution to the UAH conference problem since the CCHA would be losing B1G members Michigan State, Michigan, Ohio State University and NCHC member Miami and Notre Dame, that train of thought is no longer a viable option as the WCHA extended invitations to the five of the Six remaining CCHA schools. The CCHA will cease to exist after the 2012-2013 season.
As it currently stands there have been no invitations extended to the UAH Chargers to join an existing conference, nor does it look like the Chargers will be extended an invitation for membership into an existing conference. That’s not to say that the WCHA won’t extend them an invitation in the future, I suppose there is still a possibility of that happening if BGSU and WMU were to go to the NCHC. None of us are privy to those conversations so it’s hard to say. With UAF and UAA being in the same conference the WCHA cannot use travel expenses as a reason to not allow UAH a place in the WCHA. What happens from here on out is anyone guess.
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