UAH Hockey has donors willing to support team.

 (The Huntsville Times file photo)

Developing.... Looks like the Save UAH crowd isn't going to let their team go down without a fight. It also appears that they have a AL congressional leader that supports their cause. Here is a link to a video that talks about this issue as well. [click to view]

HUNTSVILLE, Alabama -- Money will no longer be an issue to save the hockey program at the University of Alabama in Huntsville because of additional last-minute donors, a state legislator says he has been told.

In fact, Rep. Phil Williams, R-Monrovia, said today he has separate meetings scheduled with Gov. Robert Bentley and new UAH President Dr. Robert Altenkirch to discuss salvaging the program.

UAH announced last month that its NCAA Division I hockey program would be scrapped after this season and that the school would instead field a club team. Dr. Malcolm Portera, chancellor of the University of Alabama System who was serving as interim president at UAH when the decision was announced, said the $1.5 million annual expense was too rich for the school to support.

Related articles

• Save UAH Hockey - a program on the "brink" (mvn.com)
• Save - UAH Hockey (mvn.com)
• Effort to Save UAH underway... (mvn.com)
• Surviving Families Of Massacre File Wrongful Death Lawsuit Against University Of Alabama Huntsville Provost And Others (prweb.com)
• Alabama-Huntsville Dropping Men's Ice Hockey as NCAA Sport (bleacherreport.com)

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.

"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.

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. 

Related articles

• With the UAH hockey program threatened, their fans and students try to save it again (prohockeytalk.nbcsports.com)
• You: Future of the University of Alabama-Huntsville Hockey Program in Question (bleacherreport.com)
• Save UAH Hockey - a program on the "brink" (mvn.com)
• Save - UAH Hockey (mvn.com)

UAH program on the brink part II

Image via WikipediaWow, just when it couldn't get anymore crazy there is still all kinds of college hockey news breaking, this past summer has been a proverbial whirl wind. I have been out of the pocket for a few days, no internet connection at the hunting shack and I come back to find out this news nugget. While the leadership at UAH is considering killing college hockey there is a chance that the Chargers could end up in the WCHA, John Turner interviewed Bruce McLeod about the possibility of UAH joining the WCHA, you can read the interview here.

John Turner; Huntsville Times --- The creation of the Big Ten and National Collegiate Hockey Conference have rocked the foundation of the sport, creating an opportunity for the Chargers to file into an existing conference.

The Western Collegiate Hockey Association remains the most logical landing place for the Chargers. With nine teams and counting to date - invites extended to Bowling Green State University and another school McLeod wouldn't name have so far gone unanswered - the WCHA's growing pains could be UAH's gain.

"The perfect number for me is eight (teams), but we're way past that," WCHA commissioner Bruce McLeod said. "It's a little different world for us, waiting on these dominoes to fall. Our feet are planted firmly in midair right now, but we are making progress. Sometimes it seems slow, but it's just a matter of who falls and when they fall."

McLeod said he has not yet received an application for membership from UAH as of last week, nor has an invite for membership been extended.

However, McLeod noted that he has spoken with Portera and felt that he was interested in finding Charger hockey a home. Whether or not that opportunity presents itself is anyone's guess.

Related articles

• WCHA commish has no guarantees for MSU Moorhead (mvn.com)
• University of Alaska Fairbanks to the WCHA? (mvn.com)
• Save UAH Hockey - a program on the "brink" (mvn.com)
• WCHA to expand... (mvn.com)
• Save - UAH Hockey (mvn.com)