The University of Alabama in Huntsville has announced the termination of its hockey program, previously a Division I school in the WCHA conference.

“After a comprehensive review of UAH’s athletic offerings and the associated long-term budget implications, we have made the difficult decision to discontinue the men’s hockey, men’s tennis, and women’s tennis programs,” UAH said in a statement released on May 22.

UAH cited the ongoing and uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic and its ensuing budget complications — specifically the men’s hockey program, as well as the men’s and women’s tennis programs, which have also been cut — as reason for the cuts.

In light of the department changes, the Chargers announced any student-athletes seeking a transfer to another institution will be granted immediate release without any penalty. Incoming freshman recruit Jacob Franczak will be among those seeking a new program in 2020-21.

The Chargers went 2-26-6 during the 2019-20 season, adding to a 48-178-22 overall record since joining the WCHA ahead of the 2013-14 season. The initial addition of UAH to the WCHA, in addition to a successful fundraising campaign, previously saved the program from a scheduled cut following the 2011-12 season.

“We are deeply saddened by today’s news that Alabama Huntsville has eliminated its men’s ice hockey program,” WCHA commissioner Bill Robertson said in a statement on Friday. “UAH has been a valued member of the WCHA since joining the league in 2013 and, as the first Division I hockey school in the Deep South, brought the sport to a previously untapped fan base for college hockey.”

A Change.org petition has been started and has garnered more than 5,000 signatures over the past few days in an effort to save the men’s hockey program.

“For many years The University of Alabama Huntsville Charger Hockey has been the support beam for youth hockey in north Alabama,” the petition’s founder, Tyler Curtis, wrote. “I am writing this to send to UAH and show how many people support our Charger Hockey.”

The financial complications have reached beyond athletic cuts, as the university also announced “a hiring freeze, a heightened review of spending, cancellations of faculty sabbaticals, and a temporary suspension of the 403(b) voluntary retirement employer match,” per the released statement.

With the entire hockey world in flux and every program, team, and organization in every league affected by COVID-19, we at FloHockey strive to keep our readership up to date on its beloved sport.

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