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I guess now that UAT has started a club hockey program, the UAH D-1 program has become a threat to the mothership. Our illustrious chancellor Malcolm Portera has been placed in the interim presidency at UAH with seemingly one instruction from the boobs that comprise the board...kill UAH Hockey.

Some of you may recall that this is the same chancellor, who in the fall of 2008 in a speech to the Birmingham Tip-Off Club stated that he and the board were working diligently to bring the best students and the best minds to the Tuscaloosa campus and to make UAT the best school it could be. Ummm...shouldn't that have been...to all our campuses? When challenged on this statement directly, this so called man of higher education couldn't even participate in an intelligent discussion about why his statement provided proof that the UABOT was an antiquated, highly prejudicial and inequitable authority comprised mainly of UAT partisans. He basically got his "panties in a wad" with a retort challenging anyone to provide any evidence of preferential treatment of UAT by himself or the board. He was never heard from again after a sufficient list was returned to him.

Now the elephant in sheep's clothing is at it again. If it can happen to a tradition rich and successful hockey program in Huntsville, it can happen here. So, let's help our fellow step child of those red headed mothers.......You can sign their petition here:

http://www.change.org/petitions/uah-char...and-thrive

Quote: College Hockey:
Alabama-Huntsville backers plan appeal to community through grassroots effort
Supporters fear the school's interim president will kill the program.

By Matt Mackinder • News Editor • Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Alabama-Huntsville alumni and community leaders will announce a “grassroots effort and call on community to get involved to save NCAA Division I hockey at UAH,” at a news conference scheduled for Thursday.

The news conference is scheduled for 10 a.m. CDT at the Huntsville Municipal IcePlex.

Leaders will ask all UAH alumni and hockey fans to show support for the program and to help persuade the Huntsville administration to give the community a chance to save the program, one that has been shrouded in doubt since playing last season as an independent.

The Chargers made the NCAA tournament in 2007 and 2010 after winning the College Hockey America postseason tournaments. The 2010 title was the final one in the short history of the CHA.

One longtime UAH supporter and alum, Geof Morris of saveuahhockey.com and uahhockey.com, is not part of the group organizing Thursday’s event, but will be in attendance to perhaps voice his views and opinions.

“[The UAH administration] has not been supportive,” Morris said. “When [former UAH president] David Williams was rushed out the door in March, UAH hockey had lost two advocates in the span of three months [with the late UAH athletic director Jim Harris being the other]. Mack Portera, who is chancellor of the UA system as well as the interim president, seems to have his sights set on dropping varsity hockey.”

Morris’ perspective of Chargers hockey seemed to be fine and dandy — until Portera was named interim president.

“Until about two months ago, I thought we were in the same shape we have been since August 2009 — working hard to recruit against and play an independent schedule, but really hoping something opened up conference-wise,” Morris said. “As soon as Penn State announced that they were going varsity, we knew that the landscape would change and that we could get a shot at a conference bid again.

“Then Mack Portera’s strong push to end the program — a push that’s based around some wrong thinking and some misinformation — changed everyone’s perspective down here. We’ve gone from an external threat to an internal one.

“In short, no one, especially not us, can afford to play as an independent the way Division I college hockey is set up. We thought the conference situation would resolve itself, but now the internal problems are raising up.”

Jared Ross, a standout and former captain at UAH from 2001 to 2005 who has since played 13 games in the NHL with Philadelphia, sent an email to alumni a few months back asking for support. More than $500,000 has been pledged over the next three seasons, program supporter and former Chargers player Keith Rowe said.

“We have been working behind the scenes with Jared,” Morris said. “We didn’t want to blow the lid off too early, especially not knowing what the funding level would need to be for the program to thrive. We’ve finally gotten that $500,000 yearly figure and we’re close to $200,000 a year for the next three years in support without going to the larger university and Huntsville community for help.”

Morris added that should hockey be gassed at UAH, the kids will be the ones who will suffer.

“The Southeast is the fastest growing sector of USA Hockey-monitored programs and Alabama is right up there with Georgia,” Morris said. “Huntsville is the linchpin to the state results in the same way that Atlanta is to Georgia. If you take UAH hockey out of Huntsville, I think you take a lot of wind out of youth hockey’s sails. I firmly believe that hockey has its place in the youth sports landscape, and to pull this program out hurts that.

“As for UAH, hockey is our Division I sport. We’ve had a tough five years, but the boys haven’t quit working to become better players and young men. I would hope that the college hockey community considers us key to any Southern expansion. There are great club programs across the South, but there’s only the one varsity program daring to do the tough thing and play a northern sport with all the bus trips that entails. It’s something we’ve done at the varsity level for almost 30 years.

“I think we’ve long passed the question, ‘Why?’ by presenting the response of ‘Why not?’”

An email message to an Alabama-Huntsville spokesperson seeking comment from the administration was not immediately returned.

Read more: http://www.uscho.com/2011/09/07/alabama-...z1YLzC668s

Quote:UAH hockey supporters rally to keep NCAA Division I team in Huntsville
By John Turner, The Huntsville Times al.com

HUNTSVILLE, Alabama - Community leaders, alumni, players and residents gathered Thursday morning at the Huntsville Municipal Iceplex to send a unified message to anyone willing to listen - University of Alabama-Huntsville hockey is worth saving.

The lone Division I hockey team south of the Mason-Dixon line is in jeopardy of being cut as UA chancellor and acting president Mack Portera considers abandoning the program, which has been without conference affiliation since 2009.

Several community leaders stood up in opposition to the demotion of the program, citing factors ranging from economic impact to cultural importance.

"We believe UAH hockey is good for the community and quality of life," Huntsville city council president Mark Russell said. "We have a brand new Propst Arena (in the Von Braun Center) that we want to see filled with Huntsville families. We want to see the community rally around the sport.

"On behalf of the city council and (mayor Tommy Battle), we want to encourage the citizens to rally around UA-Huntsville hockey, and support it and make sure it's here forever."

The push to save the program hit a new gear over the past week.

* An online petition directed toward Portera, which began circulating Monday, had reached 2,358 signatures as of 1:30 p.m. CDT on Thursday.
* The "Save UAH hockey" Facebook page topped 5,000 "likes" earlier in the week.
* Nathan Bowen, a UAH hockey alumnus and leader in the fundraising effort, announced Thursday that more than $525,000 has been pledged to support the program over the next three years. Alumni and boosters still are looking to raise more money to reach $500,000 over three years.


"If we can get into a conference, there is no doubt it will be sustainable, and there is no doubt we can support it," said Doug Martinson, a local attorney and formal school board member.

Gaining conference affiliation, however, remains a fluid situation. Teams continue to shift around the national Division I landscape, opening and closing potential vacancies on an ever-changing basis.

Thursday's rally was light on affiliation and heavy on attitude, which many in the Iceplex's lobby directed toward Portera.

"Any attempt to harm the program, or hurt the program, is misguided," Huntsville pulmonologist and longtime hockey supporter Keith Young said. "I believe Dr. Portera is misguided in his decision to challenge the success of UAH hockey. I believe this program deserves its proper place as a D-I team. I think that Dr. Portera, as an interim president at the university, is making a poorly informed decision about demoting the team and harming the team.

"I think that if he spent time in our town, knew our culture, knew our program, knew our university, he would come to the same conclusion as everyone in this room. That is that is that what we really need to do is support the program, get us into a D-1 conference and let us build the foundation of support."

http://www.al.com/sports/index.ssf/2011/...ly_to.html

How is it that SACS dont see this as an issue is beyond me.

My guess is that no one has stepped forward with a formal complaint.

(09-18-2011 07:57 PM)blazerjay Wrote:  I guess now that UAT has started a club hockey program, the UAH D-1 program has become a threat to the mothership. Our illustrious chancellor Malcolm Portera has been placed in the interim presidency at UAH with seemingly one instruction from the boobs that comprise the board...kill UAH Hockey.

Some of you may recall that this is the same chancellor, who in the fall of 2008 in a speech to the Birmingham Tip-Off Club stated that he and the board were working diligently to bring the best students and the best minds to the Tuscaloosa campus and to make UAT the best school it could be. Ummm...shouldn't that have been...to all our campuses? When challenged on this statement directly, this so called man of higher education couldn't even participate in an intelligent discussion about why his statement provided proof that the UABOT was an antiquated, highly prejudicial and inequitable authority comprised mainly of UAT partisans. He basically got his "panties in a wad" with a retort challenging anyone to provide any evidence of preferential treatment of UAT by himself or the board. He was never heard from again after a sufficient list was returned to him.

Now the elephant in sheep's clothing is at it again. If it can happen to a tradition rich and successful hockey program in Huntsville, it can happen here. So, let's help our fellow step child of those red headed mothers.......You can sign their petition here:

http://www.change.org/petitions/uah-char...and-thrive

Quote: College Hockey:
Alabama-Huntsville backers plan appeal to community through grassroots effort
Supporters fear the school's interim president will kill the program.

By Matt Mackinder • News Editor • Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Alabama-Huntsville alumni and community leaders will announce a “grassroots effort and call on community to get involved to save NCAA Division I hockey at UAH,” at a news conference scheduled for Thursday.

The news conference is scheduled for 10 a.m. CDT at the Huntsville Municipal IcePlex.

Leaders will ask all UAH alumni and hockey fans to show support for the program and to help persuade the Huntsville administration to give the community a chance to save the program, one that has been shrouded in doubt since playing last season as an independent.

The Chargers made the NCAA tournament in 2007 and 2010 after winning the College Hockey America postseason tournaments. The 2010 title was the final one in the short history of the CHA.

One longtime UAH supporter and alum, Geof Morris of saveuahhockey.com and uahhockey.com, is not part of the group organizing Thursday’s event, but will be in attendance to perhaps voice his views and opinions.

“[The UAH administration] has not been supportive,” Morris said. “When [former UAH president] David Williams was rushed out the door in March, UAH hockey had lost two advocates in the span of three months [with the late UAH athletic director Jim Harris being the other]. Mack Portera, who is chancellor of the UA system as well as the interim president, seems to have his sights set on dropping varsity hockey.”

Morris’ perspective of Chargers hockey seemed to be fine and dandy — until Portera was named interim president.

“Until about two months ago, I thought we were in the same shape we have been since August 2009 — working hard to recruit against and play an independent schedule, but really hoping something opened up conference-wise,” Morris said. “As soon as Penn State announced that they were going varsity, we knew that the landscape would change and that we could get a shot at a conference bid again.

“Then Mack Portera’s strong push to end the program — a push that’s based around some wrong thinking and some misinformation — changed everyone’s perspective down here. We’ve gone from an external threat to an internal one.

“In short, no one, especially not us, can afford to play as an independent the way Division I college hockey is set up. We thought the conference situation would resolve itself, but now the internal problems are raising up.”

Jared Ross, a standout and former captain at UAH from 2001 to 2005 who has since played 13 games in the NHL with Philadelphia, sent an email to alumni a few months back asking for support. More than $500,000 has been pledged over the next three seasons, program supporter and former Chargers player Keith Rowe said.

“We have been working behind the scenes with Jared,” Morris said. “We didn’t want to blow the lid off too early, especially not knowing what the funding level would need to be for the program to thrive. We’ve finally gotten that $500,000 yearly figure and we’re close to $200,000 a year for the next three years in support without going to the larger university and Huntsville community for help.”

Morris added that should hockey be gassed at UAH, the kids will be the ones who will suffer.

“The Southeast is the fastest growing sector of USA Hockey-monitored programs and Alabama is right up there with Georgia,” Morris said. “Huntsville is the linchpin to the state results in the same way that Atlanta is to Georgia. If you take UAH hockey out of Huntsville, I think you take a lot of wind out of youth hockey’s sails. I firmly believe that hockey has its place in the youth sports landscape, and to pull this program out hurts that.

“As for UAH, hockey is our Division I sport. We’ve had a tough five years, but the boys haven’t quit working to become better players and young men. I would hope that the college hockey community considers us key to any Southern expansion. There are great club programs across the South, but there’s only the one varsity program daring to do the tough thing and play a northern sport with all the bus trips that entails. It’s something we’ve done at the varsity level for almost 30 years.

“I think we’ve long passed the question, ‘Why?’ by presenting the response of ‘Why not?’”

An email message to an Alabama-Huntsville spokesperson seeking comment from the administration was not immediately returned.

Read more: http://www.uscho.com/2011/09/07/alabama-...z1YLzC668s

Quote:UAH hockey supporters rally to keep NCAA Division I team in Huntsville
By John Turner, The Huntsville Times al.com

HUNTSVILLE, Alabama - Community leaders, alumni, players and residents gathered Thursday morning at the Huntsville Municipal Iceplex to send a unified message to anyone willing to listen - University of Alabama-Huntsville hockey is worth saving.

The lone Division I hockey team south of the Mason-Dixon line is in jeopardy of being cut as UA chancellor and acting president Mack Portera considers abandoning the program, which has been without conference affiliation since 2009.

Several community leaders stood up in opposition to the demotion of the program, citing factors ranging from economic impact to cultural importance.

"We believe UAH hockey is good for the community and quality of life," Huntsville city council president Mark Russell said. "We have a brand new Propst Arena (in the Von Braun Center) that we want to see filled with Huntsville families. We want to see the community rally around the sport.

"On behalf of the city council and (mayor Tommy Battle), we want to encourage the citizens to rally around UA-Huntsville hockey, and support it and make sure it's here forever."

The push to save the program hit a new gear over the past week.

* An online petition directed toward Portera, which began circulating Monday, had reached 2,358 signatures as of 1:30 p.m. CDT on Thursday.
* The "Save UAH hockey" Facebook page topped 5,000 "likes" earlier in the week.
* Nathan Bowen, a UAH hockey alumnus and leader in the fundraising effort, announced Thursday that more than $525,000 has been pledged to support the program over the next three years. Alumni and boosters still are looking to raise more money to reach $500,000 over three years.


"If we can get into a conference, there is no doubt it will be sustainable, and there is no doubt we can support it," said Doug Martinson, a local attorney and formal school board member.

Gaining conference affiliation, however, remains a fluid situation. Teams continue to shift around the national Division I landscape, opening and closing potential vacancies on an ever-changing basis.

Thursday's rally was light on affiliation and heavy on attitude, which many in the Iceplex's lobby directed toward Portera.

"Any attempt to harm the program, or hurt the program, is misguided," Huntsville pulmonologist and longtime hockey supporter Keith Young said. "I believe Dr. Portera is misguided in his decision to challenge the success of UAH hockey. I believe this program deserves its proper place as a D-I team. I think that Dr. Portera, as an interim president at the university, is making a poorly informed decision about demoting the team and harming the team.

"I think that if he spent time in our town, knew our culture, knew our program, knew our university, he would come to the same conclusion as everyone in this room. That is that is that what we really need to do is support the program, get us into a D-1 conference and let us build the foundation of support."

http://www.al.com/sports/index.ssf/2011/...ly_to.html

I went to UAH as well as UAB. When UAH lost its conference affiliation in D-1 hockey, it was basically a matter of time before this happened. There is no conference that UAH fits into regionally. The problem is UAH now plays a ridiculous schedule as an independent. They are unable to get many home games, so they have to travel to almost every game. The cost of these trips is high because there aren't many schools anywhere near UAH with D-1 programs. This makes it very difficult to put a good record together. It sucks, but this is a decision that I would not blame the BOT for making.

I will happily sign.

I loved going up to UAH hockey games when I lived in Birmingham!

I signed.

I was # 3,102 to sign!

(09-18-2011 08:01 PM)ICB Wrote:  How is it that SACS dont see this as an issue is beyond me.

Because the Chancellor is acting as the Interim President. He's not a member of the Board, either. Agree or disagree, he's within his rights on this one.

I've been reading this board for quite a while, but finally something annoyed me enough to actually join...

As a product of the Huntsville youth hockey program, I'm certain that shutting down UAH Hockey would really hurt the youth program. As a kid I played on several teams that picked Chargers as their name. Those jerseys along with my high school jersey are the only jerseys I still have, because it was always so cool to be able to wear the same jersey as the local college team. I also was able to attend a UAH Charger hockey camp a couple summers, which really helped me progress as a player.

Outside of the youth aspects, UAH has also contributed several players to Huntsville's semi-pro hockey team, which really helps with local support.

In high school I also played with Jared Ross's younger brother, so it is terrific to see him trying to help.

This would be a terrible loss for both the city and the school.

Trev Alberts did something like this to Nebraska-Omaha. How do we live on land? As fish do in the sea...The big ones eat the little ones...I hope that if what you're saying is true , they will fail and fail miserably. I had plans on attending some UAH hockey games this year. If there's any love for this program in that area, now's the time to come together and head this bull**** off as the pass!

Keep up the voting!

Usually I'm the first to jump on the "Screw the Board" bandwagon, but I think the geography and conference situation is conspiring to screw them over. They have to be able to show that the program isn't a waste of money. Does UAH hockey make money? I seriously, seriously doubt that this is some attempt to protect club level hockey in Tuscaloosa

Losing hockey at UAH would be like losing basketball at UAB. The team has won a national title at DII and have been competitive in DI. Teams do not want to add UAH as a conference member because of the travel. UAH basically got BCS'd a couple of years ago for new DI programs at cartel member schools. At the worst, they should knock them down to DII like the rest of the sports and then let UAH spearhead an effort to get a southern conference together. UAH hockey is fun and exciting.

(09-19-2011 08:44 AM)mixduptransistor Wrote:  They have to be able to show that the program isn't a waste of money. Does UAH hockey make money?

It's not about the program itself making money for the school so much as it's a medium of advertising and ambassadorship for UAH and the City of Huntsville to many areas of the United States/Canada. It helps families from the north better adjust while working in the city, and recruits players from around the country, many of whom decide to stay and work/live in Huntsville after their time with hockey is through.

It is a very important beacon for UAH and the city, and the last possibly thing that needs to happen is a shutdown. Even a move back down to D-II would be below what this program has achieved, but if that's what it takes to recoup and come back swinging, then so be it.

(09-19-2011 09:24 AM)demiveeman Wrote:  

(09-19-2011 08:44 AM)mixduptransistor Wrote:  They have to be able to show that the program isn't a waste of money. Does UAH hockey make money?

It's not about the program itself making money for the school so much as it's a medium of advertising and ambassadorship for UAH and the City of Huntsville to many areas of the United States/Canada. It helps families from the north better adjust while working in the city, and recruits players from around the country, many of whom decide to stay and work/live in Huntsville after their time with hockey is through.

It is a very important beacon for UAH and the city, and the last possibly thing that needs to happen is a shutdown. Even a move back down to D-II would be below what this program has achieved, but if that's what it takes to recoup and come back swinging, then so be it.

When the alternative is laying off faculty, it is about whether or not its making money. UAH isn't the size of UA or UAB. And sure, it doesn't have to be making money purely on its own, but overall is it good or bad for the university? I don't know, I'm not in Huntsville, but the narrative that this is Tuscaloosa trying to screw Huntsville because UA has a club team and blah blah blah is kind of over the top.

It's good for the University. Period.

Your posting that on a message board vs. having some real research to back it up are two completely unrelated things

(09-19-2011 10:28 AM)mixduptransistor Wrote:  Your posting that on a message board vs. having some real research to back it up are two completely unrelated things

I grew up in the Decatur/Huntsville area and have always been a fan of UAH hockey. The community there loves the program, and Huntsville and surrounding cities (i.e. Decatur, etc.) have benefitted from the hockey program either through getting youth involved or other things.

Here's an idea... how about instead of always throwing out people's thoughts just because they are on a message board, you actually do some research yourself.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/gfpYRzHLM5c" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

After all, you don't want another debacle like that law debate you had a couple of weeks ago.

All you seem to do is try to bait people into doing research and when they provide it, you say.."It's a message board...la-de-freakin'-da..."
http://ncaabbs.com/showthread.php?tid=50...pid6702208

I'm not falling for your tricks.

Do they even show the crowd at that little press conference? It's pretty easy to garner support for something like this, it's much harder to maintain support for something like this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alabama-Hun...ice_hockey
The program is no longer viable without a conference to play in. You cannot afford to send a team to games all over the country for a majority of a hockey season. The team has a lot of history, and has been very good in the past. As I said before, it sucks, but I believe there is much more to this decision than fan support(because those fans that come to the home games aren't traveling to every away game) and Alabama having a club team.

Just for that I voted again.