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Hockey: UA's next men's NCAA sport?
Posted on 11/25/14 at 7:30 pm
Posted on 11/25/14 at 7:30 pm
As far as I know, UAH currently has the only NCAA hockey team south of the Mason-Dixon. In the last two weeks, Arizona State announced that they will be making the jump to NCAA in the next year or so. Here's an interview with ASU's head coach and UA is mentioned at the end as a potential program to keep your eye on. LINK
UA currently plays club in ACHA Div III. They are currently ranked in the top 3 in the South region along with UCF and FGCU. UA plays their games in Pelham and we are actually hosting the Div III national championship this season.
UA has been modeling our program after ASU and PSU, which happen to be the two most recent teams to make the jump to NCAA. The UA hockey twitter just posted this earlier tonight:
It appears that Lacrosse will be the next women's sport at UA, which should open up the scholarships for another men's sport. Last I heard is that hockey, soccer, and maybe wrestling are fighting for that next spot. I heard at the last game I went to that there are plans to build a rink in Tuscaloosa within the next few years. At that point, I believe they could really make a push to join the NCAA. I believe that with a rink in Tuscaloosa, they could average the same amount of fans that the baseball team has had over the last 5 years or so.
quote:
On other programs that seem to have the potential to follow ASU: I have very close contact with Alabama, they have great people running it in Division 3 ACHA, they’ve had some success at that level. They have a lot of interest in trying to emulate what we did here, it seems like they have a group of people… I’d keep an eye on Alabama. If they’re not afraid to knock on every door to gain the resources. That’s what Joe Battista did at Penn State – schools like Alabama have that dedication.
UA currently plays club in ACHA Div III. They are currently ranked in the top 3 in the South region along with UCF and FGCU. UA plays their games in Pelham and we are actually hosting the Div III national championship this season.
UA has been modeling our program after ASU and PSU, which happen to be the two most recent teams to make the jump to NCAA. The UA hockey twitter just posted this earlier tonight:
quote:
Frozen Tide Hockey @AlabamaHockey · 48m 48 minutes ago
Without @BAMAWLAX you can't have NCAA Hockey at Bama. Consider that. Remember to support all of your student-athletes Bama fans. #RollTide
It appears that Lacrosse will be the next women's sport at UA, which should open up the scholarships for another men's sport. Last I heard is that hockey, soccer, and maybe wrestling are fighting for that next spot. I heard at the last game I went to that there are plans to build a rink in Tuscaloosa within the next few years. At that point, I believe they could really make a push to join the NCAA. I believe that with a rink in Tuscaloosa, they could average the same amount of fans that the baseball team has had over the last 5 years or so.
This post was edited on 11/25/14 at 7:33 pm
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Posted on 11/25/14 at 7:41 pm to pvilleguru
I would love for this to happen.
Posted on 11/25/14 at 7:47 pm to southwestTider
If anyone is ever near Pelham on a weekend, check them out. Games are a ton of fun to go to and we have a really good team. They are currently 13-3 and each of the losses have only been by 1 goal. They play Mississippi State Dec. 5 at 8 PM at home.
Posted on 11/25/14 at 9:13 pm to pvilleguru
I've took the family to watch them several times. It's definitely fun supporting the Crimson Tide, no matter what sport. I would recommend checking them out if you haven't already.
#FrozenTide.
#FrozenTide.
Posted on 11/25/14 at 9:23 pm to pvilleguru
I can remember when UAH was a club team and man...there were some awesome games...esp vs Tennessee back in the day. Then am lucky enough to watch the UAH team grow and now have moved on to D1.
Would love to see UA jump in to the D1 leagues and fully fund the program with scholarships. Man, talk about getting the UA name out there....esp up north AND in hockey no less.
Would love to see UA jump in to the D1 leagues and fully fund the program with scholarships. Man, talk about getting the UA name out there....esp up north AND in hockey no less.
Posted on 11/25/14 at 9:37 pm to pvilleguru
Oh, one more thing. They sell beer at the games in Pelham.
Posted on 11/25/14 at 10:24 pm to pvilleguru
Been following Bama Hockey on twitter for a while. Here's the link to follow them.... Frozen Tide
Posted on 11/25/14 at 10:32 pm to pvilleguru
quote:
Oh, one more thing. They sell beer at the games in Pelham.
Now that has been cleared up, IN.
Posted on 11/25/14 at 11:03 pm to southwestTider
With Softball, Gymnastics and Golf proving that this University can be a breeding ground for championships, I hope this comes to fruition. I know softball is pretty recent sport and became a national contender like freakishly fast. What's the college hockey scene like anyways? (and women's LAX)...
with potentially being the only BCS school in the south to carry hockey, would we have the whole region to ourselves... and would that be a good thing (ie, is the south any good at producing hockey talent?)
with potentially being the only BCS school in the south to carry hockey, would we have the whole region to ourselves... and would that be a good thing (ie, is the south any good at producing hockey talent?)
Posted on 11/25/14 at 11:09 pm to Lordofwrath88
On another note: I really hope for Women's Equestrian. The sport is surprisingly cheap and has a huge roster, enough to add 2 men's teams. I would love both men's hockey and soccer to be varsity sports.
Posted on 11/26/14 at 2:03 am to Lordofwrath88
If Alabama had a Division I men's hockey team, I would be first in line to buy season tickets. Outside of football, it is unquestionably the most fun sport to watch live.
Posted on 11/26/14 at 6:38 am to Lordofwrath88
quote:
with potentially being the only BCS school in the south to carry hockey, would we have the whole region to ourselves... and would that be a good thing (ie, is the south any good at producing hockey talent?)
We would be the southernmost team in the nation, and one of two teams in the "South". There's not a lot of hockey talent in the south, but you'd have to like our chances of recruiting against UAH.
Posted on 11/26/14 at 11:04 am to Lordofwrath88
quote:big Ten and Colorado schools are very good. Personally, I would like to see us have a decent wrestling program.
What's the college hockey scene like anyways?
This post was edited on 11/26/14 at 11:06 am
Posted on 11/26/14 at 12:09 pm to UAFanFromNOLA
Men's Hockey would be my first choice followed closely by Men's Soccer. Wrestling would be a distant third.
Posted on 11/26/14 at 5:03 pm to RollDatRoll
Sadly, I'm aware I wrestled in high school, so that is definitely why I said that. It is kind of surprising to me how few wrestling programs are around here. Florida, Georgia, and to a lesser extent Alabama have fairly strong wrestling scenes. Yes, we would handled by northern teams, but I think that is partially because there are no major college programs around which results in a lack of proper coaching. The best program around here is probably Cumberland University which is NAIA.
This post was edited on 11/26/14 at 5:05 pm
Posted on 11/26/14 at 5:24 pm to pvilleguru
Lacrosse is a stronger sport for UA imo. Especially considering some of the talent on club we get from the major hotbeds in Maryland, south Florida, New York and the rest of the east coast. It's the fastest growing current sport and is 4th*(I believe) in viewership on ESPN. Nothing needs to be built, just use the stadium. One of the big knocks on hockey is how far away they practice and play.
Posted on 11/26/14 at 7:26 pm to UAFanFromNOLA
quote:A friend of mine was a good wrestler in high school in Alabama and joined the club team at UA his freshman year. According to him, the UA team was absolutely terrible. This guy is currently coaching a high school wrestling team in the Montgomery area.
Sadly, I'm aware I wrestled in high school, so that is definitely why I said that. It is kind of surprising to me how few wrestling programs are around here. Florida, Georgia, and to a lesser extent Alabama have fairly strong wrestling scenes. Yes, we would handled by northern teams, but I think that is partially because there are no major college programs around which results in a lack of proper coaching. The best program around here is probably Cumberland University which is NAIA.
Posted on 11/26/14 at 7:34 pm to UhOhOreo
quote:NCAA hockey has a higher attendance average than lacrosse does.
It's the fastest growing current sport and is 4th*(I believe) in viewership on ESPN. Nothing needs to be built, just use the stadium.
Hockey
Lacrosse
Also, lacrosse most likely would not play in BDS. If UA doesn't build them their own field, they would use our soccer stadium.
Posted on 11/26/14 at 9:37 pm to pvilleguru
Frozen Tide baby. I'd love to have a D1 hockey team. Used to have a lot of friends on that team
Posted on 11/26/14 at 10:46 pm to Patton
Lacrosse would be my choice as the next sport.
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