The University of Minnesota Crookston Golden Eagle Athletic Department is looking to add Men’s Hockey to their athletic offerings. UMC hosted the ACHA (American Club Hockey Association) on a tour at the Crookston Sports Center within the last month. UMC has applied to become a member of the ACHA and is waiting until they are accepted in the league before announcing.
A statement to KROX Radio, from UMC Communications Director Elizabeth Tollefson, said –
“The University of Minnesota Crookston is bringing organized club hockey back to campus in an effort to offer students additional opportunities to be involved in sports and as part of our enrollment strategy. We are optimistic about our acceptance into the ACHA, are currently in negotiations to continue our lease at the Crookston Sports Center, and a national coaching search is underway. An announcement about the return of club hockey to the University of Minnesota Crookston will be forthcoming when details have been finalized.”
The University posted a Men’s Hockey Coach opening on Tuesday, August 20 that was looking for a full-time ten-month, annually renewable position starting September, 30 or as soon as possible after that.
Responsibilities include – direct, supervise, and evaluate all aspects of the men’s hockey program, assist with public and media relations efforts, recruit players, supervise and evaluate assistant coaches, manage hockey budget, develop game schedules in consultation with the Athletic Director, assist in fundraising and other duties assigned by the Athletic Director.
About the American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA):
The ACHA is the top club level, college hockey league in the United States and separated into three men’s divisions. The ACHA is structured much like NCAA Division III hockey but is more suited for larger Universities. The ACHA is comprised primarily of NCAA Division I and Division II programs that have the student-body interest to play non-intramural hockey but are unable to do so as an NCAA sport due to lack of resources or inability to comply with Title IX by adding another men’s sport. ACHA hockey players must comply with similar academic standards and rules that NCAA athletes have to meet, however, there are no scholarships for ACHA athletes, and they typically have to pay to play on their teams including travel costs, uniforms, and equipment.
The ACHA features three levels of competition, reflecting the level of talent or an existing NCAA hockey program on campus (for example the University of North Dakota can’t play in the ACHA’s Division I because of its existing NCAA program). Division I is the top tier of the ACHA and features nearby teams such as Minot State (2019 D1 National Champions) and the University of Jamestown as well as national programs such as the University of Nevada-Las Vegas, University of Colorado, University of Oklahoma, and Iowa State University. To gain Division I membership, the school must be a 4-year institution without an NCAA hockey team and have a minimum budget of $50,00 and minimum seating capacity of 500 and a minimum attendance of 300 people per game or the greater of 3% or $3,000 of budget on marketing/PR. Any travel for games over 120 miles requires non-player transportation (charter bus, plane, train, etc.) and hotel accommodations must be provided by the team. Division II would provide the best logistical fit for Minnesota Crookston. Division II features the University of Mary, Dakota College, University of North Dakota (Club Hockey team), North Dakota State, MSU-Moorhead, St. Cloud State (Club Hockey team), Saint Scholastica, University of Minnesota Duluth (Club Hockey team), University of Wisconsin-Superior, University of St. Thomas just to name a few of the many programs within driving distance. Division II also features the most team’s nationally in addition to most teams within reasonable driving distance of Crookston. Division III is the lowest level and least feasible option for UMC logistically with the University of Wisconsin-Platteville the nearest opponent to Crookston. It is worth noting Division I, II and III teams can all compete against one another during the regular season. However, Minot State’s Division I regular-season schedule included trips to Nevada, Arizona, Utah, Iowa, and Colorado.
From both a cost and competition perspective, the ACHA’s Division II would provide the most cost-effective and competitive level of club hockey for the University of Minnesota Crookston.
