CCHA ensures demise of UAH

Perhaps the worst news I have heard in college hockey since I started following. INCH is reporting that the CCHA council has denied UAH's application for admission. Why, you ask? Tom Anastos had this to say.

“The league completed its due diligence of the application for membership submitted by the University of Alabama in Huntsville with careful consideration and discussion of various issues,” CCHA Commissioner Tom Anastos said. “At this time we have chosen to maintain our membership at its current level. The CCHA will remain focused on maintaining and strengthening our existing members to ensure the conference’s continued success and long-term viability.”

Casting UAH out leaves the CCHA with a gaping hole with 11 teams on the books for 2010-11, a void that was supposed to be filled. I don't see where they are supposed to go. WCHA rescued Bemidji, Atlantic rescued the other two, where does that leave UAH? Every other team has an even number, with CCHA being the only conference with an odd number of teams. But the CCHA is still too stubborn to let in UAH? Sure, they aren't the best team in D1 hockey, but we aren't college basketball, we don't have 300 other teams out there in the hockey world to let the CCHA be picky.

Who knows, maybe the rumor train should start again with Wisconsin moving to the CCHA, then UAH go to the WCHA. That sounds regionally logical, right?

Alaska Nanooks Women's Hockey

Received an interesting e-mail this morning with this press release:

Press Release

Working with the University of Alaska Fairbanks, Alaska Girls’ and Women’s Hockey Inc., and the American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA), the University of Alaska Women’s Ice Hockey Club has succeeded in bringing collegiate women’s hockey to Alaska!

UAF’s role in the women’s hockey team:

• Forrest Karr and his staff in Athletics and Campus Recreation support
  the effort to have a women’s hockey team at UAF.


• Developing a Nanooks Women’s Hockey team at UAF is an effort to provide
  talented female hockey players the opportunity to play collegiate hockey
  in Alaska.


• UAF’s support for this team will come primarily from administrative
  support provided by the UAF Leadership Program and Department of Athletics
  and Campus Recreation.

Club and team details:

• During the season the team will practice three times a week.


• The Alaska Nanooks Women’s Hockey will be the first women’s collegiate
  team in the state to compete in the ACHA.


• For its inaugural season the team will compete at the Division 2 level
  as an independent. Some of the teams in the ACHA’s D2 division include
  the following universities: University of Minnesota-Duluth, Iowa State
  University, University of Maryland, University of Nebraska, North Dakota
  State University, University of Southern California and the University of
  Virginia.


• ACHA guidelines require all Division 2 student-athletes to be enrolled
  in six credit hours.


• The team will travel out of Alaska twice during the 2009 - 2010 season.
  The schedule calls for the team to play ACHA Division 1 and 2 teams. In
  January the team is scheduled to play Robert Morris University and
  Lindinwood University. These two teams have met in the ACHA’s Division 1
  championship game the past four years.


• The team’s expenses are borne primarily by players and community.


• For this season the season will begin in early September and will end in
  mid-January. The following seasons will run from September to March.


• Most of the players will have played at the high school level or for
  competitive (travel) teams like the Icebreakers or TeamAlaska. Others
  will have played for prep schools out of state or some collegiate hockey.


• For the past four years Alaska Girls’ and Women’s Hockey Inc. has
  managed, and provided funding for, the Arctic Bears girls high school
  team.


• The teams’ name will be: “Alaska Nanooks Women’s Hockey”.


• The team’s jersey design and colors will be the same as the Nanooks
  men’s team.


• Head coach for the 2009 – 2010 season is Scott Vockeroth. Coach
  Vockeroth is a former player for the Alaska Nanooks men’s team and brings
  extensive coaching experience to the team; having coached numerous Alaska
  Icebreakers teams and the Arctic Bears high school team.


• Amy Tallerico will be the team’s associate head coach and will serve as
  the ACHA’s team contact. Coach Tallerico is a former goalie for the
  University of Maine and Boston College Women’s Ice Hockey teams. She was
  an assistant coach for the 2002-2003 Woburn Girl’s High School Hockey Team
  that captured the 2003 Massachusetts State Title, and has instructed at
  various camps and training facilities.

The role of Alaska Girls’ and Women’s Hockey Inc.:

• Amy Tallerico has accepted the position of director of women’s
  collegiate hockey for the Alaska Girls’ and Women’s Hockey Inc.


• AGWH, Inc. will bring all of its hockey resources to assist in the
  effort to develop a quality women’s hockey program at UAF.


• The University of Alaska Women’s Ice Hockey Club has entered into an
  agreement with Alaska Girls’ and Women’s Hockey Inc. to provide financial
  support and fundraising resources. This arrangement will allow the team
  to be fully funded by player club dues, Alaska Girls’ and Women’s Hockey,
  Inc, and the community.


• The team’s first tryout session is scheduled for Tuesday September 8th
  at 9:15pm at UAF’s Patty Ice Arena. Players will need to show proof of
  USA Hockey registration for the 2009-2010 season.


• Additional team tryout and registration information is available on the
  Nanooks women’s ice hockey website: www.uafwomenshockey.com

For more information contact:

• Scott Vockeroth: 388-6015


• Amy Tallerico: 388-2695

Intriguing....

Vanoosten signs with Stockton

Yet another Nanook inks a deal in the Pros. 08-09 senior Nanook blueliner Steve Vanoosten signs on to Stockton Thunder of the ECHL.

Vanoosten played a critical role for the first-ranked defensive team in the CCHA this past year, playing in all 39 games and amassing 62 blocked shots for the 'Nooks. He finished his senior year earning the Shawn Chambers award, recognizing the season's top defensemen. Vanoosten has competed in 145 games in his collegiate career, netting a total of 20 points.
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The roster for the 2009-2010 season has also been released. To view the roster for the coming season, click here.