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Update on Huntsville's UAH hockey program
February 21st, 2012 9:03 AM

Huntsville Alabama evening skyline
Source; Alumni and Friends of Charger Hockey
As the hockey season comes to an end for the UAH Chargers this month, a new beginning, a NEW ERA of Charger Hockey will be born! Publicly things have been quiet, but behind the scenes a lot of work has gone into a major fundraising campaign, tickets and packages to be sold to local companies and much more. Under the leadership of new UAHuntsville President Dr. Robert Altenkirch, UAH Hockey has not only been saved, it is being reconstructed and set up to be successful for the long-term.

Here are a few updates that the group consisting of Ralph Drensek, Bob Ludwig, Joey Ceci, Doug Martinson and Nathan Bowen would like to share with you since the University made the commitment to keep UAH Hockey at the NCAA DI level:

1. The University is committing a minimum of $650,000 to support the program. This is outstanding. It is comparable to institutions in a conference being considered, and it exceeds the average institutional support among DI hockey programs. We need to do our part to contribute substantially to filling out the financial support for hockey to sustain it at least the median D I hockey budget of $1,5000,000 .

2. Dr. Altenkirch is putting University resources to work to support this initiative, with several high ranking University folks involved in the campaign.

3. Dr. Altenkirch is personally making calls and meeting with individuals and companies in search for the necessary financial support.

4. A committee is being organized with UAHuntsville representatives and members of the Alumni and Friends group in an effort to work together to raise funds and awareness on how the program will move forward.

5. As most of you know, a "Hockey Specific" online giving portal has been set up for you to execute your pledge. Please visit http://www.uah.edu/2012hockeycampaign/
6. An account has been set up with full transparency of funds, with all going directly to support the hockey program.

As we all know a key component and variable to long term program success is gaining entrance into a conference. There are some key milestones coming up. Potential conferences are watching us closely to see if we have the financial support from alumni, friends, the community and businesses. We need you to go online before March 1st and fulfill your commitment and pledge. Payment options are available and if you did not pledge, please visit and do what you can. For those who have pledged and fulfilled your commitment, we sincerely thank you.
The University's firm financial commitment is a great first step to establish a budget that supports a competitive Division 1 hockey program. UAH's $650,000 annual commitment represents 43% of the median budget for D I hockey programs as noted above, and we need your help, along with ticket sales and corporate support, to raise the additional funds that will make us attractive to a conference and allow us to compete at a high level. Our group is working closely with Dr. Altenkirch, Dr. Brophy, and other University officials to make this dream a reality. Our collaborative efforts have been successful thus far, but we need your help to generate the additional funds to achieve our goal. The University has stepped up and made the necessary commitments and more to keep NCAA DI hockey alive, now it is time for all of us to step up and do our part, live up to the financial commitments that we made and support the program moving forward. This is critical and the time is now to give us the best chance to advance the program into a conference.