The UAH hockey program will reach a milestone when it opens the season at Notre Dame. The Chargers will be playing their 1,000th game as a varsity program.

It may seem like an arbitrary milestone, but considering the situation the program was in just a few years ago, it’s not insignificant.

Doug Ross coached UAH’s first 673 varsity games, winning 376 of them. His teams won two D-II national titles, two CHA regular-season titles and a CHA tournament title.

It’s well known that UAH is unique for having the only NCAA program in the South, a Division I play-up at a Division II school existing in a world where even large, rich universities need everything to fall into place to even consider starting a varsity hockey program.

So why did UAH promote the ice hockey program from club to varsity in the first place? In 1985, UAH was pushing to move its athletic program from the NAIA to the NCAA, and it needed sports. Hockey was logical because it already had a base of support from its success as a club program. It also had the facility with the Von Braun (Civic) Center, where the Chargers were drawing thousands per game.

Lance West, now the head coach at Alaska, was part of UAH’s first foray into D-I hockey, scoring 113 points.

It was the right setup at the right time. Could it be done in today’s climate at UAH? Considering the newest Division I programs at Penn State and Arizona State, which also had prominent teams at the club level, needed large contributions to get off the ground, it would not seem likely.

UAH didn’t really have to do much more investing to establish a varsity program in 1985, as the ingredients were already there.

The UAH athletic department officially joined the NCAA Division II ranks in 1986, with hockey in tow. The following season, with no established NCAA championship in Division II, the Chargers began “playing up” to Division I in hockey. Just by being in the big leagues, UAH had earned the reputation of being the “Hockey Capital of the South” by gubernatorial proclamation in 1987.

These early varsity seasons were a mixed bag. As an independent, UAH had schedules that were a mix of club, Division I, Division III, and Canadian programs. More Division I teams were added to the schedule over time until the 1991-92 season was mostly Division I.

The Chargers had varying results during its first Division I era, posting a record of 61-81-1.

Mario Mazzuca, a force on the 1996 D-II championship squad, is UAH’s all-time varsity record holder in goals scored with 96.

With the return of a national championship at the Division II level, UAH followed suit. Here, the Chargers were able to thrive, earning four berths in the NCAA championship and winning titles in 1996 and 1998.

By 1998, Minnesota State, Quinnipiac, and Bemidji State had switched to or announced a switch to Division I, numbering the days of the Division II championship. UAH followed and declared a return to Division I as well.

The 1998-99 season was a transitional year with a mix of Division I and III teams on the schedule. The 1999-2000 season was UAH’s first schedule that was 100 percent Division I.

Jared Ross, the first Charger to play in the NHL, is UAH’s all-time leading scorer in the modern Division I era with 159 points.

It was also the season that the newcomers and independents to Division I needed leagues to play in. College Hockey America was formed in the summer of 1999 with UAH as a charter member.

Life in the CHA involved a lot of travel with the teams spread out, but it did provide the Chargers a means to succeed at the Division I level. UAH won regular-season conference championships in 2001 and 2003, but found a lot of heartbreak in the CHA tournament, losing in the final (and a chance at an automatic NCAA bid) four times.

Ironically, it was when the Chargers had sub-par years in the regular season did UAH finally make the NCAA tournament. They finished fifth in the CHA in 2007, but the senior-laden Chargers would run the table in the CHA tournament and make the Division I NCAA tournament for the first time. They lost to national top seed Notre Dame in double overtime in the Midwest Regional semifinals.

UAH did the same thing in 2010, taking one-goal games to win the CHA and make the NCAA Midwest Regional again, this time falling to national No. 1 Miami 2-1.

Cam Talbot, who is becoming a star with the Edmonton Oilers, anchored the UAH club that earned an NCAA tournament berth as CHA tournament champions in 2010.

However, with the other schools heading to other conferences, that was the last CHA championship, and UAH’s hockey future was very much uncertain.

UAH had applied for, and was denied, a spot in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association in 2009. The school affirmed a commitment for the program as an independent in the short term, but for a program of UAH’s size, being an independent in Division I was just not viable.

Early in the 2011-12 season, UAH announced it would relegate the hockey program back to club status, which was really a death sentence. Establishing a club team would have been tantamount to a hard reset: A new staff, new players, a new schedule — as if it was 1979 again. Who was going to organize all that if the university wasn’t?

For UAH, it is varsity hockey or bust.

Fortunately, thanks to a grassroots rally and a new university administration with a new commitment to the program, UAH was able to join a reconfigured Western Collegiate Hockey Association and survive.

The Chargers have still had their struggles, sure. Their record has been improving each year, if only little by little. But as UAH embarks on its 1,000th varsity game to begin its 33rd varsity season, we continue to remember how far this program has come, and realize how far it can go.

Here’s to the next 1,000.

I first attended UAH hockey games in the 1990-91 season. I remember sitting in the Von Braun Civic Center Arena and watching the Chargers play Alaska-Fairbanks. I remember looking at the season schedule and thinking, “Wow, UAH sure plays teams from Alaska a lot.” This amazed me: The farthest south playing the farthest north, time and again.

Doug McDonald chases after a Nanook in Fairbanks.

At the time, I thought Alaska-Anchorage and Alaska-Fairbanks (which has since lobbed “-Fairbanks” off its short name) were UAH’s top rivals. During UAH’s first tenure in Division I, one might see why: From 1987-93, the Chargers played UAF 19 times and UAA 17 times, more than any other opponent in that period — and still more than any opponent not currently in the WCHA or that was in College Hockey America.

The Chargers visit the 49th state for the first time in 20 years when they face the Seawolves at the Sullivan Center in Anchorage. Game times Friday and Saturday are at 10 p.m. Central Time and can be seen on WCHA TV. Alaska-Anchorage visits Huntsville on January 17 and 18, and UAH goes to Fairbanks on January 31 and February 1 to battle the Alaska Nanooks.

Mike O’Connor (right) tumbles after colliding with UAA’s Jim Mayes in Anchorage in Dec. 1991.

When you see UAH’s record against the Alaska schools, you might say “rivals” is a strong word. UAH is 8-27-1 all time against the Seawolves and Nanooks. And two of those wins were losses switched because they were later forfeited by Fairbanks.

Twenty-two of those 36 games were in Alaska, and the Seawolves and Nanooks thrived on their home-ice advantage.

“It was especially tough playing up there,” said Stu Vitue, who played center for the Chargers from 1989-93, making the trips north in all four years. “They had the only two Olympic-sized surfaces that we played on. That was a big advantage for them. All of our ice familiarity was messed up. I remember that our goalies had it pretty rough as all their angles were off. They also seemed to get a lot of help from the hometown refs. Not to mention that both of those teams were pretty good. UAA had some great players and made the NCAA tourney as an independent.”

Unfortunately, UAH’s history in Anchorage has involved a lot of this.

Alaska-Anchorage made the NCAA Tournament three times as an independent (1990-92), and reached the quarterfinals in 1991. UAH is 2-15 all time against UAA, and 0-11 in Anchorage.

Alaska-Fairbanks didn’t make the tournament, but was no slouch either. Under Don Lucia, who has been the coach at Minnesota for the past 14 years, the Nanooks averaged 18 wins from 1987-93. The Chargers are 6-12-1 against UAF, and 3-7 in Fairbanks.

Kevin Caputo was a UAH defenseman from 1990-94, making five trips to Alaska in three seasons. “I guess the one bit of hockey memories that I have of the games up there was that they really packed in the fans to each of their games. Not only that but they were loud, especially in Anchorage. It was a great atmosphere to play in. They really love their hockey in Alaska.”

Complicating matters: UAH typically would visit both schools in one trip, making for a grueling – but bonding – experience for the Chargers. In 1987, 1989, 1990, and 1991, UAH would play two games in each city over a span of five or six days. Twice, the Chargers made a stopover for a game before actually going to Alaska: Wisconsin in 1989 and Minnesota in 1990. That’s five road games in a week.

Redoubt Volcano on Dec. 18, 1989, during a continuous eruption that delayed the Chargers getting out of Alaska. (W. White, U.S. Geological Survey)

And there was the volcano.

On December 14, 1989, Mount Redoubt, an active volcano about 110 miles southwest of Anchorage, erupted shortly after the Chargers arrived.

“One year a volcano went off, making it impossible to fly. We had to bus to Fairbanks from Anchorage, then we had to stay an extra day or two until the air cleared,” Vitue said. It’s about 360 miles between Anchorage and Fairbanks.

And then there was the weather.

“One year we were in Fairbanks and the weather was pretty bad and they were cancelling almost every departure,” Caputo said. “It was just before Christmas as well and most of the players were headed home for the break. Coach Ross was working the phones non-stop to try and find us a flight out. I think he even called the Alabama National Guard at one point to see if they could come and get us. Eventually we were able to get a flight out of Fairbanks.”

“One time a handful of us made the walk from the hotel to the arena. It was probably only a half mile away. However, it was -30 degrees. We all enjoyed the walk but needless to say it was cold.”

Jean-Marc Plante dives for the puck in Anchorage in December 1991.

The long trips were made after fall exams, so the players didn’t miss any class time.

“It was always tough playing in Alaska, especially when we made the trip just before Christmas,” Caputo said. “By that time everyone was ready to go home for the break and see their families.

“As far as the time that it took to get up there, we would typically fly in to Seattle and then into Anchorage. Total travel time was about 12 hours I think.”

Said Vitue: “Being from Seattle I would just hop off the team plane on the layover and be home for Christmas. The B.C. guys would also get off there.”

Lance West fires a shot against the Nanooks in Huntsville in January 1992.

At the end of the 1990-91, the Chargers made a second trip to Anchorage, this time for the NCAA Division I Independents Tournament with an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament bid on the line. UAH lost 5-0 to Alaska-Anchorage in the semifinal and 8-2 to Alaska-Fairbanks in the consolation game.

The 1992-93 season saw the Chargers do what a Lower-48 WCHA school will typically do every two years: Make two separate trips to Alaska — one to Anchorage and one to Fairbanks. This may be a concern with the new WCHA, but not uncharted territory for UAH.

Mark Hernandez skates with the puck against UAA in a game in Huntsville in Nov. 1991.

“I don’t think it was that difficult for us to travel up there,” Caputo said. “If anything it was a great time for the players to spend some time together, get away from the routine of practicing, doing homework, etc. and bond as teammates.”

Vitue looks back on those trips as his most memorable as a Charger. His final game wearing a UAH sweater was the 1992-93 season finale in Anchorage, the last time the Chargers and Seawolves met.

“The trips were great for team bonding,” Vitue said. “Spending almost two weeks on the road was always something that I looked forward to. Those trips were tough, but I remember them more than any other ones I made while at UAH.”

Special thanks to Stu Vitue and Kevin Caputo for their perspectives, and to UAH Sports Information Coordinator Joey Daniels for searching the archives for the photos included in this article.