UAH will not be joining Atlantic Hockey, either.
Atlantic Hockey has notified UAH that its members have unanimously voted against conference expansion, denying the Chargers’ chance at membership. No date was set for the discussion of potential future expansion.
UAH athletics director Dr. Cade Smith said next steps have not yet been decided. Taso Sofikitis of the UAH hockey advisory board said more information will be available at the appropriate time as they work with UAH and the University of Alabama System.
If Atlantic Hockey had chosen to expand, it would have looked at UAH, Long Island University and a third unnamed school that also expressed interest, according to AHA commissioner Robert DeGregorio Jr. back in March. LIU’s men’s program began play this past season with a scheduling alliance with the AHA because of the pandemic but was not made a full member.
UAH suspended operations for the hockey program in May while it continued to pursue Atlantic Hockey, which currently stands at 10 schools. UAH officials and the alumni group spearheading efforts to keep the program going have said that conference affiliation is vital.
The other conference that UAH had targeted was the rebooted CCHA, which rejected UAH’s proposal in March. The CCHA begins play this fall with seven teams that broke away from the WCHA, leaving UAH, Alaska Anchorage, and Alaska Fairbanks. The WCHA officially dissolved on July 1.