Dear Chargers,
I hope that is all is well and that you were able to celebrate Easter with loved ones.
It is an interesting and busy time for Charger Hockey. Our Student-Athletes are busy in the classroom and are working extremely hard in the weight room and outside with the spring conditioning portion of the year. It is a unique time for them as hockey players. It is not very often that a hockey player gets the chance to work out in the off season as a team. Once they leave for home for the summer, they go to the facility of their choice to execute the workout program we supply but they will not have but maybe one or 2 teammates, depending on where they live, to workout with. Being together in the spring gives them a chance to push each other to new heights in the weight room just as they do when they are on the ice together. It makes for memorable group dynamics. One that we as coaches miss from our playing days.
Gavin Morgan, Tim Flynn, and I just returned from the Frozen Four in Tampa. President Altenkirch and AD Brophy were present in Tampa as well. Much of our time was spent communicating our intention of finding conference affiliation. Dr Brophy and I had set an agenda of people we wanted to visit with prior to our departure and I am happy to report that we spoke with every one of them and then some. Dr Altenkirch spoke the higher ups from potential league members as well. It showed the commitment of UAH to Charger Hockey having not only our Director of Athletics present but also our President. The feedback we received was very promising. There are conferences in need of additional members and we have made it extremely clear that we are the solution to their problem. The timeline to knowing our status should be at some point by midsummer. This is a great development for “Charger Nation”. As optimistic as I was prior to our time in Tampa, and I was quite optimistic, I am even more optimistic now that we are on our way to solving the conference issue. Sports Information Director, Taylor Flatt, was the only UAH representative that was truly “working” for the tournament. He had responsibilities working stats for the games and assisting the media portion of the event getting participants where they needed to be in order to do interviews and things of that nature. We thank him for his efforts.
The event itself was outstanding. We received numerous comments regarding the UAH logo that was on the ice, on the boards and on many signs around the city of Tampa. The advertising effect for UAH and our Hockey Program was substantial. I hope that you were able to see the games. The final was great as Ferris State, a Division II athletic program with a Division I hockey program, gave the “big dog” Boston College a great game.
Our annual Hockey Awards banquet is coming up on April 20th here on the UAH campus at the University Center. I hope all of you will be able to join us. It is another hallmark event, especially for our seniors Jamie Easton and Tom Durnie. They are truly outstanding young men that we are proud to send out into the world with University of Alabama in Huntsville Hockey on their resume.
Thank you so much for your support through these difficult times. I look forward to celebrating with all of you some great accomplishments for UAH Hockey on and off the ice in the future.
Take care,
Chris Luongo