Robert Morris hockey is back, although it will still be awhile before the Colonials return to Division One competition.
Friday, the University announced plans to reinstate both the mens’ and women’s programs starting with the 2023-24 season. The Colonials will officially apply for reinstatement to both Atlantic Hockey for the men and College Hockey America (CHA) for the women.
“We are back,” declared Derek Schooley, who started the men’s program nearly 20 years ago and is actually still under contract. He will be retained while a national search will begin immediately for a women’s coach.
"Given the passion and enthusiasm of the hockey community, we wanted to give the fans of RMU hockey every opportunity to bring the programs back – and they rose to the occasion,” announced RMU President Dr.
Chris Howard, after several local groups, including the newly formed Pittsburgh College Hockey Foundation, raised over 2 million dollars since the programs were discontinued seven months ago.
"The reinstatement of the men's and women's hockey programs for the 2023-24 season would not have been possible without our alumni, donors, fans and the hockey community uniting around a common goal,” praised RMU Athletic Director Chris King. "Collectively, we have been able to establish a solid foundation and look forward to continuing these partnerships and fundraising efforts to support the sustainability of the men's and women's hockey programs at RMU."
Schooley, of course, had to start from scratch in 2003, has one advantage to get the program up and running this time. “As everybody’s seen, the transfer portal will help out tremendously for both the men’s and women’s programs,” Schooley pointed out. “There may be some student athletes who want to return to Robert Morris. We will get a recruiting cycle going.”
“I think the landscape is so much different now with the transfer portal and the ability to recruit kids right away,” he continued. “We will have no problems getting the players we feel can make us successful.”
Of source, the trick now is to make sure that the Robert Morris programs remain viable enough to avoid what happened this past May when the University pulled the plug. Schooley is confident they will.
“I think that we have more support than we had previously from the community,” he said. “The Community has been outstanding; I can’ thank (them) enough. I think one of the things you don’t know what you have until it’s gone – the old saying –and people realized, that’s why the community stepped up.”
RMU Athletics’ "Hockey Is the Goal" campaign, which was launched in August, will remain active so fans have an opportunity to continue to support the long-term viability of the men's and women's hockey programs.
“We have to continue the same efforts,” King stated. “I’ve talked to the Foundation members and we’re looking at a Phase 2. We want the long-term viability of these programs and, to be honest, subsidize athletics; it’s not just hockey.”
The Colonials have played their games at Clearview Arena at the Island Sport Center, which opened in 1998 and is now operated by the University.
Interestingly, there are exploratory plans for a new arena which existed before the programs were discontinued.
“There were some things we were working on,” King said, pointing out that RMU also supports 4 club teams. “You can be considered a hockey school when you have 2 varsity teams and 4 club teams. It’s really hard to have 6 teams in one facility and still generate revenue. Hopefully we can team up with certain community members to make something happen, long-term, that really elevates our success in the way we view our varsity hockey teams.”
So, while RMU can celebrate the resurrection of the hockey programs, that celebration can’t last too, too long. As Howard, King, Schooley and former Colonials and Team USA star Brian McLaughlin-Bittle all pointed out Friday, the journey has just begun.