Robert Morris Hockey confirms that there will not be hockey this year but there is the potential for the program to come back for the 2022-23 season.
In a release, RMU says that fundraising to bring back the program with the help of the newly formed Pittsburgh College Hockey Foundation, “has been encouraging but is still short of what is needed to immediately reinstate the program and to position both teams to be financially sustainable for the foreseeable future.”
About half of what is needed to re-start the programs, that were abruptly ended in May, was raised, $1.34 million with $754,000 in pledges payable for the upcoming season.
For the 2022-23 season to be played, the university says that $1.4 million will need to be raised along with another $1.4 million in pledges by the end of the fall semester this December.
That money would cover expenses for two seasons but additional funding would be needed for the program to continue beyond that.
In anticipation of the programs returning, RMU says the will be looking to hire coaches for the men’s and women’s programs in the coming weeks as well as exploring, “options for playing at an enhanced facility.”
“The university’s decision to discontinue the hockey programs was a strategic decision that was carefully considered in light of the economics of the programs and RMU’s financial resources,” RMU President Chris Howard said. “Since the decision was announced, I have been encouraged by the passion and enthusiasm for RMU NCAA Division I hockey from the foundation and broader community.”