| Team Name: | Alabama–Huntsville Chargers |
| Team Link: | |
| University: | University of Alabama in Huntsville |
| Sex: | men's |
| Location: | Huntsville, Alabama |
| First Year: | 1985–86 |
| Arena: | Von Braun Center |
| Capacity: | 6,600 |
| Surface: | 200' x 85' |
| Ncaachampion: | 1996 (D-II), 1998 (D-II) |
| Ncaatourneys: | 1994 (D-II), 1996 (D-II), 1997, (D-II), 1998 (D-II), 2007, 2010 |
| Conference Tournament: | CHA |
| Conference Season: | CHA 2000–01, 2002–03 |
| Clubchampion: | 1982, 1983, 1984 |
The Alabama–Huntsville Chargers ice hockey (commonly referred to as the UAH Chargers) were an NCAA Division I college ice hockey program that represented the University of Alabama in Huntsville. The program was discontinued in 2021 due to funding issues and lack of conference membership.
The Chargers played their home games at Propst Arena at the Von Braun Center. In 1987, Alabama governor George Wallace declared Huntsville to be the "Hockey Capital of the South".[1]
Despite being a Southern city that might be considered unfamiliar with a winter sport such as hockey, Huntsville was, beginning in the 1950s, and still is to date, home to a large number of Northern-born (and possibly some Canadian) civilian professionals working in the aerospace and defense industries, and officers and enlisted people in the U.S. Army, who desired a taste of home in their sports allegiances. Even though a similar demographic in the Atlanta market failed to make an NHL team (the Flames) profitable in the 1970s (leading to its 1980 move to Calgary, Alberta), Huntsville proved to be a different case entirely in this regard. UAH, with which a fair number of the transplants had an institutional affiliation, was a convenient forum for their enthusiasm.
The UAH ice hockey program began as a club team in the late 1970s. Joe Ritch organized the inaugural Charger team in 1979, and served as head coach. UAH defeated Emory University 11-4 in its first game on October 26, 1979. UAH dominated opposition in its first three seasons, winning three Southern Collegiate Hockey Association championships. The Chargers won the first of their three National Club Hockey Championships in 1982, defeating Southern Methodist 14-2 in the title game.
For the 1982-83 season, Doug Ross became head coach as the Chargers moved to the Central States Collegiate Hockey League. UAH lost the conference championship game in overtime to Marquette, but the Chargers hosted the U.S. National Collegiate Club Hockey Championships, where they defeated Auburn (16-2), Arizona (7-4), and Penn State (5-4) en route to their second consecutive national championship.
UAH hosted the club national championship tournament again in 1984, and the Chargers claimed a third straight title with wins over Miami University (3-1), Indiana (13-4), and Ohio (12-1). UAH hosted the tournament a third time in 1985, but its bid for a fourth straight championship fell short with a 6-2 loss to North Dakota State.
UAH elevated the hockey program to varsity status for the 1985-86 season as a member of the NAIA. The school became a full NCAA Division II member in 1986. With no NCAA sponsorship of hockey at the Division II level, UAH moved its program to Division I as an independent beginning with the 1987-88 season. The Chargers went 63-81-8 in their five seasons in Division I. UAH finished with a winning season twice in that span: 1988-89 (15-10-1) and the last season, 1991-92 (18-10-1).
UAH returned to Division II hockey in 1992 with the NCAA resuming sponsorship of a national championship. In 1994, the Chargers hosted its first Division II national championship series, but lost to Bemidji State in overtime of a mini-game tiebreaker. After narrowly missing a chance at the title in 1995, the 1995-96 UAH team went undefeated (26-0-3) in the 1995-96 season and beat Bemidji State 7-1 and 3-0 at the Von Braun Center to claim its first NCAA championship in any sport. The Chargers traveled to Bemidji State for the 1997 finals, losing 4-2 and 3-2. The 1997-98 UAH team claimed its second Division II championship in 1998, beating Bemidji again 6-2 and 5-2 in Huntsville to finish 24-3-3.
UAH moved ice hockey back to Division I for the 1998-99 season as an independent, and the team became a charter member of College Hockey America starting with the 1999-2000 season. The Chargers won CHA regular season championships in 2001 and 2003.
The 2006-07 UAH team earned the school's first CHA tournament title and NCAA Division I tournament bid. The Chargers spotted Robert Morris a 4-0 first-period lead, but rallied to beat the Colonials 5-4 in overtime. At the Midwest Regional in Grand Rapids, Mich., UAH took No. 1 seed Notre Dame to double overtime before losing 3-2 in Doug Ross's final game as head coach before retiring.
Danton Cole became UAH's third head coach in 2007.
In 2009, with the CHA's demise imminent following the announced departures of Niagara, Robert Morris, and Bemidji State, UAH applied for membership to the Central Collegiate Hockey Association. The CCHA denied UAH's application on August 11.[2]
UAH won the final CHA tournament in 2010, beating Niagara 3-2 in overtime for its second berth in the Division I tournament. The Chargers lost to top-ranked Miami 2-1 at the Midwest Regional in Fort Wayne, Ind.
Cole left UAH in 2010 to become the head coach of the U.S. National Development Team.[3] Assistant Chris Luongo was promoted to head coach as the Chargers became the lone independent program in Division I. The program struggled as an independent as scheduling and recruiting hurt without a championship to play for. UAH was a combined 6-54-3 in its first two independent seasons from 2010 to 2012.
Early into the 2011-12 season, interim UAH President Malcolm Portera announced that the 2011–12 season would be the school's final season competing at the NCAA Division I level, citing financial reasons. The program would be "realigned" as a club team, and the coaches' jobs would be eliminated.[4] New UAH president Dr. Robert Altenkirch reversed the decision after he and school administrators met with local supporters on December 6, 2011.[5] The school set up a campaign to raise funds for the program and have it join a conference.[6]
Despite the questions about its hockey future, UAH was the host institution for the 2012 Frozen Four in Tampa, Florida.[7]
A week before the start of the 2012-13 season, UAH replaced Luongo and hired Kurt Kleinendorst to become the program's fifth head coach.[8]
On January 17, 2013, after months of discussions with conference officials and league member representatives, UAH formally applied to and was accepted to join the Western Collegiate Hockey Association. The Chargers began conference play in the 2013-14 season.[9]
Kleinendorst resigned on May 29, 2013.[10] UAH named Mike Corbett as its sixth head hockey coach on July 8, 2013.[11]
In response to the financial difficulties faced by the university as a result of COVID-19, UAH president Darren Dawson discontinued the men's hockey program, as well as the men's and women's tennis programs.[12]
On May 25, 2020, the university announced the program would be reinstated if the community could raise $750,000 by Friday, May 29. Pledges from alumni reduced the amount needed from the general public to $500,000.[13] [14] On May 29, fundraising efforts surpassed $500,000, and shortly afterwards the university confirmed the program would be restored for the 2020-2021 season.[15]
The program was once again indefinitely discontinued in May 2021 due to the team's lack of conference membership, which was a condition of a significant portion of the funds pledged the previous summer.[16] The University stated it intends to reinstate the program once conference membership is secured.[17]
See main article: List of Alabama–Huntsville Chargers men's ice hockey seasons.
As of the completion of the 2020-21 season.
| Tenure | Coach | Years | Record | Pct. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1985–2007 | 22 | 376–255–42 | |||
| 2007–2010 | 3 | 23–59–12 | |||
| 2010–2012 | 2 | 6–54–3 | |||
| 2012–2013 | 1 | 3–21–1 | |||
| 2013–2020 | 7 | 48–181–24 | |||
| 2020–present | 1 | 3–18–1 | |||
| Totals | 5 coaches | 36 seasons | 459–590–81 |
| Tenure | Coach | Years | Record | Pct. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1979–1982 | Joe Ritch | 3 | 79–4–1 | ||
| 1982–1985 | 3 | 75–17–3 | |||
| Totals | 2 coaches | 6 seasons | 154–21–4 |
As of October 14, 2020.[18]
Since the 1985-86 season through the 2015-16 season.[20]
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