Hockey at UL

[Kal]

_ I can't see a sanctioned hockey team being realistic. What other teams in the area have ncaa sanctioned hockey? The travel costs to go on the road would kill us and the revenue generated would likely be nill. Where would we get the money to support this? We are struggling in terms of athletic budget as it is. In an ideal world with unliimited funding I would be all for it but I think supporters of this venture would have to come up with some solid funding for it to reach the level of a sanctioned team sport at UL. _

You never know what may happen in the next 5 or 6 years. Gerald is doing some really great things with fundraising. Not to mention that we will be having a new president in the next year or so. I'm not gonna hold my breath, but I am going to be optimistic. If the hockey team can garner some decent support, I can see us moving up to D1 in the future. We also just got a budget increase. Now I know that that increase has to go where it is needed and right now that is not to a hockey program. But we don't know what the future holds for UL. I'd like to think that there is room for a D1 hockey program at this university somewhere down the line. I also like to think that the community would support it. I know the die hard fans of the icegators would. Like I said, there's nothing wrong with being hopeful and optimistic.

[Hammer58]

_ Like I said, there's nothing wrong with being hopeful and optimistic. _

Nothing wrong with it at all. I'm just trying to look at it realistically. Even with our recent budget increase and assuing Doc or the new Prez would allow am athletic fundraising organization to be formed I think we would have to double or even triple our budget before we could consider it. As for the icegator fans, I don't know that they will all translate into UL fans. Having said all tht, I hope in a few years we have tripled our budget and can have this conversation for real. Like you said, nothing wrong with being hopeful and optimistic.

[RCAJUN90]

I can't see a sanctioned hockey team being realistic. What other teams in the area have ncaa sanctioned hockey? The travel costs to go on the road would kill us and the revenue generated would likely be nill. Where would we get the money to support this? We are struggling in terms of athletic budget as it is. In an ideal world with unliimited funding I would be all for it but I think supporters of this venture would have to come up with some solid funding for it to reach the level of a sanctioned team sport at UL.

The IceGators made an awful lot of money for an awful long time in Lafayette. Good point about travel costs.

[Hammer58]

_ The IceGators made an awful lot of money for an awful long time in Lafayette. Good point about travel costs. _

That they did. I just don't know if we could count on all of those icegator fans to support a UL team and have that translate into the same type of funding. I also think that a lot of us (myslef included) came for the rough style of play that the ECHL allowed. I don't think NCAA teams can play that rough, brawling style. So would the ECHL fan follow a more mainstream form of hockey? I have my doubts.

[RCAJUN90]

That they did. I just don't know if we could count on all of those icegator fans to support a UL team and have that translate into the same type of funding. I also think that a lot of us (myslef included) came for the rough style of play that the ECHL allowed. I don't think NCAA teams can play that rough, brawling style. So would the ECHL fan follow a more mainstream form of hockey? I have my doubts.

Another good point Hammer. My lord I'm agreeing with you. I fell in love with hockey back in 1980 for the "Miracle on Ice". I made my mom wax the floors and I pretended to skate beating the Soviets. I enjoy the game itself. I would suspect that between Lake Charles, Alexandria and Baton Rouge and even New Orleans there are people that fell in love with the game. I never enjoyed the fights. I liked the game. Time will tell but we would be wise to start slow and see how things develop.

[keithj]

The website is a go.

http://www.ragincajunhockey.com/

I just did some more snooping, and while no official schedule is available on our end, the University of Texas has us scheduled for November 16th and 17th on their home ice.

http://www.texasicehockey.com/team_s...&team_id=29095

Tulane takes us on here, at the Hockeyplex, I assume, on November 9th and 10th.

http://www.tulanehockey.com/schedule.htm