The Northern Light

Nearly a month after hockey was cut from the intramural sports program at UAA, the women's hockey team has rallied to stay on the ice.

In a meeting last week with Athletics Director Steve Cobb and members from the UAA Recreational Sports Department, the women's team scored a hat trick-the team was approved to function as a club, given support for its new club status from UAA's athletics administration and allowed to keep the name Seawolves. In August, both the men's and women's intramural hockey teams were cut because of a budget deficit in the athletics department. Julie Foster, head of intramural sports, said all programs were affected by the deficit, but hockey took the biggest hit.

"I am deeply sorry that a strong program was relinquished from the club sports roster," Foster said. "We had to meet the budget cuts, and in order to do so, we had to eliminate the more expensive programs of the department, which were the hockey teams."

When news came that the team was cut, the coaches and players brainstormed ways to keep the team intact at the university. This resulted in the meeting with athletics and recreational sports staff.In the recent decision, Cobb gave the green light for the women's hockey team to function independently below intramurals as a club sport. Patrick Cwiak, who was the assistant coach for the women's intramural team and remains in that position for the club team, said he is happy with the decision to keep women's hockey alive at UAA.

"We're really excited that the girls will get to play," Cwiak said. "They came off such a high from last season, so for them to have a team to play on again is awesome. We're hoping to have all the paperwork completed with intramurals in time to have our first practice (Sept. 12)."

Being on the women's team this season will be a little pricier than in previous years. A club team requires that individual participants pay fees, and the team must find its own sponsors for funds, rather than receiving financial support from the department.

With a team of potentially 18-20 players, the cost per person is about $300. This includes mandatory insurance costs, league and club fees, and uniforms.

Cwiak estimates that the total cost for the season will be $11,700. The league fees are at the top of the list of concerns because they make up more than 35 percent of the cost. If the women are to going to play this winter, those fees must be paid by the time the Adult Women's Hockey League starts on Sept. 12. If they cannot be paid by that time, the team will not be able to play until January. But if fundraising goes well and sponsors for the team are found, Cwiak said he hopes the women can be reimbursed. And if the team roster grows, the costs will be spread out over more participants, lowering the individual costs. Other than funding sources and money, not much has changed. The women's hockey team is still guaranteed ice time at the Wells Fargo Sports Complex twice a week, the same as last season, and will be able to sport the Seawolf logo on their jerseys.

"Being a Seawolf is about bringing school pride into competition, with other students who share the same passion for the sport. The girls playing now have a chance to create something positive and exciting for future Seawolves to experience," said Cwiak.

For this year, Cwiak said the women are satisfied to keep skating, and they know that what happened this year doesn't necessarily mean they won't receive support again in the future. "We like kids being active," Cobb said. "They were motivated enough to do something themselves and I'm pleased we were able to help them. They've done a very good job with that club - and I think they're going to have a good time and enjoy it."If we have the opportunity in the future to help them, we will."

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