Big picture, this event makes me grateful for LIU and Stonehill adding hockey in recent/near future years. Women’s hockey has always been steps forward, steps backward and hopefully trending forward.
But that doesn’t change the sadness I feel on a lot of fronts, for the people involved, the livelihoods, the CHA, women’s hockey in Pittsburgh. What the does LIU hockey mean to someone in Pittsburgh? Not a whole lot.
Paul Colontino is a guy who has spent 21ish years building 3 different women's hockey programs. He is an excellent women’s head hockey coach. Was at Hurst for year 2 and 3 of that program, helped start up North Dakota, back to Hurst for the absolute peak (so far
) of that program, and then off to RMU in 2011. First year at RMU and his crew stunned Hurst in the
CHA Championship, winning their first ever title in a game they had no business winning. In his decade at RMU, he got that program ranked as high as number 5 I believe. He
managed to find and coach up talent, and they played with pride and confidence every time I watched them. That program, under Colontino, was a complete thorn in the side of both Hurst and Cuse, and made the league better for it.
I don’t know what is next for him, but should he still desire to be coaching women’s college hockey I hope he finds his next opportunity as soon as he’s ready. He was a GA my first year at Mercyhurst, by my recollection any program would be lucky to have him.
I went to a game at RMU’s rink a few years back. The band was there, the mascot, there was a promo happening, not a big crowd but enough, and it was a great game. It felt like a program that was valued by its school and as a CHA fan, I loved that because that is what every D1 hockey player deserves. You saw the pride in the program in the post game write ups, the fact that they often posted video of both teams highlights on their website (very gracious), their hype videos, the small but passionate Twitter media types fandom they had, the talent they kept recruiting, national program players here and there, the personality in their Twitter person...how I dreaded reading “jam it like a jay bird Jaycee Gebhard” followed by yet another goal announcement! And you see the pride they had in their program based on sad reactions of players today.
And anyone paying attention to the program (obvs not the board of trustees) would know about the McLaughlin Bittle family, both alums of the men’s and women’s programs, Brianne - from little RMU- an Olympian...and both of them 2 of the biggest ambassadors of that school in local girls hockey and beyond. Both still coaching girls/women , one locally and one seemingly headed back to the Olympics. Both legacies of the RMU programs, continuing to shape hockey in that city. How did the school not see the value in what they had? Who dropped the puck when USA Canada played at the Penguins practice facility, stands packed with little girl hockey players and old lady hockey players? McLaughlin. Why would RMU just opt out of the hockey scene in Pittsburgh?
When I look for value in that program, I see the opportunity someone like a Michaela Boyle had there. I knew it was trouble for the rest of the CHA as soon as I learned of the transfer and sure enough it was. It was gratifying to read about how positive the change had been for her. I feel badly for her and her teammates who now have to split up. I feel for them and past alums who won’t know the joy of getting to go back to their alma mater and witness a new team of Colonials, new group of young women being invested in, being given an opportunity to be D1 athletes, women’s hockey players at RMU.
To end I’ll say this. I love the CHA. It will be fine. Whether it’s mergers, realignments, a sixth team, or life as a 5 team league, they’ll be fine. But they’d be better with RMU.
