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Robert Morris dropping men's and women's hockey.

We're also now about two months from the start of the season. The portal is still full of players looking to play, but how many are going to want to hop into the RMU boat that is clearly taking on water, if it hasn't already completely sunk. I would guess if we don't hear something in the next two weeks, at least this season is done. And if they let it go more than a couple months they might be done for good. With each passing day, more players, staff, etc are going to find new homes and that makes putting teams back on the ice that much harder. Honestly, regardless of the outcome, their best move at this point is to just sit this season out and get things sorted out over the next couple months and come up with a firm plan for the future.
 
JohnsonsJerseys said:
...The portal is still full of players looking to play, but how many are going to want to hop into the RMU boat that is clearly taking on water, if it hasn't already completely sunk.
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Unfortunately, the ship sank when the Board of Trustees did nothing to reverse or even review the presidential decree.
 
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Split-N said:
Unfortunately, the ship sank when the Board of Trustees did nothing to reverse or even review the presidential decree.
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Is it possible that there wasn't really any lasting support for the program? Yes, the way the program ended was bad. But if the hockey program was a true point of pride for the school, it would still be here.

Just sayin.
 
JohnsonsJerseys said:
We're also now about two months from the start of the season. The portal is still full of players looking to play, but how many are going to want to hop into the RMU boat that is clearly taking on water, if it hasn't already completely sunk. I would guess if we don't hear something in the next two weeks, at least this season is done. And if they let it go more than a couple months they might be done for good. With each passing day, more players, staff, etc are going to find new homes and that makes putting teams back on the ice that much harder. Honestly, regardless of the outcome, their best move at this point is to just sit this season out and get things sorted out over the next couple months and come up with a firm plan for the future.
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That firm future plan being squeakball and no hockey.
 
I'm laughing out loud at the mental gymnastics needed to write that the women players have been able to find new teams because there are only 40 women's programs in D1, but the men are struggling because of the plethora of players in the portal from the 60 men's programs. It has nothing to do with the fact that the women's team has been monumentally more successful than the men's? That they've been able to attract better players to the women's team, who are therefore in higher demand by other D1 programs? Really??
 
Robert Morris hockey players feel 'double crossed,' doubt school's sincerity about reinstatement plan


https://triblive.com/sports/robert-...t-schools-sincerity-about-reinstatement-plan/


"The Robert Morris men’s and women’s hockey programs are about to enter another postseason overtime period.

The clock isn’t reading 20 minutes. It’s reading four months.

For a second time, Robert Morris University officials have given both teams nothing more than a foggy possibility as to whether they will be reinstated.

The only clarity is that if the teams do return to action, it won’t be this season. And if they do get reinstated for 2022-23, they may not find out until mid-December.

That’s the latest development in what has become a three-month rollercoaster for players, coaches, alumni and boosters of the Colonials program. It’s a saga that took another twist Thursday with an announcement that the hockey programs would be paused for at least one year with no assurance that they’ll be brought back again thereafter."
 
Quote from the article:
"About $1.34 million has been raised, with $754,000 payable in 2021-22, according to the university. That total remains short — by about half, according to the university — of what is needed to fund the programs for one season."

So here is what should have everyone associated with this PR disaster should be asking: Where is the RMU athletics budget for hockey? If the budget for the 2021-22 was drawn up as $0 who didn't have the eye on the ball and didn't ask questions. I doubt the budget on paper was $0 so where did that money magically go? In short what the university is saying is: "We no longer support hockey... AT ALL. If you, the general public want it, you pay for it."

If that is the case that should have been the clear message to everyone involved 12+ months ago.
 
Unless I’m missing something, I see no real desire on the part of the RMU administration to support hockey (unless it is fully supported by someone else). The money raised and effort might better be used to convince Pitt to add D-I hockey.
 
wsummers said:
Unless I’m missing something, I see no real desire on the part of the RMU administration to support hockey (unless it is fully supported by someone else). The money raised and effort might better be used to convince Pitt to add D-I hockey.
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First things first: There is no way Derek Schooley (one of college hockey's class acts), his players, and the fanbase deserve what has been thrown at them by Dr. Howard and his cronies, who clearly want hockey gone, apparently, and among other reasons, because the major donor of a new athletics facility wants it to be basketball only. And the concept of having hockey (or any other university activity) fully funded from external sources is totally unsustainable and beyond ludicrous. Any money well-meaning RMU hockey supporters throw at this is money down the sewer, IMHO.

But the comment about swinging whatever public support for local D1 hockey there may be to another institution would seem to have merit. RMU, despite all of Dr. Howard's boasting, remains (at best) fourth banana in Pittsburgh, behind Pitt, Duquesne, and Carnegie-Mellon (not necessarily in that order) and can seem to do no better than #196 in the USNWR national university rankings with a paltry $36.6 million endowment (much less than Lindenwood and Augustana).

Of the other Pittsburgh colleges, Carnegie-Mellon isn't big into any sports while hoop-centric Duquesne struggles to tread water in the A-10. That leaves Pitt, which would be a tough sell for obvious reasons. But Pitt would seem to be the best bet to keep college hockey alive in a city that appreciates the game, and would join Boston College and Notre Dame as ACC schools with hockey.
 
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Pitt, Duquesne, and Carnegie Mellon (known then as Carnegie Tech) had varsity ice hockey in the 30s and 40s. Now with Robert Morris, it feels like college hockey in Pittsburgh is a fleeting enterprise.
 
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moose97 said:
JFC, let it go. RMU doesn't want hockey. Move on with your lives.
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I agree as far as trying to save the program. It's gone. If I had given $10k to a program after they started talking about eliminating it, I'd be a little pissed as well.
 
pdt1081 said:
I agree as far as trying to save the program. It's gone. If I had given $10k to a program after they started talking about eliminating it, I'd be a little ****ed as well.
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I'm trying to figure out why he's trying to make a big deal out of the reduction in scholly his kid got after transferring while he was writing $10K checks.
 
UncleRay said:
I'm trying to figure out why he's trying to make a big deal out of the reduction in scholly his kid got after transferring while he was writing $10K checks.
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That and his kid is going to a top program in the best conference. Sure, he has to pay more. But will it be that much more?
 
UncleRay said:
I'm trying to figure out why he's trying to make a big deal out of the reduction in scholly his kid got after transferring while he was writing $10K checks.
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My take from the article was they he wrote the check(s) prior to the announcement but while unpublicized discussions by key stakeholders were underway concerning shutting down the program. That he is kind of pissed about that, and probably the scholarship also. Putting out (more) money on both, but just guessing on my part.
 
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