Robert Morris Laces 'Em Up
Division 1 Hockey Debuts In Pittsburgh
By Chris Peak

All hope is not lost for local hockey fans dismayed by the NHL's apparent inability to produce a season this year. Among the four sports Robert Morris University has added to its athletic program in 2004-05 is a Division I men's ice hockey team, and the benefits should reach beyond the satisfaction of area puck-heads' rink addiction.

'The sports we are adding at Robert Morris University are going to enhance the atmosphere on campus as well as provide events for the surrounding community to follow,' Director of Athletics Dr. Susan Hofacre said. And the impact of the ice hockey team could be resounding. Prior to the inception of the team, RMU purchased the Island Sports Center on Neville Island, which will host the Colonials' home games. In addition to the skating rink (four of them, actually), the complex features an indoor golf dome with a sand trap and mini-course, a weight-training center, two multi-purpose fields, and a public fitness center. There are also banquet facilities.

Sports Information Director Jim Duzyk confirms the financial connection between the Sports Center and the hockey team: 'Without the Sports Center the hockey team would not exist.'

Obviously the Colonials need home ice, but in this situation the hockey team pays for itself through the Sports Center. Currently there are plans to make the Sports Center available to regional and national competitions in gymnastics, figure skating, and indoor soccer; partnerships are also developing with local high schools, all of which will build revenue to support athletic endeavors.

RMU's ice hockey venture is intriguing for more than just the opportunities the Sports Center presents. Rather than lay back and ease the program into the NCAA, the Colonials accepted an invitation to College Hockey America, a six team Division I conference. Not even close to a slouch league, CHA features traditional powers such as Bemidji State in Minnesota and the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado. 'The CHA is a conference whose top couple teams each year are ranked somewhere within the top 15-25 nationally,' says Air Force coach Frank Serratore. 'I believe that Robert Morris is a good institutional fit for the CHA.'

'We are very excited to be joining College Hockey America,' says head coach Derek Schooley. 'The CHA has really improved as the conference has grown. The teams in this league have knocked off some of the big teams (nationally) so every game will be a challenge.' Since its inception in 1999, teams in the CHA have enjoyed non-conference victories against Miami-Ohio, Michigan State and Michigan, to name a few. The conference has also sent three players to the NHL.

In Schooley, the Colonials have a head coach leading the bench for the first time. 'The reason you get into coaching is to become a head coach at some point in your career, and this certainly is an exciting opportunity at Robert Morris,' said Schooley.

'The first coach of a new sport is a critical hire as it sets the tone for everything to follow,' Hofacre said. 'In Derek we get someone who has outstanding experience as a player and coach and who is ready to build a competitive NCAA men's hockey program at RMU.'

Schooley's playing experience includes four letter-winning years at Western Michigan that featured Defensive Player of the Week and Grinder of the Year awards. He comes to RMU from an associate head coach's position at Air Force, which should provide an interesting backdrop for the Colonials' first game with the Falcons Nov. 19 at the Sports Center as well as the team's trip to Colorado in February.

'I will be very excited to coach against my former boss and mentor, Frank Serratore. I wouldn't be human if I didn't look forward to returning to a place I called home for five years.'

The Colonials' schedule appears quite daunting for a first year program. 'We're going to face five teams that have been in the NCAA tournament the past few years, and it's going to be exciting,' said Schooley, who welcomes the challenge. 'Part of being a championship caliber team is playing teams that have had success in the past, and those games are only going to make us a better team as the season progresses.'

RMU is venturing into areas unknown to the 'bigger' schools in the area such as Pitt and Penn State, neither of which has a D-I ice hockey team. But Robert Morris has given its program all the tools for success, from top-notch facilities to a tough conference and schedule. The University topped it off with the hiring of Schooley, a coach who seems ready to lead a newborn program to great things.

Serratore, fis former coach, certainly seems optimistic about his ex-player: 'Derek was a student of the game. He was the type of player I thought would someday be a coach,' Serratore says. 'Derek Schooley is a great young coach, Pittsburgh is a great city, and I look for Robert Morris to progressively evolve into a strong Division I college hockey program.'

Maybe Pittsburgh hockey fans can wash away their professional sports woes with a few quality games at the Island Sports Center. RMU has put together an impressive product. It's not like there'll be anything else on the ice this winter.