(Lethbridge News Now)

By Justin Goulet

Members named for U of L’s Hockey Advisory Committee

Jun 9, 2020 | 10:01 AM

LETHBRIDGE, AB – There may be hope after all for University of Lethbridge’s hockey teams.

In April, it was announced that the U of L would be discontinuing its hockey programs. This came after three straight years of reductions to the institution’s operating grant.

READ MORE: U of L discontinuing Pronghorns hockey programs due to budget constraints

It was later noted that the post-secondary institution would be creating a committee to look into if and how the hockey program could be brought back.

READ MORE: U of L-community committee to explore viability of Pronghorns hockey

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Now, members of that committee have been named.

The Hockey Advisory Committee will be led by Chair Dan LaPlante, a U of L graduate, and consist of 13 sitting members as well as three resource personnel.

“I think it was important for us to establish a committee that has broad representation and takes into account the many stakeholders connected to the hockey programs,” said Dr. Mike Mahon, the school’s president and vice-chancellor, in a release.

“Given Dan’s reputation as a long-time supporter of the University and Pronghorn Athletics, his appointment as Chair was very well received and elicited a lot of interest in the committee.”

The other committee members are as follows:

· U of L Board of Governors Finance representative Dean Gallimore

· Board of Governors Advancement representative Terry Whitehead

· Pronghorn Athletics Director Neil Langevin

· Community member Perry Neufeld

· Community member Toby Boulet

· Community member Jerry LeGrandeur

· Community member Dino Caputo

· Community member Kathy Hopkins

· Women’s hockey alumni group representative Sam Schneyder

· Women’s hockey alumni group representative Lesley Burton

· Men’s hockey alumni representative PJ Lynch

· Men’s hockey alumni representative Reese St. Goddard

“From the committee list you can see we have alumni, former players, community representatives and original founders of the programs,” Dr. Mahon stated.

“It is an excellent group and I look forward to hearing their recommendations as they work through their process.”

The release noted that the committee’s role is strictly advisory and will not revisit the decision to withdraw the hockey programs or conduct a review of the varsity athletic programs at the U of L.

The group will sit over the next 18 months to explore the re-establishment of both the men and women’s hockey programs, supported by a sustainable community-based funding model.

The committee will take other post-secondary community-based funding models into consideration.

The 18-month timeframe is due to the fact that because the hockey teams were withdrawn from Canada West play, they must wait two years before being reinstated.

This means the earliest possible date the teams could return to the ice would be for the 2022-2023 season. Canada West requires that applications for a new sport to be submitted in the summer prior to the new sport participation year, with the application process finished by the following March.

The U of L Hockey Advisory Committee will make its recommendations to the President’s Executive Council, and the president and vice-chancellor will decide and/or approve if any of the recommendations will be presented to the university’s Board of Governors.

The U of L noted that the Board of Governors makes the final decision.