Bring Division I hockey to UB

Buffalo is a hockey town.
As a Buffalonian, it took me a long time to accept this fact. I have always been in denial because basketball is my first love, but Buffalo does not field a professional team in the NBA. If I were to be a Buffalo sports fan, I knew I would have to jump on the hockey bandwagon.
Buffalo is a city swarmed by the most dedicated hockey fans. But putting fanatics aside, it is also home to some of the countries' most talented youth hockey players.
Western New York has a vast network of hockey programs, from mini-mites to junior divisions, which have produced a handful of professional talents through the years.
Buffalo area natives currently playing in the NHL include Olympians Patrick Kane and Brooks Orpik, as well as Nick Foligno, and Lee Stempniak. Tim Kennedy and Angola's own Patrick Kaleta were fortunate enough to land on the roster of their hometown Sabres.
Buffalo can arguably boast more homegrown talent in hockey than it can in any other major professional sport. Which leads to me to ask – why does the University at Buffalo not have a Division I hockey program of its own?
I acknowledge that it wouldn't be an easy task to acquire a hockey team. Building a Division I program from scratch requires a lot of investment and support. Financially, a men's hockey program could demand nearly as much money as our football program currently costs.
A hockey program would also need to enroll in a different athletic conference, as the Mid-American Conference does not currently support hockey. While it would be costly, it can be done. Niagara and Canisius athletics compete in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, but their hockey programs play in the College Hockey America and Atlantic Hockey conferences.
Adding to the financial burden is the necessity for a Division I hockey program to make an arena of their own. With no rink on campus, the university would be required to construct an entirely new arena. Playing at the nearby Amherst Ice Rink (formerly known as the Amherst Pepsi Center) is unfortunately out of the question because it isn't on campus. Finding the space for a second arena would be difficult enough, let alone the cost of building and maintaining one.
Cost aside, however, I believe the pros outweigh the cons.
Some programs might have to be cut or forced to spend less, but so what? Would you rather have an array of mediocre teams or a smaller number of competitive programs that have the potential to consistently win on a regular basis?
Buffalo athletics has just two total MAC Championships since joining the conference in 1998. With a recruiting gold mine in our own backyard, a hockey program would certainly be in contention for a national championship with a few years of work.
In 2005, Gene Corrigan, whose worked as Athletic Director at Notre Dame University and President of the NCAA, published a report after conducting an assessment of UB's athletic program. A portion of Corrigan's report is as follows:
'UB needs to consider a reduction in the number of its intercollegiate sports, focusing on sports with the best opportunities for success. The University should also consider adding sports that have a potential for success due to location, facilities, or expertise, such as hockey or lacrosse.'
While the report recognizes UB's lack of a campus hockey rink as the main financial obstacle, I propose the use of Alumni Arena. Why not convert our current athletic facility into a hockey rink? Arenas across the country – including Buffalo's own HSBC Arena – support multiple sporting events under one roof. While it would also be costly, converting Alumni is quite possible.
For now, I'll stick to watching the Sabres, but the idea of a Division I hockey program at UB needs to be seriously considered.

E-mail: luke.hammill@ubspectrum.com