Dragons Seriously Exploring Joining Ranks of NCAA Division I Hockey
An overflow crowd of news media, faculty and staff members of MSUM and serious hockey fans filed into Comstock Student Union on Friday morning for a press conference detailing the Dragons’ exploration of joining the ranks of NCAA Division I hockey.
President Dr. Edna Szymanski called the gathering historic, but cautioned “any such addition must be done with external funding and an ironclad business plan. We are also committed to Title IX,” Szymanski said.
According to MSUM director of Athletics Doug Peters, the decision will rest on two major tipping points: securing adequate funding and membership in a viable conference. Peters made it clear the Dragons have targeted the Western Collegiate Hockey Association, and the 10-team WCHA is currently considering expansion.
“I believe that we have people interested that have the financial ability to fund this at the $10 million-dollar level,” Peters said.
The proposal would include both men and women’s hockey, and the Dragons would play at the Urban Plains Center in Fargo, ND.