Former Leaf forms College Club Program

     In what would become the official “start” of the Hockey program, McCormack spearheaded the move to have the team affiliated and officially brought on as a club sport this past fall, and was exciting news for all of the players and also for other club teams in the region. 

     According to Bryan, “the thought originated after participating in the intramural program at St. A's. I noticed that there was a great deal of unused talent at the school and decided to pursue the start of a more competitive program. Over the summer I emailed Mike Radakovich, the commissioner of the ACHA division two club league. After a myriad of emails, I received a response outlining the information needed to start a team. This included: roster, list of insurance providers; a list entailing graduation year, GPA, and information release; an ACHA agreement form; and a participation fee. This was followed by regulations issued from the school, mainly establishing the interest on campus, as well as insurance information.” McCormack went on to add “I reserved the necessary space, and emailed the entire campus; informing them about the club teams first meeting. The meeting more than displayed interest, as there were fifty two prospects in attendance. I had already arranged ice time, which i got from the school for free, so try outs followed & the rest is history.

     Bryan was elected team president, captain and starting defenseman. Leafs coach will Fay commented “I am so proud of Bryan, he is a tireless worker, who loves the game of hockey. His character has always been strong, and it is no surprise to me that he set this goal and accomplished it. He is just a great example of success off and on the ice.”

     The American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) began as a men's collegiate hockey league in 1991, and quickly grew to a league of over 150 teams in three men's divisions.  The Women's Division 2 was added in 2006, and the ACHA currently boasts five divisions with over 375 teams from across the nation. The purpose of the ACHA is to support quality, unity and regulation of intercollegiate hockey programs nationwide.