From today's (10/30/95) Minnesota Daily http://www.daily.umn.edu/~online/daily/10301995/news/hockey/=20 > [Image] >=20 > NEWS > -------------------------------------------------------------------- > Women may get varsity hockey >=20 > Scott Bradley and Jeff Sherry - Staff Reporters > [Image] > The University appears poised to include women in > Minnesota's fabled hockey history. >=20 > The women's athletics department has scheduled a press conference > for Tuesday on center ice at Mariucci Arena. Director Chris Voelz is > expected to announce plans to add women's ice hockey as the school's > next varsity sport. >=20 > Minnesota would be the first Big Ten school to have a varsity > women's ice hockey team. >=20 > The department handed out pucks bearing its "Ms." logo Friday > afternoon to announce Tuesday's press conference. But officials kept > their lips sealed when asked for details. >=20 > "Find out Tuesday," Voelz repeated several times Friday. >=20 > University men's athletics director Mark Dienhart and Gophers hockey > coach Doug Woog are anticipating the news. Dienhart said no one > would be happier if women's hockey was added than administrators in > the men's department. >=20 > "We are strongly in favor of adding a women's sport, if not two, > because if we don't, it will hurt our competitiveness," Dienhart > said. "We will have to begin seriously slashing the sizes of our > (men's) squads if a sport is not added." >=20 > In 1993, the Big Ten said all member schools must comply with a > 60-40 ratio of male-to-female athletes by 1997. University > administrators said 65 percent of the current varsity athletes are > male, so the school either has to add new women's sports or cut from > the men's programs. >=20 > For Gophers wrestling coach J Robinson, that would mean eliminating > walk-on athletes like sophomore Brad Flaherty. As a walk-on, > Flaherty agreed to wrestle at the University without a scholarship. >=20 > Dienhart said, "The day I tell (Robinson) that he can't have any > walk-ons and the day I tell (baseball coach) John Anderson that he > can't have any walk-on baseball players, is the day we become a > second-division finisher." >=20 > Dienhart said Friday he was confident a new sport would be added. > The women's department added varsity soccer in 1993, and Voelz has > talked about adding other sports, including women's crew. >=20 > "One arguing factor for ice hockey over crew is that the facilities > for crew aren't in place for the program," Dienhart said. "You've > got to build a boat house and a rowing facility so you have capital > expenditures. With ice hockey, we have an arena, and the arena is > suitable for the two programs as it is." >=20 > In an interview earlier this month, Voelz said she would recommend > to the Assembly Committee for Intercollegiate Athletics that the > University add another women's sport. She also said she would base > her decision on how the sport would reflect on the state's > interests. >=20 > Although Minnesota is known as a hockey state, it wasn't until > recently that girls could play the sport at a varsity level. Last > year was the first official season the Minnesota State High School > League held a girl's hockey state championship. >=20 > State Rep. Phyllis Kahn, DFL-Minneapolis, has been one of the > biggest advocates for increasing women's athletic opportunities in > the state and at the University. Kahn said the University's > anticipated announcement is long overdue. >=20 > Kahn said about 50 girls' varsity high school hockey teams will play > this year. >=20 > At the University, women's ice hockey has been played at a club > level for years. Kahn, noticing the sport's increasing popularity, > helped organize a tournament at Mariucci Arena to promote the sport. >=20 > The third annual All-American Ice Hockey Tournament runs Nov. 9-11. >=20 > Woog optimistic >=20 > Gophers hockey coach Doug Woog has a message for his team's fans: > Don't worry about women's hockey; be excited for it -- the new team > shouldn't negatively affect the men's program. >=20 > "I've talked to Chris (Voelz), and I think when things are > eventually all said and done, there's going to be a lot more > cohesion than people would have anticipated," Woog said. >=20 > "It's understood that (Mariucci Arena) is a men's facility," he > said. "It was initially set up that way. It's kind of like the men's > hockey building. But that doesn't mean we can't share and share very > effectively." >=20 > Woog said the University used foresight when constructing Mariucci > Arena. Facilities like extra locker rooms and training rooms are in > place. And Woog said he doesn't expect practice schedules for both > teams to conflict with each other. >=20 > "There is ice time available for practice," Woog said. "Between 1 > and 6 o'clock, we can get a couple teams in there. We used to have > the (St. Paul) Vulcans here, and in the old building we used to have > the (junior varsity). So all we have to do is cooperate with > schedules and make sure we set our practice times up." >=20 > Mariucci Arena could also be connected to another skating rink > constructed where the tennis courts stand on Fourth Street. >=20 > Woog said when the new Mariucci was built, refrigeration was > installed to accommodate a second sheet of ice. He said the extra > facility could have been constructed then for $1.5 million but > wasn't built because the budget had already been set. >=20 > With the women's team likely to move into Mariucci Arena, renewed > interest in another skating facility has surfaced. Dienhart said the > University is considering building the rink, which like Mariucci > Arena, could generate revenue by renting out practice time. >=20 > "The decision to build an additional ice sheet would pay for itself > and more, based on the demand for ice time," Dienhart said. >=20 > Dienhart said if the additional sheet of ice is built, new tennis > courts would be built next to the Sports Pavilion across the street. >=20 > Woog said he is optimistic about the prospects of a new women's > team. Along with giving additional opportunities to women, Woog said > the new team will reflect well on the state. >=20 > "I think this is in the spirit of (John) Mariucci, who tried to > promote hockey whether it was old-timers hockey, young-time hockey > or whatever," Woog said. "For women, it's a sport they love. It's a > sport (men) also loved growing up. I don't see any reason why we > can't go ahead collectively and in a cooperative spirit." >=20 > -------------------------------------------------------------------- > [Image] >=20 > -------------------------------------------------------------------- > =A9The Minnesota Daily HOCKEY-L is for discussion of college ice hockey; send information to [log in to unmask], The College Hockey Information List.