Forward Ryan Belonger vies for the puck with a Liberty defender on Thursday, Oct. 23, 2014. ASU is expected to announce Tuesday that it will launch a Division I hockey team. (Photo by Mario Mendez)ASU hockey will become the 60th NCAA Division I hockey program starting with the 2016-17 season, Sun Devil Athletics confirmed Tuesday on Twitter.
https://twitter.com/TheSunDevils/status/534798214075924480
The Sun Devils, which are now part of the American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) and are the defending national champions, are expected to announce the move in a press conference at 2 p.m. Tuesday at Dutson Theater in Tempe.
The move to NCAA would still require the addition of a women's sport due to Title IX laws, but has been one that athletic director Ray Anderson has spoke about multiple times since taking over last year.
ASU President Michael Crow told The State Press editorial board in March that it was unlikely that the school would add hockey as an NCAA sport soon because of Title IX and cost restrictions.
"We recently did away with some men's sports, and so I don't know what the next men's sports that we would add would be," he said. "Hockey would be a particularly expensive men's sport to add because of where most of the other teams are that one has to play."
Title IX requires universities to provide equal scholarships and facilities for men's and women's sports. Because ASU's football team has many more scholarship-receiving players compared to other sports, the university would have to add at least one women's sport before adding another men's team.
Crow told the editorial board that the most likely contenders were women's crew and women's lacrosse. Video by Justin Emerson | The State Press Reports surfaced last week by the Let's Play Hockey Twitter account, saying that the team would make the move to Wells Fargo Arena. The team currently plays its home games and practices at Oceanside Ice Arena just off campus.
The report, which team sources denied last week, also said that the team would receive an influx of cash in order to make the move. Today's reports have placed the amount at $32 million.
Coach Greg Powers, a former ASU goaltender, will remain with the team as head coach as they make the transition. Powers is in his fifth year as head coach, leading them to their first national championship in program history last year.
Stick with The State Press for updates.
Reach the reporter at fardaya@asu.edu or follow him on Twitter @fardaya15
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