MCC to discontinue hockey after 2013-14 season

BRIGHTON, New York – Monroe Community College is discontinuing men’s ice hockey after the 2013-2014 season. Director of Athletics Skip Bailey said the move was based on a continued lack of competition at the community college level, as well as the increasing cost of effectively maintaining the program.

“With the low number of hockey teams participating in the NJCAA and the high cost of funding the sport, the college can no longer justify sponsoring hockey,” Bailey said. “We have waited patiently for the number of teams to increase, but that has not happened.”

The National Junior College Athletic Association fields just eight teams, including MCC, and two of those are located in North Dakota.  Only 12 of MCC’s 25 regular season games this year are against community colleges, with the remainder of the schedule filled with club and junior teams.

“Our program achieved national recognition and allowed us to recruit players from all over the United States and the world,” Bailey added.  “Those student-athletes brought a wonderful presence to our campus.  It’s a disappointing day for our athletic department, but there were no alternatives left to explore.”

The MCC ice hockey program began in 1999 under head coach Geordie Robertson, who led the squad for six years. Current head coach Craig Chamberlain took the helm in the 2005-2006 season and has led the Tribunes to five Region III titles and the program’s first NJCAA national championship in 2012. MCC also has four national runner-up finishes under Chamberlain. MCC’s overall record in the sport is 259 wins, 86 losses, and 13 ties, including 163-44-5 in Chamberlain’s eight seasons.

“Coach Chamberlain is to be commended for his efforts with the MCC hockey program,” Bailey said. “The program has obtained elite status and is recognized as one of the top programs in the NJCAA.”