Robert Morris University has officially announced its intention to add men’s ice hockey in 2004-05, and named its first head coach, current Air Force assistant Derek Schooley.
It has been assumed Robert Morris will look for acceptance into Atlantic Hockey beginning in 2004-05. The conference, however, has yet to officially deliberate about expansion.
Last year, the school entered into negotiations to purchase the off-campus Island Sports Center, which includes a rink facility the team would play in. Last month, the school hired Vic Gregovits, former vice president of marketing and broadcasting for the Pittsburgh Pirates, to help complete the negotiations and serve as the facility’s chief executive officer.
Schooley, 32, was a defenseman at Western Michigan until 1994. The St. Louis native was also a volunteer assistant at Cornell for a year, before heading to Air Force in 1998.
According to USHR.com, Robert Morris will offer 10 full scholarships, one short of the current Atlantic Hockey minimum.
The other finalists for the job, according to USHR, were former Iona head coach Frank Bretti and current Findlay assistant Pat Ford.
