The Saints' men's team, under the direction of head coach Trevor Sattelmeier, will compete in the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference, joining Aquinas, Cleary, Indiana Tech, Lawrence Tech, Michigan-Dearborn and Rochester Christian.

 

"It is a great honor and privilege to be the first hockey coach at Siena Heights University," Sattelmeier said." I want to thank the Vice President of Athletics Sue Syljebeck, President Dr. Palmer, and the rest of the Siena Heights students and staff that made this a possibility. It has been very evident that Siena is a special place with great people and I am excited to get started. I look forward to building upon Siena's great culture and traditions and adding new ones of our own. Helping our student-athletes grow as athletes, students and leaders will be the core of what we do, and I am eager to help them succeed in all aspects of this journey."

 

Three other NAIA schools sponsor ACHA Division I men's ice hockey: Midwest College Hockey members Midland, Waldorf and Jamestown (N.D.).

 

On the men's side, SHU ice hockey gets the luxury of playing an all-WHAC schedule.

 

"We are fortunate to be able to participate in such a strong conference in the WHAC within our ACHA Division I league," Sattelmeier added. "It is a huge opportunity for our incoming players to showcase their talent and work ethic against some of the country's best. Competing at this level will not only challenge us, but also help us build a program that players, staff, alumni and the entire Siena community can be proud of."

 

The WHAC does not yet have women's ice hockey as a sponsored sport, therefore, the four schools are blended into the Central Collegiate Women's Hockey Association along with NCAA schools. Maria Barlow is head coach for the SHU women.

 

"I'm both excited and honored to be named the first women's hockey head coach at Siena Heights," Barlow said. "The care and compassion administration has shown myself and my current student-athletes is a true reflection of the great character of the University and its employees. The opportunity to join this great University and add to its rich tradition is something I am truly looking forward to. Growing and developing, not only great hockey players, but also great young females and future employees is my passion, and to be able to continue working in this field at such a strong University has been an answer to all of my prayers. I want to thank the Vice President of Athletics Sue Syljebeck, President Dr. Palmer and everyone else involved in making hockey a reality at Siena Heights. Go Saints!" 

 

Teams in the CCWHA include WHAC-mates Aquinas, Indiana Tech and Michigan-Dearborn and NCAA schools Adrian, Davenport, Grand Valley State, Lake Superior State, Miami (Ohio), Michigan, Michigan State and Penn State.

 

Two other NAIA schools sponsor ACHA Division I women's ice hockey: Women's Midwest College Hockey members Jamestown (N.D.) and Midland.

 

"The opportunity to begin our program at the ACHA Division I level is huge," said Barlow. "New programs are rarely accepted into this level from the start, so it shows the confidence the league has in the growth of this hockey team and the support we are already receiving. A huge thanks goes out to the ACHA commissioner, Molly Mahoney, on her guidance and support throughout this process and to the coaches in the ACHA that believe in us enough to recommended our team to the ACHA Women's D-I leadership. I'm very excited to begin recruiting girls into the highest level of competition the ACHA has to offer so we can compete with these high-level established programs right from the start." 

 

The ACHA was founded in 1991. Currently, more than 13,000 student-athletes participate for schools in 48 states and two Canadian provinces.

 

Members of the Concordia ice hockey teams were welcomed to campus by the Siena Heights community on Monday. Student-athletes were able to meet with athletics administrators and academic advisors.

 

"The energy of Siena Heights has already made a great impression on our future athletes," Barlow said. "From being welcomed in by the pep band, mascot, current students and staff, to the pizza party to wrap up the visit and everything in between, we felt so embraced by the community already. There is a huge energy buzzing around by adding hockey to the already impressive list of athletics and we cannot wait to see how much bigger that will get as we get closer to our inaugural season and first puck drop."