ANN ARBOR — On Thursday, the University of Michigan took a big step by adding the NCAA women's hockey program to its list of varsity sports.
During Thursday's Board of Regents meeting, Dennis Ilitch, a member of the University Board of Trustees and the sister of the CEO of the Detroit Red Wings, said the time has come for the University of Michigan to introduce a women's varsity hockey program. She also made sure to mention other Big Ten programs that have Michigan natives on their teams and are dominating the sport.
Current women's hockey head coach Jenna Trubiano was also present at the meeting.
“I would like to thank her and the other regents for their efforts in publicly supporting our program last Thursday. It meant a lot. I never thought it would happen so quickly. A lot of people said it wouldn't happen, but it looks like it's becoming a reality,'' the head coach said.
There is much speculation as to why the university did not have a women's varsity program. Issues such as funding and space for programs at the 101-year-old Yost Ice Arena are some of the main points of contention.
It would be for the NHL to step in to look into these issues in more detail. They will conduct a so-called feasibility study that will consider the technical and financial aspects of adding women's hockey.
“I'm looking forward to seeing how everything plays out,” Trubiano said. “I'm really grateful just to have Ilitch's backing…They're obviously well known in Detroit, especially when it comes to Hockeytown.”
In the future, if the team becomes a national team, many of the difficulties the team currently faces will not be an issue.
Traverse City native Kelsey Swanson started her college hockey journey on the varsity team at Long Island University before transferring to Michigan State to focus on her studies. She noticed a number of important differences in how programs were handled at the collegiate and club levels.
“First of all, we don't have a locker room here…We have to carry our bags to and from the rink for practice every night…We also don't get the best time slots for ice time.” We practice Wednesday nights from 10 to 11:30 p.m. and Mondays and Thursdays from 9 to 10 p.m. If you train here, you have to drive about 20 minutes away to train. I have to go,” Swanson said.
Swanson said players currently pay $1,200 a semester to join the team. Recruits must also purchase their own uniform kit.
Since Trubiano took over the program in 2021, Michigan's club teams have worked hard to become more competitive in the ACHA, and she was willing to take on an unpaid role to continue the development of her alma mater. . She recently led her team to their second straight ACHA national tournament berth. With a full-time job, she currently spends her free time at practices, games, managing the team's social media accounts, recruiting, etc.
But because the team is at the club level, the women she recruits over time still have to meet Michigan State's admissions selection criteria.
“Michigan is so competitive. There's no way to flag a student who's going to be our top player. There's no way to do that. That would give us an advantage. Another strength of our program is that you have access to a transfer portal. [would be helpful]” Trubiano said.
Regardless of what happens after the feasibility study, Michigan women have undoubtedly contributed to the growth of the sport in their own right. They currently boast more than 19,000 followers across social media platforms, which Trubiano says helps them recruit.
“The 10 years I've spent here have been really great. Every year, something new happens. President Ono came to the last home game of the regular season and dropped the puck, and that was really special. “It was,” she said. “Actions speak louder than words, and we're seeing a lot of action right now, which is really, really special.”
