FAU Hockey: South Eastern Collegiate Hockey Conference postpones season until spring

The South Eastern Collegiate Hockey Conference has suspended play until January 2021, delaying FAU’s hockey season.

Instead of playing in the fall, the SECHC has suspended the season so the Owls will likely play in the spring. Photo by Kim Smith.

Colby Guy, Features Editor
July 27, 2020

On Monday morning, South Eastern Collegiate Hockey Conference (SECHC) commissioner Justin Bradford released a statement saying that the league has voted to delay its, and FAU Hockey’s, season until January 2021.

“After receiving feedback from all 17 member schools of the SECHC, the league held an emergency vote to determine the status of the fall semester,” Bradford said in the statement. “With multiple schools not allowing club sports to take place for the semester, the league overall decided that this was the best course of action.”

 

The postponement of the season will also allow the league and its teams to re-evaluate things like scheduling, budgeting, and the team’s status with the universities, per Bradford.

 

As for FAU, they will still be looking to stay sharp for the late start of the 2020-21 season.

 

“Our plan for the fall is to hold practice twice a week, depending on the availability of ice, and be ready to crush it in the Spring,” FAU Ice Hockey Club General Manager Gary Kaufman said. “Our hope is that we will be able to play then and that the American College Hockey Association will extend the season by a month, having 8+ weekends available to play in the regular season.”

 

However, even the January start date isn’t guaranteed yet, per Bradford.

 

“We know this is a moving target and a fluid situation,” Bradford said. “We will continue to have conversations with our teams and then work to make the season happen in the winter if we can safely do so. The health and safety of our student-athletes is our priority, as is the health of our member clubs and their ability to survive as organizations through the pandemic.”

 

The SECHC will re-evaluate the situation in the fall and make a decision on whether or not the season will start as planned in January 2021 at that time.

 

Further updates for the league and FAU Ice Hockey can be found on SECHC’s social media channels.

 

Colby Guy is the Features Editor for the University Press. For information regarding this or other stories, email [email protected] or tweet him @thatguycolbs.