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Mercyhurst University to End Division One Men’s Ice Hockey Program

On Friday, Mercyhurst University announced it will discontinue its Division I men's ice hockey program following the 2025-26 academic year as part of a strategy to align athletics with long-term student demand.
Struggling in recent years, The Lakers finished this past season at 6-28-3 and have not posted a winning record since 2017-18, consistently ranking near the bottom of Atlantic Hockey America in attendance and conference standing.
Just 48 hours before the closure announcement, head coach Tom Peffall solicited donations on social media for the team, a request that drew criticism regarding the timing of the fundraising plea.
Atlantic Hockey America Commissioner Michelle Morgan expressed disappointment, while Director of Athletics Joe Spano pledged to honor athletics scholarships and assist players with the NCAA transfer portal.
Mercyhurst will continue to sponsor 30 varsity sports, including its Division I women's hockey program and men's club hockey team, having recently added women's wrestling and flag football.

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Mercyhurst discontinues DI men's hockey program

Mercyhurst University announced on Friday that it is discontinuing its Division I men’s hockey program following this academic year. It said the decision was made to due to long-term viability and alignment with student demand.

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Mercyhurst dropping D-I men's hockey program

Mercyhurst will drop its Division I men's hockey program after this season as part of a university-wide plan to balance academics and athletics with student needs.

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Mercyhurst drops its struggling Division I men's hockey program as part of its master plan

Mercyhurst will drop its Division I men’s hockey program at the end of the academic year as part of a university-wide master plan.

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Mercyhurst University to end Division One Men’s Ice Hockey program

(WJET/WFXP) – A local university announced the end of an era for one of their sports programs. On Friday, March 27, Mercyhurst University stated that they will be discontinuing their Division One M…

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