URI Womens hockey

[HOCKEYPLAYA]

Anybody know what the future holds for URI? I know they just built a fantastic new rink on campus...anyone have the inside track to what is going on down there?

[ClOuD 9]

There was an article written in 2002 when the arena first opened, click here to read it (http://www.uscho.com/news/2002/09/17_004514.php). Not sure if anything has changed since then, but here is the most important part of the article:
Understandably, college hockey fans in Rhode Island have begun to ponder whether the Rams might move from club to varsity status in the foreseeable future. For now, though, Division I hockey falls into the category of "wait and see."

"During [the last academic] year, the president [of URI] asked for a survey, so I talked to people from Hockey East, the ECAC and the MAAC as to URI -— if we were able to fund it -— getting into a league," Petro said. "I made a recommendation to the president in April, but we’ve been hit with budget cuts as most people have been, so we’ve delayed any decision on that until we can get a better hold on how to finance a Division I hockey program for men and women, which we know would be way over a million dollars."

Prior to the budget cuts, Petro had recommended that URI attempt to gain Division I status.

Bradford Boss, who founded the men's club team at URI and donated $1.3 million to the building that will bear his name, meets the URI hockey teams.
"We are the only state university in New England that doesn’t support a team," acknowledged Petro. "That would be a goal of mine in the future, but it all comes down to funding."

The rest of the article describes which conference may be the best fit for them if/when they jump up and if it would be profitable for them to (see Brown and Providence's attendance numbers). Personally I'd like to see URI jump in to Hockey East and UConn join in (their women's program is already in Women's HE), then all the state universities would be represented in HE, but I wouldn't be surprised to see them spend a few years in Atlantic Hockey/CHA first. Given Hockey East's strength it is quite hard to jump in to the game almost from scratch.