Effective May 6, 2015, the University of Delaware Division 1 Men’s Hockey club and its player leadership team have parted ways with head coach Rocky Romanella. Although unfortunate that this relationship concludes after just one season, the alumni are grateful for the various contributions made to program by Mr. Romanella not only in his capacity as coach, but also as a player and fellow alumnus. In the 2014-15 season, Romanella guided the Hens to a 17-11-5 record, a second place finish in the always competitive Eastern States Collegiate Hockey League (ESCHL), and a final ranking of 18th in the American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA). Rocky did an exemplary job in representing the program and put forth extraordinary effort in recruiting several strong future members of the organization, which will promote program success for seasons to come. We have taken a lot of positive steps and made progress as an organization and I am confident that if the next coach has a fraction of the passion and dedication displayed by coach Romanella, the Division 1 team will rapidly return to contention for the ACHA’s most coveted prize, the Murdoch Cup. Another initiative that Mr. Romanella played an integral role in during the last year was the reinvigoration of our network of former players through his assistance in establishing the University of Delaware Hockey Alumni Association (UDHAA). The purpose of the UDHAA is to support the long term sustainability and financial health of the UD Men’s Hockey program while fostering a spirit of loyalty among its alumni. This newly formed Alumni Association and its Board of Directors have come to an agreement with the current players that responsibilities will be shared between the respective groups in the search for a replacement head coach. A strong candidate pool has been formed and is being carefully vetted and narrowed through in person interviews led by the UDHAA Board members. This process will continue until the player leadership team, the UDHAA Board, and the University designated administrator choose and agree on the applicant most suitable to lead the team. We will ensure that the coach named has an outlook that aligns with our dual-purpose mission of returning to the ACHA tournament in 2016 to compete for a national championship and promoting continued long-term growth of the hockey program. The alumni will also continue its partnership with our fellow support group, the Delaware Men’s D1 Hockey Booster Club in their efforts to care for immediate team needs, including meals on the road, yearly fundraising events, and game day sales. As always, the ice hockey program at the University of Delaware and all of its former members are appreciative of all the care provided to us by our beloved fans, family, and friends. We look forward to your support in this search for a new head coach and continued backing of our future on- and off-ice endeavors.