TCU on forefront of Texas hockey growth

Horned Frogs hockey continues to improve, and the time to buy in is now

Al Michaels once said “It made you want to hug your television.” Sports pundits have called it “The single most important sports moment in our country’s history.” And just about everybody who watched it remembers where they were when those famous words were spoken:

“11 seconds, you’ve got 10 seconds. The countdown going on right now. Morrow, up to Silk. Five seconds left in the game. Do you believe in miracles? Yes!” -Al Michaels, 1980

February 22nd marks the anniversary of the Miracle on Ice where the 1980 Olympic amateur United States hockey team upset the four-time consecutive gold medal Soviet national team by a score of 4-3.

Hockey is a sport that has resonated across the country for almost a century, and the impact of that one game is being felt now more than ever, especially in Texas. Even at the college level, native Texans are starting to buy into the frozen game.

The Texas Collegiate Hockey Conference just finished its season with East Texas Baptist defeating Texas A&M in a 3-2 shootout win for the conference title. The title game took place at the StarCenter in Mansfield, the home ice of the TCU Horned Frogs.

Yes, TCU has a hockey team.

The TCHC is a 9-team league with Texas State, Oklahoma State, SMU, Texas A&M, East Texas Baptist, Baylor, Texas, and TCU. North Texas just announced earlier this week that it is joining the conference to make the ninth team.

With the rate of growth the sport has seen, it is only a matter of time before the conference starts making a national impact. And because the league is still very young, the time for people to take notice is now.

The TCU team has been around since 2012 and results have been here-and-there. However the improvement is starting to show. First year-head coach Dustin Donathan was just named the conference coach of the year, and freshman forward Chase Neel was named second team all-conference.

It may not be Big Ten level hockey, but it is a solid product that takes the ice in Mansfield. And with rival schools SMU and Baylor in the mix, a new level of the rivalries is added. Fort Worth is full of hockey fans, most of whom are TCU fans/alums.

Fan support is already more than decent among current students, but if the club got more support from alumni and sponsors, it could get ahead of the game of what is to come. The sport is growing rapidly, and with local youth starting to get involved, the future is bright for potential recruits.

A 2020 study showed that DFW hockey involvement from ages 17 and below improved over 400-percent since the Stars won the Stanley Cup in 1999, and it is still climbing. A strong hockey program at TCU would help to allow these student-athletes to continue their careers while also helping to stay ahead of the other schools in the conference in recruitment.

The timing is perfect, given the success of TCU in other sports. We have seen success on the gridiron, the hardwood, and the diamond. Now the Frogs are looking to have success on the ice, and complete the so-called “big four.”

With enough time and support, it will be only a matter of time until they start playing their home games at Dickie’s Arena and competing with Big Ten schools.

On a day of miracles, this is not a miracle. TCU plays hockey, and the time to buy in is now.

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