Gateway

Issue date: 6/23/09 Section: Sports

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UNO announced Friday afternoon that it would be joining the Western Collegiate Hockey Association beginning with the 2010-11 season.

A media teleconference with WCHA commissioner Bruce McLeod is scheduled for 5 p.m.

"The WCHA is an outstanding conference with a long history of excellent players and coaches," Athletic Director Trev Alberts said in a statement. "When we were approached about admission, we took a long look at all aspects of a move to the WCHA. In the end, we felt there were many long-term benefits to our program. We're excited about becoming a part of the WCHA's rich tradition of outstanding hockey.

The Mavericks will play their last season in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association, which UNO has been affiliated with for the past 10 years.

"Our upcoming season will be bittersweet,"Associate Athletic Director Mike Kemp said in a statement. "We have built outstanding rivalries with the schools of the CCHA, and our players have seen a particularly high level of competition each season. We also know that new rivalries await in the WCHA, and we expect our players to rise to the challenge."

Kemp, the Mavs' former head coach, stepped down this summer at the request of Alberts to help the new athletic director run the hockey program. To replace Kemp, UNO hired Dean Blais, former head coach of North Dakota and three-time WCHA coach of the year.

"I was happy to hear that we would be joining the WCHA in a year's time," Blais said. "I'm obviously very familiar with the league as both a head coach and assistant coach for 19 years and before that as a player. It's a league with a great tradition and excellent coaches, and I'm looking forward to competing against them."

Look for more on this story from The Gateway in our next print issue, which will hit stands on July 14.

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