The University Of North Dakota Cut Their Women's Hockey Program During A Women's Hockey Practice On The Most Unfortunate (Also See: Stupid) Of Days

PuckDaddy- The University of North Dakota is eliminating its women’s hockey program, according to Todd Milewski of the Wisconsin State Journal.

According to the Grand Forks Herald, UND President Mark Kennedy informed the athletic department that it had to make $1.3 million in cuts to its budget. Reporter Brad E. Schlossman wrote that representatives from women’s hockey and swimming were called to a meeting this afternoon with the athletic director, Brian Faison.

North Dakota has eight current or former women’s hockey players on USA Hockey’s four national teams.

In an embarrassment to the program, players were on the ice for practice on Wednesday without being informed that the program was eliminated. That drew a strong reaction from the program’s biggest stars:

For all the tweets about UND getting cut. No they do not know because they are still on the ice preparing for the upcoming season pic.twitter.com/TLEsYtnao1

— Gracen Hirschy (@ghirschy06) March 29, 2017

Headline in the Grand Forks Herald, yet we are all still sitting here waiting to be told that it is official. Awesome job @UNDsports https://t.co/URTrb5rHsr

— Amy Menke (@AmyMenke) March 29, 2017

UND sports shame on you for not having the decency to communicate with the staff and players before anyone else! Can't delete this one!

— Jocelyne Lamoureux-D (@JocelyneUSA17) March 29, 2017

Glad to see @UNDsports leaks publicly they are cutting a team before informing the players and staff. #classymove

— Monique Lamoureux-M (@moniquelam7) March 29, 2017

The UND women's hockey team has a recruit on an official visit right now. Landed at 12:30 p.m.

— Brad E. Schlossman (@SchlossmanGF) March 29, 2017

Christ almighty, how much does the University of North Dakota's athletic department hate women's hockey? I'm not saying that the cutting of the program was wrong. I definitely feel for the girls, but college sports is a business and this is just the type of thing that happens when the interest doesn't match up with the financial obligation. Seems like a weird move for a University that fancies itself a "hockey school", but at the end of day it's all about the dolla dolla bills y'all. So no, I wouldn't do something as crazy as argue that axing the team was sexist, but I would argue that the timing in which they did so was.

During a practice? While hosting a recruit? On the same damn day as one of the biggest breakthroughs in all of women's sports, and - without a doubt - thee watershed moment for women's hockey in the United States?! As a professional procrastinator I would like to let the University of North Dakota know that the phrase "it can wait" knows no bounds. I'm no AD, but maybe don't let a group of ladies - who are at their most prideful - get the news that's going to change their lives in the same way that they found out about the 'Author' meme.

Would you walk into someone's wedding reception, go to give a toast, and start by announcing the impending divorce that you've yet to discuss with your wife? That's basically what this was. An unnecessary downer when women's hockey was experiencing the highest of highs. I'm not saying that North Dakota's tone deaf timing totally rained on the parade of the United States Women's National Team, but - with so many current and former Olympians having graduated as 'Fighting Sioux' - they definitely pissed downhill alongside it. I suppose there is no right way to notify female student athletes that they are merely students now, but I think we all can agree that doing so via Twitter hours after those of their gender and sport literally made history is definitely the wrong way. I usually roll my eyes when women say "this was supposed to be my day!", but I'll be damned if the lady puck movers of America didn't deserve to make it through every minute of that one without devastating news.