Restoring The Rink: Kent State University

The pool of eligible players for NCAA Division I hockey swelled last fall with the addition of CHL players. Despite the increase, the number of teams at the Division I level has dropped to 62, with Mercyhurst University discontinuing their program for 2026-27. Restoring The Rink examines programs that have gone defunct and their viability in today’s market.

History:

Kent State University had a budding NCAA Division I hockey team from 1980-1994. The Golden Flashes started their program as Division I Independents from 1980-86 before joining the short-lived American College Hockey Association (ACHA) in 1986. Their best season was their 1986-87 ACHA campaign where the Flashes earned a 19-13 record. Immediately following, Head Coach John Wallin resigned to serve as bench boss for the OHL's Sudbury Wolves. An important distinction to make is this ACHA was not the same organization we know today. Rather it served as the precursor to the its modern iteration, serving as a combined NCAA Division I & II conference from 1986-89.

In September 1988, there was a hazing incident which resulted in the University cancelling the 1988-89 season. After rumors swirled regarding the program's future post 1988, then Athletic Director Judy Devine reaffirmed her commitment to hockey.

Flashes hockey continued for another five years before the athletic department, with its final two as a member of the Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA). Everything seemed to be burgeoning going ahead of the Fall of 1994. San Jose Sharks draft pick Dean Sylvester was returning for his senior season following a team high 22 goal junior year.

However, the program's removal started almost as soon as the 1993-94 season. During the entire process of the team's elimination. Normally, teams were supposed to give the CCHA a minimum of 12 months notice when a team was planning to fold. This didn't happen according then-CCHA Commissioner Bill Beagan. USCHO republished comments from 1994 in a 2016 article.

"It is common knowledge that KSU's athletic department has been in a state of turmoil since athletic director Paul Amodio was reassigned to a teaching position at KSU in January," Beagan said. "It would be accurate to say that I was upset upon hearing about President Carol Cartwright's recommendation to terminate the hockey program from the media."

In just a matter of months, nearly 20 years of NCAA hockey history was erased. Today, Kent State has a club hockey team suiting up in the ACHA Division I at the same rink the old NCAA team played their games.

Hockey Impact: 

Despite the Golden Flashes' hockey program going away, hockey in the region has continued to grow. Just two years prior to Kent State folding, the Cleveland Lumberjacks came to town. This International Hockey League (IHL) squad played at what is now Rocket Arena. Their tenure lasted until 2001 when the IHL went belly up. Cleveland did get a new team that same year in the American Hockey League called the Barons, keeping hockey's continuity in the general area of Kent State. The Barons moved to Worcester, MA in 2007, becoming the Worcester Sharks and are currently the San Diego Barracuda. 

Even with this move, hockey remained a key piece of the Cleveland community. Dan Gilbert, chairman of Rocket Mortgage and owner of the NBA's Cleveland Cavaliers, brought the Lake Erie Monsters to town. On April 17, 2015, the Monsters started their affiliation with the nearby Columbus Blue Jackets, which still exists today. In the season following the partnership, Lake Erie won their only Calder Cup to date.

The team rebranded to the Cleveland Monsters after winning the championship. Monsters' SVP/COO of Franchise Operations Mike Ostrowski said in part at the press conference. "In the wake of the Monsters' Calder Cup Championship and the Cavs' NBA title, and heading into the Monsters' 10th anniversary season, we feel now is the perfect time for our organization to honor our great city and proudly become in title what this team has always been in spirit, the Cleveland Monsters." 

Market Viability:

Clearly, Cleveland is a hockey market, and has been for many years. That isn't the question. Golden Flashes hockey did well at the NCAA level and is a solid performer at the ACHA. The market being there for college hockey and there is potential for increased fans due to Mercyhurst ceasing its men's program just two hours away.

Unfortunately, it appears that Kent State is struggling to sustain its current operations, making hockey a pipe dream at this time. Kent State's annual financial report for Fiscal Year 2025 has an alarming piece of information at the start. 

"Kent State faces ongoing structural budget deficits of $5 million to $9 million annually because inflationary costs are outpacing revenue growth from tuition, housing and state funding," the report says. "This isn’t a one-time problem but a continuing reality for at least the next five years."

Specifically, the athletics department brought in $500,000 less than expected last year due to "due to less revenue from sponsorships and less revenue from the Kent State University Foundation."

I absolutely believe a resurrected Division I Kent State hockey team would do well in both attendance and fan. Unfortunately, without a significant outside donor or sponsor, it appears that this is a case of the right place in the wrong time for Restoring The Rink.