Despite the loss of a major program, North Dakota, this offseason, the Western Collegiate Hockey Association women's conference is alive and well, commissioner Katie Million says.
However, with belt-tightening around the league's seven remaining programs, which includes Minnesota State, the conference is looking for creative ways to help cover certain conference costs, including operations, its postseason championship tournament and postgraduate scholarships.
"We wanted to do something that eases the pain to each of our schools," Million said.
On Thursday, the WCHA announced a crowdfunding campaign through the website RallyMe to solicit donations to cover various costs "aimed at enhancing the student-athlete experience," according to a press release.
The league hopes to raise more than $140,000 by mid-March. Goals include $50,000 for league operations, $25,000 for the Final Faceoff tournament and $7,500 for its postseason scholarship.
"The conference is not in a state of desperation," Million said in a phone interview. "But we were looking for innovative, creative and, even more so, progressive moves to help the overall league."
The league is also seeking funding for its postseason awards banquet (goal: $25,000), regular-season and postseason championship trophies ($5,000 each), monthly and weekly player awards ($6,000) and television production ($20,000).
Since the WCHA is a nonprofit organization, donations through the RallyMe site are tax-deductible. RallyMe is a site used by several athletes, teams and organizations — including governing bodies such as USA Hockey — to raise funds for sports endeavors and causes. The league's RallyMe page is wcha.rallyme.com.
Read more about the WCHA's campaign in The Free Press here.
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