On Feb 2. Atlantic Hockey announced the selection of Michelle Morgan as its new commissioner, beginning April 17.
She will succeed Bob DeGregorio, who is retiring after 20 years at the helm, dating back to the foundation of the conference.
She will also replace DeGregorio as the commissioner of the women’s College Hockey America conference.
Morgan is currently the senior Athletic Director at John Carroll University in Cleveland Ohio. A native of Brookfield, Ill, a former player for St. Thomas and part of two MIAC title teams, Morgan says she’s looking forward to getting back into the hockey world.
“It’s a great opportunity,” she said. “Hockey has always been my first love. I’m very thankful that I was able to parlay that love into a career, first with the (Chicago) Blackhawks and the (Minnesota) Wild.”
Morgan worked for those organizations in roles in marketing and corporate sponsorships. That led to positions in the athletic departments at John Carroll University. She has served on several NCAA committees, including chairing the Division III Management Council since 2019.
“I ultimately ended up on a college campus helping students to develop and grow, especially from an administration and governance standpoint,” she said. “I hope to put those skills to use as commissioner.”
She joins the college hockey world at a time of upheaval and new blood in the commissioner ranks. Longtime administrators like Joe Bertangna (23 years at Hockey East), Steve Hagwell (18 years at ECAC Hockey) and DeGregorio have or will retire this season. The most tenured Division I commissioner next season will be Hockey East’s Steve Metcalf and the CCHA’s Don Lucia, who each come on board in 2020.
Morgan says she sees bright possibilities ahead for her conferences.
“Coming from the outside, I did my due diligence,” she said. “There’s good bone structure. There’s great hockey that’s being played. The goal is to find the best ways to elevate our storytelling ability in the marketplace and community, to make sure people are aware of what we are doing.”
Morgan says her top priority is clear.
“I’m looking forward to serving these student-athletes,” she said. “I’m excited for the opportunity to use my skill set to help advance the conference and the players’ experience. It’s a toolbox I’m very comfortable with.”
Morgan, who plans to relocate to Boston this summer, says the response to her appointment has been overwhelming.
“So many people have reached out (since the announcement). I look forward to meeting them in person.
“I’m looking forward to getting to work. I’m excited about the possibilities.”
A tough six points
All 10 Atlantic Hockey teams were in conference play last week, and each took at least one point in their respective series. This has been the norm for the league, especially since the calendar turned to 2023.
To date, there have been 48 conference series completed, and in just a third (16) of those did a team capture all six points with two regulation wins. As expected, first-place Rochester Institute of Technology has the most, sweeping four times. Every team except for Air Force has been able to do it at least once.
Things have tightened up even more in the last month or so, with just three of 19 series since Jan. 1 awarding maximum points.
Most teams have just three series left to jockey for playoff seedings, and, for teams near the bottom of the standings, to stave off elimination.
What a difference
Average attendance for Sacred Heart’s nine games played this season at Total Mortgage Arena in Bridgeport: 707.
Average attendance for Sacred Heart since moving to its new on-campus facility, the Martire Family Arena: 4,222 through four games.
The Pioneers went from 56th in attendance out of 61 Division I programs to 18th.
