Supporters of the University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) men’s hockey program have launched a fundraising effort to attempt to save the program from being discontinued by the university.

UAH on Friday announced that the hockey program, along with the men’s and women’s tennis programs, were being cut due to financial shortfalls caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

An online petition was then launched to support saving the program, with over 5,700 signatures being accrued as of Tuesday at 11:00 a.m. CT.

Now, it appears that this support will ultimately need to translate into money for that goal to come to fruition.

A GoFundMe launched Monday evening explained, “We have been given an opportunity to show our grit as the University has asked us to raise 1 million dollars by COB this Friday, May 29th. We have already had alumni, booster club members, and life-time supporters setup with large individual donations and commit to donating annually to make sure the program is self-sustaining for the long-term. For short term we are looking to raise $500,000 of the 1 million via this Go Fund Me account. If the required funds are raised, UAH has agreed to create an advisory board consisting of hockey alumni, local business leaders and major donors to help turn UAH Hockey into a world class hockey program. Please help us save the great tradition of UAH Charger Hockey program and keep 28 more opportunities for Division l Hockey players alive! NOTE – if the program is not re-instated all donations will be fully refunded. We are confident with your generosity and the grit of Charger Hockey that we will not be sending any refunds. Thank You and Stay Safe!”

As of Tuesday at 11:40 a.m. CT, the GoFundMe had raised over $83,000 of the stated goal of $500,000. The stated fundraising deadline is close-of-business on Friday. Already, 202 different donors had contributed to the GoFundMe.

You can donate here.

Sean Ross is the editor of Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @sean_yhn