For the first half of the 1980s, little appeared to have changed for the Tommies; the team routinely finished at the bottom of the standings and couldn't get a sniff of the postseason.

That season saw the Tommies come achingly close to making their first appearance in the national tournament but a loss in the conference championship put those dreams on hold.

Over the succeeding decade, the Tommies were mostly a mediocre team in their conference but they began to raise their level of play at the end of the 90s.

The squad was quickly bounced from the national tournament, losing both round-robin games, and then finished last in the standings the following year.

Dawn Russell, the then-university president, reasoned that funding a competitive ice hockey team was beyond the means of the school.