Story Links
MARYLAND HEIGHTS, Mo. – The Alaska Anchorage hockey team will compete for a postseason title in 2026, participating in the inaugural United Collegiate Hockey Cup at the Centene Community Ice Center in the St. Louis area. Set for March 5-7, 2026, the tournament will feature UAA, rival Alaska Fairbanks, […]
MARYLAND HEIGHTS, Mo. – The Alaska Anchorage hockey team will compete for a postseason title in 2026, participating in the inaugural United Collegiate Hockey Cup at the Centene Community Ice Center in the St. Louis area.
Set for March 5-7, 2026, the tournament will feature UAA, rival Alaska Fairbanks, Long Island, Stonehill and host institution Lindenwood.
The five-team tournament will include a play-in game, with all teams guaranteed at least two games over the three-day competition.
“We are thrilled to bring this tournament to the St. Louis market,” said Jason Coomer, Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics at Lindenwood University. “This event not only provides a competitive platform for our student-athletes but also showcases the growth and quality of independent NCAA hockey programs on a national stage.”
This event represents a major step forward for independent college hockey programs, providing them with a postseason championship experience and an opportunity to showcase their talent on a national stage. The United Collegiate Hockey Cup is expected to draw college hockey fans, NHL scouts, and media attention, further growing the visibility of these programs.
Tickets for the United Collegiate Hockey Cup will go on sale August 1, and can be purchased at lindenwoodlions.com.
College sports commissioners pledge House settlement rules support
Latest on NCAA settlement that would allow revenue sharing for college athletes USA TODAY Sports’ Steve Berkowitz discusses the latest on judge’s refusal to approve NCAA settlement that would allow revenue sharing for college athletes Sports Pulse In the wake of a federal judge granting final approval June 6 to the settlement of three athlete-compensation […]
Latest on NCAA settlement that would allow revenue sharing for college athletes
USA TODAY Sports’ Steve Berkowitz discusses the latest on judge’s refusal to approve NCAA settlement that would allow revenue sharing for college athletes
Sports Pulse
In the wake of a federal judge granting final approval June 6 to the settlement of three athlete-compensation antitrust cases against the NCAA and the Power Five conferences, the commissioners of those conferences on Monday, June 9 spoke forcefully about their schools’ commitment to the agreement’s potentially complex terms.
They also continued their campaign for the settlement to be followed by Congressional action that preempts the array of state laws that have been passed regarding athletes’ ability to make money from use of their name, image and likeness.
During a video news conference that involved all five of the commissioners, the Southeastern Conference’s Greg Sankey spoke the most forcefully about the need for all college sports constituents to be willing to adhere to rules and enforcement decisions that will be made a newly announced College Sports Commission. Formally unveiled just hours after the final-approval ruling was released, the Commission will be responsible for the implementing, overseeing and enforcing schools’ compliance with the settlement’s terms.
Sankey pledged that cooperation will occur because school CEO’s, athletics directors and coaches have grown weary of what has become a largely marketplace of athletes being able to transfer schools multiple times without penalty and seek the best financial terms from school-affiliated collectives or, in deals that were contingent on the settlement’s final approval, the schools themselves.
“I’ve asked at every level … our university presidents and chancellors, our athletics directors, our head coaches: If you want an unregulated, open system, just raise your hand and let me know,” Sankey said. “And universally, the answer is: ‘No. We want oversight. We want guardrails. We want structures.’
“Those individuals don’t have the luxury to just say that in meeting rooms. Period. They don’t have the luxury to just be anonymous sources They have a responsibility to make what they’ve sought, what they’ve asked for — to make it work.
“I’m speaking from one perspective. My expectation is everybody on this video conference has had that same dialogue. And, so, some of this burden shifts back to make this work. And we should be candid about the expectation that’s been established from our members, each of us, and the commitment that we’ve made to make this work.”
HEAVY BURDEN: House settlement won’t work if schools decide to cheat
Those terms include an annual cap on the amount of money that schools will be able to spend on direct NIL deals with their athletes and a system under which athletes’ NIL deals worth more than $600 will have to be reported and then evaluated to determine whether a deal has a “valid business purpose” and is within “a reasonable range of compensation.”
Schools, administrators and coaches are always looking for an edge on their competitors, and, in recent years, they have become increasingly hostile toward investigations and enforcement from the NCAA.
Sankey and the Big 12’s Brett Yormark both said they expect there will “challenges” with the new system.
“But,” said Yormark, “we will meet those challenges and we’ll address them appropriately. …
“I’ll also say that our schools want rules and we’re providing rules, and we will be governed by those rules. And if you break those rules, you know, the ramifications will be punitive.”
Meanwhile, Sankey, who confirmed that he and Notre Dame AD Pete Bevacqua played golf with President Donald Trump over the weekend, maintained that even with the settlement, federal intervention in college sports is necessary.
“Congress exists to set national standards,” Sankey said, “and we’re not going to have Final Fours and College Football Playoffs and College World Series with 50 different standards. So that’s the starting point.”
Sankey also said that he believes Congress can pass a college-sports bill, even amid a turbulent and divisive political climate.
“They do have the ability to get things done, even in difficult political times,” Sankey said. “And I think this is a nonpartisan issue, candidly. I don’t think this is about drawing lines between Democrats and Republicans or the House and Senate. I think this is an opportunity for our governmental leaders, our political leaders, to come together around solutions to support our Olympic development program, to support college football and every one of our sports that flows off of that, including those that are labeled as non-revenue sports.”
Sankey’s analysis may be optimistic. In the Senate, Ted Cruz, R-Texas, who now chairs the chamber’s Commerce Committee, and Democrats led by Sens. Cory Booker, N.J., and Richard Blumenthal, Conn., have been trying to craft college-sports bills for several years, but have not been able to come to terms. The points of disagreement have included the degree of legal protections the NCAA, the conferences and school want, and the types of benefits for athletes that would become enshrined in law, as opposed to the NCAA’s or conference’s rules books.
However, the Big Ten’s Tony Petitti, expressed optimism that the settlement’s final approval may help the NCAA’s and the conferences’ case. And the commissioner’s noted that another hearing is upcoming this week — one by the a House Energy and Commerce subcommittee..
“We’ve shown that we’re willing to make significant change and modernize our system,” Petitti said. “We’re not just asking for something. We’re actually showing that we are willing to have significant change.”
State College police arrest man for vandalizing Pride flags downtown ahead of parade | Crime & Courts
A State College man was arrested Monday in connection with a string of alleged hate-motivated acts targeting LGBTQ+ symbols and businesses downtown. Markos Bejiga, 28, faces one felony count of causing or risking a catastrophe, one misdemeanor count of disorderly conduct and three summary counts of criminal mischief. Bejiga is accused of lighting a Pride […]
A State College man was arrested Monday in connection with a string of alleged hate-motivated acts targeting LGBTQ+ symbols and businesses downtown.
Markos Bejiga, 28, faces one felony count of causing or risking a catastrophe, one misdemeanor count of disorderly conduct and three summary counts of criminal mischief.
Bejiga is accused of lighting a Pride flag on fire at the Faith United Church of Christ; shouting homophobic slurs and damaging Pride decorations outside of Cafe 210 West and Chumley’s; and attempting to burn another flag by climbing a streetlight pole, according to a press release from the State College Police Department.
Bejiga was arrested and taken to the Centre County Correctional Facility for arraignment with a set bail of $10,000. The preliminary hearing is scheduled for June 11.
On Friday morning, Cafe 210 West owner JR Mangan shared security footage to Facebook that showed Bejiga ripping a Pride banner from the bar’s fence on West College Avenue.
Rev. Jes Kast, a pastor at Faith United Church of Christ, was among one of the Pride vandalism targets. In a recent Facebook post, she shared a photograph of the burned Pride flag displayed in front of the church on East College Avenue.
“I want you to know that we at Faith Church are aware of this and I have been in contact with our State College Police Department, Mayor Nanes and Borough Manager Tom Fontaine,” she wrote. “I am grateful to serve alongside my community leaders who always have had my back and stand alongside our church. Please do not cower in fear and please know your flags matter.”
MORE CRIME AND COURTS
The State College Police Department is requesting the public’s assistance in locating a stol…
If you’re interested in submitting a Letter to the Editor, click here.
Trump golfs with Greg Sankey, Notre Dame AD. What did they discuss?
Kirby Smart on college football’s future Kirby Smart urges leaders to prioritize the game’s future over personal or conference agendas in playoff talks. President Donald Trump played golf with two prominent college sports figures last weekend. Who won the round, and what did they discuss? SEC commissioner Greg Sankey said he’ll contain the particulars to […]
Kirby Smart urges leaders to prioritize the game’s future over personal or conference agendas in playoff talks.
President Donald Trump played golf with two prominent college sports figures last weekend.
Who won the round, and what did they discuss?
SEC commissioner Greg Sankey said he’ll contain the particulars to those who played in the golf group. Sankey joined Trump and Notre Dame athletic director Pete Bevacqua for the round of golf. They played at Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, New Jersey, according to a Yahoo! Sports report.
“It was helpful for me and for Pete, as well, to hear his thoughts and his perspectives and to share some of ours,” Sankey said Monday during a call with reporters. “I think those are best left for the moment on the golf course.”
The golf outing came amid what Sankey described as an “inflection point” moment for college sports, on the heels of a federal judge on Friday approving the House legal settlement.
The settlement allows NCAA member schools to directly compensate athletes beginning July 1 in the form of revenue-sharing for the use of the name, image and likeness of players. Previously, athletes could earn money via NIL deals with third-party individuals and groups. This settlement allows schools to bring payments to athletes in-house.
The settlement allows schools to distribute a capped financial allotment to athletes across sports. The cap is estimated to start around $20.5 million per school.
Additionally, the settlement outlines that any Division I athlete who earns an NIL deal or deals worth $600 or more must report those deals to a regulatory system called “NIL Go.” This centralized clearinghouse, run by Deloitte, will be tasked with determining whether those deals have a “valid business purpose” and whether the money involved in those deals falls within “a reasonable range of compensation,” whatever those terms are considered to mean.
“This (settlement) brings us to a point of having the opportunity for stability and fairness in the new system,” Sankey said Monday, “replacing what has been a chaotic number of months in a fully unregulated environment – replacing that environment with transparent and enforceable rules that promote consistent opportunities for all and are part of a judicially approved settlement.”
Sankey and other college sports leaders have lobbied for years for federal legislation to regulate the NIL marketplace and supersede the patchwork of state NIL laws. No such federal legislation has emerged.
While Sankey declined to get into the specifics of his golf course talks with Trump, he said he appreciates the president’s “interest in college sports.”
Blake Toppmeyer is the USA TODAY Network’s national college football columnist. Email him at BToppmeyer@gannett.com and follow him on X @btoppmeyer.
Feasibility of UNCW sports and entertainment arena under review, NIL lawsuit a factor
Trask Coliseum. (Port City Daily/file photo) [Editor’s Note: The House v. NCAA settlement was signed by Judge Wilken the evening of Friday, June 6. Universities can begin paying its athletes directly on July 1 with an annual cap of $20.5 million per school and increase every year over the next decade.] WILMINGTON — UNCW is […]
[Editor’s Note: The House v. NCAA settlement was signed by Judge Wilken the evening of Friday, June 6. Universities can begin paying its athletes directly on July 1 with an annual cap of $20.5 million per school and increase every year over the next decade.]
WILMINGTON — UNCW is in the early stages of developing a new basketball arena and potential concert venue, a step-up for a team increasingly gaining more recognition on the national level.
READ MORE: In its infancy, UNCW NIL program is providing athletes money but also real-life work experience
Last fall, UNCW Athletics launched a feasibility study into upgrading Trask Coliseum, either through renovation or a new replacement stadium. The UNCW Board of Trustees approved either option as part of the university’s new 10-year master plan in August 2024.
UNCW hired Conventions, Sports & Leisure Internationl to conduct the study — the evaluation of a new tennis is also included in the scope of work — and provide a report of its funding; the contract is for $90,000.
UNCW’s men’s and women’s basketball teams compete in Trask, built in 1977, only six years after the opening of the college’s oldest dorm Galloway Hall, which was torn down last year.
The most recent improvements to the 5,200-seat venue have been a $2-million renovation in 2011, which included the installation of a video board and LED courtside boards; new LED lighting was installed in 2013. Though structurally sound, the building remains dated, UNCW Athletics Director Mike Oblinger told Port City Daily in an interview on May 30.
“Some of the amenities that other buildings, newer buildings, enjoy — we just don’t have that capability,” Oblinger said. “Mostly it’s around the fan amenities. It’s concessions, it’s food quality; we don’t really have a true area for fans to buy gear and team-shop and things like that.”
Oblinger noted Trask doesn’t offer premium seating options either, such as suites or club seats that offer an enhanced viewing experience for a higher ticket price. As the teams gain more acclaim — the men’s basketball team made it to the first round of this year’s NCAA championship, where it lost to Texas Tech — these coliseum enhancements are aimed at further enriching the fan experience.
The vision for UNCW’s new arena aims to be similar to other NCAA Division I schools in the UNC System, such as UNC Chapel Hill’s Dean. E Smith Center (opened in 1986) and N.C. State’s Lenovo Center (opened in 1999). Both offer multiple concession and merchandise areas surrounding the court, along with other food vendor stands dispersed throughout. The Lenovo Center is also home to the Carolina Hurricanes ice hockey team and regularly books A-list music artists, including Beyonce, Taylor Swift and Post Malone.
CSL is exploring hosting concerts at the new arena, as Trask has done in the past. It has hosted Frank Sinatra, The Righteous Brothers, Darius Rucker and the Goo Goo Dolls.
Oblinger said the team has not decided yet on a new build or renovation, which would displace the teams. Any new structure would have to fall in the general vicinity of Trask’s current 15,000-square-feet footprint at the front of campus.
In fact, UNCW hasn’t decided if it’s moving forward with a new arena at all. Oblinger said a lot of financial decisions, not just at UNCW but across NCAA athletics, are riding on what’s called “the House decision.”
Grant House and Sedona Prince v. National Collegiate Athletic Association, et al is a class action lawsuit against the NCAA and five athletic conferences. Two student athletes sought name, image, and likeness (NIL) damages and an injunction to force the NCAA and affiliated athletic conferences to lift restrictions on revenue-sharing from broadcast rights.
The NCAA voted to settle the lawsuit for $2.75 billion in May 2024 and agreed to a revenue-sharing model, allowing member institutions to distribute up to $20 million to Division I athletes that have played since 2016. It would also allow direct payments from schools to athletes and increasing regulation of NIL deals.
The settlement is an attempt to level the playing field four years after NIL compensation was legalized, meaning student athletes can now make brand deals and get paid. The settlement will curtail high-profile programs from outspending opponents in attempts to attract players and likely reduce the amount of money athletes can earn, particularly from collectives organized by school booster clubs.
Judge Claudia Wilken is expected to rule on validating the settlement any day now. It is supposed to take effect July 1.
“I think if you talk to my peers throughout the country, a variety of facility projects would either be put on hold or paused or eliminated altogether because of the revenue-sharing potential that the House settlement might bring,” Oblinger said.
If approved, athletes will essentially be able to take a cut of the money that comes in from media rights deals, sponsorships and revenue generated from tickets, food and merchandise sold at sports arenas.
“If we’re going to continue on and do a renovation of a building, well, then, that can’t be at the detriment of not having the ability to compete with NIL in that space,” Oblinger said.
In the meantime, CSL and UNCW have sent out a survey to college alumni, season ticket holders and others in the UNCW Athletics database to gauge what they would like to see in a new arena.
Oblinger said they are still reviewing feedback from the survey now and didn’t give many details about it last week. Oblinger did share overall there were positive responses, with everyone in agreement that an update to the coliseum should be made.
Reach journalist Brenna Flanagan at brenna@localdailymedia.com.
Want to read more from PCD? Subscribe now and then sign up for our newsletter, Wilmington Wire, and get the headlines delivered to your inbox every morning.
Trump golfs with Greg Sankey, Notre Dame AD. What did they discuss?
Kirby Smart on college football’s future Kirby Smart urges leaders to prioritize the game’s future over personal or conference agendas in playoff talks. President Donald Trump played golf with two prominent college sports figures last weekend. Who won the round, and what did they discuss? SEC commissioner Greg Sankey said he’ll contain the particulars to […]
Kirby Smart urges leaders to prioritize the game’s future over personal or conference agendas in playoff talks.
President Donald Trump played golf with two prominent college sports figures last weekend.
Who won the round, and what did they discuss?
SEC commissioner Greg Sankey said he’ll contain the particulars to those who played in the golf group. Sankey joined Trump and Notre Dame athletic director Pete Bevacqua for the round of golf. They played at Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, New Jersey, according to a Yahoo! Sports report.
“It was helpful for me and for Pete, as well, to hear his thoughts and his perspectives and to share some of ours,” Sankey said Monday during a call with reporters. “I think those are best left for the moment on the golf course.”
The golf outing came amid what Sankey described as an “inflection point” moment for college sports, on the heels of a federal judge on Friday approving the House legal settlement.
The settlement allows NCAA member schools to directly compensate athletes beginning July 1 in the form of revenue-sharing for the use of the name, image and likeness of players. Previously, athletes could earn money via NIL deals with third-party individuals and groups. This settlement allows schools to bring payments to athletes in-house.
The settlement allows schools to distribute a capped financial allotment to athletes across sports. The cap is estimated to start around $20.5 million per school.
Additionally, the settlement outlines that any Division I athlete who earns an NIL deal or deals worth $600 or more must report those deals to a regulatory system called “NIL Go.” This centralized clearinghouse, run by Deloitte, will be tasked with determining whether those deals have a “valid business purpose” and whether the money involved in those deals falls within “a reasonable range of compensation,” whatever those terms are considered to mean.
“This (settlement) brings us to a point of having the opportunity for stability and fairness in the new system,” Sankey said Monday, “replacing what has been a chaotic number of months in a fully unregulated environment – replacing that environment with transparent and enforceable rules that promote consistent opportunities for all and are part of a judicially approved settlement.”
Sankey and other college sports leaders have lobbied for years for federal legislation to regulate the NIL marketplace and supersede the patchwork of state NIL laws. No such federal legislation has emerged.
While Sankey declined to get into the specifics of his golf course talks with Trump, he said he appreciates the president’s “interest in college sports.”
Blake Toppmeyer is the USA TODAY Network’s national college football columnist. Email him at BToppmeyer@gannett.com and follow him on X @btoppmeyer.
Players aim to sharpen skills as BR.ICE summer hockey program kicks off second year
HOUGHTON, Mich. (WLUC) – Summer may be here, but that isn’t stopping hockey players from getting onto the ice. “My last time on the ice was April, and I broke my collarbone,” 8th grader Isacc Haugland said. “This is my first time back on the ice after that.” Haugland has been itching to play hockey […]
HOUGHTON, Mich. (WLUC) – Summer may be here, but that isn’t stopping hockey players from getting onto the ice.
“My last time on the ice was April, and I broke my collarbone,” 8th grader Isacc Haugland said. “This is my first time back on the ice after that.”
Haugland has been itching to play hockey again. He’s played since he was four years old and has wanted to play for even longer.
“It’s kinda just been a family thing,” Haugland continued. “Both my older brother and older sister played hockey. I’ve just wanted to play hockey since I was, like, two.”
The BR.ICE Hockey Development program is letting him get back in the game. The program started last year in Houghton and wrapped up its first program in Marquette last month. Haugland is joining 175 other players between 6 and 18 years old to sharpen their skills across several programs.
“Each program is different,” BR.ICE Hockey Development Owner Raymond Brice. “Our elite programs are progression programs for varsity athletes only. We want to push those kids to move on to the next level, teaching super detailed skills… and then for our younger groups, we’re trying to teach foundational skills. We want to preach good habits.”
The program is being held at Michigan Tech University’s MacInnes Student Ice Arena this year. Haugland is no stranger to the arena. He moved to the area from Ohio two years ago after already attending MTU hockey camps for several years. While currently playing on Calumet’s middle school hockey team, he hopes one day to wear the black, yellow and white.
“I’d like to go play college hockey, hopefully for Tech,” Haugland added. “One of the reasons we moved up here is multiple people in my family are looking towards going to Tech. I want to see if I can get a scholarship or at least play some juniors hockey.”
There is a very limited number of open slots still open for this year’s program, which runs until August. Costs vary depending on which program you sign up for, ranging from $300 to $610. To view openings, click here.
The video above will feature the TV6 livestream until staff can clip the corresponding story, if available, from broadcasts or other TV6 content. You can subscribe to our YouTube page or download TV6+ to stream the latest local news and weather.
STEPHEN A. CALLS OUT LEBRON for Giannis and NBA eras comments 
| First Take
