Oct. 5, 2021

This paid piece is sponsored by Augustana University.

The news first broke in mid-June, but Augustana University formally announced today that it will be home to the Viking men’s hockey program — set to take the ice in the fall of 2023. The public announcement came during a groundbreaking ceremony on AU’s campus for the program’s new $40 million Midco Arena, facilitated by a lead gift from T. Denny Sanford, Midco, Sanford Health and several other major donors.

“Thank you, Denny Sanford, for leading the way to bring Division I hockey to Augie, Sioux Falls and the great state of South Dakota. We’re proud to be one of the many sponsors and donors helping support Augustana in making this dream come true, and we’re grateful for the opportunity to put the Midco name on the arena. By bringing DI hockey to Sioux Falls, Augustana’s campus will become even more of an activity hub for the region while continuing to graduate leaders for years to come,” said Midco president and CEO Pat McAdaragh. “Midco is thrilled to be part of this initiative and excited to welcome everyone to the Midco Arena.”

The program, which will compete at the NCAA Division I level, will be the Vikings’ 23rd collegiate sport and first of its kind in South Dakota.

A conversation starter: The beginnings of hockey at AU

While Augustana is officially home to hockey now, the conversation surrounding the sport began in the spring of 2018 in the midst of Stephanie Herseth Sandlin’s first year as president of the university.

“I decided to host multiple ideation sessions (with people from across campus),” said Herseth Sandlin. “I asked everyone to think and dream about the future. And, in at least three of those sessions, hockey found its way into the discussion.”

At the time, they were just discussions. Augustana hadn’t done much due diligence surrounding hockey until after an evaluation of an all-sports transition to Division I. When that didn’t unfold the way the university had hoped in 2020, the conversations began to grow at Augustana and then with a major donor.

This spring, Herseth Sandlin and Augustana’s chief strategy officer and executive vice president, Dr. Pam Homan, paid a visit to Sanford. They brought with them investment proposals related to Augustana’s strategic plan Viking Bold: The Journey to 2030.

“I remember he (Sanford) was jotting down some notes on several things we had visited with him about,” recalled Herseth Sandlin. “Then, I said, ‘Denny, we’d now like to talk with you about hockey.’ I’m not sure if the topic surprised him or not. But when I started to explain that the hockey program could compete at the Division I level and would be a good strategic fit and differentiator for Augustana, that’s when Denny started asking more questions and expressing interest in more information about the opportunity.”

They had found his passion. Once Augustana learned Sanford was willing to invest the single largest gift ever made to the university, it was a matter of making sure the Board of Trustees, as well as other strategic partners and donors were on board.

“It’s the right program at the right time for where Augustana is now, and it’s just been so affirming because of all the enthusiasm that our campus, alumni, community and donors have expressed,” said Herseth Sandlin. “This is more than a men’s hockey program at Augustana. This is a universitywide initiative that has great potential impact for our city and region.”

Standing up a major new program

“It was probably about a week into my tenure when the president asked me what I thought about hockey. My answer was: ‘I love it. It’d be great, but it’s really expensive,’” Augustana director of athletics Josh Morton said. “I think when we knew he (Sanford) was excited, that got all of us excited.”

From an athletic director perspective, Morton said the most important moves they will make when it comes to standing up a hockey program involve two pieces: the head coach and facility.

Augustana plans to have a head coach in place by May 2022, giving the coach more than a year to build a roster. Edgemoor Infrastructure & Real Estate has been selected to manage the design, development and construction of the facility south of 33rd Street on Grange Avenue where the hockey team will practice and play games.

First imagined by JLG Architects, the Midco Arena will house up to 3,000 seats, as well as luxury suites, providing a first-class experience for both student-athletes and sports fans. Augustana is conducting a feasibility study to help inform whether other elements should be incorporated into the design of the new facility, such as an auxiliary sheet of ice, to help meet campus programming and community needs.

“The hockey program, and what it means for our campus, is indescribable,” Morton said. “And building a new facility — there’s something invigorating about it, not only for Augustana athletics, but for the broader community. For Augustana to take that step — it separates us.”

Augustana is taking a collaborative approach in launching the program. AU has established a President’s Playmakers Committee, consisting of an executive committee and four subcommittees, which include the Head Coach Search, Facility Design & Programming, Athletic Program & Campus Integration, as well as Promotional Development & Fan Engagement.

These committees are already hard at work because albeit a new program, the expectations are high.

“Since 2010, we’ve won four national championships in four different sports — that’s unheard of. We have broad-based excellence, so the bar is up there. The expectations are competitive excellence and strong academic performance,” said Morton.

As Morton said, along with other new programs, such as men’s swimming and diving, acrobatics and tumbling, and women’s lacrosse, Augustana’s focus will be launching the men’s hockey program with excellence and continuing its quest to secure the Learfield Directors’ Cup. After at least five years of continuing to build and maintain momentum, the university feels it will be better positioned to make an all-sports transition to Division I athletics.

Making history: From Drake Springs to Division I

Members of the Augustana community are no strangers to hockey, including Ron Moquist, who moved to Sioux Falls in 1975. The South St. Paul, Minnesota, native is the husband of an Augustana alumna, a member of the university’s Board of Trustees, the former president and CEO of Raven Industries Inc. and a major reason why hockey in the community has grown into what it is today.

“I signed up my 6-year-old (Ian) in the hockey program and became the coach,” Moquist said. “I believe that was in 1978, and those are the days when we skated outdoors at the rink in Drake Springs Park.”

Within a few years, Moquist helped the effort to build an indoor rink — the Minnehaha Ice and Recreation Center. He said it wasn’t much to look at, but the 300 or so kids in the program were happy to be indoors.

“It was a big deal for us. A number of us worked 40 to 50 hours a week at our jobs and spent another 20 hours a week at the arena, trying to improve it, selling concessions and sharpening skates. It became like a second job but was a lot of fun at the same time,” Moquist said.

Since then, the Stampede has paved the way in making Sioux Falls a well-known hockey destination for both players and fans, and the city now has the Scheels IcePlex, for which Moquist was an honorary co-chairman. Now, nearly 45 years later, the former president of the Sioux Falls Youth Hockey Association and former director of the state association continues to help the community fill a void — this time with a program that will compete at the Division I level.

“I honestly believe this is going to be the hottest ticket in town. It’s going to add a level of excitement and entertainment that we don’t have in this community,” Moquist said. “This will just be one more thing that ties Augustana to it.”

And people are taking notice as hockey continues to unfold — especially those who grew up in Sioux Falls, have ties to Augustana and are engrossed in the sport, like Wayne Petersen.

The 1984 graduate came to Augustana because of his father. Throughout his more than 30-year tenure, Pastor Pete Petersen served in many roles at the college, including as its first campus pastor, dean of students, assistant football coach, assistant athletic director, the voice of Augustana basketball and professor emeritus of health, physical education and recreation.

But, as a youngster, Petersen only knew of hockey through his dad, who played in high school and college in Minnesota.

“I used to skate, but I never played hockey and never had aspirations to play hockey because it really wasn’t an option when I was growing up in Sioux Falls, unlike it is now,” said Petersen.

Petersen didn’t know much about the sport until 2000 — when the Minnesota Wild called him away from his position with the Minnesota Twins.

“Now, I absolutely love hockey,” said the Wild’s director of community relations and hockey partnerships. “It’s such a great game. It’s just a thrill to be a part of it.”

And Petersen couldn’t have been more excited when he learned in June that his alma mater was looking to add the sport.

“I think it’s awesome. I think it’s going to be a golden opportunity to really shine the light on Sioux Falls and the university. There’s lots of opportunities to take the entire community and bring them on board. And there’s nothing like a live hockey game.”

An experience the Vikings can’t wait to deliver.