‘Kind of a gut punch’: SFU to lose NCAA-level hockey and lacrosse programs in move away from U.S. system
Simon Fraser University’s move away from U.S. college athletics will bring an end to its NCAA-level lacrosse and travel hockey programs following this season.
It’s a decision one longtime coach calls “kind of a gut punch” that marks the loss of a unique high-performance pathway in Canadian university sport.
“Playing against those major U.S. programs and having NHL scouts in the building … it’s something our players live for,” said Mark Coletta, head coach of SFU Hockey’s non-conference team, which competes against NCAA Division I programs across the United States and U SPORTS teams in Canada.
SFU Athletics and Recreation says the non-conference hockey travel team and the lacrosse program’s U.S. competition will be “retired” after this season, citing financial, regulatory, and logistical pressures tied to cross-border play.
The move comes as the Burnaby-based school pursues a return to Canadian university sport. The university says it has applied to join U SPORTS and the Canada West conference beginning in 2027, with a decision expected this spring or summer.
Since 2010, SFU has been the only Canadian university competing in the American system.
Coletta, who has coached SFU Hockey for more than a decade, believes the shift away means the end of the very exposure many players come to SFU to pursue.
“Our guys were happy playing at this level. That’s how we recruited for the last three years,” he said.
“When you see SFU Hockey versus Boston University on ESPN … that’s worth something.”
The travel team, which operates alongside SFU’s B.C. Intercollegiate Hockey League club squad, has also played exhibition games against NCAA Division I hockey schools like the University of Massachusetts and Providence College, and will face the University of Michigan — a powerhouse program — in March.
SFU says it will continue to support affected student-athletes and is working with coaches and players as the transition unfolds.
Some players have already secured opportunities with other schools, while others are expected to finish their degrees without continuing their hockey careers, Coletta said.
The school announced last year it would seek readmission to U SPORTS and Canada West for varsity programs, pointing to rising costs, travel demands, and a changing post-secondary landscape.
If accepted, several varsity programs — including golf, outdoor track and field, and softball — are expected to be discontinued, because there are no national championships for those sports in U SPORTS.
While the travel hockey team is not a varsity program, Coletta says it operated at a high-performance level through donor funding and volunteer coaching hours, giving players the chance to compete against top-tier talent.
“It’s not a great place to be, knowing that you might have let a bunch of alumni and donors down that had their sights set on something. We put a lot of work — and I say we as a pretty big collective — into this.”
“Who would think, you’re in a major hockey market here — a major university — and you don’t want to bring hockey along for the ride.”
For Coletta, the final weeks of the season include one last U.S. road trip — a chance for players to experience the level of competition and exposure they signed up for.
