 The president's budget proposal eliminates public media funding. Learn how you can help at lptv.org slash action. But for as good as the last 24 hours have been for women's hockey as a whole, the last 12 have been just as bad for the University of North Dakota women's hockey team. Earlier today, UND athletic director Brian Faison announced that the UND women's hockey program as well as men's and women's swimming would be eliminated. The cuts are part of a school-wide effort to trim budgets because of an anticipated drop in state funding. It's got to rank us amongst the most painful things you could imagine because this is their life. You're disrupting the path that they had set for themselves. It's not a decision we take lightly. It was a very, very difficult situation because it's a unique circumstance for us to have this program. Again, I think Brian's done a really good job. I mean, we've gotten the WCHA frozen face, I think seven years in a row or whatever it is. I mean, you know, so there's a level of quality of play and everything else that's there. So that's a hard thing and I can't replace it. All three programs will be eliminated effective at the end of this 2016-17 academic year. And the announcement of the program's elimination came as a shock to many, including Bemidji State who played UND in the WCHA. Tremendously sad days. It's just a, you know, to have that great, you know, we take a huge step as a sport one day. You know, it's like two big steps backward today with the announcement that North Dakota's not going to feel the team anymore. It's just it's really hard to fathom. We've always considered ourselves to, those of us in the league, to be the toughest league and they're one of the reasons why. UND has always been one of my favorite games to play. One of my favorite arenas to go to. I have a good friend on the team and it's just so disappointing that that team has to get cut for whatever reasons it is and they're a good team. And the fact that we're losing a good competition, that's only someone that would make us better. Playing against those skilled players and not having that opportunity now, that's detrimental to us and the league. League Commissioner Katie Millian released a statement earlier this afternoon which read in part, today's developments are excruciatingly sad for the University of North Dakota, the WCHA and the sport of women's hockey. While we understand the significant state mandated budget cuts faced by the entire university and respect the decision-making process of the UND administration, there is no denying the impact of losing a program that has produced Olympians, advanced to NCAA tournaments and is a perennial fixture in the national rankings. Our collective hearts ache for North Dakota's current and incoming student athletes for the school's alumni and fans, for head coach Brian Idolsky and his entire staff and all involved with the program. You can see the full statement on our website. She also said the league will be evaluating appropriate actions needed to remedy the impacts of this decision for the coming season and beyond. But just a shock to everybody, right? Nobody saw this coming. Nobody really saw this coming. They knew something was going to happen. They didn't know what programs were going to be cut and ultimately ended up being women's hockey, men's and men's and women's swimming. And women's hockey, they were even out on the ice still when most of this news was breaking online earlier today. Wow, all right, well too bad, okay. If you've enjoyed this segment of Lakeland News, please consider making a tax deductible contribution to Lakeland Public Television.