The Provo IceCats, a hockey team comprised of BYU students, will receive a facelift this year when its inaugural season as BYU hockey begins Oct. 12.

"A lot of time and effort has gone into making this change," said Danny Damron, President of IceCat Hockey, Inc.

The change comes from pressure received from The American College Hockey Association, the league the IceCats participate in, to become BYU affiliated or to find a new league to play in. This warning prompted Damron to propose that the University make the IceCats a BYU-sponsored team.

"After carefully considering this matter, the University has determined that it will acknowledge IceCat Hockey as a 'Recognized Sport' at BYU," said K. Fred Skousen, the Advancement Vice President, in an official letter.

"We kept the announcement pretty hush hush, but when I announced it the guys were ecstatic," said Ed Gantt, head coach of the hockey team and professor of psychology at BYU. "There were some shouts of joy and there were some tears."

Gantt, referred to by some of his colleagues as the 'Utah County Hockey God', has been involved with the IceCats since 1998, and has served in various positions within the organization. Last year he led the team to an 18-12-1-1 season, its best season in more than a decade.

"We have some unfinished business," said Gantt about the upcoming season. "The last two years we missed the national championships by one goal, this year we want to make it to the national tournament."

The Cougar hockey team will sport the BYU logo on its uniforms this season and are now allowed full access to BYU facilities. Even though the team is BYU sponsored it continues to be funded by donors and private individuals.