Sports

Former Seawolf back in the pack

In his playing days at UAA, Derek Donald raised his share of hockey hell, both as a prolific scorer and an undersized forward unafraid to venture into the nastiest neighborhoods on the rink. As a junior and senior, he won the team's Corner Man Award for his tenacity.

Now Donald aims to bring that same relentless work ethic to the Seawolves' athletic department. He has been hired as assistant director of marketing and promotions, and charged in large part with raising the hockey program's attendance and profile.

Donald, 38, grew up in Anchorage, skated for Service High, helped the Seawolves to three NCAA tournament appearances and graduated from UAA with a bachelor's degree in health science. He also played professionally for the Anchorage Aces in the old West Coast Hockey League and served as their general manager.

Donald, who played at UAA from 1988-1992, still rates as the program's No. 4 all-time leading scorer -- he bagged 74-91--135 totals and 239 penalty minutes (tied for ninth all-time) in 135 games -- and was inducted into the Seawolf Hall of Fame in 2006.

After spending the last several years selling real estate in the Seattle area, he said he's psyched to be back in Anchorage and hooked back up with UAA hockey.

"It's home to me still, and my heart and soul is still in this program,'' Donald said. "This is something I'm excited and passionate about, and it's close to my heart.''

UAA athletic director Steve Cobb said Donald's job, which started earlier this month and pays him $5,000 a month, is to work with corporate sponsors and in the community, and most importantly to put butts in the seats at Sullivan Arena.

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In Donald's last season, 1991-92, the Seawolves averaged 5,746 fans per game and attendance leaped to nothing but standing-room-only crowds of 6,406 in 1993-94, UAA's first season in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association. But attendance has steadily declined and dropped to an average of 3,520 this past season even though UAA went 14-17-5 and doubled its wins over the previous season.

"I refer to it as, 'I want him to sell some of our unused capacity,' " Cobb said. "I think our hockey program is better than the perception, and I think it's the best entertainment value.

"We need to do a better job with upping our support, upping our attendance and upping our visibility. We don't quite have that home-team mystique that I think our players and program deserve.''

Donald remembers what it was like to play in front of big, ear-splitting crowds at Sullivan and wants to restore that home-ice advantage.

"The energy is up, the excitement is up, and you can't help but feel energized when the building is shaking and the hair of the back of your neck is standing up,'' Donald said. "If you're a visiting team -- you're on your heels. If you're the home team, you're fired up.''

Donald and his wife, Amy, have two children, Megan, 12, and William, 10. The family is back in Poulsbo, Wash., and will move here after the school year. In the meantime, Donald is here for his "dream job.''

"My focus right now is getting this up and running,'' Donald said. "I've got to get my nose to the grindstone.''

Find Doyle Woody's blog online at adn.com/hockeyblog or call him at 257-4335.

By DOYLE WOODY

dwoody@adn.com

Doyle Woody

Doyle Woody covered hockey and other sports for the Anchorage Daily News for 34 years.

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