With a further $500,000 set to come from the university, the $1 million (£810,000/€900,000) raised will keep the programme going that has been part of UAH for four decades.

Both the ice hockey and tennis programmes at the university had been cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic which affected funding at the institution.

Despite the raising of funds, it does not guarantee the reintroduction of the programme.

Former UAH player Sheldon Wolitski told AL.com: "[School President Darren Dawson] did make us a verbal commitment that if you get to that number, we’ll make it happen.

"We’re hoping he’s going to honour his word, we were asking for a formal statement from him to say that. 

"It would be a shame to put all this effort and we raise it and he doesn’t follow through."

The UAH ice hockey team has been in peril before, nearly going under in 2011.

It is the only National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I team to come from the south of the United States, with the next southern team coming from Colorado.

Others have stated that due to players transferring to other universities, it does not mean that the programme will return in the same form it previously existed.

Since becoming a Division I team in the 1998-99 season, the UAH Chargers have twice made the NCAA play-offs, both times losing in the regional semi-finals.