Officials at Minnesota State Moorhead held a press conference Friday to provide an update on their efforts to bring Division I hockey to the Fargo-Moorhead area. The school is 40% toward its goal of raising $37 million to endow the men's and women's hockey programs and believes the ongoing changes in the college hockey conference landscape could play into their hands.

"The time is now," said athletic director Doug Peters.

In addition to fundraising, Moorhead has undergone feasibility studies and drafted business plans, talked to Division I presidents and athletic directors and worked with a group called Collegiate Consulting.

Peters and school president Edna Szymanski identified the next three months as crucial in the Dragons' fundraising hopes, while conference plans for 2013-14 and beyond take shape.

"I have always thought this opportunity is clearly worthy of exploration," President Szymanski said. "We came to the endowment model as a way we believe we could make it work. The most important point in our decision was that there would be no risk to taxpayer or tuition dollars."

Moorhead posted more details on the school's athletic web site. Minnesota State Moorhead currently supports 14 sports competing at the NCAA Division II level.