The UNC club ice hockey program is taking a major step up.

On Thursday morning, the team announced it would be officially elevating to Division 1 status in the American Collegiate Hockey Association. Carolina will be a founding member of the ACHA’s new Atlantic Coast Conference Hockey League M1 Division, along with Alabama, Louisville and NC State.

“It’s clear that interest in hockey is growing exponentially in the southeast,” said the team’s head coach, Adam Dauda. “We want to continue to give our fans the highest quality of hockey possible and this jump will allow us to do that.”

The ice hockey program is coming off some of its most successful seasons to date in the ACHA’s Division 2, which included two consecutive Governor’s Cup victories against NC State and an outdoor game at Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh.

“Our players and staff have shown commitment to greatness and I’m confident we will continue to find success at the D1 level,” Dauda said. “I’m thrilled to be able to have our program embark on this exciting next step and hopeful it will lead to great things for UNC Hockey.”

Though the program currently plays games at the Orange County Sportsplex in Hillsborough, it is planning to move into a new $20 million arena at Carraway Village in Chapel Hill by the 2025-26 season. The program plans for the arena to seat more than 2,000 people.

Said ACCHL commissioner Mike Walley, the new division will “showcase the highest levels of collegiate hockey in the Southeast, and in turn, will inspire an entire new generation of youth hockey players in non-traditional hockey areas who aspire to eventually be rostered on these exceptional university ice hockey teams.”

 

Featured image via UNC Hockey on Twitter

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