The Ice Hockey Club at the University of South Carolina was founded in 2001 by John Lipscomb and Jared Hopkins. Since then it has grown from a team of only a few to deep and talented squad. The inaugural season for the Gamecocks was highlighted by a game in Greenville, South Carolina at the Bi-Lo Center in front of thousands of fans. As collegiate hockey grows the gamecocks will be part of another first in 2015. They will play the University of South Florida at the Amway center in Orlando to kick off UCF’s official relationship with the ECHL Solar Bears. Prior to the 2006-07 season, the team joined the American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) at the Division 3 level. Inclusion in the ACHA afforded the Gamecocks the opportunity to qualify for the South Regionals and the Division 3 National Championships. Finally in 2008-09, USC received a top 10 ranking and were invited to the South Regionals. A tough draw saw the club lose its first game to Central Florida (perennial contender) but rebound to defeat Loyola and justify its seeding. The 08-09 season also marked the official development of the Southeastern Collegiate Hockey Conference (SECHC)which culminated in the first SECHC Champion being crowned. USC entered the tournament ranked 3rd overall and were able to maintain this seed by defeating LSU and Florida, after losing the semi-final to Georgia. The inaugural event saw Tennessee hoist the SECHC Championship Cup. The relationship between the SECHC and the ACHA continues to grow. The SECHC tournament results are now a key factor in determining the final standings for the ACHA regional tournament the gateway to a trip to Nationals. The Gamecocks had their best performance in SECHC tournament in 2015, defeating Alabama in the semi finals before losing the championship game to Arkansas. Both Arkansas and Alabama following the tournament moved to be ACHA D-1 teams. The USC Ice Hockey Club continues to develop a strong tradition. Buoyed by a strong relationship at our home rink; Sports Plex in Irmo, the Gamecocks continually receive strong support within the community. Each season, quality student athletes are recruited to represent USC making the goal of a National Championship attainable.
