University of Alabama hockey player Calvin Mansfield (#25) takes a shot against UAH at the Pelham Civic Complex in Pelham, Alabama.
Alabama's American Collegiate Hockey Association M1 team will join Louisville, North Carolina State University and the University of North Carolina to form a new conference aimed at increasing the popularity of hockey in the South, the team announced via its official website. Instagram.
The four schools have signed an agreement with the ACHA and the Atlantic Coast Conference Hockey League to form a conference that would begin play in the 2025-26 season.
“I think this was a conference that was really needed,” forward Chris Mollenpaa said. “We have four big-name programs and the potential for more to join. This is a step toward our goal of growing hockey in the South.”
According to club president Austin Fink, North Carolina State approached Alabama coach Will Sieg, who “enthusiastically accepted the offer.” From there, clandestine negotiations with the hockey league ensued. Once the idea was put together and presented, the ACHA was sold.
The change came at just the right time: Coming off a season with 5 wins, 20 losses and one tie, the school's only D1 team was considering relegation to the Amateur Athletic Union, which represents one of Alabama's other two men's teams.
“We were considering moving down to AAU,” Fink said, “but with the other SEC schools lined up, our SEC matchups would be very popular and we'd be absolutely dominant in that league.”
Fink said when the Frozen Tide was presented with the opportunity to co-found a new conference, the team was considering whether to make the transition and from there the decision was made to pursue the opportunity.
The criteria for joining the conference were clear: participating members had to be part of a “Power 5 Conference” with current and past success with ACHA M1 programs, they had to be a fully developed ACHA program with a loyal fan base, and the school could not currently own an NCAA hockey team.
Some players believe being able to play against opposing teams with bigger fan bases will play a big role in the team's popularity in Alabama, as the Frozen Tide's current home is the Pelham Civic Complex and Ice Rink in Pelham, Alabama, nearly an hour away from campus.
“If I'm a fan and I'm like, 'I have to drive 45 to 50 minutes to see this game,' I'm not going to go see a game against Central Oklahoma,” Fink said. “I want to go see a game against the Oklahoma Sooners, Oregon Ducks, Auburn Tigers or Ole Miss Rebels. People want to come to see the big Power Five matchups.”
Alabama's Hockey Program I've been working for years To increase the popularity of hockey in the South, Instagram account According to the bio, it's one that will shape the future of hockey in the South.
Through this organization, four Alabama teams petitioned to have a rink built in Tuscaloosa, ultimately achieving their goal of having an NCAA hockey team in the state of Alabama, and forward Jenson Lopez says the creation of this new conference is one step toward achieving those goals.
“If other SEC schools follow suit, this team has a chance to advance to NCAA D1,” Lopez said. “It will take a lot of hard work to continue to build this program, but this new conference is a big step in the right direction for our organization.”
Alabama is not yet affiliated with NCAA hockey, but the ACCHL commissioner Mike Worley The conference claims it will showcase “the highest level of college hockey in the Southeast” and inspire a whole new generation of hockey players from non-traditional areas to continue chasing their hockey dreams.
Despite all the benefits this league brings to college club hockey, some of the reasons to join this conference are essential.
Being an independent team with no conference to call home means a team needs a near perfect record to make the ACHA playoffs, but once in a conference they only need to be the strongest in their conference to automatically qualify.
“This conference is going to give us a lot of positivity,” Lopez said, “and this team is going to be a confident team that loves to win and hates to lose.”
