UNC Wilmington’s club hockey team has become known on campus for its unique way of promoting its weekend home games at the Wilmington Ice House.

Known by the team as the Flying V formation, the team uses any sort of transportation is has (roller blades, bicycles or skateboards) to go down Chancellor’s Walk and let the student population know about their upcoming home games for that weekend.

Most Fridays during the fall, shouts of “hockey game!” and fliers can be seen up and down the main part of campus, courtesy of the hockey Seahawks.

The Flying V formation draws inspiration from the popular hockey movie “The Mighty Ducks” which is a formation used by the team in the movie as a way for them to enter the offensive zone.

The club hockey team usually does three Flying V formations a week when they have a home game, two on Thursdays at 11:15 a.m. and 12:45 p.m. and one on Fridays at 11:50 a.m.

“We picked these times specifically because it is right when people are getting out of class, so it maximizes our audience,” said assistant captain Bennett Clark. “It can be embarrassing at times and people stare at us, but it is a lot of fun when a good group of guys shows up and it makes Friday nights way more fun.”

The team takes the same path each time they do the formation, starting with a team meeting at Wagoner Hall. They then move all the way down Chancellor’s Walk, past Morton Hall and pass in front of the library on the other end of campus. They then head towards the student union and finish back down Chancellor’s before stopping at Wag once again.

With the team not receiving any promotion from the athletic department nor the ACHA (American Collegiate Hockey Association), it needed a way to get fans interested in the team and encourage them to come out to support them. The team decided the Flying V was the best way for them to get the fans to the game.

“Some people hate us for it, but the fact that we are so into our team, the sport and winning, I think a lot of people enjoy it and are so happy to come to our games,” says captain Tyler Evangelous. “It’s an atmosphere that you don’t get at UNCW.”

Fan support means a lot to the team,  and for the club hockey team, it is especially impactful for the players, many of whom have never played in front of a massive amount of people before.

“Being a freshman, I have never played in front of fans before in my life,” says defenseman Tyler Feast. “My first game here with all the fans cheering, it was ridiculous. I was pretty nervous.”

The Flying V Formation has been a team tradition for over a decade and is something that every player participates in. With home games scheduled throughout the remainder of the season, the team is prepared to do another formation and pack the Ice House once again.

“I’m glad that we have such a good backing from our fans and that they support us and we get a good turn-out for all our games,” said Evangelous.

Contributing Writer Brian Carpenter can be found on Twitter @bostonfan17856. Any tips or suggestions should be forwarded via email to [email protected]. For video updates from The Seahawk, subscribe to our YouTube channel.