In collegiate sports, it often takes several years to experience success. However, the UNC-Wilmington club hockey team is achieving success in just a few years.

Created in Oct. 2004 by only four students, the team has been affiliated with the Blue Ridge Hockey Conference since the 2005-06 seasons. Other teams in the BRHC include UNC-Charlotte, The Citadel, Appalachian State University, Wake Forest University, College of Charleston and Johnson & Wales.

“All of those games always get really intense and heated,” senior assistant captain Greg Taylor said. “It’s always exciting playing conference games.”

Taylor has played for the Seahawks as a defensive man for the last two seasons since he transferred from Cape Fear Community College.

This year the team has changed its head coach after naming Bryan Hapeman as the Seahawks’ new leader. “I’m excited to see where the team will go with Coach Hapeman behind the bench,” general manager and former player Pete Schwarz said. “He already has impressed me and the members of the team with his dedication, organization, knowledge and passion.”

Schwarz, who was an all-conference goalie in 2005 when he played for the Seahawks, has been assisting with the program since his graduation.

Now as general manager, his goal is “to assist in advancing the program to a BRHC championship and ultimately a national ranking and championship.”

The team opened its season on Sept. 24 with a loss against Duke but has bounced back last week to improve its record to 2-2 after a pair of critical wins.

On Oct. 16, the Seahawks beat the University of Georgia, a formidable team that was ranked last year. “Beating Georgia was a big deal for us,” Taylor said. “They are definitely one of the best teams that we have ever faced before, so to beat them was great for the team.”

Although it is a club, the hockey team does receive some funding from the university. However, the team still has to pay fees totaling up to $725. These fees are used for hotels, transportation, ice time and referee fees.

As the team continues to play a challenging schedule, they hope to continue to receive recruits and for the program to continue to grow at a rapid rate.

“In 2008, the word really got out about the team not only on campus, the community, but in the club ice hockey community,” Schwarz said. “Now we are recruiting players from all over the East Coast.”

Home matches are typically played on Fridays and Saturdays at the Wilmington Icehouse in Ogden Park off of Gordon Road. The team’s first conference and home games are Friday, Oct. 22 at 10:30 p.m. and Saturday, Oct. 23 at 4:30 p.m. against conference foe, The Citadel.