The UNC club ice hockey team is in the midst of the 2023-24 season, coming into winter break with a winning record and preparing for the three remaining regular season games, but the program's leaders and supporters have their eyes set on a bigger project that extends far beyond this season.
The team's supporters recently purchased approximately four acres of land in Chapel Hill's Callaway Village development with the goal of building a permanent hockey arena to allow the team to play to its full potential, while also further uniting the local hockey community.
For years, the University of North Carolina ice hockey team has used the rink at the Orange County Sportsplex as its home base for games and practices, a popular gathering place for people to lace up their skates and hit the ice. Greg Morey played in a men's league in Hillsboro and said that through his connections in the hockey world, he was invited to be the cheer leader for the University of North Carolina team. He said he was honored to be considered and impressed to learn that the club team has been around for more than 40 years.
But early on in leading the group, Morey realized how difficult it was for the varsity team to get ice time at the rink. According to head hockey coach Adam Dauda, the cost and availability of the Sportsplex meant the team could only formally practice twice a week for a total of two hours.
“In an ideal world, we would like to cover several teaching points during practice such as team systems, special teams tactics, advance scouting of upcoming opponents and individual skill development, but with the current situation at the Sportsplex, it is not possible to cover all of this in the limited time we have. However, we are hopeful that the new rink will greatly help us cover all of this by freeing up priority time slots and more on-ice time,” Dauda said.
“We were really frustrated,” Morey told 97.9 The Hill, “and we looked at each other and said, 'Why don't we just make our own rink?'” “We've been trying to make this program successful and we've been trying to make it work,” Morey told 97.9 The Hill. [Division I] “You need to have your own link anyway to have the opportunity. That's one of the requirements.”
Currently, the UNC ice hockey team is at the club level and is largely self-funded, competing against other schools in the Atlantic Coast College Hockey League. Instead of being under the umbrella of the Carolina Athletic Department, a cheering squad made up of former players, alumni, parents and hockey fans helps coordinate the team's travel and expenses. While the goal is to eventually move to Division I, the program and club are focused on ensuring players have success and quality experiences each year.
“The entire NCAA is going through a lot of change and I think athletic departments across the country are under stress,” Dauda said, “so I don't think it will be easy for any department to add a hockey program in the near future. But if we continue to provide a great experience for our students and all the pieces fall into place – facilities and teams playing at a high level – I think it's only a matter of time before we move up to NCAA DI and compete for a national championship.”
Morey said the program and its leaders spent two years searching for land for an arena, starting near the UNC campus and then broadening their scope. One day after not finding a single lead, the patrons' association president was driving through Callaway Village off Eubanks Road and was forced to go to a leasing office. He eventually got in touch with development company leaders and was offered a parcel between the Public Storage facility and Interstate 40. The two sides announced the patrons' land purchase in October.
An aerial view of the Callaway Village development along Eubanks Road taken in early 2023. The gray markers represent parcels of land recently purchased by the North Carolina Tar Heel Ice Hockey Booster Club. (Photo from Google Maps)
Morey said the arena concept is beneficial for the club teams and the Chapel Hill community as a whole. UNC's club teams would get a permanent home and more unrestricted ice time, but the facility would also give them the opportunity to add a women's team, Morey said.
The support club president said he thinks the location and facilities could be a “lightning rod” to attract people: budding hockey players, UNC fans watching a different sport, and Callaway Village residents and tourists. Plans call for the arena to seat more than 2,000 fans in the future, and because of the arena's proximity to UNC and public transportation, Morey added, he expects the program to attract far more people from the campus community than before.
“This land and this project, [Chapel Hill Transit] “We have a park-and-ride lot with public bus access directly to campus,” the sponsorship club president said, “so I think this team has an unprecedented opportunity to bring students and fans to the games. I mean, it's not just people who can get to Hillsboro in 15 minutes or who have a car. This is the same bus system that probably gets them to their apartment or dorm.”
The Carolina Ice Hockey Arena will have more than 2,000 seats, plus seven sky box seats and space in the stands for cheer bands to play during breaks in the game. (Photo by Gurlitz Architectural Group / UNC Club Ice Hockey)
Rendering of the wet and dry locker rooms beneath the grandstands at Carolina Ice Hockey Arena. The horseshoe-shaped dry locker room is visible in the back and is used by UNC players to relax before games. (Photo by Gurlitz Architectural Group / UNC Club Ice Hockey)
The UNC ice hockey team recently released updated renderings for the arena. The design, created by Richard Garlits and his architecture firm, features the UNC logo on the exterior, windows with views of the ice, and natural light. Beyond the rink are separate wet locker rooms for men and women to shower and change out of street clothes, as well as dry locker rooms, which are standard athletics locker rooms for players to use. The club team will have offices in the building, a training room for players, and a bar and grill area, providing year-round business to the Callaway Village community.
Morey said parts of the arena would need to be reviewed and approved by the city of Chapel Hill, but much of the project would fall within the scope of a special use permit already granted to the Callaway Village developer. That's part of why Morey reached out to Garlits for the design work. Garlits himself has ties to the club hockey team, and his son once skated in Carolina Blue.
“He designs with passion, intellect and experience,” Morey said of Gurlitz's contributions to date. “He's also a gentleman who has worked extensively with the City of Chapel Hill, so I can't think of anyone better qualified to lead a process that no one on our team really understands.”
Buying the land and designing the arena are just the first few steps in a longer process, and Morey said the sponsoring clubs are currently exploring financing options for the estimated $20 million project. He said there's a lot of work to be done, but fundraising is already underway and a rink for club hockey in the Carolinas “is no longer just a pipe dream.”
“For us, this has just become … well, it's just fun,” Morey said, “because now we can get the community involved — the hockey community, the financial community, our supporters — to build this up and make it a home for UNC Hockey, for men's hockey, potentially the women's program, and ice sports in general, including youth and adult hockey leagues.”
Morey said if all goes according to plan, he hopes the arena will be completed by the time the club opens the 2025-26 season in Chapel Hill.
As for the current University of North Carolina ice hockey team, Dauda is coaching his players to focus on making the playoffs and winning more trophies. Morey said it's important for the team to continue their recent success because a winning culture will help the team reach its goal of climbing the college hockey rankings while also capturing the interest of Carolina fans.
“If we want to improve, we have to be dominant,” said the president of the sponsoring club. “That's our motto now. Our play on the ice gets the attention of the fans, and the attention of the fans drives almost everything we do. Nobody wants to come and watch a bad hockey team.”
“Just ask Duke,” Molly added with a smile and a laugh.
Photo courtesy of Gurlitz Architectural Group/UNC Club Ice Hockey.
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