The UNC Hockey Club officially began in the year 1974. The man responsible for initiating the activities was Lloyd Scher, a UNC graduate student. Although Scher, a Charlotte native, did not play hockey himself, he was a sports management buff and actively pushed for the creation of the club by soliciting membership through advertisements in The Daily Tar Heel. It wasn’t long before a handful of players took interest and a club was formed. The majority of the players hailed from the North, and they paid their own way as membership dues ranged in the $25 per man area, not including travel and equipment. Scher headed the organization and set up about ten games with men’s leagues and other club teams in Greensboro and Charlotte, N.C. What spirit the UNC athletes must have had back then, as the closest rink was an hour away!

Three players to note on that first club were Robert Glen, a former goalie on Phillip Exeter Academy’s hockey team, Peter Griffin, a former captain of Deerfield Academy’s hockey team, and Marc Isaacscon of Greensboro. These three freshmen carried the team in its first year.

Glen organized the team on and off the ice. He served on the phone committee to round up the players for each game and drew up team rosters for the officials at the games. He also set up rides to and from the sites, often transporting his crew himself in his famous old Ford station wagon. Although there were few wins that very first year—Duke and East Carolina were the only rivals – the inspiration had been laid for many seasons to come.

The second year of the team took its roots with Glen and Scher once again at the helm. Greensboro and Charlotte remained as the closest sites, and Northerners comprised much of the team. The membership remained small, enough for two or three lines, and the fees were upped to about $35 per man. The increase helped to fund new jerseys. Only about ten games were played that year; once again, the club lost most of them. One of the losses came up in Charlottesville, 12-1. The UVA team boasted several talented graduate students, including a former prospect in The Toronto Maple Leafs’ organization. The highpoint of the year came in the middle of the season as a few of the UNC’s and Duke’s players joined up to scrimmage in the Omni, home of the then NHL Atlanta Flames.

Carolina competed during the 1976-1977 season under the direction of President Richard Heathcoat, a senior from Lancaster, PA, and Glen, who served as coach and Vice President. With the collapse of the Virginia team, the fledgling Atlantic Coast Club League struggled with Carolina, Duke, North Carolina State and a new addition, Wake Forest University. In the ACC final, Duke defeated the Tar Heels.

John Voss, a former goaltender for the Greensboro Generals Hockey Club, served as ACC Commissioner, arranging contest for Carolina at the Greensboro and Charlotte Coliseums.

If anything, the 1976-1977 season was one of uncertainty for the Carolina Hockey Club. University funding remained minimal, and the health of the other teams was in question. Rink operations were in jeopardy of closing, casting a shadow of doubt over the future of hockey in North Carolina.

A note of interest involving this season was that for the first time hockey practices were held in Chapel Hill. Where might you ask? Had the University built its own rink? Well, not exactly. For six days in January the glaze over the pond at Glen’s Chapel Hill home was sufficient for skaters. Glen initiated practice sessions during the afternoons. Unfortunately, the home ice advantage was all too brief.

Finally, at the end of the 1976-77 season, officers for the following year had been elected, as the club for the first time was to officially become a member institution of The Sports Club Council, sanctioned by The Carolina Athletic Association.

The 1977-78 season marked an eventful year for the Tar Heels of Carolina Blue. UNC now received approximately $500 a year finance expenses, and this, coupled with an average membership fee of $35, went a long way towards buying ice time at Greensboro’s Triad Arena (the average fee for ice was $80 per hour). Glen, now a senior, and the club’s full time goalie and President, set up the schedules for the ACC games played in Greensboro.

Two Greensboro natives on the Carolina team – Elliot Shoenthal and Kelly Marks – also helped Glen secure the coaching services of Harvard Turnbull, a former professional player. A Canadian, Turnbull had played in the Junior Leagues under such coaches as Roger Nielson and Scotty Bowman, both future National Hockey League coaches. He also skated alongside the Plager brothers and Red Berenson, all standouts during the 1960’s.

In the 1977-78 UNC played nine league games, three each against the three other sanctioned ACC clubs: Duke, NC State, and Wake Forest University. At the end of the regular season Carolina was 7-2, one game behind Duke, 8-1. However, in the tournament, Carolina won its first ACC Club Championship with victories over NC State, 4-1, and Wake Forest, 5-3. The leading scorers that year were; Junior Transfer John Chew, Mark Belli, and Phill Schmitt, with supporting help from Peter Griffin and Tom Morss. A hockey puck commemorating UNC’s first ACC Championship is encased in the halls of Wollen Gym on the UNC campus.

In a fitting tribute to that 1977-78 team, Matt Judson, the Vice President on the team, headed a collection from the 25 – man roster and presented a large hockey trophy at the ACC Championship Ceremony to the club’s founding father, Rob Glen. Four years had passed and seen the club expand and thrive on the basis of this young man’s work. He would be sorely missed but his inspiration and groundwork would continue onward.

The 1978-79 team continued on in fine fashion as four members of championship squad – Brian Goray, Tom Morss, Phill Schmitt, and Elliot Shoenthal joined with freshmen Ken Mountcastle and Bill Detmer to push the team to even greater heights.

Matt Judson, the Club Vice President, had the added advantage of being Sports Club Council President. Thanks to him, the UNC club received larger appropriations. Pork barrel politics, perhaps, but this allowed membership fees to remain approximately the same as they had in the past. This allowed for a few more practices as well as for some new jerseys.

The Triad Arena in Greensboro continued to be the home of ACC Club Hockey and The Big Four. In 1978 the member institutions voted to allow Georgia Tech in as its fifth team, and set-up home and away dates to play the Yellow Jackets. Harvard Turnbull remained at the Helm for UNC’s eight ACC games that year. The team finished the regular season with a 5-3 record and second place.

With John Chew, Dave Dickson, and Ken Sutherland leading scoring, Carolina soundly whipped Duke, 5-1, in the semi-finals of the ACC tournament. This win set –up the championship game against Georgia Tech, a team that had beating Carolina earlier in Atlanta. With the home ice advantage, UNC beat Tech, 6-4, for its second straight championship.

Since 1974, Carolina had to travel too far to elicit much fan support. Occasionally, as with the 1978-79-championship contest, two to three hundred local fans might attend. For the most part, however, the club teams played to empty stands.

Then came the breakthrough the players and potential fans had been waiting for. When the Triad Arena discontinued service in March 1979, the Daniel Boone Company of Hillsborough agreed to buy its pipes, boards, and glass. During the summer of 1979, the Boone Company built an indoor arena for an ice hockey rink. Before long, they finished the arena that would soon be the home of club hockey for the 1979-80 season.

Could this be possible? A hockey rink only twenty-five minutes away from Chapel Hill? Yes, the dream had come true!

Bill Detmer became Club President for the 1979-80 season; Harvard Turnbull remained on as coach. Meanwhile, Georgia Tech and Wake Forest dropped out of the league, leaving UNC, Duke, NC State, and a new entrant, UNC-Greensboro, in a four-club league.

Understandably, the new location spawned a new enthusiasm for hockey in the area. Hundreds of fans now showed up for games and local television stations occasionally taped segments of important games. Detmer saw the new market as a moneymaker and designed UNC T-Shirts and bumper stickers for fund raising operations. Club ice hockey had become big time and was spreading throughout the area.

The 1979-80 campaign was UNC’s strongest team to date. The offense led by David Dickson, Bill Detmer, and Ken Sutherland and defense by Ken Mountcastle and Ned Manning.

UNC won its first regular season crown as Phill Schmitt scored a hat trick in a 4-1 decision against Duke. This set – up a tournament weekend that shall forever stand as the most memorable ever played.

The tournament of 1980 coincided with the weekend of the Olympic hockey semifinal and final in Lake Placid, N.Y. Hockey madness infected the entire area. UNC opened the tournament against State on Friday Night, handing the Pack a 7-3 loss. Meanwhile, Duke opened up with a win over UNC-G.

Two events of significance stood out on that Friday evening. First of all, during a break in the UNC-State game, the United States had beaten the Russians by score of 4-3 had come across over the loudspeaker. Pandemonium ensued on the ice as well as in the stands and the game had to be delayed for five minutes or so. What a thrill for UNC and State teams! To be playing hockey and to hear the victory announcement was a thrill they would never forget.

Secondly, a preplanned party took place at Marietta Lodge that evening following both UNC’s and Duke’s games. All four teams had been invited as well as the rest of the community. What transpired was a victory celebration that was unique and quite spontaneous. Unseasonably warm weather brought hockey fans and partygoers to Marietta in flocks. The spirit of a United States victory, as well as a UNC win, was eminent. Hockey fever was rampant at Marietta Lodge that Friday evening.

After a day of recuperation and preparation, UNC met Duke on Sunday, March 24 in the finals of the first Club Championship in Hillsborough. By the time of the game, the United States had defeated Finland in the Olympics for the gold medal, so an added significance was included to this final. As had been the case throughout the season, the UNC-Duke rivalry had been the most competitive, bringing the most interest. This game was certainly no different as hundreds of fans packed the Daniel Boone Rink to see the match.

As expected, the final turned out to be an exciting and very memorable one. Unfortunately for UNC, however, Duke prevailed and defeated the Tar Heels, 6-5. Despite leading 5-3 going into the third period, the Heels lost the lead and gave up the winning goal with twelve seconds remaining in regulation. The Heels were disappointed, of course, but could hold their heads high knowing that their country had defeated Russia and also won the gold medal. (It is interesting and ironic to note that the Duke Hockey President and player had been none other than Rob Glen’s brother, Mark Glen).