Until the 1990s, Texans had no strong feelings for ice hockey. The icy sport simply did not agree with the Lone Star State’s sweltering heat.
The first Aggie hockey team was little more than an amateur group facing off with each other in 1982. When those students graduated, the team disappeared. In 1997, however, as the newly established Dallas Stars spread hockey fever through Texas, Aggies revived the Texas A&M Ice Hockey team to test their puck prowess against other universities.
With no ice rink in the vicinity, the odds were already stacked against the players, who traveled more than 100 miles just to practice. Despite this, the Aggies persevered and grew to become an official Rec Sports Club team by 2001. It wasn’t until 2005 that the Arctic Wolf Ice Center, now Spirit Ice Arena, became the Aggie hockey team’s home, and the program expanded even further.
Today, with two Texas Collegiate Hockey Conference Championships under its belt, Aggie Ice Hockey is an imposing force on the rink. For 2021-22 assistant team captain Jacob Norwood ’22, the team’s success stems from its members’ camaraderie and undying dedication to improvement.
“We want to be the foundation for an NCAA program here, and that starts with every single person showing up every day and putting in the effort to move the team forward,” Norwood said. “The first players laid a strong foundation for us, and we’re trying to build on that for the program’s future.”
