Ice hockey club team
BLACKSBURG, Va., Feb. 18, 2009 – The Virginia Tech Ice Hockey Club team is hosting the Atlantic Coast Collegiate Hockey League (ACCHL) Division II Tournament at the Roanoke Civic Center in Roanoke, Va.
The tournament will be held on Friday, Feb. 20 through Sunday, Feb. 22. The Virginia Tech Hokies, who clinched the regular season title with a win over Georgetown University on Feb. 7, are ranked No. 1 in the ACCHL standings.
This year’s tournament will include six teams: Virginia Tech, the University of Virginia, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Duke University, North Carolina State University, and Georgetown University.
The ACCHL is a Division II member within the American Collegiate Hockey Association. Virginia Tech started its ice hockey team in 1984 as a Roanoke adult league team. The last time Virginia Tech was ranked No. 1 going into an ACCHL Tournament was back in its first season of competition. The team has seen incredible growth in recent years and is poised to finish its best season ever. The team is comprised of 29 students seeking an ACC Championship title.
“The team is looking forward to hosting this tournament for a second consecutive year. It’s great to have a home ice advantage, hopefully the team can benefit from having lots of Hokie fans in attendance,” said Alan Glick, assistant director of Sports Clubs and Marketing at Virginia Tech. “The Roanoke Civic Center gives all of the teams an opportunity to play in a professional venue. Fans will see some outstanding collegiate club hockey.”
The tournament will be played Olympic-style, which guarantees each team at least two games. Multiple games will be played Friday and Saturday. The bronze medal game will be held at 11 a.m. on Sunday, while the 2 p.m. game will be for the gold. Miss Virginia Tara Wheeler will sing the National Anthem for the championship games. Carrying the No. 1 seed into the tournament, the Hokies will play their first game Feb. 21 at 6 p.m. The team will play the winners of the Friday night game between North Carolina State versus the University of Virginia.
“We are excited coming off our most successful season ever, it will be a big help going into the tournament ranked No. 1, especially at home,” said Ryan Chafe, Virginia Tech Club Ice Hockey president.
The team has gone undefeated in ACCHL play this year and will finish out their regular season games this weekend, Feb. 13 and 14 at the University of North Carolina and Duke University. The Hokies will return home to rock the Roanoke Civic Center.
All Virginia Tech students with a Hokie passport and children under age 12 will receive free admission. Adult admission is $3 per session. Holiday Inn University-Blacksburg and VitaminWater are sponsors for all 29 Virginia Tech Sport Clubs. Find more information on the ice hockey team and the tournament online. Ticket information is available on the Roanoke Civic Center website.