Icepack Hosts Largest Club Sports Event in North Carolina History

With over 26,000 fans in attendance, the NC State Icepack hosted the largest club sports event in North Carolina’s — and possibly the country’s — history on Monday night at Carter-Finley Stadium. The club ice hockey team triumphed over their Triangle rival, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, with a 7-3 victory.

The unprecedented event was hosted as part of the NHL Stadium Series™ festivities taking place throughout the weekend. The series has featured 13 outdoor NHL regular season games since 2014 in stadiums across the country, and Raleigh is the 12th city to host the event. The Carolina Hurricanes are the 18th NHL franchise to play in the series with their 4-1 win over the Washington Capitals on Saturday night.

As a club sport, the Icepack is a registered student organization with NC State and is led by a group of student officers. These students manage the team’s $100,000 annual budget, make coaching and player decisions, and organize logistics for practices and games.

The Icepack plays in both the American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) and Atlantic Coast Collegiate Hockey League (ACCHL). Their win over UNC brings their season record to 16-14-1, with the ACHA Southeast Regional upcoming on Feb. 24-26 in Springfield, Va.

Without an ice rink available on NC State’s campus, the Icepack host their home games at the Wake Competition Center in Morrisville. Season and single-game ticket options are available for purchase on the Icepack Hockey website. 

NC State’s Wellness and Recreation unit serves as a liaison for 49 club sports organizations and provides funding annually through a budget proposal process. Each year, annual expenses for all clubs total over $600,000, with the organizations consistently fundraising more than 85% of that amount on their own.