The story of men’s ice hockey at the University of Virginia is one of resilience, reinvention, and enduring passion—a journey that spans over six decades and reflects both the grit of its student-athletes and the power of community to shape a lasting tradition.
Origins (1962-1976): From Homestead to Greenbrier
The Daily Progress documented a UVA ice hockey team as early as 1962, playing a handful of games at The Homestead in Hot Springs, Virginia. The sport’s formal presence in Charlottesville, however, began in 1973, when Peter Easter opened the Greenbrier Ice Arena. Students quickly organized UVA’s first official team, led by Rick Ramsey (Engr class of ’76), Bill Hurt (Col class of ’76), Daniel Smythe (Col class of ’79, Darden class of ’84), Keith Rosenfeld (Col class of ’79), Peter Kiernan (Darden class of ’79), Peter Clarke (Col class of ’74), Mike Minton (Col class of ’75), Thurgood Marshall (Col class of ’78, Law class of ’81), Meade Rudasill (Engr class of ’80), and others. In its first two seasons, the team dominated local opponents, establishing a promising start.
By 1976, the university was managing the Greenbrier facility under the guidance of general manager Steve McNerny. But after only 4.5 years, the rink was forced to close—leaving the program without a home and putting organized hockey in Charlottesville on indefinite pause.
Revival (1994–1995): A New Rink, A New Vision
Nearly two decades later, Charlottesville entrepreneurs Lee Danielson and Colin Rolph announced plans to revitalize the Downtown Mall with a new ice arena and Mall crossing. The Charlottesville Ice Park, designed by Hank Browne (Arch class of ’55) of Browne, Eichman, Dalgliesh and Gilpin, opened as the flagship project of this initiative—alongside the Regal Cinema, Downtown Grill, and other anchors.
Yet before the first puck dropped there, a different kind of hockey scene was unfolding.
From Concrete to Ice: The Dell Courts and the Birth of a Team
In an unexpected twist, the Dell basketball courts served as the unlikely cradle of modern UVA hockey. Every Wednesday night, the floor hockey club met there—playing under the lights, on asphalt, fueled by nothing more than passion.
It was on those courts that Josh Aderholt (Col class of ’98) and Kareem El-Alaily (Engr class of ’97) birthed the idea of forming an official UVA ice hockey team. What began as a casual conversation quickly ignited into a movement. Kareem recruited directly from the floor hockey club, bringing in early standouts like Christian Ceci (Arch class of ’98), Phil Cox (Col class of ’96), Adam Robertson (Col class of ’98), Shea Goggin (Col ’97), Matt Hein (Com class of ’98), Scott Forrest (Grad class of ’05), and Mark Walsh (Col class of ’96). As word spread, others soon followed—Chris Pohl (Law class of ’97), Bob Blackwell (Law ’97), and Guy Cipriano (Col class of ’97) among them.
What began on blacktop would soon take shape as a fully realized program, built on grassroots enthusiasm and a shared vision of what UVA hockey could become.
First Season (1995–1996): Tragedy, Triumph and Tenacity
Kareem and Josh recruited Roger Voisinet who had been active for decades promoting hockey and an ice facility locally to serve as general manager and later head coach. Josh’s father secured the team’s first uniforms. Bill Wells joined as an assistant coach, and five exhibition games were scheduled for early 1995. The team went 2–3 against opponents like George Mason, Loyola, and Virginia Tech—a modest beginning, but a promising one.
That fall, UVA began its first full season as a founding member of the Atlantic Coast Collegiate Hockey Association (ACCHA), alongside seven other schools. Without an open rink in Charlottesville, the team practiced at the Midlothian Ice Arena—nearly 90 minutes away—often at midnight.
Then, tragedy struck. During one of the team’s earliest practices, news arrived that team captain Brian Cook (Col class of ’96) had been killed in a car accident the day before. Only weeks later, the Charlottesville Ice Park’s opening was delayed from December 1995 to May 1996. The team was forced to play its entire season—50 games and practices—on the road, with no home crowd and heavy hearts.
Yet out of loss came unity. UVA qualified for the inaugural ACCHA Tournament at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. After UNC upset top-seeded Virginia Tech, UVA defeated Duke to advance to the finals. Down early against UNC, the Cavaliers surged back—channeling their season’s adversity into a 10–4 victory, and the first ACC hockey championship in history.
1996–2010: Growth, Glory, and the Golden Era
Over the next 15 years, the team added five regular season titles and another tournament championship in 2000, defeating Maryland 5–2 in Ashburn, VA.
A rotating cast of passionate coaches and contributors helped guide the program, including Gary Jones, Rob Boyle, Chris Soucie, Darryl Chamberlain, Michael Dettmers, and Derrick Haas. Gary and Rob, both highly experienced hockey players from Canada, brought considerable skill to the team. Darryl, as goaltender, set the West Point NCAA D1 ice hockey record for most career shutouts. Chris Soucie was captain of Army’s NCAA D1 team in 1992. Another notable addition, Jamie Kompon—also from Canada—briefly served on the UVA coaching staff before moving on to the NHL, where he would go on to earn four Stanley Cup rings with the LA Kings, Chicago Blackhawks, and Florida Panthers.
UVA’s schedule also expanded nationally. Between 1995 and 2010, the team traveled to tournaments in:
- San Jose, California – vs. San Jose State, UC Berkeley, Stanford
- Fort Myers, Florida – vs. FGCU, Life College, University of Illinois
- Staten Island, New York – vs. Wagner, Penn, Rider
Other highlights:
- Participated in the Naval Academy tournament in Annapolis
- Hosted the ACCHL tournament in Charlottesville a record eight times
- Played five post-Capitals games vs. UMBC at the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C., thanks to Tim Bronaugh, Caps sales and marketing manager and UVA Alumnus
- Faced Virginia Tech four times at the Roanoke Civic Center before crowds of 5,000+
The Cavaliers also traveled to face Miami University (OH), Tennessee, Vanderbilt, West Virginia, Penn State, Penn, Princeton and others.
In a bold international move, the coaching staff and several players traveled twice to Reykjavik and Akureyri, Iceland, to organize a collegiate tournament. But efforts were ultimately canceled due to the aftermath of the September 11th attacks—a sobering reminder of the world beyond the ice.
2011–Present: Change, Champions, and Continued Legacy
Coach Voisinet eventually stepped away from coaching to help purchase, as one of the investors, the Charlottesville Ice Park—transforming it into the Main Street Arena (MSA) to be led by Mark Brown. The MSA remained home to UVA Hockey for eight more years. Jeff Rude succeeded Voisinet as head coach, and following his relocation to Germany, Colin Davis assumed this important role. Under Davis’s leadership, the team won two more ACCHL championships, including a memorable home-ice victory in 2017 at a packed MSA. Coach Voisinet retired holding the ACCHL record for most career ACCHL wins with 192. He also was the first coach unanimously elected to the ACCHL Hall of Fame in its first class. The current team remains strong and at the end of the first semester of the 2025 season its record was 8-1-3 and 5-0 -3 in ACCHL play.
Leadership Beyond the Ice
The UVA hockey ecosystem has produced numerous influential figures in collegiate hockey administration:
- Kareem El-Alaily – ACCHL Hockey Commissioner (1999-2002)
- Michael Dettmers – Commissioner for four years following Kareem
- Don Martin – UVA Professor, Commissioner from 2007-2012 and who played for Boston University in 1958
- Keith Rosenfeld – Referee-in-Chief and former player from the 1970s
- Matt Hodges – Sports Information Director for the ACCHL and for UVA Hockey from 1995 to 2010
Defenseman Etienne Belzile (Fellow class of ’03), who played four seasons at Cornell before coming to UVA, was the only UVA player ever drafted by the NHL as the Calgary Flames selected him in the second round of the 1990 draft.
In 2014, the Atlantic Coast Collegiate Hockey League (ACCHL) established its Hall of Fame. Among the inaugural class were UVA’s own:
- Coach Roger Voisinet
- Captains Brett Stephens (Col class of ’99) and Scott Ohlschlager (Col class of ’05)
Over the next eight years, six more Cavaliers were enshrined, each representing different chapters of the program’s rich history:
- Mike Martyak (Col class of ’06)
- Tom Livingston (Col class of ’15)
- Dan Glavin (Col class of ’17)
- Kevin McCollum (Arch class of ’17)
- Nic Tuzinkiewicz (Engr class of ’19)
- Rick “Rocket” Ramsey (Engr class of ’76) – captain of the 1974, 1975 teams
Their induction reflects not just excellence on the ice but UVA’s lasting impact on the governance, spirit, and growth of collegiate hockey in the region.
To follow along with a regularly updated record of UVA Hockey achievements, please visit the Atlantic Coast Collegiate Hockey League website.