Chris Gherlone ’12 (right) and teammates during a game against Siena College in Conte Forum. Photograph: Justin Knight

On Friday, December 3, as fans of the men’s hockey team headed down Commonwealth Avenue to Agganis Arena to watch the Eagles renew their rivalry with Boston University, and fans of the women’s varsity team looked forward to a home match against Harvard two days hence, another, smaller contingent of 100 or so students converged on Conte Forum. They were there to root for the University’s club men’s hockey team in its game against then top-ranked Siena College, and the cheers and heckles of the Boston College faithful echoed off the rafters. There were no snacks to be had at the concession stands, no video board replays, no Baldwin cavorting between periods. There was, however, good hockey.

In intercollegiate competition, club hockey occupies a vast middle ground. The NCAA oversees the Division 1 level—featuring 58 premier teams such as Boston College, New Hampshire, and Wisconsin—as well as Division 3, with 71 less high-profile programs such as Middlebury, University of St. Thomas, and SUNY–Plattsburgh. The NCAA disbanded its middle division in 1999, so the American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA), the governing body of club hockey, founded in 1991, now serves as a de facto Division 2, overseeing more than 420 men’s and women’s teams.

The Boston College club team is a relative newcomer. It had its genesis in 2004, in the University’s intramural hockey league. “We put a team together, named the Has-Beens, when I was a freshman,” says Mike Greeley ’08, now the team’s assistant coach. “It was all kids who were really good high school players. We had fun, but everyone would sit around after the game and say ‘there’s got to be a way we can play real hockey.’”

In 2005, Greeley, with the help of teammates Andrew Baird ’08 and Bobby Kneeland ’07, petitioned the University’s club sports office for recognition of a men’s hockey team. “We receive at least 10 requests per year from students looking to start a club sport,” says Monica Capobianco, the assistant athletic director for intramural and club sports. Currently, the University sponsors 21 men’s and women’s club sports, from rugby to water polo. Greeley and his teammates were told that if they could run the team independently for a season, the University would give its endorsement. Members took to the phones to raise funding from family and friends and to construct a schedule for the 2006–07 season. In unofficial play against clubs throughout the Northeast, the team finished with a record of 9-1 and earned its club status.

While many traditional hockey powerhouse schools field club teams, club hockey has largely flourished in regions and at schools underserved by NCAA hockey. Last year, teams from Montclair State University (New Jersey), San Jose State University (California), and the University of Maryland–Baltimore County were among the best in the nation. In 2008, Boston College traveled to Lubbock, Texas, to play a three-game series against Texas Tech. More than 2,500 spectators showed up at each contest to watch the Red Raiders take two games from the Eagles.

The Texas trip was a high point in those early days, but the team also faced obstacles. One involved coaching. As an unsanctioned group, the Has-Beens coached themselves. An official club team, however, requires an outside coach. Greeley asked his father, Steve—who has coached the South Shore Kings and the Cape Cod Whalers, junior hockey teams that feed top college programs—to check out the team. “He saw how much fun we were having and how good the hockey was, so he agreed to put the time in and coach,” says Greeley.

The club ended its inaugural ACHA season with a 12-3-1 record and a number nine ranking in the 57-team Northeast region. The next season, 2009, the Eagles won two games at the Northeast regional tournament in Albany, New York, earning a trip to the national championship tournament in Grand Rapids, Michigan. At season’s end they were the number six team in the country. Last year, the club posted a 23-2-3 regular season record, gaining an automatic bid to the national tournament, where they beat Eastern Washington and Bowling Green State before losing to eventual champion Davenport University. The season concluded with a number five national ranking. Nowadays, “being able to say ‘we played BC’ is a big deal,” says Steve Sypek ’12, a defenseman.

Being a member of the team involves more than hockey. Like other student groups, club teams are required to elect officers—a president, vice president, treasurer, and secretary—who manage the team’s administrative functions. “We make the budget, we schedule games, we order equipment, we hire referees,” says Jon Rather ’12, a forward and the team’s vice president. “Not only do we have to worry about playing well, but also if we have all the necessary paperwork, and if the refs are going to show up.” The team is also responsible for securing scorekeepers, trainers, and medical staff for home games.

The University’s club sports office provides annual funding—about $8,000, according to Greeley—but ice rental (most home games are played off campus), equipment, and transportation expenses can add up to more than $50,000 a season. Much of that money comes from member dues, with additional funds donated by parents and alumni.

The club practices for free in Conte Forum, but ice time is tight. The team generally squeezes in two or three practices a week, from 7 to 8:30 a.m. On those early mornings, the team learns to play together, but chemistry is built on the road, on bus trips to New Hampshire, Connecticut, and upstate New York. One travel pastime, introduced by a contingent of students from Minnesota, calls for a player to pose a riddle to the rest of the team. “One by one, guys start to solve it but until the last player gets it, there’s roaring laughter,” says Greeley.

While the club team isn’t meant to serve as a farm system for the varsity squad, there is a precedent for club players moving up. Following the 2006–07 season, men’s ice hockey head coach Jerry York’s team was in need of a backup goaltender. He chose Alex Kremer ’10, a former standout at the Taft School in Connecticut who had helped lead the Eagles club hockey team to its 9-1 record. Kremer played for the varsity team for two years. “We lost a goalie, but everyone was thrilled about it,” says Greeley.

Coach York is a fan of the club. “Anything that promotes hockey on our campus, whether it’s intramurals or the varsity or club team, is great,” he says. “I’m personally very excited that 25 more students can get active on a team and make hockey a common thread between all of us.” In its first season, the club had uniforms and equipment handed down by the varsity team.

In the ACHA the Eagles have been slow out of the gate this season, posting a 4-6 record going into the December 3 game against Siena. Although Jon Rather managed a goal against the Saints, the Eagles eventually lost 2-1. The team graduated 11 seniors last year, but according to Greeley, “We have a real strong freshman class with four players regularly in the lineup.” There’s more reason for hope: Before the Siena game, the Eagles had never lost at home, and the schedule going forward is heavily weighted with home games.

Read more by Tim Czerwienski