It all began over 30 years ago in the old Snively Arena. A small group of fans would gather following the games to socialize about the UNH Hockey team, mingle with the players and parents waiting outside the locker room and enjoy one another’s company before heading home for the evening.
Talk in the early days turned to the scoreboard in Snively Arena and the lack of a count-down penalty clock. Fans in the corners would take turns running out to see the time on the clock and call back to their friends with a quick calculation of how much time remained on the penalty. A UNH Hockey booster club was soon born. The loyal group of fans that gathered after games to socialize began a fundraising drive to purchase a new scoreboard with clocks to time the penalties. Membership in the group was set at $5.00. Two tiny tables were setup at each end of the bleachers where UNH Hockey hats and shirts were sold. The first UNH Hockey yearbooks were produced by selling ads to local retailers. Enough money was finally raised and Snively Arena got new scoreboards.
As the magnitude and the costs of keeping UNH Hockey on pace with other hockey programs around the country grew, so did the Friends. Support was provided to outfit a new weight room, renovate and enhance the locker room facilities, purchase new skate sharpeners and provides other needed equipment. Later, a five-year commitment was made by the Friends in a partnership with the University to outfit Snively Arena with new boards and glass surrounding Batchelder Rink. As the fundraising needs increased, new membership levels were created and the tiny souvenir stands with hats and shirts expanded to include a range of UNH Hockey memorabilia. A concession stand was added. The 50/50 raffle was started. A small group of fans and volunteers had become a significant and dedicated fundraising group and an integral part of the success of the UNH Hockey program.
The mission of the Friends of UNH Hockey is to promote, support and enhance the UNH Hockey program. The goal may be fundraising, but the Friends are really about family and fun. The membership season kicks off in late September with the annual Face-Off-Feed and Chicken Barbecue. This event is an opportunity to renew old friendships from seasons past, catch up with returning players, meet the new team members and get ready for hockey after a long summer.
For members of the Coaches Club, the first of several functions begins a few weeks later with a season preview and pre-game report before the first home game. Special Coaches Club functions continue through the season and have included tailgating with the Head Coach at a Football game, pre-game meals with the coaches and team, mid-season reviews, playoff previews, and special presentations that included coach Charlie Holt’s U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame video presentation.
With roots as a social organization, the general membership is invited to post-game functions held at various times during the season in the Whittemore Center Sky Box Lounge. Refreshment are provided at these members-only events and kids can take advantage of this opportunity to meet their favorite player and get that special autograph. After the season, the Friends host the Annual Awards banquet to celebrate the season and recognize the departing seniors. The Friends membership year concludes in August with the Annual Friends of UNH Hockey Golf Tournament.
The Friends of UNH Hockey has become the largest and most-successful athletic booster organization at the University of New Hampshire. A 21-member Board of Directors drives the fundraising efforts and coordinates the hundreds of volunteers that organize membership, produce the BlueLines newsletter, sell 50/50 tickets, staff the souvenir stands, organize the social gatherings and direct the disbursement of funds that are used to support and promote the UNH Hockey program. The results of these volunteer efforts has recently allowed the Friends to sponsor Internet broadcasts of Wildcat Hockey to fans around the World, host UNH fan receptions at NCAA tournament sites, present the history of UNH Hockey in the Charles E. Holt Gallery and create the All American Wall of Fame at the Whittemore Center.
But most importantly, the Friends fundraising efforts have recently been focused on the future of Wildcat Hockey. For the past two years, the Friends of UNH Hockey has contributed funds to support UNH Hockey scholarships. The scholarship funding initiatives of the Friends continued with the lead gift to the Charles E. Holt endowment and the creation of the Friends of UNH Hockey endowment to ensure the support of future Wildcat players that lace ‘em up for the Blue & White. Much has changed over the last quarter-century, but the dedication of the UNH Hockey fan remains strong. Join us today.
We are The Friends of UNH Hockey… supporting UNH Men’s Hockey for over 30 years.
