Entering its third season in a league, the entirely self-funded UNF Club Ice Hockey will look completely different compared to previous years. 

Over the offseason, the club revamped its entire program, joined a new conference, doubled its roster and practice time, and established a new culture of having fun. Thanks to social media presence and word of mouth, the club expects to have a breakout season. 

What makes UNF Hockey different from other clubs

With several hundred clubs on campus, choosing a club can be overwhelming for UNF students. Freshman George Brkljacic believes that how his team is run is what differentiates them from other clubs. 

“We’re run professionally,” Brkljacic said. “[Adam Lauer and] Jeremy [Diaz] do a great job handling the financial aspect because hockey isn’t cheap.”

Additionally, Brkljacic said the club is practicing more, emphasizing the amount of work that goes into running a club sport. 

“We take it seriously,” Brkljacic said. “We’re not one of those clubs that just meets once a week…there’s a lot of work that gets put into this behind the scenes.”

Junior Jeremy Diaz said UNF Hockey stands out because they play a cold-weather sport in Florida, where there aren’t many college hockey teams. 

“Being new and it being something that students haven’t seen before, they seem to be super interested in it,” Diaz said. “I feel like our culture, how we run things, we want to run things like we’re all a family.”

What the club does to reach students

Diaz, who was with the club when it first started playing in leagues two years ago, said the club started off just “scrapping by,” fielding just enough to form a team. Now, the club team has a record number of 26 participants, including its largest freshman class, ready to compete in a brand-new conference. 

Adam Lauer, general manager and forward on the team, said that social media has helped the club reach new students. 

“We’re on campus all the time,” Lauer said. “We tell our guys to wear their jerseys.”

Over the offseason, Diaz said the club doubled its roster thanks to its social media presence and word of mouth. The club, which starts its season on Friday against Embry-Riddle, has high expectations for the season. 

“It seems like we’re going to have a great season this year,” Diaz said. “Just because we have so many more guys that want to be here and play for UNF.”

Diaz, Brkljacic and junior Matt Maroney discovered UNF hockey through social media.

“[They had a] huge Instagram following, and it’s only been growing really after I found that,” Brkljacic said. “Social media has had a huge impact on my decision. Everybody has a phone, everybody has a laptop.”

Diaz heard about UNF Hockey after his mother found a Facebook post about the club.

“I originally wasn’t coming to UNF for hockey,” Diaz said. “I had no idea about the team going into it when I applied, and when I heard that they were going to have a club team, it kind of swayed my decision and made me want to come here even more.”

How each player started hockey

Consistently ranking as one of the hottest states in the country, Florida isn’t exactly a hotbed for hockey culture. Despite two winning professional teams, Florida doesn’t have a single NCAA Division One hockey team. 

All four players had previous experience playing hockey. Growing up in a big baseball family, Brkljacic didn’t start playing hockey until his early teenage years. Since then, Brkljacic fell in love with the sport, eager to do whatever it takes to compete. 

“Once you kind of fall in love with a sport, it’s not something you can just drop and forget about and go to school,” Brkljacic said. “I’m really glad that North Florida brought this culture of hockey in a more professional stance, rather than just playing one night a week for 45 minutes.”

Diaz is the only one of the three from a cold-weather state. When he was six or seven, Diaz started playing hockey in Colorado. After a move to Delaware, Diaz continued chasing his hockey dreams all around the country. 

Lauer said his hockey journey is the “most unorthodox,” describing how he would play pickup hockey several times a year. Before joining UNF hockey, Lauer said he never played on a real team. 

“They needed extra bodies going into the year,” Lauer said. “It’s the best thing in my life since I joined.”

Season expectations 

Following a 3-11 season, the UNF Hockey Club is prepared to prove its doubters wrong. With a daunting schedule that includes the University of Florida, Miami, and Florida State University, the leaders are confident this team can stun Florida college hockey.

Behind the scenes, club leaders have worked on building this program to be the biggest in Northeast Florida. 

“We’ve really worked hard to put this program in a position to win and to turn some heads this year,” Lauer said. “For anybody who thinks that club sports means less, that’s your opinion.”

Instead of firing back at the doubters, Lauer encourages people to attend games and see what club sports are like. 

“We’re going to go out and win some games,” Lauer said. “We hope you guys come and see.”

During downtime, Maroney said the club has focused on culture building and becoming a family. All in all, he believes this has helped the club grow in confidence and numbers. 

“We all know what the goal is every year,” Marney said. “I think it’s really out there and in reach for us.”

Ultimately, each member of the club is looking forward to silencing the doubters.

“People are really going to wake up this season,” Brkljacic said. “We’re going to be winning a lot of games, so people are going to know about us for sure.”

On September 19, UNF club hockey opened its season on the road, defeating Embry-Riddle in Daytona. One day later, UNF club hockey hosted its home opener at the Community First Igloo, falling to Embry-Riddle. 

How students can join (even if they don’t play hockey)

Although many students see UNF hockey on social media, not everyone has prior experience with the popular northern sport. For people who want to get involved but don’t skate around the ice, Lauer said there are many staff or volunteer opportunities.

However, Lauer cautions students joining the team who’ve never played ice hockey. 

“This is a competitive sport, we play hard, we play as if it’s real college hockey,” Lauer said. “Just reach out to us, and we can put you in the best position for the club.”

While UNF club hockey receives occasional sponsorships, UNF doesn’t fund club sports, so its participants are required to fork over the cash. On the club’s website, a player recruitment form is available for students interested in joining 

UNF will be back in action on Friday, welcoming the University of Florida to the Community First Igloo. Puck drop is slated for 10:15 p.m. with free admission for students. 

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