Background
The KSU Ice Hockey Club was founded in September 2002. The newly formed Ice Owls played a limited schedule, marked by games played in Ontario, Canada during the holiday break and finishing with a record of 7-7-2. Jon Nash and Craig MacDonald led the Owls on the ice that first season as the inaugural coaching staff.
Following the first season, Coach Nash departed the team and Craig MacDonald returned to lead the Owls with new coach Jeff Lefave. The second season would be the first to play home games at Town Center, the current facility for KSU's home games. This season also marked by known Southeast rivals such as UGA, Vanderbilt, Florida and Florida State.
The next season the Owls were accommodated with another coaching change with Matt Hogan and Rod Brown. This season was the beginning of what represents the Owls' program today and brought the program to the point that they were now more competitive with the traditionally strong teams in their division. Recruiting and marketing became more important, resulting in larger crowds and new players from around the country.
Bringing It to Nationals
The fourth season was one of the most successful seasons in KSU's short history. Coach Hogan returned with additional coaches Jared Marinich and Kevin Fraser. The team won major tournaments: the James Sapikowski Memorial Tournament, the Florida Gulf Coast Clash Tournament and the Inaugural Southeast Regional Invitational Tournament. The team only lost 4 games the entire season. The program saw record attendance with over 1200 fans packed into Town Center to see KSU take on local rivals UGA and Georgia Tech.
Following the success of the first four years, the fifth season was an accumulation of hard work and dedication for the years past. For the first time, the entire coaching staff returned to help the Owls succeed. During the season, Kennesaw won the ACHA D3 Showcase Tournament and many other crucial games, but would struggle at some points such as losing in the finals to Tennessee in the Southeast Regional Invitational Tournament. However, the Owls did rebound and made their first appearance in the ACHA National Championship Tournament in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Kennesaw State would bring home the ultimate title as the 2006-2007 ACHA D3 National Champions. No other team from the South division has ever claimed a National Championship, and in five years, the Owls were able to build a program of such tremendous success.
The Future
The Owls continue to look toward the future in a new division. In the summer of 2007, Kennesaw moved up to the ACHA D2 Southeast Division. The future of KSU Ice Hockey looks promising as new players, coaches and management continue to build a bigger and better program that ensures the Owls will be on the ice for years to come.
