Elizabeth Slombay

Wildcat Hockey Elizabeth Slombay

Ice hockey was established at the University of New Hampshire in 1914, but the first team was short-lived. Ten years later, football coach Hank Swasey put together a team that marked the official beginning of intercollegiate ice hockey at UNH. Wildcat Hockey: Ice Hockey at the University of New Hampshire documents the early years of the program with photographs of players, various outdoor rinks, and horse drawn ice scrapers. After a four-year absence during World War II, ice hockey returned to UNH in 1947.

Wildcat Hockey includes photographs of the colorful players, whose success was enhanced by the installation of the first artificial ice rink in 1955 and the opening of Snively Arena in 1965. The hiring of coach Charlie Holt in 1968 and the transition to Division I marked a new era in ice hockey at UNH, as did the creation of its first women's ice hockey team in 1977. Wildcat Hockey provides a visual record of the exploits of the men and women who have put UNH on the collegiate ice hockey map. Their efforts are marked by the move to the Whittemore Center in 1995, to the 1998 Women's National Championship, and to regular trips to the Frozen Four for both teams. This collection draws on the rich photographic sources in the university archives and the campus photographic services.