The Lehigh Mountain Hawks men's ice hockey team is a college ice hockey program that represents Lehigh University. The program currently operates as a club team at the Division I level but the university previously sponsored varsity ice hockey.
History
After the construction of the Albeth Ice Rink in 1939, Lehigh was able to add a varsity program, furthering the expansion of college ice hockey in the Philadelphia area. The team was one of handful of clubs at the time and, while most were classified as club organizations, they were all able to play one another after reaching an agreement with the Philadelphia Arena. The league shuttered in 1942 due to World War II and remained dormant after the war's end. Lehigh, however, restarted its program in 1946 and continued on for over a decade. On the ice, the team was able to get some success in the early-50s. However, due to Albeth being an open-air rink that was designed for figure skating, the Engineers had a hard time scheduling home games. By the mid-50s, the Engineers were down to playing just a few games per year and eventually the athletic department decided against continuing the program after 1956. In spite of the lack of support, the team continued on as a club sport for several years.[2]
Lehigh had its second revival in 1969 as the proliferation of College Division hockey was skyrocketing. The team joined ECAC 2 upon their return and, two years later, becoming an inaugural member of ECAC 3.[3] Lehigh produced a few good seasons in the mid-70s but the team's success did not last. For most of their time in ECAC 3, Lehigh was in the bottom half of the standings and never made an appearance in the conference tournament. After a short break in the early 80s, the school gave the program one more chance at varsity status but four more years with little to show for its efforts consigned the team to demotion.
After returning to club status in 1986, the team has continued as unofficial representatives of the school. As of 2024, the team is a member of the ECHA and coached by Josh Hand.[4]
