How Athens, Georgia, Became a Year-Round Hockey Destination

Athens, Georgia, may be best known in the sports world as a football destination for the successful Georgia Bulldogs (and they do, of course, deserve recognition), but did you know Athens is also one of the South’s newest and unexpected hockey towns?

Well, the term “new” may be relative when looking at the UGA Club Hockey Team, aka The Ice Dawgs, which dates back to 1987 when team founder Larry Hall and some students brought ice hockey to University of Georgia. The team continues to play today, competing in the South Eastern Collegiate Hockey Conference and are members of the American Collegiate Hockey Association.

© Visit Athens GA

To date, the team has won four conference championships and 11 Savannah Hockey Classic titles, making it one of the leading club hockey programs in the Southeast. This year marks the 40^th birthday of the Ice Dawgs, and the team celebrates with the Built Beneath Athens campaign, reminding the public Ice Dawgs hockey isn’t new to the scene, and is integral to the city’s foundation and part of the community every year.

You can even watch a game in person at Akins Ford Arena. See the full home schedule here.

© Visit Athens GA

But the Ice Dawgs aren’t the only hockey team in Athens. Athens Rock Lobsters were founded in 2023 and mark the city’s first professional ice hockey team. The team got its name from a citywide naming initiative, eventually landing on Rock Lobsters as inspired by Athens’ own B’52s. The team officially announced its move to the Southern Professional Hockey League for the upcoming season, showing just how far hockey has come in Athens in only a few years.

So, if you love hockey and are taking a trip to Georgia soon, tack Athens onto your itinerary. You’ll uncover more than a football and college town …