Kids Canes Reader. It’s here. Hockey season in North Carolina is here. The waiting is over. Skates are sharp, sticks are wrapped, and the ice is ready across the state. But did you know there was so much hockey here in the state of North Carolina? Not just the Carolina Hurricanes!
North, South, East, and West. All over North Carolina, there is a lot of hockey coming up this season.
In this article we are going to talk about the geography here in the state of North Carolina, all while mentioning the different hockey teams. We will talk about the three main regions of North Carolina. The WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA, PIEDMONT, and EASTERN NORTH CAROLINA.
So join the Most Junior Hurricanes Reporter and I on our “KIDS CANES TOUR THE HOCKEY STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA.”
In WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA there is a college called Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina. WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA has lots of mountains, so Appalachian State’s mascot is a Mountaineer named Yosef. And they have a hockey team! The Mountaineer hockey team is actually going to play a hockey game outside, like the Hurricanes did last year! How cool is that?
Next up on “KIDS CANES TOUR THE HOCKEY STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA.” is the University of North Carolina- Charlotte, which is in…you guessed it…..Charlotte, North Carolina. The 49er is UNC-Charlotte’s mascot. It dates back to when miners found gold in the southern part of North Carolina in 1849. That is why UNC-Charlotte’s school colors are green and….gold! Their hockey team plays just about all of the other hockey teams here in North Carolina. If you are a UNC-Charlotte fan, you can see them no matter what part of the state you live in.
The PIEDMONT of North Carolina hilly, but not like the mountains of the west. In the PIEDMONT is the PIEDMONT TRIAD. The triad is made up of three different cities. High Point, Winston-Salem, and Greensboro. There are a bunch of colleges and universities in the PIEDMONT TRIAD. Two of which have hockey teams. And there is a professional hockey team too!
If you live in the PIEDMONT TRIAD you are not very far from hockey!
Two hockey teams call Winston-Salem, North Carolina their home.
The Wake Forest University Demon Deacon hockey team plays their home games at the Winston-Salem Fairgrounds. The Decs have a really cool hockey jersey this year! Here is a picture!
A closer look at our new old golds! pic.twitter.com/NQCAONL4J8
— Wake Forest Hockey (@WakeIceHockey) September 4, 2023
Besides the Demon Deacons, the Carolina Thunderbirds play in Winston-Salem. The Thunderbirds are a professional hockey team in the Federal Prospects Hockey League. Last year, they almost made it to the championship of their league. A player by the name of Gus Ford plays for the Thunderbirds, and last year he scored 46 goals last year. That was the second most in the whole league. 46 goals is a lot of goals.
High Point, North Carolina is where High Point University is located. The HPU Panthers have a men’s and women’s hockey team. How cool is that! HPU plays their home hockey games in Greensboro. High Point also has the largest Chest Of Drawers in America! It takes some pretty big clothes to fill it up! Who is wearing those clothes too???
World's largest chest of drawers (a Nora for scale) pic.twitter.com/ub9dzji9aD
— Noric (@coupleacetic) November 14, 2021
Almost in the very middle of the state is Elon University in Burlington, North Carolina. The Phoenix is Elon’s mascot. They have a hockey team too! Elon plays their home hockey games in Hillsborough, North Carolina.
Not to be confused with the PIEDMONT TRIAD, the PIEDMONT TRIANGLE is made up of Durham, Chapel Hill, and Raleigh. There are four hockey teams in the PIEDMONT TRIANGLE. One for each city, and an extra.
First is the Duke University Blue Devils. Duke University is in Durham, North Carolina. You might know Duke as a basketball school, but they have a hockey team too! The MJHR’s mommy is a Duke fan, so naturally she pulls for their hockey team. I think the MJHR does too!
Next is the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Their nickname is the Tar Heels. Their hockey team, and NC State played an outdoor game last year after the Carolina Hurricanes outdoor game. It was pretty awesome, and a lot of people went! 26,000 people actually. That is a lot of people to watch a college hockey game. I went, and cheered for UNC, even though they lost.
Finally there is the North Carolina State Icepack in Raleigh, North Carolina. The Icepack play their home hockey game in Raleigh. When NC State and UNC play, they play for what is called the Governor’s Cup. Usually they play that game in PNC Arena, which is where the Canes play!
Of course we cannot fail to mention the Carolina Hurricanes. We write about them all the time! The Hurricanes play there games here in Raleigh, North Carolina and are the only NHL team in the state of North Carolina.
The PIEDMONT TRIANGLE of North Carolina is in the middle of North Carolina, but just south is Fayetteville, North Carolina.
Fayetteville is home to a very big Army base called Fort Liberty, but also the Fayetteville Marksmen. The Marksman are a professional hockey team in the SPHL. They play hockey teams all over. In Tennessee, Alabama, and Virginia.
The next to last stop on our “KIDS CANES TOUR THE HOCKEY STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA.” is Greenville, North Carolina which is in EASTERN NORTH CAROLINA. EASTERN NORTH CAROLINA is flatter than the PIEDMONT and goes all the way to the coast. Maybe that is why the Pirates of East Carolina University play their hockey games in Greenville? I bet! I always think about a pirate with the patch, sword, and peg leg trying to play hockey when I think about ECU’s hockey team. It makes me laugh.
When you think about the beach, and EASTERN NORTH CAROLINA, you usually think about saltwater, and sun don’t you? I sure do! I love the beach. But actually hockey is very popular in Wilmington, North Carolina at the University of North Carolina- Wilmington. The Seahawks have had a college hockey team for a long time now.
No matter where you live, Kids Canes reader, there is hockey close by you! College, minor league professional, or the NHL you can see a lot of hockey, which is why so many people say North Carolina is a hockey state!
Kids Canes Review:
Last week we said we planned on learning about hockey here in North Carolina.
This week we sure did! We traveled across the state of North Carolina learning about all the different hockey teams from west to east. WOW! The MJHR and I are tired. But, here is a quick review of where we traveled.
WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA- Mountains turning to hills.
Appalachian State University Mountaineers in Boone
University of North Carolina-Charlotte 49ers in Charlotte
PIEDMONT- Hills but not like the mountains.
TRIAD-Winston-Salem, High Point, Greensboro
Wake Forest University Demon Deacons in Winston-Salem
Carolina Thunderbirds in Winston-Salem
High Point University Panthers in High Point
Elon University Phoenix in Burlington
TRIANGLE- Durham, Raleigh, Chapel Hill
Duke University Blue Devils in Durham
University of North Carolina Tar Heels in Chapel Hill
North Carolina State University in Raleigh
Carolina Hurricanes in Raleigh
EASTERN NORTH CAROLINA- Much flatter all the way to the coast, and the beach.
Fayetteville Marksmen in Fayetteville
East Carolina University Pirates in Greenville
University of North Carolina- Wilmington Seahawks in Wilmington
Kids Canes Preview
We will cover the latest Carolina Hurricanes games, and talk about Carolina Hurricanes Jesper Fast.