The 2000's: Building a National Power

The 2002-03 Ice Vols; 7th at the ACHA National Tournament

Since 1999, the team enjoyed a renewed success, improving its record each year, and climbing the ladder of success again in collegiate hockey. In 2001, the team moved, along with Vanderbilt, to the Great Midwest Conference. Tennessee also gained Coach Gary Fowler, a former USA Hockey Olympic Development Coach. The 2001-02 season itself was a banner year for the Big Orange, racking up conference wins against all other conference foes, including a 14-1 dismantling of former national champion Butler. Tennessee, led by an influx of great young talent such as Fowler’s son Shawn and Dale Scherholz, claimed the regular season title and was runner-up in the Conference Tournament to Vanderbilt, earning the Big Orange a top ten national ranking, and the program’s first ever invitation to the ACHA National Tournament in nearby Atlanta, GA.

As the 2002-03 season rolled around Tennessee had firmly secured its place as the oldest and most established collegiate hockey club in the southern United States. Tennessee at one point boasted 3 of the top ten scorers in the nation in Fowler, Scherholz, and newcomer Adam Bogren. On February 20, 2003, Tennessee played against Vanderbilt in the largest venue to ever host an Ice Vols game, the Gaylord Entertainment Center, home of the NHL's Nashville Predators. During the 2002-03 campaign, the Ice Vols ended losing streaks against both Georgia and Georgia Tech and upset Division 2 opponents Purdue and West Virginia. The 2002-03 squad completed this historic run with their second consecutive ACHA National Tournament Invitation. Tennessee advanced to the Elite 8, thanks to an upset of #1 Arizona State, before being eliminated by Georgia. Tennessee faced Penn State-Berks for 7th place in the consolation brack. In a game for the ages, Tennessee won 5-4 as Shawn Fowler scored his 100th goal of the season; the last of his career in a 3-on-3 penalty situation in overtime. After the season, Fowler would be named to the All-America team, a Tennessee first.

After a disastrous 2003-04 season at the Division 2 level that saw the resignation of Coach Fowler, a new-look Tennessee team took the ice in 2004-05. Team officials shifted their efforts to recruiting and rebuilding a national powerhouse. Aside from assuming GM duties , Brandon Hudson also spent one year behind the bench as interim coach. Hudson brought in 15 freshman after purging several players from the previous year’s roster. The rebuilding project appeared further ahead than planned as young players Tim Flynn, Chris Bouchard, and Jon Benner led the team, along with senior Adam Bogren, to a top-15 finish in the ACHA South.

Prior to the 2005-06 season, the Ice Vols’ received an early Christmas Present in the form of a full coaching staff. Head Coach Steve Durrigan, and assistants Mike Lowrey, Aaron Barnes, and Josh Akright brought over 90 years of combined experience both on the ice and behind the bench at the college and pro levels to a talented program desperately needing guidance and leadership

During the season, another top recruiting class, combined with the leadership of Coach Durrigan and his staff, pushed the Ice Vols’ level of play to an entirely new level. Joe Williams became the 2nd UT player in history to finish in the top five in scoring in the nation. Williams also broke Preston Dixon’s freshman scoring record while leading Tennessee to the inaugural SEC Hockey Championship; the program’s 7th overall conference title. Tennessee’s impressive title run included wins over then #1-ranked Kennesaw State, #1 Georgia, #3 Texas, and #4 Georgia Tech. The Vols came only 8 votes shy of their 5th National Tournament appearance, and helped lay the ground work for possibly a second decade of dominance and another National Championship.

Shawn Fowler

Dale Scherholz

Adam Bogren

Face-off vs. Vanderbilt at the Gaylord Center: Feb 20th, 2003

Final Score: Tennessee-3, Vanderbilt-1

Tennessee-4, Penn State Berks-3 (OT)
2003 ACHA National Tournament
Muskegon, Michigan