Bethlehem’s dormant varsity program faces a potential rebirth, leveraging a shifting landscape in hopes of returning to Division III.
Restoring The Rink examines programs that have gone defunct and their viability in today’s market. Typically, we only explore Division I institutions. However, this special Restoring The Rink looks at a former hockey school that could make a permanent comeback given the expanding landscape of Division III Hockey.
History:
Lehigh University has a long hockey history. The Engineers (changed to Mountain Hawks in 1995) played their first season in 1939 at the former Albeth Ice Palace. They competed among local schools and even won a league championship in 1942. Unfortunately, their program was put on hold following that title as World War II raged.
Hockey picked back up in 1946 with Lehigh suiting up as an independent school for exactly a decade before being shuttered once again. Records from this era of Engineers hockey are scarce, but based on what I could recover, the team continued on as a club program at least one year after the closure in 1956
The team was reestablished for a second time in 1970 joining ECAC 2 (Division II) before serving as a founding member of ECAC 3 (Division III) the following year. Lehigh had just a pair of winning seasons before taking a two year hiatus in 1981.
Upon the Engineers' return, they weren't much better emerging victorious in five games or less through 1986. Thereafter, the university folded the squad for a final time becoming a club team yet again.
The Mountain Hawks have had recent success at the ACHA D1 level, highest division of club hockey. Lehigh captured an Eastern Collegiate Hockey Association (ECHA) Championship in 2024, their first as a program since 1942. They have continued that momentum going forward posting a 30-33-3 record since.
Lehigh Valley's Cole Bardreau celebrates after the game winning goal as the Hershey Bears battled Lehigh Valley Phantoms at the Giant Center in game three of the 2017 AHL Calder Cup playoffs on Wednesday, April 26, 2017. The Bears fell 2-1 in overtime. The Bears lead the series 2-1 Cole BArdreauHockey Impact:
Just over six miles away, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms have been in existence since 2017. They serve as the American Hockey League affiliate of the Philadelphia Flyers producing players like Joel Farabee, Tyson Foerster and Morgan Frost. Their best campaign was in 2017-18, clinching their only Atlantic Division title.
Market Viability:
There is a legitimate point to be made for bringing back NCAA Hockey. The trickle down effect is sending talented players to Division III, resulting in better competition and expansion. Given that no athletic scholarships can be given in Division III, this cuts down significantly on operational costs. The Mountain Hawks are a natural fit in the Middle Atlantic Conference given the other schools' geographic proximity to Bethlehem, PA.
While history may not be on their side, the club program's trajectory and the state of college hockey warrant at least an exploratory commission from the Lehigh's Athletic Department..
