The University of Richmond Men's Ice Hockey Program was born in 2001. Until that year, the University of Richmond had never fielded a competitive hockey team of any level. The Club was formed by a Sophomore, Chris Bernard, that year. He had always played hockey at his home in New Jersey, and he missed playing while he was attending school. He soon found out that he was not the only one, and the team was born. Because of a small student body (3000), and the lack of any hockey program at the University, the first team consisted of only 14 players. Bernard's jersey (#11) was retired on September 24, 2010 during the Spiders' 2010-2011 season opener vs. VCU.
