Puck Yeah: Ice Hockey in St Andrews

Why does ice hockey struggle to attract new members even in a town with so many North American students?

Even in an arena with a frozen pitch, the atmosphere is anything but cold. Blades slice through the ice as the puck zips from stick to stick, the eyes of an enthusiastic crowd tracking the colourful stripes on the rink. Ice hockey has a passionate global fanbase, but few in St Andrews seem to follow our own team.

The Saint sat down with social secretary Hannah O’Keeffe of the St Andrews Typhoons Ice Hockey Club to find out why the team continues to fly under the radar, even in a town filled with North American students.

“It’s such a fast-paced sport — each game has three twenty-minute periods, five skaters and a goalie per team, and line changes every minute or so,” O’Keeffe explains. “There’s barely time to think, you’re constantly moving!”

Growing up in Canada, O’Keeffe was immersed in the sport from an early age. “It’s huge back home,” she says. “In the US, it’s the same — it’s what football or rugby are here in the UK.” It’s puzzling, then, that the sport has such a low profile in St Andrews.

But the club is growing and now boasts around 30 members — mostly Americans and Canadians, but with a steadily diversifying mix of backgrounds. “We’ve got four girls on the team this season, our biggest number yet,” O’Keeffe notes proudly.

As with many sports at the University, funding remains the biggest challenge. “It’s the most expensive sport at the University, the gear costs a lot,” she says. “We have to hire a bus every week, and ice time is expensive and hard to get in Scotland.”

Training takes place at the Fife Ice Arena in Kirkcaldy, almost an hour away. Rising energy prices have only made costs worse, and maintaining the ice isn’t cheap either. The Zamboni machine that smooths the surface can cost upwards of £200,000 alone.

Despite these obstacles, enthusiasm from St Andrews’ international cohort continues to grow. After unprecedented interest in the club, the Typhoons held tryouts for the first time this year — a sure sign of the sport’s development in the town. “Everyone who made the team has played at a high level,” O’Keeffe adds.

This shouldn’t deter newcomers, though: “We’ve had total beginners pick it up here, which is amazing for such a challenging sport.”

Still, many people remain unaware of the team’s existence. “Whenever I tell people I play, they’re surprised we even have a team,” O’Keeffe laughs. “We just need to get our name out there more.”

The club’s annual Johnny Wookey Memorial Game is the highlight of the calendar, as the Typhoons take on rivals Edinburgh. “It’s such a fun, high-energy event that really shows what hockey is about.”

Whether you’re from North America or somewhere closer to St Andrews, if you’re thinking about lacing up your skates, O’Keeffe strongly recommends giving it a go — if not as a player, then as a spectator. The Saint will, as ever, be there to cover the next edition in April 2026.

The St Andrews Typhoons Ice Hockey Club proves that even in a historic town dominated by golf, there’s room for a sport that thrives on speed, teamwork, and a little chaos. Ice hockey may be a cold game, but it’s fiery and completely addictive.

Illustration by Isabella Abbott