The Oakland Golden Grizzlies is the name for the athletic teams representing Oakland University which has two campuses located in Auburn Hills, Michigan and Rochester Hills, Michigan. The university is an all sports member of the Horizon League.
In mid-October of 2017, the university became part of a study sponsored by the National Hockey League and the National Hockey League Players' Association to determine the feasibility of NCAA Division I men's and women's hockey programs. As of the time of this announcement there were no women's Division I programs in the state of Michigan.
In April 2018 the results of the study deemed the university had the foundation in place to further the process of looking into establishing both men's and women's hockey teams at the university. The administration and athletic department are working on developing a criteria list that must be met to establish both programs. Among issues to be addressed would be an on campus ice rink and athletic scholarships. The university also felt there were many issues which would be to be addressed and hockey programs would not be established in the near future.
The university presently offers club hockey with two men's teams (a D-I American Collegiate Hockey Association team playing in the Great Lakes Collegiate Hockey League based out of the ONYX Ice Arena in Rochester, Michigan and a D-III team playing in the ACHA's North region based out of the Buffalo Wild Wings Arena facility in Troy, Michigan). The D-III team won the 2015-16 National Championship. The university does not have a women's club program at this point.
The University is the second school to become part of the program which is intended to expand college hockey in the United States. The first university to become part of the study was the University of Illinois-Champaign.
Men's ACHA Division I program[]
The Oakland men's club ice hockey team won the American Collegiate Hockey Association's Division 2 national championship in 2004, was national runner-up in 2005, and in 2006 again won the Division 2 championship. The team moved up to ACHA Division 1 for the 2006–07 season and won the national championship over Penn State University by a score of 5–1. In addition, the Grizzlies career scoring leader, Will McMahon, was named tournament and regular season MVP after tallying 47 goals and 29 assists in 36 games (including playoffs). McMahon finished his career with four ACHA National Player of the Year awards with career totals of 240 goals and 140 assists (380 total points). McMahon was drafted by the Fort Wayne Komets of the IHL following his final season (2007) making him the first Grizzly drafted in a professional hockey league. The team is currently coached by former Lake Superior State Lakers men's ice hockey Captain Jeremy Bachusz, who led Oakland to a 25–11–3 record in his first season. The 25 wins was the most for OU Hockey at the Division 1 level. The Grizzlies currently compete in the Great Lakes Collegiate Hockey League conference.