About
Nearly a century of Digger Hockey in Butte — rise, revival, and the comeback underway now.
Punching Above Our Size
Hockey in Butte goes back nearly a century, and Montana Tech has never been the biggest school on the ice — it has never mattered. From Pacific Coast contenders in the 1930s to a top-ranked club team in the 2010s, Digger Hockey keeps finding a way to punch above its weight.
The story runs in cycles: rise, fade, revival. What never changes is the grit of a mining town and a roster of engineers, students and imports who just want to play. Here is where that story has been — and where it is headed next.
The Long Game
-
1930s
Pacific Coast Contenders
Tech skated against Washington and Gonzaga and chased Pacific Coast titles — powered by players with Canadian junior experience long before that was common at a small school.
-
1956
Keeping It Alive
As the original program faded, the student paper The Amplifier rallied to save what was then the only hockey team in the state of Montana.
-
2011
Diggers Reborn
A new generation re-founded the Digger Hockey Club and put Montana Tech hockey back on the ice.
-
2013
Into the ACHA
Tech joined ACHA Division 2 and the new Mountain West Collegiate Hockey League — and finished second in the conference its very first season.
-
2014
Best in the State
The Hockey News ranked Montana Tech the No. 1 hockey team in Montana — serious credibility for a club out of a small engineering school.
-
2015
All-Star Heavy
Seven Diggers earned Mountain West spots at the National All-Star Challenge — more than any other school in the division.
-
2020
Lights Out
COVID scattered the roster — "our Canadians ended up going home" — and the club went dormant.
-
2024
Back on the Ice
A new crew of roughly 20 skaters relaunched the program and started lacing up for games again.
-
Today
Back in the ACHA
The Orediggers have returned to ACHA play and are competing again — a couple of seasons in, the program is rebuilt and the next chapter is being written right now.
Built in Butte
We are a club program at Montana Tech, a small STEM university with an outsized hockey culture. Our players carry full course loads and still find the rink — backed by a Canadian connection that has shaped the roster for generations.
Home ice is the Butte Community Ice Center in Butte, Montana. The mining-town toughness is real, and so is the welcome: if you can play, there is a spot to earn.
The Butte Community Ice Center
Opened in December 2001, the Butte Community Ice Center is where the Orediggers play their home games. It is also home to the Copper City Kings Youth Hockey Program and the Butte Rough Riders Junior Hockey Club, and it hosts state hockey tournaments along with adult hockey and figure skating through the season.
The regulation 85-by-200-foot sheet runs from October to early April. Inside you’ll find a full-line hockey shop, a concessions stand, a game room and seven locker rooms — plus skate rentals if you left yours at home. Seating holds 350, with room to expand to 700 when the barn fills up.
Beyond hockey, the facility is available to rent for birthday parties, receptions, trade shows and more — reach the ice center by phone, email or on the web for details.
- Address
- 1700 Wall Street
Butte, MT 59702 - Ice Surface
- Regulation 85 ft × 200 ft
- Season
- October – early April
- Capacity
- 350 (expandable to 700)
The Story Isn't Over
Digger Hockey is rebuilding, and that means there is room for the next class of Orediggers. Players, fans and supporters — this is your shot to be part of the comeback.