the team began play in the 2004–05 season, following the defunct huntsville channel cats of the south east hockey league. the team finished sixth out of eight teams in the regular season in 2004–05 and lost a one-game playoff to the jacksonville barracudas. in 2006, huntsville finished fifth in the league and was defeated two games to none by the florida seals in the second round of playoffs after knocking off the defending league champion columbus cottonmouths in three games in the opening round. in 2007, huntsville's fourth-place regular season finish was for naught as they were swept out of the playoffs by the eventual league champion fayetteville fireantz.