The South East Hockey League was formed in August 2003. It succeeded the short-lived Atlantic Coast Hockey League and had 4 teams for its first and only season. The Huntsville Channel Cats were the 2003-04 President's Championship Cup winners. The Channel Cats defeated the Knoxville Ice Bears in three straight games in the championship series. For the 2004-05 season, the SEHL suspended play when two of its teams folded while the other two joined with teams from the World Hockey Association 2 to form the Southern Professional Hockey League.