M1 Ranked 17th in final ACHA ranking of semester

December 29, 2023
Salt Lake City, Utah

The University of Utah Skatin’ Utes (10-6-1-1) are enjoying the mid-season break, which will last more than a month for them, so let’s take a look at where Utah currently sits in the M1 American Collegiate Hockey Association Rankings. 

The Utes sit at 17th in the ACHA M1 rankings at the approximate halfway point of the 2023-2024 campaign. They advance 3 spots, having been ranked 20th just 2 weeks prior to the latest rankings. Their 4 game win streak, 2 weekend sweeps of the University of Arizona and San Diego State University, surely contributed to this leap. 

4 Game Win Streak

Their recent play has left Utah Hockey fans wishing there was no break in the season, M1 found their stride in the last 4 games of the calendar year. Throughout the win-streak, netminders Joseph Greilich, Marcello de Antunano, and Lawrence Letey have posted a combined .945 save percentage, only letting 5 pucks past them out of 91 shots. In their most recent game, Letey debuted with the team and pitched a shutout, a more-than-welcome introduction into the lineup for his teammates. On the other end of the ice, opposing goalies posted an .879 SV%, with Utah averaging 43 shots per game. The offense was humming too with 22 goals, 4 each for Michael Urtis and Ethan Light, and 7 assists (6 primary) from Landon Langenbrunner. 

Ute Opponents in the Top-25 

Utah played an intense 2 games against the Arizona Wildcats, etching out two 3-2 victories against a team that was placed 14th in the ACHA rankings. Utah lost 2 straight to Arizona to open the year, so now the season series is knotted up. Other teams that the Utes have played that are ranked higher include Grand Valley State University (13th), Calvin University (12th), and the University of Nevada-Las Vegas (5th). The Utes tied with Grand Valley, split 2 games with Calvin, and lost both to UNLV. 

Arizona State University (23rd), UNLV (5th), University of Central Oklahoma (3rd), and Iowa State University (21st), are some teams that Utah will face before the end of the season who are featured in the top-25 ACHA rankings. 

WCHL Division

Within the Western Collegiate Hockey Division, Utah is ranked 4th in terms of points, currently having 30. The UCO Bronchos (15-3-0) and the UNLV Rebels (14-4-1) lead the division with 45 and 44 points respectively. They are 2 powerhouses ranked in the top-5 that Utah will see in the back half of their season, UNLV twice and OCU once. They’ll also meet with the University of Oklahoma on their trip to OU, who stand at 3rd in the WCHL, but didn’t crack the top-25 overall. 

Some Numbers…

As a team the Utes are back in the positive for goal differential, sitting at +4 thanks to their 10 goal drumming of SDSU a couple of weeks ago. They have won 5 of their last 6 games and hold a points percentage of .588. 

Landon Langenbrunner leads the team with 18 points (1.06 Pt/G) with 8 goals and 10 assists. Light (15 pts) and Benjamin Mickel (14 pts) also have 8 goals a piece. Mickel has an impressive 4 game-winning goals, so if the game is all tied up, you know who will be beaver-tapping! Che Landikusic leads the team with 3 power play goals, 2 of which came from the same exact spot on the left-wing circle, with identical dishes from Jake Laurila. Captain Dylan Dix does a great job quarterbacking the first power play unit and it has bore fruit by way of assists and 2 ppg. If we tracked hits, there is no doubt he’d be leading the team, the boards are never quiet when he’s lurking.  

Outlook

M1 will re-enter the season with 6 home games spanning 3 weekends against Grand Canyon University, ASU, and UNLV. They will then head to Oklahoma for games against UCO and OU. Then it’s back home to take on Iowa State for 2 games before the ACHA Nationals commence in St. Louis. 

The excitement surrounding the team was palpable as they stepped off of the ice for their last game of 2023, hugs and excited smiles were in excess, and they will strive to transfer this momentum into the second stage of the season. The Utes have a real and competitive squad that everyone should be excited to watch for the remainder of the season. Right now there is no shortage of scoring, physicality, and great goaltending, and if these attributes solidify into mainstays, the Utes will continue to climb the rankings. Success is in order for M1 if they can stay the course and build upon their first half of the season. 

Full rankings can be found here.
Full standings can be found here.