Utah Hockey awarded 2026 ACHA Men’s Division 2 Western Regional Tournament

November 12, 2025
Salt Lake City, Utah

University of Utah Hockey has received official notification they will have the privilege of hosting the 2026 American Collegiate Hockey Association Division 2 Western Regional Tournament at the Salt Lake City Sports Complex from February 20-21, 2026.

Utah Hockey has a storied history with hosting ACHA events including the 2013 ACHA Regional Tournament, 2014 PAC-8 Championships, 2015 Wasatch Cup, 2015 ACHA Division 2 National Tournament, 2020 Wasatch Cup, 2020 Women’s Western Collegiate Hockey League Championships, 2023 ACHA Men’s Division 2 West Regional Tournament, 2024 WWCHL Championship Tournament, 2025 Wasatch Cup Tournament, and the 2026 Mountain West Collegiate Hockey League Tournament.

“Hosting this hockey tournament on our home ice is a genuine privilege. We look forward to welcoming the competing teams and their supporters, and sharing the atmosphere of our rink for the weekend,” said Utah M2 Head Coach Nick Fornelius.

The 2026 ACHA Men’s Division 2 Regional Tournament will feature a new format this season. Following the release of the final Men’s Division 2 regular season rankings in February, the top sixteen seeds from each region will travel to their respective regional tournaments.

Those 16 teams will then battle it out in a single elimination format for the four spots in the American Collegiate Hockey Association National Championship Tournament

Each region (Central, Northeast, Southeast, West) sends four teams to the 2026 ACHA National Championships.

“Sports Salt Lake, a division of Visit Salt Lake, is pleased to support Utah Hockey in bringing the 2026 ACHA Western Regional Tournament to Salt Lake. While here, the athletes and attendees will enjoy a clean, vibrant city; with an array of activities, shops, and restaurants at their fingertips. We welcome the ACHA back to Salt Lake City!” Clay Partain, Executive Director was quoted.

“Utah Hockey is honored to be hosting the Regional tournament again, said General Manager AJ Boldan. It is always a privlege to host the best teams in the West and our organization will provide the best experience for all the student athletes in attendance.”

The game schedule format for each Regional will be:

Regional Day 1: Friday, February 21, 2026
Game #01: #16 seed vs. #01 seed
Game #02: #15 seed vs. #02 seed
Game #03: #14 seed vs. #03 seed
Game #04: #13 seed vs. #04 seed
Game #05: #12 seed vs. #05 seed
Game #06: #11 seed vs. #06 seed
Game #07: #10 seed vs. #07 seed
Game #08: #09 seed vs. #08 seed

Regional Day 2: Saturday, February 22, 2026
Game #09: Lowest remaining seed vs Highest Remaining Seed
Game #10: 2nd Lowest remaining seed vs 2nd highest remaining seed
Game #11: 3rd Lowest remaining seed vs 3rd highest remaining seed
Game #12: 4th Lowest remaining seed vs 4th highest remaining seed

The four teams who emerge undefeated from the tournament will join the 12 other winners, four from each region, and compete for the Radakovich Cup at the 2026 ACHA National Championships, which will be played from March 12-17, 2026 at the Centene Community Ice Center in Maryland Heights, Missouri.

Game times and ticket information will be released at later date.