January 20, 2017
Tucson, AZ
The University of Utah Skatin’ Utes return to Division I play for the first time in 2017 this weekend as they head down south to take on the Arizona Wildcats. With just a handful of games left this season, a win or two over a top-20 team would be huge for Utah as they try to make it to Nationals in their first season in Division I of the ACHA.
ABOUT THE SERIES:
This weekend will be just the third and fourth meetings all-time between Utah and Arizona. The Wildcats lead the series 2-0, with two wins over then-D2 Utah in Tucson 2-0 and 6-1. This weekend is also the first time ever these two teams have played against each other as ACHA Division I teams.
ABOUT THE UTES:
The Utes are coming off a tight contest in Provo to open up the second semester last weekend as they beat the BYU Cougars 2-1. With the win, the Utes have now won their last six games, a streak that dates back to the beginning of November. This weekend is also the first Division I games for Utah since the Buffalo Meltdown tournament November 4th through the 6th. The Utes are 13-7 on the season, and are 2-7 against Division I opponents. The Utes also moved up one spot in this week’s rankings, now sitting at #27 in the computer rankings.
ABOUT THE WILDCATS:
The Arizona Wildcats are coming into the weekend with a win streak of their own, winning their last three games and four of their last five contests. The Wildcats are coming off a weekend sweep at home last week, with an 8-3 win vs Arkansas, and 8-2 and 9-5 wins vs Missouri State. The Wildcats are 13-12-1 on the season and are 9-12-1 against Division I opponents. They are also ranked 18th in this week’s computer rankings, which is good enough to qualify for Nationals as of right now.
PLAYERS TO WATCH:
FOR UTAH:
Brett Myer continues to lead the Utes in scoring with 30 points on the season. He also holds the team lead for assists as well, with 21. The leading goal scorer for Utah right now is Alex King, who has 12 goals on the season. In goal, Patrick Kasper picked up his second win of the season last weekend vs BYU, and has a 2.00 GAA and .931 save percentage this season. Jared Manzella is also 2-0 in net for Utah this year, and has a 3.89 GAA and .899 save percentage on the year.
FOR ARIZONA:
Brian Hogan is the main scoring threat for the Wildcats. Hogan has almost double the points of the man behind him with 48 points compared to just 25 points for the second leading scorer on the team, John Hogan. Brian leads the team in goals and assists as well, with 24 each on the year. The Wildcats have gone back and forth between Garrett Patrick and Austin Wilson in goal, both of whom Utah has seen in the past. Patrick is 8-8 with a 3.72 GAA and .894 save % while Wilson is 6-4 with a 4.73 GAA and a .872 save %.
Friday and Saturday night’s games will be at the Tucson Convention Center in Tucson, AZ, the home of the AHL’s Tucson Roadrunners. Both games will start at 7:30pm MT and will be broadcasted live on the Arizona Wildcat Hockey YouTube page.
