Bertagnolli Wins 100th Game

As the Utes left the ice Wednesday night in Eugene after their 4-1 win over Oregon, not only did the Utes win their club-record eighth straight win but Utah’s head coach achieved a very special milestone with the Skatin’ Utes.

With the win, Head Coach Jon Bertagnolli now has 100 career wins with the Utes, taking the team from the unknown to one of the elite teams in the West Division.

When Bertagnolli took over the team for the 2009-2010 season, the Utes were coming off a 7-22 season. In his first season with the club, the team had a turnaround with the team finishing with its first winning season with a 16-15-1 record.

After finishing the following season with a 16-16-1 record, the team began to pick up steam and gather more attention. In the 2011-2012 season, the Utes went 31-9 and went to the ACHA West Regionals for the first time in club history, winning its first round game against San Jose State on their home rink.

The team went back to Regionals the following season in Utah, beating Northern Arizona in the first round to reach the regional finals for the second year in a row. The Utes finished with a 29-7 record which also featured the first victories over Utah State, a perennial power in the West Division.

The team is off to its best start in club history this year and is poised for its best year in club history. Bertagnolli brought a new winning mentality when he took over the team and has always put the team ahead of himself. The team has responded and helped Bertagnolli reach a plateau that no one else ever has in club history.

Bertagnolli received the game puck after the win in Oregon as the milestone win is yet another achievement that he has received throughout his time at Utah.

Bertagnolli now has a record of 100-47-2, which has a winning percentage of 67 percent. Most of the wins have occurred over the last three seasons, with the Utes going 67-16 over that span. The team has broken records for win streaks, wins in a season, and many others as the team has risen to become one of the top teams in the west division.

He has a PAC-8 Championship and two Regional Finals appearances under his tenure, and the next step is to see the team compete at the National Championships.

The whole Utah Hockey organization congratulates Jon Bertagnolli for his great achievement and look forward to the many more that will happen while he is coaching the Skatin’ Utes.