Jnauary 30, 2015
Salt Lake City, Utah
The time is finally here. It’s been months since the Wasatch Cup was announced last summer, and now the weekend that will decide the best team in the state of Utah is finally here.
All four teams in the state come into the weekend with different storylines. Some are trying to make playoff pushes while others are trying to just finish the season strong.
The two day tournament not only has bragging rights on the line, but also has playoff implications for three of the four teams that are trying to make it to Salt Lake City in March for Nationals.
Utah, Weber State, and Utah State are all in positions to qualify for the postseason which means all three could be playing in their home state for a national championship.
Before we get to the playoffs, a cup is on the line this weekend and one team is going home with a brand new trophy. Here’s a little more on all four teams that are playing for the cup this weekend.
#1 Seed: #3 Utah Utes
The Utes come into the Wasatch Cup as the favorite and top ranked team of the four here in Utah. The Utes are 20-12-1 on the season but are coming off a rough road trip two weeks ago losing four in a row to Arizona State and Arizona’s ACHA D1 program. Utah has been dominant over the teams in the state this year, posting an 11-1 record against in-state opponents including season sweeps over Weber State and BYU.
Despite their success, the team has had a rough start to the back half of the season, going 2-5 since the winter break. The Utes will look to use this weekend as a springboard for the final push before the team hosts Nationals in under two months.
#2 Seed: #8 Weber State Wildcats
It’s been a big dropoff from last year’s team that finished at the top of the west a season ago for the Weber State Wildcats, who come into the Wasatch Cup as the #2 seed and #8 in the ACHA West Division. The Wildcats are just 6-17-1 this season and are 4-4 against in-state opponents. The Wildcats are coming off a three-game road trip in Colorado, where they went 1-2 against Denver and Northern Colorado.
Although the Wildcats have seen some hardships this season, the team is still in position to make the playoffs with a good weekend this week and next week in the MWCHL Championships in Provo. A win or two against ranked teams could cement their spot at Regionals but a loss or two could mean an early season for the Wildcats.
#3 Seed: #9 Utah State Aggies
The Aggies have had a season much like the Wildcats’ one, after a rough start to their year that saw them go 3-7 in their first ten games of the season. The Aggies are 8-14-2 this season and 5-5 against in-state opponents this year. The Aggies were also in Colorado last weekend playing Denver and Northern Colorado, going 1-1-1 over their three game weekend.
The Aggies also see themselves in the same position as Weber State in regards to the playoffs, where a key win or loss can decide their postseason fate. The Aggies do come into the weekend with an impressive 7-2 win over Utah a few weeks ago which should help fuel their fire to go after the cup.
#4 Seed: BYU Cougars
The BYU Cougars may have the worst record of the four teams in the tournament, but BYU is in fact the only team that comes into the Wasatch Cup after winning their last game. The Cougars are 2-19 on the season after beating Montana State at home last weekend. BYU is 0-9 against the teams in the state of Utah, but the team has been competitive in most of those contests, including a 5-4 overtime loss to Utah three weeks ago.
While the playoffs are out of reach for BYU this season, the Cougars still have a conference title to go after as they host the MWCHL tournament next weekend. They’ll look to use this weekend as momentum for that weekend and try and grab bragging rights from the three powers in the state.
Weber State and Utah State will kick off the tournament at 5pm in game one of the Wasatch Cup. The Wildcats are 2-0 this season against Utah State. In game two on Friday, Utah will play BYU at 8pm at the Utah Ice Sheet. Utah swept the Cougars this season four games to none and have won 21 straight games over BYU.
The losers of the two semifinal games will meet each other at 5pm on Saturday in the consolation game while the two winners will face off at 8pm on Saturday for the Wasatch Cup Final and bragging rights as the best team in the state of Utah.
