Utah Hockey announces 2022 Men’s Division 1 Schedule

August 22, 2022
Salt Lake City, Utah

The University of Utah Men’s Division 1 Program has its eyes now set on the 2022-2023 season with its official schedule release. The Skatin’ Utes will begin their quest for their first ever ACHA M1 National Tournament appearance this September.

Utah will start its season on the road and won’t see home ice until October 21, 2022.

The Utes will travel to Arizona to face off against Wester Collegiate Hockey League (WCHL) foes Arizona State and Grand Canyon University the weekend of September 30-October 1. This will be the first time Utah opens up its season with a 3 game weekend at the D1 level on the road.

Arizona State and Utah have developed a serious rivalry in the last few seasons. ASU is the shining example of what every college hockey program aspires to be and always field a championship caliber D1 hockey team. However, Utah has been able to keep pace with ASU with a 3-5 record against ASU in the past 2 seasons and finished above the Sun Devils in the 2021-2022 WCHL Conference standings. The Utes will have a huge opportunity to prove themselves in their first weekend of competition.

The opening portion of the schedule does not get any easier for the Utes as they will travel to Las Vegas to play UNLV on October 7-8. UNLV has proved to be the class of the Western Division of the WCHL but Utah is not far behind the Rebels when it comes to talent on the ice. Last season, Utah played UNLV very well as they took the #4 team in the country to overtime both on road and home ice. The Utes have yet to beat the Rebels in their time at the D1 level but will have a chance at City National Arena their second weekend of the season.

After a fall break bye weekend, the Skatin’ Utes will play their home opener on Friday, October 21 against Grand Canyon University. The Antelopes joined the WCHL the same year Utah did and both programs have been racing to earn their first conference championship. Utah went 3-1 against Grand Canyon last season, therefore Head Coach Morgan Feenie and his team will look to try to earn key conference points against a gritty but skilled GCU team.

Utah heads back to the road as they play the college hockey version of a “home and home” and play Grand Canyon in Phoenix to close out the 4 game season series with the Antelopes on Thursday, October 27. Before leaving Arizona, Utah will head further south to Tucson to open their season series with the University of Arizona on October 28-29. The Wildcats are another example of a championship caliber program that has proven itself in years past. Utah has played Arizona well since joining the D1 level going 2-1-1. Last season, Utah turned some heads around the league by sweeping the Wildcats on home ice to open the season.

After a bye weekend in early November, Utah will play arguably their toughest road games of the season in Springfield, MO as they take on Missouri State University November 11-12. MSU has consistently qualified for the ACHA D1 National Tournament and are in the running for the WCHL championship year after year. This past season, the Broncos finished 10th in the country. This will be Utah’s road out of division conference series for the season.

Arizona State comes to Salt Lake City the next weekend, November 18-19 to finish the season series. These games will be crucial to Utah’s ability to qualify for Nationals.

On December 1, Utah will host its annual Autograph and Skate with the Team night. Fans will have the opportunity to meet their favorite players and get signed memorabilia.

The weekend following, Utah will once again welcome the University of Oregon to SLC for a 2 game home series, however Oregon will now be playing as a D1 program. The Ducks were competitive in their first trip out last year, as they challenged the Utes in their first game of the series. Utah ended up going 2-0 against Oregon on home ice and will look to do the same against an even more improved Ducks team.

Continuing with the theme of playing new D1 teams, Utah will start the second semester portion of their season playing in “America’s Finest City” against the San Diego State University Aztecs on January 14-15. SDSU has risen up the ranks at the D2 level much like Oregon and will prove to be a tough midseason opponent for the Utes on the road.

Utah will start a six game homestand after their Southern California trip playing Arizona on January 20-21. This will close out the season series with the Wildcats and will have massive implications for the WCHL standings.

Next, Utah will host its toughest opponent of the season in the University of Central Oklahoma on January 27-28. UCO has proven to be the heavyweight in the WCHL as they are the defending champs. The Broncos made it to the 2021-2022 ACHA Tournament Finals where they finished as runners up against Lindenwood University. Utah has a chance to prove themselves against the ACHA’s best and is the first time in team history the two have met on the ice.

On February 3-4, Utah will host UNLV and close out the season series with the Rebels.

For the first time as an D1 program, Utah will travel to the Pacific Northwest to face off against Oregon in Eugene on February 10-11. This will end the non-conference season series with the Ducks.

After a bye weekend, Utah will get to host San Diego State on home ice in another non-conference weekend on February 24-25. This will close out the 2022-2023 regular season for the Skatin’ Utes.

These last two series against Oregon and SDSU will prove to be crucial as Utah will need to sweep to stay in the conversation for their first D1 National Tournament berth. The final rankings of the season are released on Sunday, February 26, where Utah will await its fate. If the Utes do earn their first D1 tournament berth, the 2023 ACHA National Tournament will be held from March 16-27 in Marlborough, MA. The Boston Bruins will be the hosts of this year’s tournament.

2022-2023 will undoubtedly be Utah’s toughest schedule in program history. The Utes have numerous opportunities to prove themselves as an elite program on a national scale. There are also plenty of games against D1 newcomers. As Utah knows all too well, these are the must win games if they have their eyes set on Nationals.

ACHA Men’s Division 1 is a competitive non-varsity league for collegiate ice hockey programs located in the United States that are not affiliated with the National College Athletic Association (NCAA). ACHA men’s ice hockey includes Division 1, Division 2, and Division 3 programs. Visit the ACHA website to learn more and view a map of ACHA-affiliated programs.

Upcoming events and camps

Utah Hockey has several pre-season events lined up this fall, including the Fundraising Golf Tournament, Alumni Game, and Student Apartment Block Party in September 2022. In-season events include the Teddy Bear Toss, Military Appreciation Night, Autograph/Skate with the Team Night, Youth Hockey Project, and Senior Night.

New this season are the Little Swoop Hockey Camps, with sessions offered in August and December 2022, and April 2023. These weekend youth camps are open to beginning-intermediate hockey players and will be led by Utah Hockey W1 coaches and players. Visit the Little Swoop web page for more information and to sign up.

Click here for the full 2022-23 Utah Hockey Men’s Division 1 schedule.

Utah Hockey Season tickets go on sale on Monday, August 29, 2022.