Utah M1 Qualifies for 2026 ACHA National Championship, to play #21 Northwood

February 25, 2026
Salt Lake City, Utah

During yesterday’s American Collegiate Hockey Association Men’s Division 1 Tournament Rankings Reveal Show, the ACHA announced the final rankings for the 2025-26 hockey season.

With the release, University of Utah Division 1 Men’s Hockey was awarded the #12 seed in the tournament with a 15-9-1 record.

The Utes are on a absolute tear this semester with a record of 7-1. This last weekend split the series against 2026 ACHA defending Champions UNLV at the Salt Lake City Sports Complex to finish out the regular season.

In addition, the team was notified they had secured a #12 seed for the 2026 ACHA Men’s Division 1 National Championship in St Louis, Missouri from March 12-17, 2026.

Utah M1 will be making their third consecutive trip to the tournament as a Division 1 team, with the first being the 2023-24 season.

The Utes start the tournament on March 12, 2026 at 11:15 AM MST versus #21 Northwood University. This will be the first time these two teams have played.

Utah Hockey is looking for donations to help with travel costs of the trip. Donations are being accepted on the 2026 Utah Hockey Nationals Donation Page.

Now in its 35th season of action, there have been a total of 15 schools that have won the ACHA Men’s Division 1 National Championship. Over the past 19 seasons, 12 different schools have won the ACHA Men’s Division I National Championship: Penn State (5), Lindenwood (4), Ohio (4), Adrian (3), Minot State (3), Central Oklahoma (2), Illinois (2), Arizona State, Davenport, Iowa State, Oakland, Delaware, Rhode Island, and UNLV.

A total of 81 teams will compete in Men’s Division I this season, including former Men’s Division II members Central Michigan University, North Carolina State University, University of Cincinnati, University of Kentucky, University of Louisville, and University of North Carolina, along with former Men’s Division III members Hope College, the reigning ACHA Men’s Division III National Champions, and University of Michigan-Flint. The Concordia University Ann Arbor program, which made the announcement to relocate to Siena Heights University back in April, folded in July before getting to play a game as the Saints.