The Weber State University men's hockey team traveled to St. Louis, Missouri, to compete in the American Collegiate Hockey Association Division II national tournament.
After finishing the regular season with an overall record of 22-12, the Wildcats finished in second place behind Montana State in the Mountain West bracket. This season, the Cats have a positive goal difference with a total of 180 and 106 goals.
After such a successful season, Weber State head coach Yoshu Ryujin and Montana State head coach Dave Weaver were co-recipients of the West Region Coach of the Year award. Ryujin led the Wildcats to a 22-12-2 season and secured second place in the Mountain West standings. Ryujin, who played at Weber State University as a player and now as a coach, is aiming to win a national championship for Ogden.
Corey Mehta and Cole VanOrman led the Wildcats in scoring this season, totaling 48 and 43 points, respectively. Mehta totaled 25 goals and 23 assists this season. Van Orman totaled 21 goals and 22 assists.
After the departure of Kyle Lane, Owen Yancey was named the Wildcats' starting goaltender this season. That year, Yancey started 18 games and had a record of 10 wins, 7 losses, and 1 draw. Yancey has totaled 556 saves and scored 58 goals. Trey Hirshfield entered the program as Yancey's No. 2. Hirshfield has started 16 games against the Wildcats this season and is 10-5-1 with 508 total saves and 37 goals.
The Wildcats finished the regular season with back-to-back wins over local rival Utah State. They won 3-2 on February 16th and 8-2 on February 17th. Weber State finished second in the Mountain West Conference Hockey League, guaranteeing a spot in the Nationals this season.
The Wildcats' first game with the Nationals was against Indiana University on March 11, and the Hoosiers finished the regular season with a 23-6-0 record. Indiana University defeated the Wildcats 4-2 in the tournament opener. The Wildcats' two goals both came in the first period, the first by Bryon Fobert and the second by Van Orman.
On March 12, the Wildcats are scheduled to play Michigan State at 1:15 p.m., which finished the regular season with an overall record of 25-1-1. The Wildcats' final game at the Nationals will be against Northeastern University on Wednesday at 8:45 p.m.
