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The American Colligate Hockey Association (ACHA)recently released the new national rankings for Division II club hockey.

The UTEP Hockey Club is now ranked 8^th in the West Region, one spot higher than the previous week.  Miners enter the winter break 15-1 overall and lead TCHC 10-0 so far this season.

Along with the Miners, University of Mary, U of Providence, Weber State, Montana State, Northern Arizona, University of Oregon, Utah State, Boise State and East Texas Baptist all rank within the Top 10.

Austin Simpson leads the Miners with 53 points (25 G, 28 A) – which is six points shy of last season at the winter break. Two weeks ago against Arizona State, Simpson scored five goals – his seventh multi-goal game of the season.

Freshman Scott Kasaboski has logged 540 minutes in net for the Miners. With a 8-1 record, Kasaboski has a .921 save percentage and has recorded 280 saves.

UTEP will drop the puck on the second half of the season against Texas A&M January 6 and 7 at home.

For ticket information and more, visit the team’s website.

ALLEN, TX – The Miners wasted no time on the road in Dallas, as they swept the Dallas Baptist University Patriots this weekend. With Saturday’s win, the Miners have now won 10 games in a row.

Going back to game one on Friday night, the Miners got on the board quickly with an early first period goal.

Matt Sanca opened the scoring for UTEP with a goal assisted by Austin Simpson and Donald Alchin. Jake Kopinski fed Donald Alchin in front of the net, extending the Miner lead to two goals.

Back for the second period, DBU gets one past UTEP goalie Scott Kasaboski to come within one goal. Right back on the attack, UTEP’s Simpson – on a pass from Alchin – scores 15:03 into the second period and the Miners increase their lead to two goals at the end of the second period.

Right after the puck drops for the final frame, Simpson scores unassisted at 6:25 in the third period, his second goal of the night. Adding to the Miners tally, Dominik Taras on the power play scores making it a 5-1 Miners lead with 5:06 left to play.

Patriots fail to answer and the Miners hold on for their ninth straight win of the season.

Back for game two on Saturday night the Patriots strike first, but the Miners don’t let that lead last long as Dominik Taras assisted by Carlo Wittor evens the score.

Both sides head to the locker room tied at one after 20 minutes of play.

Following a couple penalties, Alchin finds the back of the net and the Miners take their first lead of the game. Shortly after that, Taras  -assisted by Wittor – gives the Miners some extra cushion with a two goal lead.

With a late penalty by Fabian Perez at the end of the second, the Miners started the third period on the penalty kill. Shortly after the puck droped, Alchin – off a feed from Simpson – buries one in the net for his second goal of the game.

Before the sting of that goal can wear off, Simpson gets his name on the board for the sixth Miner goal of the game and second shorthanded goal of the game. And in true dramatic fashion, Dominik Taras assisted by Carlo Wittor scores making it three Miner goals in under five minutes and completes the hat trick.

The third period chaos continues as the Patriots score a couple more. Then the Miners do it again, another pair of back-to-back goals by Simpson and Alchin — his third of the game — about 20 seconds apart. The score is now 9-2 with a little more than 10 minutes to go in the final frame. But the Miners are not done yet, as Jon Sanca scores his first of the season to bring the Miners tally to 10 goals to the Patriots two.

The Patriots would go on to score two goals late in third, but the Miners would hold on to complete the sweep with a 10-4 win.

Following another dominating sweep at home against the TCU Horned Frogs the Miners will pack their bags for an east Texas showdown against the Dallas Baptist Patriots.

The puck drops on the two-game series Friday at 8:30 p.m. CT, with game two Saturday at 2:30 p.m. CT.

This will be the first meeting between the Miners and Patriots this season. Last season, the Miners swept the Patriots at home with a 12-3 win in game one and a 8-2 win in game two.

UTEP and DBU are 7-0 overall having played against each other since 2015. During that time, UTEP has scored 44 goals against DBU.

The Patriots are currently 6-7 overall, 6-2 in conference play this season. Sitting in second place in the north division of TCHC. Last weekend, DBU swept Texas State with a 10-1 win in game one and a 7-6 win in game two.

Randall Miller returns between the pipes for the Patriots and has logged 162 minutes for the Patriots in eight games. Miller has allowed 27 goals this season, 10 per game and has a save percentage of .847.

Trenton Lee and Spence Cowand return for DBU and lead the Patriots with 17 and 15 points, respectfully. Lee has scored 10 goals with seven assists, while Cowand has nine goals and six assists.

Quick Miner Facts

• UTEP is currently 8-0 this season.
• Sophomore Austin Simpson leads the team with 21 points (12 G, 9A).

Saturday’s matchup will be played at the Allen Events Center prior to the Allen Americans (ECHL) game against the Idaho Steelheads.

After downing ETBU 7-1 in the semi-finals Friday night, the UTEP Miner Hockey squad manhandled the Texas A&M Aggies in the TCHC Championship game Saturday, 8-1.

Four minutes into the first, Jayden Ritchie fed Carlo Wittor who shot and scored off the deflection of Aggie goalie Reynolds glove, putting the Miners on the board for the first goal of the game.

The Miners kept pushing as Reynolds can’t grab the loose puck and Fabian Perez gets it passed him to increase the lead to 2-0.

As the puck dropped for the second period, Austin Simpson made his mark on the championship game, scoring a power-play goal on a one-timer making the game 3-0, 7:44 into the period.

On the penalty kill, Kevin Duncan fed it to Carlo Wittor, who then fed Austin Simpson which was redirected by the Aggies. On the redirect A&M sent the puck past the line and the Miners got their fourth goal of the game.

Then, with just over two minutes remaining in the period, Matt Sanca beat Aggie goalie Reynolds on the rebound, scoring the Miners second power-play goal of the game, giving the Miners a 5-0 lead at the buzzer.

Heading to the final stanza, the Aggies came out trying to cut the deficit but Miner goalie Angus Campbell – making his second start in two days — would hold tight.

To drive the point home, UTEP’s Dominik Taras scored off a feed from Matt Sanca, pushing the Miners lead to 6-0, 4:45 into the final frame.

Texas A&M finally got on the board, as Kyle Mills beat Duncan and Campbell to the back of the net. UTEP came right back as Austin Simpson found Dominic Foggia open near the faceoff zone, feeding him a pass and allowing Foggia to score, giving the Miners a 7-1 lead.

With just under four minutes to go in the third, Prystayko takes Campbell’s place in net for the Miners. Then the Aggies are called for too many men on the ice and the Miners use the man advantage as Pablo Duarte scored the Ice Miners final point.

With the win, the Miners snag their second TCHC Championship in three years.  The championship game win also gives the Miners an automatic bid to the ACHA Western Regional Tournament, February 28-March 2 in Tempe, Arizona.

Following a 23-0 win Sunday afternoon against TCHC opponent North Texas, the UTEP Miner hockey squad clinched the TCHC regular season title.

In first place, with 48 points, UTEP earns an automatic bid to the semi-finals of the TCHC playoffs next month, February 7-9, in Dallas, Texas.

As a student run organization funded 100% by the players, the Miners have started a Go Fund Me in hopes of raising money to help offset costs for postseason play.

This season the Miners have complied a 21-1-1-1 record so far with only two regular season games remaining. With only two losses, only one loss in regulation, and a undefeated record at home.

This season alone, the Miners average 9.29 goals per game and have tallied 223 goals. In comparison to other TCHC opponents the Miners rank 1st in goals per game, power play percentage and penalty kill percentage. The Miners have outscored their opponents by three or more goals in 19 out of 24 games this season.

Winning the conference tournament, will give the Miners an automatic bid to the ACHA Western Regional Tournament in Tempe, Arizona next month, February 28- March 2.

To donate to Miners, go to minershockey.com for more information or visit their Go Fund Me page.

After a month away from the ice, the UTEP Miner hockey team is ready to pick up where they left off, vying for the top spot in Texas Collegiate Hockey Conference (TCHC.)

“Looking forward to getting back and playing games. It’s been a long break, but the club is ready to go and enthusiastic to start back up,” Coach Herman said. “We are expecting a very physical style series. Should be lots of fun.”

• UTEP is currently 12-1-1-1 this season.
• Freshman Austin Simpson leads the team with 59 points (21 G, 38A).
• Miners wrap up 2018 on a winning note

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The UTEP hockey team is hoping to extend its winning streak this weekend on home ice against one of the best teams in the Texas Collegiate Hockey Conference.

UTEP, with an impressive 11-2-1 record so far this season, has won six of the last seven games.

The Miners are coming off an impressive two-game sweep of East Texas Baptist, winning 5-3 and 10-0, while Dallas Baptist is 17-4 after crushing North Texas 22-0 and 24-0.

The Miners hope to add two more victories as they face off with the Dallas Baptist Patriots at the El Paso County Coliseum Events Center, 4100 East Paisano.

The games are set for 11 a.m. Friday, November 30, and 3:30 p.m. Saturday, December 1.

Tickets are only $7 for any seat in the rink and are available at the Coliseum Box Office, all Ticketmaster outlets, by phone at 800-745-3000, online and at the Coliseum Events Center Ticket Booth, which opens an hour and a half before game time.

The UTEP hockey team is set to open conference play this weekend on home ice.

The Miners will take on the East Texas Baptist Tigers in a two-game Texas Collegiate Hockey Conference series at the El Paso County Coliseum Events Center located at 4100 East Paisano.

The games are set for 11 a.m. Friday, November 16, and 3:30 p.m. Saturday, November 17.

UTEP, 9-2-1, is coming off a strong showing against the New Mexico Lobos, earning a tie and a victory in the two-game series.

East Texas Baptist, meanwhile, is 7-7 after sweeping a weekend series against TCU.

Tickets are only $7 for any seat in the rink and are available at the Coliseum Box Office, all Ticketmaster outlets, by phone at 800-745-3000, online and at the Coliseum Events Center Ticket Booth, which opens an hour and a half before game time.

The UTEP Miners hit the rink Sunday afternoon, trying to complete the sweep against their rivals to the north, the University of New Mexico Lobos.

After a close game one on Saturday, that saw the Ice Miners top the Lobos 7-5, they hit the ice Sunday looking to repeat the deed.  On ‘Stick it to Cancer’ Sunday, the Miners blew out the Lobos 11-3, securing the sweep.

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The Miners opened their season against the Texas Tech Red Raiders Friday night with a dominant performance from start to finish, ending in domination as UTEP topped Texas Tech 21-1.

Left winger Austin Simpson led the way for the Miners picking up 7 points on the day, with a hat trick and 4 assists. Goals were not in short supply tonight, as junior defenseman Kevin Duncan (3 G, 1A) and sophomore forward Noah Vanderzwan (3G, 2A) recorded hat tricks tonight.

Freshman Angus Campbell was fantastic between the pipes, in his collegiate debut, although Texas Tech was not given much of a chance to score.

The Miners put on relentless pressure from the beginning of the game and the Red Raiders spent the whole game in their own zone. The Miners outshot the Red Raiders 53-10.

A dominant display from the Miners special teams as well as they scored 8 power play goals and allowed zero goals on the penalty kill. The Miners set a new club record with 21 goals scored at home in a single game.

The Miners are back for game two against Texas Tech, Saturday at 3:30pm.

Box Score

After what seemed like an extraordinarily long and hot summer, the wait is finally over and UTEP Hockey is back.

The puck drops on the 2018-19 season this Friday, as the Miners will begin the season with a pair of non-conference games against Texas Tech.

Start time for Game 1 on September 21 is at 7pm, with Game 2 slated for Saturday at 3:30pm.

This weekend will be the fourth consecutive season that the Red Raiders meet the Miners at center ice. Friday marks the 10th time both teams have met.

Dating back to the 2015-16 season, overall the Miners and Red Raiders are 7-1 (5-1 at home, 2-0 on the road). Without including the Miners 7-1 win against Texas Tech in the semi-final round of the TCHC Playoffs in 2017.

Last season, UTEP traveled to Odessa winning Game 1, 6-3, before coming back in overtime the next morning to close out the series, 4-3, with a goal scored by Jorge Duenas.

The Miners add ten new players to their roster this season. Including former Rhinos Jake Kopinski, Austin Simpson, Jayden Ritchie, Carlo Wittor and Angus Campbell. Leading scorer, Dominik Taras will not be on the bench for the Miners this weekend but is expected to return later in the season.

Juniors’ Kevin Duncan, Jorge Duenas, Matt Sanca and Jon Sanca return for their third season in a Miner jersey. Last season, Matt Sanca helped lead the team with 42 points (14G, 28A). Forward Noah Vanderzwan returns for his sophomore year with the Miners following an explosive first season with 18 goals last season.

Quick Miner Facts

• Defenseman Chris Roosmalen has returned and will serve as assistant coach this season.
• Coach Herman will begin his 4th season as Miner head coach.
• UTEP finished last season in 3rd place at the TCHC Playoff Tournament.

For tickets visit the Miner’s website.

On Tuesday, the UTEP Hockey Club announced it’s non-conference game schedule. The addition of six games brings the Miners to a 26-game slate for the 2018-19 season.

The Miners will kick off the new season at home against Texas Tech, September 21-22. This will be the 5th meeting between the Miners and the Red Raiders with an overall record of 7-1.

Texas Tech was the first team the Miners played at home during their inaugural season in 2015.

Back at home following a few weeks on the road, the Miners will host the University of New Mexico Lobos for a two-game home stand, October 20-21.

Then UTEP will head to Albuquerque, November 2-3 to complete the series. The last time the Miners played the Lobos was during the 2016-17 season.

The puck drops September 21st at 7pm at the El Paso County Events Center with game 2 on Saturday at 3:30pm. For the complete 2018-19 UTEP Hockey schedule, visit minershockey.com.

Stay tuned for upcoming game times and ticket information.

The Miners will host the East Texas Baptist University Tigers in their final home stand of the season, Friday (February 2) at 11am and Saturday (February 3) at 3:30pm.

Following a 0-3 start on the season, the TCHC Champs have gone on to improve to 17-9 overall. Coach Herman comments on the final home stand, “Looking forward to closing out the season this coming weekend. It’s been a great season at home this year and we look forward to ending on a high note.”

This will be the first meeting between both teams as the ETBU joined the TCHC conference at the start of this season. Currently, 12-5 on the season ETBU has notable wins over Texas A&M, Dallas Baptist, North Texas and Auburn University.

This Friday, the Miners will host their final Science on Ice home game. Over 900 students will be in attendance at Friday’s game. Throughout the game, students will learn about the science behind the sport of hockey.

From the science applied when creating ice to how skates are made, students will enjoy a fun educational day at the rink.

The Miners will honor the Senior Forward Josh Baeza before the game. Baeza has played for the Miners for the last 3 seasons. As part of the inaugural team, Baeza also played a role in creating the club team on campus by petitioning the Recreational Department to start the club. Baeza will graduate in May with a degree in Finance.

The business major will play his final game at the El Paso County Events Center this Saturday. In their final home of the season, the Miners will honor their fans at their Fan Appreciation game.

Scouting the Tigers

ETBU is led by Forward Riley Knott and Michael Garvie who each have 56 and 44 points this season. Knott leads with 20 goals and 36 assists.

While Garvie has scored 26 goals this season. Goaltender Nick Bozzuto has logged 1082 minutes in net for the Tigers as the only starting goalie for the season. Bozzuto has allowed 78 goals, 4.32 per game and has 372 saves this season.

Quick Miner Facts

• Miners are 17-9 overall, 16-4 in conference play.
• UTEP is in 1st place in TCHC.
• Freshman Dominik Taras leads the Miners in points and goals scored (28 G, 24 A).
• Junior Goaltender, Alek Lazarski averages 3.28 goals against and a .893 save percentage.

Up Next

The Miners will head to Austin, Texas for the Texas Collegiate Hockey Conference Playoffs. Playoffs start February 8^th.   There is a ‘GoFundMe’ account to help the team raise money for the trip.

The UTEP Miners Hockey Club announced Monday their 28 game regular season schedule for the 2017-18 campaign.