It’s been nearly a couple of decades, but women’s hockey at the University of Arizona is back — and taking to the ice, for the time being, at Tucson Arena.
In late September, the newly minted Wildcats played their first game after almost a year and a half of building a program.
“It was great. It was so fun watching everybody come together and play as hard as they possibly did,” UA head coach Caitlin Hogan said of the debut.
It’s the UA’s first women’s hockey team for the first time since 2005. From 1999 to the mid-2000s, while the men’s program was known as the Arizona Icecats, the women’s program was the Arizona Icers.
The new-look Wildcats (1-5) host their second home game in Tucson on Saturday at 9:30 a.m. against Denver (2-4). For the remainder of their inaugural season all their games at the Tucson Arena will have free admission.
Arizona women’s hockey defenseman Lucy Verderber (4) and Hannah Strand (10) battled for the puck against Grand Canyon forward Elizabeth Ramsey during the Wildcats’ inaugural home game on Sept. 26 against GCU at Tucson Arena.
In its first game on Sept. 26, Arizona lost to GCU 2-1, as freshman defenseman Savannah Allen scored the Wildcats’ first goal.
Allen, who is from Flagstaff, played for the Arizona Kachinas girls hockey development program.
In a video that played in Tucson Arena during that first game, Allen shared her gratitude for Matt Shott, who was the senior director of hockey development for the NHL’s Arizona Coyotes and a longtime advocate of growing youth participation in the sport across Arizona. Shott was specifically passionate about building new girls hockey opportunities, and the Kachinas were one of the local hockey programs he helped develop support for; Shott died of liver cancer in 2021 at 34 years old.
“It felt really good,” Allen said about scoring the first goal. “I had a great pass, so just walking it in, just like coach worked with (laughs) all practice.
“It was really cool to make history here and I couldn’t have done it without my team and I think Matt Shott would be really proud of me.”
Arizona women’s hockey defenseman Savannah Allen scored the first goal in the program’s modern history during a 2-1 UA loss to Grand Canyon on Sept. 26 at Tucson Arena.
For the UA’s first home game, former Icers helped with the ceremonial puck drop and they played video messages from the alumni.
“That was really cool,” Allen said. “Taking time out of their own lives to come and watch us and support us was amazing, and I’m so happy that they got to come and watch us.
“I know that we’re just gonna have their support throughout all the years and I can’t wait for all of us girls to be able to come back and watch and support future generations just like how they did.”
The Wildcats play in Division I of the American Collegiate Hockey Association. The UA men’s program is a longstanding ACHA Division I participant.
“One of the biggest things that I was trying to build was a culture and looking first to the character of the people that were coming to know that we’re building the foundation based off of good people and that shows in the locker room,” said Hogan, who started the job in May 2023, giving her more than a year to build the program from the ground up. “They all get along really well, they all communicate really well, it shows on the ice as well.”
Arizona women’s hockey forward Lilly Howell corrals the puck along the boards during the Wildcats’ inaugural home game on Sept. 26.
Arizona’s roster is mainly from the Midwest or Canada, but the Wildcats do have another Arizonan in freshman forward Elly Gilbert. Gilbert is from Tucson and also played for the Kachinas.
“That’s so exciting that we’re being able to stick here and bring hockey to the desert,” Allen said. “I know that it’s a big goal for this program and being Arizona natives. That’s huge.”
Allen leads the Wildcats in points with six. Freshman forward Brynn O’Neill, freshmen defenseman Lucy Verderber and freshman forward Grace McKeag are tied for second with three points.
Hogan is a one-woman coaching staff this season.
“It’s a little different, but also has all the girls support,” she said. “Everybody always asks if I need anything; if I need any help. So I have 30 other assistant coaches in the girls.
Arizona women’s hockey goalie Olivia Sorlie kicks the puck away for a save during the Sept. 26 game.
“One of the biggest things in the biggest reasons why I chose to do that was I want the girls to figure out what they need out of me and if I’m giving them something or if I’m not giving them something — (something) they aren’t getting — we could find that in an assistant coach,” she added. “So it’s not just me trying to find somebody who I get along with. I want the girls to figure out what is missing in the program.”
The Wildcats currently have to fit into the busy schedule of the Tucson Arena while they wait on a new rink at the Mosaic Quarter that was reportedly to break ground last week. Hogan said it is set to open in fall 2026.
“It’s crazy (laughs), but I was forewarned with this and kind of went through the men’s team and went through that process with them last year and kind of got a good feel for what we were up against,” Hogan said about scheduling. “We practice at seven in the morning, but it’s kind of the girls’s decision to do that, so then they’re practicing, and then they just get a focus on school to the rest of the day.
“So we don’t miss out on anything. Having some games here we’re most likely gonna play at 1 p.m. in most of our games, but I think that will be good for families and kids to be able to come to,” she added.
