Griz to field hockey team in ACHA

MISSOULA — The University of Montana is taking to the ice, with the aim of building a hockey program to compete in the American College Hockey Association (ACHA) Division 2.

Hockey has been a club sport at UM for some time – the Flying Mules played at least as far back as the 1970s – but the goal now is a program that will draw students to UM with a beefed-up schedule and a well-organized league.

Mike Anderson, formerly an assistant with the Missoula Junior Bruins high school team, and Will Grossman, manager of the Hockey Wolf store in Missoula, are co-head coaches. The team will take to the ice at Missoula’s Glacier Ice Rink this fall.

A regional schedule is in the works: Montana State, the University of Providence in Great Falls, MSU-Northern, Eastern Washington, Idaho and Gonzaga will have teams. Montana figures to have 12 home games the first season.

The Glacier Ice Rink’s Ryan Geiges helps make up the team’s executive board along with UM’s Doug Coffin and UM lacrosse coach Tucker Sargent, who is also the board president.

Anyone interested in attending UM and playing hockey should fill out a recruiting form at grizhockey.com/recruiting.