The BYU Cougars men's ice hockey team was a club hockey team which formerly represented Brigham Young University (BYU) in the Mountain West Collegiate Hockey League within Division 2 of the American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA). In 2021 BYU decided to cut ties with the organization and no longer sponsors a men's ice hockey team following the 2021-22 season, and the team was disbanded.
The BYU Cougars Hockey Team began in 1996 as the Provo IceCats,BYU Hockey Home Page and ice hockey had been a part of Brigham Young University for many years prior, but at the beginning of the 2007–08 season, the Provo IceCats – a club team composed of Brigham Young students which had been around since at least 1970 – finally gained recognition as an official extramural sport at BYU. Upon being officially recognized, the Cougars hockey team began representing their school by wearing the BYU logo on their uniforms and in their advertising. Although the team was officially recognized and sponsored by the university, it was funded entirely through player fees, the contributions of private donors, ticket proceeds, and various forms of advertising.
In July 2021 BYU notified the Provo IceCats that it would not be renewing the contract for the IceCats to be sponsored by BYU and play as the university's collegiate ice hockey team. The team was allowed to play under the BYU banner for the 2021-22 season, but access to the BYU name and support would end after the conclusion of the season. BYU cited organizational and Title IX concerns in the press release confirming the end of affiliation, although the IceCats disputed this, organizing a petition for BYU to reconsider that garnered around three thousand signatures, but was ultimately unsuccessful in extending the contract.
Record as BYU Affiliated Team + BYU Cougar Hockey Year Games Played Win Loss Tie Home Record Away Record GF GA 2008–09 18 7 10 1 4–5–0 3–5–1 94 115 2009–10 29 9 20 0 5–7–0 4–13–0 118 167 2010–11 27 8 18 1 5–8–1 3–10–0 81 135 2011–12 27 1 25 1 1–12–0 0–13–1 69 247 2012–13 25 2 23 0 2–12–0 0–11–0 65 186 2013–14 30 4 25 1 2–12–0 2–13–1 80 194 2014–15 28 3 24 1 3–8–1 0–16–0 95 193 2015–16 29 6 22 1 3–11–0 3–11–1 71 181 2016–17 27 12 13 2 8–4–2 4–9–0 125 105 2017–18 28 12 13 3 9–7–1 3–6–2 128 91 2018–19 31 19 11 1 10–4–1 9–7–0 136 89 2019–20 31 13 15 1 8–7–1 5–8–3 113 130 2020–21̽ 4 4 0 0 2–0–0 2–0–0 20 11 ̽ Covid-19 Pandemic restricted season
Venue Peaks Ice Arena was the home venue for the BYU Cougars. It has two ice sheets and was an Olympic Venue for the 2002 Winter Olympics. The team maintained a locker room at Peaks for the exclusive use of the coaches and players. The venue has a seating capacity of 2,300.
Prior to the construction of Peaks Ice Arena, the IceCats played at the seasonal ice rink at Utah Lake State Park.
Conference The Cougars were members of the Mountain West Collegiate Hockey League since its inception in 2013. They were runners up to the Championship in 2018 and won the Championship in 2019.
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