The Nevada men’s hockey team is set to hit the ice for their third season, when they take on the UCLA Bruins at Reno Ice on Friday, Oct. 9.
This will be Nevada’s second season playing in the American Collegiate Hockey Association’s (ACHA) West Coast Hockey Conference (WCHC) M3, after the association rejected the team’s bid to move to M2 for the 2026-27 season.
Nevada spent its first season as an independent team before joining a conference, but still playing an independent schedule against teams such as Utah Valley University and Idaho State University.

Nevada made a big jump between the 2024-25 and 2025-26 seasons by joining the WCHC, when their games played went from six to 17, including a two-game playoff run.
The team also made big moves on their roster, with more players from outside the local area committing to Nevada for the hockey team, including sophomore forwards Christopher Lai and Cecil Belda from United States Premiere Hockey League teams.
These signings proved important to Nevada’s 2025-26 season, with Lai leading the team in goals (20) and points (27). Belda tied junior forward Franky Griffin with 9 assists.
Last season, the team finished 9-8-0 , including a 5-1-0 home record.
Nevada brought a lot of excitement in their home games, winning with massive margins for the home fans, including back to back 9-0 victories against the University of San Diego Toreros. They also reached the playoff semifinals, before losing 4-0 to the eventual WCHC M3 champs Arizona State University.
This season, Nevada has made an even bigger jump with a 24-game season coming up for the Wolf Pack. The team will finish off with a two-game series against the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, one of the top-rated ACHA programs in the country. UNLV made a lot of noise in the college hockey world in December 2024 after beating reigning NCAA champions University of Denver.
This has been Nevada’s biggest recruiting season so far, with 11 players committed to the team for 2026-27, meaning this new wave of players could make a big impact for the Wolf Pack.















