Lobo men’s hockey team hosts fundraiser to support national playoff run

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – The UNM men’s hockey team is headed to the national playoffs.

The 22-2 Lobos earned an 11-0 win over the Northern Arizona University Ice Jacks last weekend to solidify their fourth-place ACHA Division III ranking. Now, they are headed to the March 10-15 ACHA National Championship Tournament in St. Louis.

However, they need help to get there.

"Since we’re ranked number four, we automatically go to the national playoffs," said Grant Harvey, the Lobos’ head coach. "We budgeted for the national playoffs games and I thought we were going to be able to skip our conference playoffs but we’re actually not allowed to do so. We’d have to forfeit and then we can’t go on to the national level, so we have got two trips to St. Louis that we’d have to make within 30 days."

The team is raising $16,000 over the next two weeks to ensure they can go. As of Friday, the team is nearly halfway to their goal.

"We’re trying to get lodging, transportation, food and a few people can’t afford airline tickets on the team and I’d hate for money to be the discriminant factor in who can make it," Coach Harvey said. "So we’re trying to pay for a few players who couldn’t pay for their plane tickets."

So far, they have raised almost half of their goal on GoFundMe. Coach Harvey says this is a testament to Lobo Nation and their loyalty.

"I think we can turn this town into a hockey town," Coach Harvey said. "That’s the Canadian in me but I think we can do it!"