UNM men's hockey takes defensive opener, drops series finale against NAU

RIO RANCHO — Another weekend, another split for the University of New Mexico men’s club hockey team.

On Oct. 10-11, the Ice Lobos went 1-1 against Northern Arizona University in a two-game series with the Lumberjacks, staying at .500 for the year with a 2-2 record. Similar to their opening weekend matchup against Arizona State, UNM dropped the series finale after winning the first game of the set.

UNM looked to get off on a better track against the ‘Jacks after posting a 1-3 record against them last season. They capitalized on a great Friday night crowd at the McDermott Athletic Center with a gritty 2-1 victory.

Known for high-scoring affairs in 2024, the offenses would pick up in Saturday’s action as the boys from Flagstaff salvaged the weekend with a 6-3 win.

It was a weekend of firsts for the Lobos, as a handful of fresh faces entered the box score for the first time in their collegiate careers. Both UNM goals on Friday were career firsts by Issa Murakami and Hunter Coulombe, with Murakami tallying his second on Saturday.

Tomas Palandra joined the party with his first career goal on Saturday as well, making it three Lobos notching milestones on the weekend.

But among the new faces, a familiar name continued his dominant tear.

Nick Weaver scored his third goal of the season over the weekend. Depending on how many games he logs this year, the senior forward may be on pace to cross the 20-goal mark for the first time since 2021-22.

Goalie Max McKiernan started in net for both games, including the defensive masterpiece on Friday. A close matchup on Saturday quickly turned into an NAU runaway with the ‘Jacks netting two empty-net goals in their six-goal win.

A 2-2 overall record may not look all that impressive at first glance, but after a 2024 season where the Lobos went 3-8 against ASU, NAU, and Grand Canyon University, UNM is starting the year on a better track against their border-state rivals.

Approaching the final leg of their “Arizona Gauntlet,” the Ice Lobos will head west for their first road trip of the season via a two-game weekend series against the GCU Antelopes. Puck drop is set for 7:45 p.m. local time on Oct. 17.