From Rio Rancho Observer
By Dan Allison
RIO RANCHO — This weekend, it’ll be time for hockey in the City of Vision.
You may ask yourself, “Don’t the Goatheads start playing in 2026?” Yes, you are correct. But I am not talking about that hockey club.
I am talking about the University of New Mexico Lobos.
Yes, you heard right. The “Ice Lobos” club hockey team will begin its 2025-26 campaign in Rio Rancho, not Albuquerque, and play home games out of the McDermott Athletic Center.
“This is my second year with Lobo hockey, and last year was really fun,” sophomore goalie Kameron Remde said. “We did a lot with the community, which I find really enjoyable, and as a team, you know, we’re very close with each other.”
UNM Hockey, part of ACHA Division II on the club hockey circuit, will call the MAC home after originally playing out of Outpost Ice Arena in Albuquerque. Both the men’s and women’s teams will start their residencies at 801 Loma Colorado Blvd..
“I think moving to the MAC, you know, is a really good thing,” Remde said. “I played there throughout my youth and then throughout high school, so it’s kind of cool to be back in Rio Rancho and playing in front of Rio Rancho fans.”
Remde, originally from Los Alamos, is just one of several homegrown talents on the Lobos team, along with some players coming in from out of state. Behind the ECHL coming to town and the Ice Lobos growing in size, hockey in New Mexico has never been hotter.
The hometown kid will check off another childhood dream this season: playing for UNM inside the Rio Rancho Events Center, as the team will have select home games at RREC.
“It’s amazing, having the pro team. I know my parents were here when the Scorpions were around, so it’s like a really cool, full-circle moment for me,” Remde said. “And then playing in the Rio Rancho Event Center, it’s just amazing. Getting to play in any big arena like that is really surreal. And I think it’s something most hockey players really look forward to.”
While this season will bring new excitement to the program, it is only just the beginning of the possibilities for collegiate hockey in New Mexico. A plethora of schools out west have been building up to fielding university-recognized NCAA Division I programs, as Remde says it is not out of the question for the University of New Mexico.
“I think everybody would really benefit from it,” Remde said. “I think the community would, too, just adding to the things to do and things to see. This area has a really passionate fan base for most sports, kind of like what we saw at the New Mexico-New Mexico State (football) game. People do show out for sports teams when they’re doing really well. And I think, historically, our hockey team’s done really well, and I think hockey is growing around the country, so I think New Mexico would really be an awesome place for an NCAA Division I team.”
Division I or not, the Ice Lobos bring the heat out on the frozen sheet. They will open up their season against Arizona State University’s club team, which, according to Remde, has a bit of a history with UNM’s squad.
“Our games are physical, they’re fast-paced, and it’s honestly just a really good time to watch,” Remde said. “Very gritty, very fun, fast-paced, especially when we play teams like ASU and NAU. I think those are two of our biggest rivals. Those games are always a blast.”
(Originally published at https://www.rrobserver.com/rio_rancho/ice-lobos-call-rio-rancho-home-for-2025-26-club-hockey-season/article_6c51ca36-ac27-4d58-a174-2f936a161386.html)
