San Antonio’s hockey revival: UTSA hockey eyes TCHC title

San Antonio has been without a professional hockey team since the Rampage left town, but the sport’s local fan base is finding a new team to support.

Since 2023, UTSA hockey has helped fill that void, giving the Alamo City a college-level team in ACHA Division II with growing ambitions and a strong South Texas identity.

“We have predominantly South Texas boys on our team, which I think is really cool,” UTSA hockey head coach James Hiebert said.

The Roadrunners feature players ages 18 to 30, including students pursuing careers as doctors and dentists.

On the ice, they bring a physical, fast-paced style while competing against programs such as Texas A&M, Texas, TCU and rival Texas State in the Texas Collegiate Hockey Conference.

This season has brought a new level of focus for UTSA.

Competing in a conference for the first time has given the players a clearer goal and a higher level of competition.

“Being in a conference this year, it incentivizes the guys to work toward something,” postgraduate right winger Travis Sorce said. “It’s allowed us to compete at a much higher level.”

UTSA hockey operates much like a professional organization, even though it is player-funded.

The team does not have its own locker room and shares San Antonio’s two ice sheets with other users across the city.

Still, players and coaches say those challenges have not slowed the program’s growth.

“You can’t give up on these guys, you can’t give up on the school, you can’t give up on the hockey community in San Antonio,” said junior defenseman and team president Justin Trevino.

That hockey community has started showing up in force.

“I think it’s like the coolest thing ever,” freshman forward Henry Pinkerman said. “I think that with the amount of fans we get and how loud they get, it’s pretty sweet.”

Sorce said the support has exceeded his expectations.

“I would’ve never thought that San Antonio would bring that kind of fire, but that’s what we’re about here,” he said.

As UTSA continues building its program, the team hopes to keep growing its fan base and help strengthen youth hockey in South Texas, keeping local talent developing in a city still hungry for the sport.

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