In February 2022, the Zamboni made its final pass for the BYU hockey team, wiping the ice clean one last time.
That moment marked the quiet end of the BYU ice hockey program after the 2021–22 season, when the university decided not to renew its agreement allowing the team to use the BYU name and logo.
The move, influenced in part by administrative concerns including Title IX considerations, officially ended more than a decade of club hockey in Provo.
Four years later, students are now graduating from BYU having never seen a BYU hockey team play a game.
Photo by BYU Hockey
Ian Thunhorst, a senior on the final team, finished his final season with 28 games played, recording seven goals, eight assists and 15 points for the Cougars.
For Thunhorst, the last season came with clarity earlier than expected — but not certainty.
“It was one distinct moment,†Thunhorst said. “We got an email from the directors of extracurricular activities and clubs. It was the summer before our season even started, so we knew before the season began that this would be our last season.â€
Even with that knowledge, the team didn't immediately change how it operated.
“At the beginning, everybody was like, ‘We'll find a way. We're going to make this work,'†he said. “We were pretty connected at BYU, so we thought we could work something out.â€
That hope carried through meetings between team leadership and university administrators. Players believed they could preserve the program in some form, even if it meant losing the BYU branding entirely.
But as the season progressed, reality settled in.
“Right before regionals, they gave us a hard no,†Thunhorst said. “They basically said, ‘Don't come knocking anymore. This is your last hurrah.'â€
The last roster featured players at different stages of their college careers, but for two of them — Jacob Eisenstat and Thunhorst — it marked the end of their hockey journeys entirely.
For Eisenstat, who appeared in 27 games in his senior season, posting 13 goals and 26 assists for 39 points, the emotions tied to being part of the final team remain complicated.
“It's kind of a mix of feelings,†he said. “It's kind of cool — like, okay, I played the last game ever in BYU hockey history — but at the same time, it's like that shouldn't have been the case.â€
Photo by BYU Hockey
He pointed to the program's trajectory in its final years as part of what makes the ending difficult to accept.
“The freshmen, sophomores and juniors had a whole college career ahead of them when our program was really good,†Eisenstat said. “We were making regionals pretty much every year. It was well run.â€
But as the season ended, so did his playing career.
“Yeah, that was it,†he said.
For younger players, the impact was different. Some transferred to schools like Utah Valley University, Utah State and Weber State to continue playing. Others stepped away from the sport entirely, choosing to remain at BYU rather than leave for hockey elsewhere.
“They worked hard to get into the school and weren't there just to play hockey,†Eisenstat said.
Despite the disappointment, both players emphasized that the program's identity was built on more than wins and losses.
One of Eisenstat's defining memories came in a rivalry matchup against Utah State during the Mountain West Championship in 2019, avenging a loss to the Aggies the year prior in Provo.
In the game, BYU shut out Utah State in Logan with a 2-0 win.
“In recent years they had pretty much dominated BYU hockey, so we considered them our main rivals,†Eisenstat said. “Not really the University of Utah. Utah State was kind of our main rival. Especially when we went up and played them in their rink, they packed that place every single time and it was just kind of crazy.â€
In that championship setting, the win carried extra weight.
“Beating them in their rink with a packed barn for the Mountain West Championship and shutting them out nonetheless was just incredible,†he said. “It was a full team effort. Our team was so solid that year — it just felt so good to finally get over that hump, especially in a game like that. It's almost better beating a team like that in their arena and silencing their crowd than winning at home.â€
Photo by ABC 4
Thunhorst, meanwhile, remembered something less competitive but equally meaningful: late-night prank wars with teammates and coaches, along with team dinners on the road.
“That was one of my favorite memories,†he said. “Just being with the guys.â€
For both players, those moments reflected the culture the program had built.
“We created a brotherhood, and more importantly, a brotherhood in Christ,†Thunhorst said. “You could feel that in the locker room.â€
Even without a formal team, hockey still exists at BYU in quieter forms.
At Peaks Ice Arena, the ice remains active through recreational programs, including the BYU ice hockey SWELL class — an introductory and intermediate course where students learn skating and hockey fundamentals.
Both Eisenstat and Thunhorst once helped teach that very class, connecting the past program to the next generation of players.
For student Tobin Santilli, the class represents a growing interest in the sport.
“My dad played hockey and because of that I’m a huge fan of the sport,†Santilli said. “I grew up watching and going to Avalanche games as a kid and grew to love the sport because of it.â€
“I loved everything about the class,†Santilli said. “I thought it was a blast to be able to learn skills, exercise, and have fun every week. I think anyone remotely interested in skating or hockey should take it — it's a great break from homework and tests.â€
A teaching assistant for the class echoed that sentiment.
“It's definitely gaining a big following lately,†Tyler Kitchen said. “People are realizing how cool the sport is.â€
The class, Kitchen added, often serves as an entry point for newcomers.
“We see people who have played before, but also people who bring friends who've never had any involvement with hockey before. They take it and realize how awesome the sport is.â€
Beyond campus, hockey in Utah has continued to expand. Youth participation is increasing, a brand-new state-of-the-art training facility has been built in Sandy, the upcoming 2034 Winter Olympics, and the arrival of the Utah Mammoth has brought new attention to the sport at the professional level, especially after the team clinched a playoff spot in just its second season.
Eisenstat emphasized how much the sport itself has grown in Utah since his playing days.
“The Mammoth are going to help with that,†he said. “They've really propelled it, and the way they're managing the team and treating both players and fans — it's just going to take off from here.â€
He added that Utah is becoming a more attractive place for players and fans alike.
“It's a destination people are going to want to come play,†he said. “It's a good, family-friendly area, and I think it's going to skyrocket.â€
Looking forward, whether BYU hockey returns remains uncertain. What is clear, however, is that its influence has not disappeared.
It continues in alumni who still lace up their skates. It continues in students learning to skate for the first time at Peaks Ice Arena. It continues in young players discovering the sport through Utah's growing hockey culture.
It also continues in small but meaningful ways around campus — banners still hanging at Peaks Ice Arena, and the occasional BYU hockey jersey spotted at other Cougar sporting events, small reminders that the program once existed.
Photo by BYU Hockey
“It was a tremendous honor to wear that jersey,†Thunhorst said.
“To be able to wear the logo on my chest and represent the school, our beliefs and our community — it meant a lot to me,†he said. “And I know it meant a lot to the other guys as well. We wanted to be the best we could be both on and off the ice.â€
Thunhorst continued: “There was something special about our culture. Before every game, we'd put our arms around each other and say a prayer. Coaches would give talks with scriptures. It created a tight-knit brotherhood you don't find anywhere else, especially in a sport like hockey. I hope BYU brings it back because it's a great way to serve and help people grow.â€
The Ice Cougars may no longer exist on paper, but in Provo, on the ice, and in the people who once wore the jersey, the game is still going.
