About University of Pittsburgh Hockey
The University of Pittsburgh Men’s Ice Hockey Program currently offers two teams, both of which are registered in the American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA). Since 1991, the ACHA has been the central governing body for all non-varsity hockey in the United States, and has roughly 300 teams registered in its three men’s divisions. Each season, the ACHA sponsors national championship tournaments in each of its divisions, and past tournament locations have included such diverse sites as Washington, DC, New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Atlanta.
The featured team in our organization is the D1 team. Each season, Pitt D1 plays roughly 30 games a season against only the most competitive opponents in ACHA Division I. Traditional rivals West Virginia, Duquesne, and IUP are scheduled at home and away as part of the conference schedule. Pitt D1 is a full member of College Hockey Mid-America.
In addition, Penn State, Kent State, Navy, and other high caliber Division I teams are scheduled each season. Play in ACHA's Division I is extremely competitive, with many former Junior A & B and Midget AAA players on the rosters teams in Division I, and our tryouts for this team are extremely selective.
Tom Rieck has been head coach of the D1 team since the summer of 2003. He brings a wealth of experience as a player, having played in the USHL as well as in the NCAA, and he has also attained USA Hockey’s Master’s Level certification.
The University of Pittsburgh Hockey Program also fields a second team which is a part of the ACHA’s Division II. The Pitt D2 team competes in College Hockey East (CHE), a local ACHA-affiliated conference. This team plays 20-25 games a season, primarily conference games against teams from smaller universities and colleges in the Pittsburgh area, such as California, Pitt-Johnstown, Robert Morris, and St. Vincent. Each season also includes several non-conference games.
Both teams skate at the BladeRunners Ice Complex in Harmarville for home games and practices. Home games are played on the USA Arena, which has seating on both sides of the arena and is one of the largest hockey venues in Western Pennsylvania. Capacity for the USA Arena is approximately 1200, and it features professional grade sound, lighting, and ice quality as well as a modern scoreboard.
Eligibility
Both graduate and undergraduate students at the University of Pittsburgh are eligible to play for the University of Pittsburgh Hockey Program provided they meet ACHA minimum academic credit and GPA requirements.
Note that due to ACHA eligibility rules, students attending branch campuses at Greensburg, Johnstown, Titusville, and Bradford are not eligible to play. ACHA teams exist at both the Greensburg and Johnstown campuses. Female players are encouraged to investigate local women’s hockey, but may also tryout for our teams.
Tryout Information
Tryouts for both teams are traditionally held the week after Labor Day, with an organizational meeting typically occurring the Tuesday after Labor Day. The tryouts are conducted by the team’s USA Hockey certified coaching staff. The tryouts are open, meaning any eligible student may tryout and will be considered for one of the teams.
About the University of Pittsburgh
The University of Pittsburgh, founded in 1787, boasts a variety of strong academic programs in a number of diverse fields like Japanese, Computer Science, Business, Philosophy, and Engineering.
The University of Pittsburgh is among the nation’s “best national universities” and its academic reputation is ranked among the top 25 percent of four year colleges and universities in the nation by U.S. News and World Report’s annual “America’s Best Colleges”. In addition, Pitt is ranked as the 27th best public university in the nation in the U.S. News and World Report’s annual “America’s Best Colleges 2004.”
Students interested in the University should browse the University Fact Book for general statistical information, and consult the Office of Admissions and Financial Aid (freshmen & transfer applicants), Graduate Admissions, or The Office of International Services. Information about current tuition rates and eligibility for reduced tuition can be found here.
Further Information
To receive a recruit information packet from the team, please complete a recruit form. Please note that due to the academic standards of the University, students with a GPA lower than 3.0 or a combined SAT score of lower than 1000 are extremely unlikely to be admitted. We would prefer that you do not complete a recruit form until your grades and SAT score are at these minimum levels. Transfer students need a minimum of a 2.0 GPA at their current college or university to be considered for admission to the University of Pittsburgh.
Please keep in mind that the hockey team cannot directly help your application to the University of Pittsburgh, however,
we can offer advice on strategies for admission. The most important advice we can offer is to apply early. Pitt has
a rolling admissions policy, meaning they consider each application as it is received. The longer you wait to apply, the
harder it is to be admitted. Every year we have prospective players who are not admitted because they wait too long to apply.
All prospective players should submit their application to Pitt by Christmas, and a number of the prospective players complete their
application the summer before their senior year of high school. Prospective players are strongly encouraged
to schedule an official campus visit, which can be done by visiting the following page:
http://www.pitt.edu/~oafa/visit.html.
It is often the policy that the tuition fee
is waived for prospective students applying to Pitt during this visit.
Please contact GM Andy Mecs with this form, or by phone at (412) 716-3727 for further information.
