UNLV's Skatin' Rebels Are Back at City National Arena, and Tickets Are $20

by Ryan Rose

What Happened

The Skatin' Rebels released their 2026-27 schedule in August, according to Vegas24Seven. The season started with the preseason Scarlet and Gray intrasquad game on Sept. 11. The regular season opened on the road at Arizona State starting Oct. 1. Then the team came home to City National Arena for its home opener on Friday, Oct. 9, against San Diego State, with a second game on Oct. 10.

UNLV's own events calendar billed the Oct. 9 game as the season opener during Rebel Homecoming week, with puck drop at 7 p.m. at City National Arena, 1550 S. Pavilion Center Drive. Final scores from the San Diego State series were [NOT FOUND] at the time of writing. Check rebelhockey.com for results.

Here is the rest of the home schedule, as published by Vegas24Seven. Exact puck drop times for most of these games are [NOT VERIFIED], so confirm before you go.

Utah: Thursday, Oct. 29 and Friday, Oct. 30
Arizona State: Tuesday, Nov. 3 and Wednesday, Nov. 4
Oklahoma State: Friday, Dec. 11 and Saturday, Dec. 12
Jamestown: Friday, Jan. 8 and Saturday, Jan. 9
Missouri State: Friday, Jan. 15 and Saturday, Jan. 16
Stony Brook: Friday, Feb. 5 and Saturday, Feb. 6
Arizona: Friday, Feb. 12 and Saturday, Feb. 13
Grand Canyon: Friday, Feb. 19 and Saturday, Feb. 20
Nevada (UNR): Friday, March 5 and Saturday, March 6

Ticket prices, also from Vegas24Seven, are simple. Single-game tickets are $20 for adults and $15 for kids ages 4 to 18. They are sold on game days. Children under 4 get in free, and so do students with a valid ID. A season pass costs $350. It covers all 20 home games and gives pass holders first pick of seats.

On the road, UNLV also plays Grand Canyon, Central Oklahoma, Arizona, Utah and Maryville, plus the Chicago Classic against the University of Mary, Ohio and Minot State.

A UNLV Skatin' Rebels skater in a white Rebels jersey moves up the ice in front of an ACHA national tournament banner

Why It Matters to Las Vegas Residents

The biggest reason is cost. A family of four with two kids between 4 and 18 pays $70 at the door for a Skatin' Rebels game. If one parent is a college student at UNLV, CSN or another school, that drops to $50. Kids under 4 are free. For a two-hour night of live hockey, that is hard to beat anywhere in Clark County.

The second reason is the building. City National Arena sits in Downtown Summerlin, near the 215 and Charleston. It is the practice home of the Vegas Golden Knights. It is a smaller rink than T-Mobile Arena, so every seat is close to the action. Assistant coach Nick Robone told FOX5 that the arena gets "electric" on game nights and that home games sell out. If you are planning a night out, that is a good reason to show up early.

The third reason is timing. The Utah series lands right before Halloween weekend, and Oct. 30 is Nevada Day, a state holiday. CCSD schools are closed for Nevada Day, so a Friday night game is an easy family plan. The Tuesday and Wednesday games against Arizona State in early November give weeknight options too.

For families who live in Summerlin, Spring Valley, the southwest valley or Centennial Hills, City National Arena is a short drive. After the game, you are already in Downtown Summerlin, with restaurants and shops within walking distance. That makes it a full night out without a trip to the Strip, Strip parking or Strip prices.

There is also a youth hockey angle. The valley has youth hockey at every level, from learn-to-skate classes to travel teams. Watching college players up close shows young players what the next level looks like. The Skatin' Rebels have also run youth camps in town, which ties the program to the local hockey community, not just the UNLV campus.

Doing the Math on a Season Pass

Is the $350 season pass worth it? Here is the simple math. Twenty adult tickets at $20 each would cost $400. So the pass saves $50 over buying every game one at a time, and it comes with first pick of seats. If you plan to go to most of the home games, or if you want a guaranteed seat for the big series, the pass makes sense.

If you only plan to go to a few games, single-game tickets are the better deal. Two or three weekends a year at $20 a seat adds up to far less than $350. And if you are a college student, the math is easy. You get in free with a valid ID, so there is no reason to buy a pass at all.

One note: FOX5's August preview mentioned a $15 season ticket figure that does not match the pricing Vegas24Seven published. The $20, $15 and $350 prices above come from the team's schedule announcement. Confirm current prices at rebelhockey.com before you buy.

Background and History

UNLV hockey is a club program, not an NCAA team. That surprises a lot of people. According to Vegas24Seven, the program was founded in 2005. It is a self-funded nonprofit that runs on player dues, fundraising, ticket sales and local sponsors. FOX5 reported that the program is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit with limited university funding, so community support is a big part of how it operates.

How Club Hockey Is Different From NCAA Hockey

There are two main levels of college hockey in the United States. NCAA hockey is run by the athletic department, with scholarships and a big budget. Club hockey sits outside the NCAA. Players often pay dues to play, and the team raises much of its own money. UNLV does not have an NCAA hockey team, so the Skatin' Rebels are the college hockey program for the school.

That does not mean the hockey is casual. The top tier of club hockey, ACHA Division 1, has full schedules, travel across the country, and a national tournament at the end of the year. Many players come up through junior and high school hockey before they arrive on campus. For fans, it looks and sounds like real college hockey, because it is. The difference is mostly in how the program is paid for and run.

The money side is why ticket sales matter so much to a team like this. Every $20 ticket, every season pass and every golf foursome helps cover ice time, travel, gear and coaching. When you buy a ticket, you are directly supporting a local program that has to fund itself.

The League and the Path to Nationals

The Skatin' Rebels play in the Western Collegiate Hockey League, known as the WCHL, under the American Collegiate Hockey Association's Men's Division 1. The ACHA is the national body for club college hockey. Winning the WCHL can earn an automatic bid to the ACHA Division 1 National Championship Tournament.

The last few years have been the best in program history. UNLV reached the ACHA national championship game in 2024 and again in 2025, according to Vegas24Seven. In March 2025, the Rebels beat the Adrian College Bulldogs 7-3 in the title game in St. Louis, as reported by FOX5. Goaltender Jeremy Foreman made 36 saves and was named tournament MVP. Head coach Anthony Vignieri Greener told FOX5 at the time that it was the "first national championship for us and hopefully many more to come."

College hockey players battle for the puck in front of the boards as fans watch from close-up seats

Last season, the team made it to the national semifinals before falling short, according to FOX5. Robone said the group is "very hungry" coming into this year, and that returning players were texting him over the summer about how excited they were to be back. The program also added a new freshman class.

The team's off-ice operation has grown too. Robone told FOX5 the program has a media team of about 30 interns. The schedule release video was filmed in partnership with Formula 1. The program's annual fundraiser, the UNLV Hockey Golf Classic, was set for Friday, Oct. 9 at The Arroyo Golf Club in Summerlin, the same day as the home opener. FOX5 reported that the tournament usually draws about 150 golfers and generally sells out.

What Happens Next

The next home dates are the Utah series on Oct. 29 and 30, followed by Arizona State on Nov. 3 and 4. After that, the Rebels are away from City National Arena until Oklahoma State comes to town Dec. 11 and 12. January is the busiest home stretch, with Jamestown and Missouri State on back-to-back weekends.

The series to circle is the last one. UNLV hosts Nevada on March 5 and 6. FOX5 reported this will be the first time the two programs have played each other in program history. A first-ever in-state rivalry series on home ice, right before the postseason, should be one of the busiest weekends of the year at the arena. If you want to be there, the season pass is the surest way to guarantee a seat.

Between home series, the Rebels spend a lot of time on the road. The away schedule includes trips to Grand Canyon, Central Oklahoma, Arizona, Utah and Maryville. The team also travels to the Chicago Classic, where it is scheduled to face the University of Mary, Ohio and Minot State. Minot State was the No. 1 seed at the 2025 national tournament, according to FloHockey, that UNLV went on to win, so that tournament is an early test against one of the strongest programs in club hockey. Results from road games will matter for seeding later in the year, even if local fans cannot watch them in person.

Back home, the Arizona State and Arizona series give local fans a look at two of the team's regular western opponents. Grand Canyon visits in late February, right before the Nevada series. That makes the final month of the home schedule the busiest and most important stretch of the season. If you only pick one month to go, February into early March is the one to watch.

After the regular season, the team will be chasing a spot in the ACHA Division 1 National Championship Tournament. Dates and location for the 2027 tournament are [NOT VERIFIED]. Results, game times and any schedule changes will be posted at rebelhockey.com.

Ryan's Take

Things to do close to home are a real part of what people buy when they buy a house. Buyers ask about schools, commute times and HOA dues. They also ask what there is to do on a Friday night without driving to the Strip. In Summerlin and the southwest valley, City National Arena is part of that answer. Golden Knights practices, youth hockey, public skating and now $20 college games all happen in one building in Downtown Summerlin.

That kind of everyday amenity is part of why Summerlin keeps drawing families. It is not the flashy stuff. It is the things you can do on a weeknight with kids, close to home, for less than the cost of dinner. If you are weighing neighborhoods, ask how far each one is from the places you will actually use. For a hockey family, being 10 or 15 minutes from City National Arena can matter as much as an extra bedroom.

A hockey player watches teammates skate during a game from the bench at an indoor ice rink

What You Can Do

If you want to catch a game, start at rebelhockey.com. That is where the team posts tickets, game times, results and the season pass. Single-game tickets are sold on game days, so check the site for how and where to buy before you head out. Bring a valid student ID if you are a college student, since that gets you in free. City National Arena is at 1550 S. Pavilion Center Drive in Downtown Summerlin.

Plan around the calendar. The Utah games on Oct. 29 and 30 line up with Nevada Day and the start of Halloween weekend. The January weekends with Jamestown and Missouri State are good picks for families looking for something to do after the holidays. And the Nevada series on March 5 and 6 is the one most likely to fill up.

If you run a local business, the program is community-funded, so sponsorships and the annual golf tournament are ways to support it. Details are on rebelhockey.com. And if your kids are getting into hockey, pairing a Skatin' Rebels game with a learn-to-skate class or a house league season is a cheap way to see if the sport sticks.

Have questions about how this affects your home or neighborhood? Reach out to Ryan Rose or text/call 702-747-5921 anytime.