University of Delaware Athletics
Tiana McIntyre Excited to Be Part of Delaware’s First Ice Hockey Team
8/8/2025 5:37:00 PM | Ice Hockey
NEWARK, Del. – The University of Delaware ice hockey team is set to begin play in its inaugural season this fall. The Fightin’ Blue Hens will drop the puck on September 26 at Fred Rust Ice Arena against LIU in the program’s first ever contest. Delaware’s roster is set with 22 new Blue Hens hailing from 11 different states, as well as Canada and Norway. Among the newcomers is senior transfer Tiana McIntyre from Park City, Utah who is coming to UD after playing three seasons at Quinnipiac University.
Being the first at something is not a new concept for McIntyre. A defenseman, McIntyre was the only representative from her home state at the USA Hockey Girls National Development Camp in 2019. She then became the first woman from Utah to play Division I hockey when she joined Quinnipiac as a freshman ahead of the 2022-23 season. She will be able to check off another first this season as she helps bring the first college hockey team to Delaware.
“The opportunity, it was way too good to pass up,” McIntyre said. “It was something that you just can't say no to. To be able to start something, be a part of a brand new team with this group is what I'm very, very excited for. It's just a new team in a state where hockey's on the rise, just like it is in Utah, which is really cool. You just can't say no to that.”
McIntyre grew up playing hockey alongside her twin brother, Colten, and eventually began traveling east to play for travel organizations in Vermont and Pittsburgh. She spent three years playing for the Pittsburgh Penguins Elite club teams as a tournament player, flying out each weekend from Utah to play in games. Her play got her noticed and invited to the USA Hockey Girls National Development Camp and eventually recruited to Quinnipiac.
This summer, McIntyre began working with Smith Entertainment Group (SEG), the sports, technology, and entertainment investment group that owns the NHL’s Utah Mammoth and the NBA’s Utah Jazz. In her role, she assists with the development and growth of youth hockey in Utah, going around the state and helping run camps and clinics.
“I go to and coach different clinics,” said McIntyre. “They're really focused on learn-to-play hockey because they're trying to grow it as much as we can. We don't have a lot of players. They're providing equipment for the kids. All the kids have Utah Mammoth sticks, which is so cool.”
In running these clinics, McIntyre has worked side-by-side with great women’s hockey players such as former U.S. Olympians Hillary Knight and Lindsey Fry and Walter Cup Champion Dominique Petrie of the Minnesota Frost in the PWHL, as well as NHL veteran Alexander Kerfoot. While they all have ties to Utah and the West Coast, McIntyre is the only Utah native. She grew up watching players like Knight and Fry and is now stepping into that role for the next generation.
“It has meant a ton, coming from a state where hockey is not big,” McIntyre said. “I love seeing the younger generation of girls, just seeing them kind of looking up to me and other girls that are here. Being the first means a lot, but looking at where the future is going to be means even more.”
McIntyre played three seasons and appeared in 76 games at Quinnipiac before entering the transfer portal this offseason. In her first season, current UD assistant coach Melissa Samoskevich was on the Quinnipiac coaching staff and McIntyre played alongside her younger sister Maddy for all three seasons.
“Being lucky enough to work with Sammo again was just amazing," said McIntyre. "And then when I met Coach Coomey for the first time on campus during my visit, she just made me feel right at home immediately, which is something that is so, so, so important to me.
“And just everything that she's accomplished, everything she's done for women's hockey just makes me even more confident in this team. Having her there working with this group is just, I can't wait.”
Like all of her teammates, McIntyre is excited to get to campus and drop the puck on the inaugural season. Being one of the few Blue Hens who have already played at the collegiate level, McIntyre cannot wait to see what kind of identity the team takes on the ice. Not only does she hope to bring a leadership quality to the locker room, but also a fast-paced style of play.
“I am a fast player, I love to push the pace,” McIntyre said. “I love to challenge people. I enjoy rushing the puck. That's my favorite thing. But creating a faster pace of play, there's nothing more that I enjoy than seeing a stretch pass go across the ice that leads to a goal.”
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