Vail Yeti is ready to rock Dobson in Friday’s home hockey opener

For the Vail Yeti’s final season at Dobson as we know it, team owner Kyle Forte has negotiated an impressive schedule in which 21 of the team’s 24 games will be played at home.

The first two games take place on Friday and Saturday from 7:45 p.m

Now entering his third year as owner of the Yeti, Forte says he has been able to bring so many home games to the city by building on the impressive atmosphere the team has created over its 11 years of existence.

“I think so many teams want to play in Vail because of the production value of what we bring,” Forte said. “The music, the food, the high level of play, it all comes together to create this great atmosphere that people want to come and be a part of.”

Forte said DJ Krusher Jones will return with music this year and chef John Zavoral will once again bring his signature cheesesteaks and other gourmet fare to the venue. Forte said the fact that families can come for dinner at the event and admission is free for children makes the Yeti Games a big draw for families.

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For the adults, the venue also offers beer for $5.

Grand finale

It will be the last season at Dobson as we know it, as the city of Vail plans a $55 million remodel of the ice arena starting later this season. The city expects to take a season off and complete the renovation in time for the Yeti to return with an even better deal in the winter of 2026-27. In the meantime, the team is expected to switch to Eagle for home games.

The Yeti will face several teams they have never faced before at Old Dobson this final season, Forte said. Exciting events are planned such as a multimedia matchup against the Empty Netters, who are both a hockey team and a podcast. This event will take place January 10-11 in Dobson.

This weekend’s matchup is against the Jackson Hole Moose, a team the Yeti had never beaten at their home stadium in Wyoming until this season.

The Yeti started the season strong by defeating the Moose for the first time Nov. 15-16 in Jackson Hole. Forte expects the Moose to seek revenge in Vail this weekend, which should make for an exciting two nights of competition.

On December 13-14, the Yeti will play Castle Island Hockey Club of Boston at Dobson, one of the team’s toughest matchups of the season. Castle Island Hockey features a large field of participants from the Boston metropolitan area, as opposed to ski resort teams that come from small mountain towns.

Forte said many of Castle Island’s players are former professionals who played in the American League and NHL.

The Yeti will then take a break for the holidays before returning on January 3rd and 4th against the CU Alumni team, another difficult team.

I’m throwing more pucks this year

A portion of Yeti season profits will be donated to local charities, with the first game benefiting one of the groups most committed to helping locals who face the biggest obstacle to getting by in Eagle County – housing. Forte says the housing situation in the Vail area has been the hardest part of recruiting new players, which is why he’s especially encouraged to donate a portion of Yeti’s winnings this weekend to Habitat for Humanity Vail Valley.

The Steadman Clinic has also worked to support the popular “Chuck a Puck” program, where fans can purchase foam pucks and throw them onto the ice between game sessions. While Chuck a Puck only had 600 pucks for sale in previous games, this year there are 1,000.

“Every game was sold out before the game even started, so this was a much-needed donation that we are very grateful to the Steadman Clinic for helping,” Forte said.

Yeti tickets are $15 if purchased in advance and $20 at the door. Games are often sold out and there is usually a long line for those waiting to enter the arena. So it is always recommended to get there early and buy tickets in advance. A limited number of season ticket packages are also still available for $200 as of press time, although those are selling out quickly, Forte said.

Visit VailYetiHockey.com to purchase tickets or view this year’s schedule.