2014-15 Michigan Hockey schedule released: Road Warriors
Drink from the flowing Fire hydrant that is Michigan Hockey news this week.
http://www.mgoblue.com/sports/m-hockey/sched/mich-m-hockey-sched.html
10/4 | at Ferris State |
10/6 | vs US NTDP Under-18 (ex) |
10/9 | vs Wilfred Laurier (ex) |
B1G/Hockey East Challenge | |
10/17 | vs New Hampshire |
10/18 | vs New Hampshire |
10/24 | at Massachuetts-Lowell |
10/25 | at Boston University |
10/31 | at Michigan Tech |
11/1 | at Michigan Tech |
11/14 | vs American International |
11/15 | vs American International |
11/21 | vs Penn State* |
11/22 | vs Penn State* |
11/28 | vs RPI |
11/29 | vs RPI |
12/5 | vs Ohio* |
12/13 | at Boston College |
50th Great Lakes Invitational | |
12/27 | Michigan Tech |
12/28 | Ferris State/State |
1/ | vs Minnesota* |
1/ | vs Minnesota* |
1/16 | at Ohio* |
1/ | at Wisconsin* |
1/ | at Wisconsin* |
1/30 | vs State* |
2/7 | vs State* |
2/ | at Minnesota* |
2/ | at Minnesota* |
2/20 | at Ohio* |
2/22 | vs Ohio* |
/ | vs Wisconsin* |
/ | vs Wisconsin* |
3/6 | at Penn State* |
3/7 | at Penn State* |
3/13 | at State* |
3/14 | vs State* |
B1G Tournament (Detroit, MI) | |
3/19 | First Round (if applies) |
3/20 | Semifinals |
3/21 | Championship |
NCAA Tournament (if applies) | |
3/27 | First Round |
3/28 | Regional Final/First Round |
3/29 | Regional Final |
4/9 | Frozen Four (in Boston, MA) |
4/11 | National Championship (in Boston, MA) |
The first series against state has the sites as TBA. One will be at Yost and the other will be at JLA with Michigan as the designated road team.
Had to come on and post this before I left for A2 today for my birthday! Been waiting for this one awhile.
Yes. My inner sports nerd rejoices at these releases! And we have a home series the weekend of the Maryland game! I get to take my wife to her first Michigan football AND hockey game in the same weekend. This just made my day.
That has always been my favorite weekends.
That's the first thing I do when the schedule is released.
Last year there were even a couple basketball games on Friday but that doesn't seem to be the case this year.
Four against Penn State, three against Michigan Tech and two against American International. That's 9 games that will really drag down the Opponent's Percentage component of the RPI; I would think that anything less than 8-1 in those 9 games would be a problem, and anything less than 6-3 would be a disaster.
Well, allow me to say "Happy Birthday" then and hopefully you have a good time in Ann Arbor today.
As for the schedule, I might actually be in Ontario around the time of the exhibition game against Wilfrid Laurier, which is a bit of a shame in terms of location as the game will be in Ann Arbor and not Waterloo. Interesting selection though, as I don't think I've ever seen them on the schedule before, although I could simply not be remembering them being on the schedule in the past (entirely possible).
Michigan's first-ever games at Yost, on November 2 & 3 1973, were against Wilfred Laurier. The media guide lists the opponent as "Waterloo Lutheran," but the school's name changed from Waterloo Lutheran to Wilfred Laurier on November 1, 1973, so the media guide is incorrect.
Michigan also played Wilfred Laurier in 1999 and 2000.
Thanks! My actual birthday is tomorrow but the museum at Schembechler is open on Fridays.
Great schedule. Wish they'd play within 3 hrs of me, but hey Boston is a cool road trip
Off-topic-ish question. We just moved to Grand Forks, ND and are hearing some pretty good things about UND hockey. Since I won't be able to take the kids to a UM/UND game, who else that plays UND would be the best game to take in at the Ralph? I'm seeing Minn-Duluth or Air Force (I guess I'm a de facto fan) as potential games to watch. Suggestions, anyone?
The top 3 teams in the NCHC last season were St Cloud State, North Dakota and Nebraska-Omaha. Either of those series would be good, as well as Miami, who wasn't good last year but will be better this season, I think.
The Ralph is something. If they still have local groups selling food around the concourse, the pulled buffalo sandwich served by an old lady out of a crockpot is a must.
NoDak is one of the most prestigious programs in college hockey. I've heard the Ralph is basically a pro arena.
Since Minnesota is off the schedule, probably any of the old WCHA rivals (who are good this year) will be a fun game: Denver, CC, Duluth, or SCSU
B1G Hockey. But sad I now longer have those short 40-minute CCHA road trips to WMU and ND. They were so easy to make, even in mid-winter.
That kept being rumored but never really confirmed.
Interesting how we have 5 non-con games against teams from Massachusetts and 7 from New England, but none from the west.
There's been enough hockey threads this week so I'll just drop this here (from SBNCollegeHockey)
Recent Michigan commit Michael Pastujov took home the top spot among forwards at the Select 15 Festival.
Forwards
1. Michael Pastujov (#11 Black) 6-0/186 Honeybaked U16 (Michigan) - A strong and powerful skater who committed to the Wolverines along with his brother Nick, a '98, less than a week after the camp ended. He's a flight risk to the OHL, but he's a strong skater who drives the net well. He made plays happen from all over the ice, really dishes the puck well to his linemates and he wins one-on-one battles. He's a complete package offensively.
#2 and #3 on that forwards list will be linemates with Pastujov this year, and worth keeping an eye on as names down the road, as well. Nick Boka's younger brother wasn't at this camp, but will likely be a target at some point too.
On defense, Gildon is the big target, but odds of him playing for Michigan or any NCAA school are pretty low. Chris Trouba and Tommy Miller are two local names to watch.
#2 and #3 on that forwards list will be linemates with Pastujov this year, and worth keeping an eye on as names down the road, as well. Nick Boka's younger brother wasn't at this camp, but will likely be a target at some point too.
On defense, Gildon is the big target, but odds of him playing for Michigan or any NCAA school are pretty low. Chris Trouba and Tommy Miller are two local names to watch.
When the B1G hockey conference was announced, there was hope that the reduced size would allow teams like Michigan to improve the non-conference schedule, and boy did that ever come through. Two years in a row now. Also, note the road trip to Houghton. Influenced by the relationship with Mel Pearson, sure, but also a very nice gesture for one of the teams that got the shorter end of the realignment stick.
I'm feverishly trying to figure out if I can go to one of those, but it doesn't look promising. The Minnesota series falls on kind of a bad weekend, too.
The deal with Michigan Tech was two series in Ann Arbor for one in Houghton, which isn't that grand of a gesture on Michigan's part.
For Tech? I think it's pretty good. Keeps them engaged with bigger teams on the schedule.
Great time to be a New England Michigan fan-- saw them at UNH last year, going to see them at BU and BC this year!
With the Big Ten - Hockey East challenge being every year for the foreseeable future, Michigan should be in New England probably twice minimum each year