Hockey Broncos announce 2001-02 schedule
June 12, 2001
KALAMAZOO -- A home series against the Maine Black Bears and a trip to the University of Minnesota Mariucci Classic highlight the 2001-02 Western Michigan University hockey schedule.
The Broncos' schedule consists of 36 regular season games, including 28 within the Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA). The complete schedule is listed below. Western Michigan will host 20 contests in Lawson Arena, starting the season with 14 of 17 games being played at home. WMU entertains Alaska Fairbanks in the CCHA opener on Friday, Oct. 12, and Saturday, Oct. 13, which is WMU Homecoming weekend. As a tune-up, the Broncos will meet the University of Toronto in an exhibition on Sunday, Oct. 7.
Western Michigan's home slate includes encounters against CCHA opponents Alaska Fairbanks, Ferris State, Michigan, Michigan State, Nebraska-Omaha, Northern Michigan, Notre Dame and Ohio State. WMU is grouped with Alaska Fairbanks, Nebraska-Omaha and Michigan in a scheduling "cluster" that has each team playing each other four times, and twice against the remainder of the league.
Non-conference visitors include Maine of the Hockey East conference, national champions in 1999 and 1993. The Broncos also entertain Canisius and Sacred Heart of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC), which received an NCAA Tournament berth for the first time in 2001.
"I think we have a balanced home schedule with an established program in Maine, and teams such as Canisius and Sacred Heart from the new MAAC conference. Mercyhurst represented the MAAC well at the NCAA Regional in Grand Rapids; it's an up-and-coming Division I conference," said WMU Coach Jim Culhane.
The Broncos will play only two non-conference road games, traveling to the Mariucci Classic on Dec. 28-29 in Minneapolis. Culhane's club will encounter Providence and possibly Minnesota for the first-time ever.
A change to the CCHA Tournament format this season has all 12 league schools automatically qualifying for postseason action. The top six teams will host best-of-three game series starting March 8 with winners advancing to Joe Louis Arena. The CCHA Finals are expanding to three days, March 15-17, with two quarterfinal games slated for Friday, semifinal games scheduled for Saturday, and the championship game on Sunday.
2001-02 WMU Hockey Schedule
Fri., Oct. 5 BROWN & GOLD (intrasquad) 7 p.m.
Sun., Oct. 7 TORONTO (exhibition) 3 p.m.
Fri., Oct. 12 ALASKA FAIRBANKS# 7 p.m.
Sat., Oct. 13 ALASKA FAIRBANKS# 7 p.m.
Fri., Oct. 19 MICHIGAN# 7 p.m.
Sat., Oct. 20 at Michigan# 7:30 p.m.
Fri., Oct. 26 MAINE 7 p.m.
Sat., Oct. 27 MAINE 7 p.m.
Fri., Nov. 2 at Miami# 7:30 p.m.
Sat., Nov. 3 at Miami# 7:30 p.m.
Fri., Nov. 9 NEBRASKA-OMAHA# 7 p.m.
Sat., Nov. 10 NEBRASKA-OMAHA# 7 p.m.
Fri., Nov. 16 NOTRE DAME# 7 p.m.
Sat., Nov. 17 NOTRE DAME# 7 p.m.
Fri., Nov. 23 CANISIUS 7:30 p.m.
Sat., Nov. 24 CANISIUS 7:30 p.m.
Fri., Nov. 30 SACRED HEART 7 p.m.
Sat., Dec. 1 SACRED HEART 7 p.m.
Fri., Dec. 14 at Lake Superior State# 7 p.m.
Sat., Dec. 15 at Lake Superior State# 7 p.m.
Fri., Dec. 28 at Mariucci Classic
vs. Providence 4 p.m.
Sat., Dec. 29 at Mariucci Classic
vs. TBA
Fri., Jan. 4 OHIO STATE# 7 p.m.
Sat., Jan. 5 OHIO STATE# 7 p.m.
Fri., Jan. 11 at Michigan State# 7 p.m.
Sat., Jan. 12 MICHIGAN STATE# 7 p.m.
Fri., Jan. 18 at Alaska Fairbanks# 7 p.m.
Sat., Jan. 19 at Alaska Fairbanks# 7 p.m.
Fri., Feb. 1 at Bowling Green# 7 p.m.
Sat., Feb. 2 at Bowling Green# 7 p.m.
Fri., Feb. 8 NORTHERN MICHIGAN# 7 p.m.
Sat., Feb. 9 NORTHERN MICHIGAN# 7 p.m.
Fri., Feb. 15 at Nebraska-Omaha# 7 p.m.
Sat., Feb. 16 at Nebraska-Omaha# 7 p.m.
Fri., Feb. 22 FERRIS STATE# 7 p.m.
Sat., Feb. 23 at Ferris State# 7 p.m.
Fri., March 1 at Michigan# 7:30 p.m.
Sat., March 2 MICHIGAN# 7 p.m.
March 8-10 CCHA First Round Playoffs
March 15-17 CCHA Finals at Joe Louis Arena, Detroit
Home contests in ALL CAPS.
# Central Collegiate Hockey Association match
All times are local and are subject to change.
For more information, visit the Broncos on the Web at <www.wmubroncos.com>.
Media contact: Daniel Jankowski, 616 387-4138, daniel.jankowski@wmich.edu