It’s mid-July, but area hockey fans can already start planning out their winter months.
The Spartan hockey team’s 2001-02 season schedule was released Monday and is highlighted by the team’s Oct. 6 season opener against Michigan at Spartan Stadium.
Other highlights include the annual College Hockey Showcase, which will take place in East Lansing and Ann Arbor this year, the Great Lakes Invitational at Joe Louis Arena and back-to-back weekend stints against CCHA foe Ohio State.
“Everyone is excited to get going again,” senior defenseman Andrew Hutchinson said.
The public’s first chance to see the Spartans skate will be Sept. 28 during the Green and White Game at Munn Ice Arena. The team’s other exhibition game will be against Ontario-based Queens University on Sept. 29 at home.
Regular-season play begins with “The Cold War,” followed by a Thursday-Friday home series against Lake Superior State on Oct. 11-12 and a home game against Ferris State on Oct. 20 before the team departs for a series at Nebraska-Omaha.
In all, 11 of the team’s first 13 regular-season games will be at home.
The College Hockey Showcase, featuring MSU, U-M, Wisconsin and Minnesota, returns to East Lansing with Wisconsin playing Nov. 23 and the Gophers coming to Munn on Nov. 25.
On Jan. 9, the Spartans meet the Wolverines at Yost Ice Arena in Ann Arbor and then the rivals hook up again Feb. 16 for their annual meeting at Joe Louis Arena.
And in a rare four-game scheduling quirk, Ohio State will visit East Lansing on Jan. 25-26 and then host the Spartans in Columbus the next weekend - Feb. 1 and 2.
