While everyone has been fixated on preparations the Ohio State football team is making (we don’t blame you), there are other sports still waiting to hear about their seasons. The OSU men’s hockey team is one of those, and it got some good news Tuesday.
According to a release from the university, the 2020-2021 Big Ten hockey season will begin as early as November 13 and will feature a 24-game conference schedule. The schedule will culminate with the return of the Big Ten Men’s Hockey Tournament from March 18-20. In-between, there will also be a unique four-game set with Arizona State for each team at Big Ten venues.
“The 2020-21 hockey season builds on the rich traditions of Big Ten Hockey and brings new competitive opportunities to the Conference with the Arizona State University scheduling agreement,” said Commissioner Kevin Warren in a statement. “As our teams return to competition, we will continue to keep the health and safety of our student-athletes at the forefront of our decisions.”
While the Big Ten Tournament is returning, it will follow an old format. All seven conference teams will compete in a one weekend, single-elimination mode. There will be a total of six games, with three taking place on Thursday, two on Friday, and the championship game on Saturday.
“The 2020-21 schedule and the modified Big Ten Tournament format have been structured in a way that maximizes flexibility for the season,” said Red Berenson, Special Advisor to the Commissioner, Hockey Operations. “The opportunity to return to competition in mid-November and the scheduling agreement with Arizona State is an exciting time for Big Ten Hockey.”
It took plenty of teamwork to get @B1GHockey back and head coach @SteveRohlik is truly thankful. #GoBuckeyes pic.twitter.com/B2O9L8BrHx
— Ohio State Men's Hockey (@OhioStateMHKY) October 6, 2020
According to the release, Big Ten hockey teams will follow the same medical protocols that were developed by the Big Ten Return to Competition Task Force and announced on Sept. 16, 2020, including daily antigen testing, enhanced cardiac screening, and an enhanced data-driven approach when making decisions about practice/competition. Arizona State has agreed to adhere to the same testing protocols as the Big Ten Conference.
The full schedule will be released at a later date.
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