With the beginning of the Minnesota men’s hockey season right around the corner, the Big Ten Conference announced the 2023-24 schedule Monday. Game times and broadcast information will be announced at a later date. Click here to see the entire schedule.
The Golden Gophers are set for 34 regular season games, plus one exhibition contest, with 19 of those coming inside the currently-being-renovated 3M Arena at Mariucci. Big Ten play again features a double-round-robin format where each team plays both a home and an away series with the other six conference members for a total of 12 home and 12 away matchups.
It’ll be an exhibition game to begin the campaign as the Maroon and Gold welcome Bemidji State Oct. 8 before the regular season gets underway a week later.
Minnesota faces St. Thomas to officially launch the year as the in-state foes, separated by just four miles, play a countable contest for the first time since January 1927. Opening night is slated for Oct. 13 at Xcel Energy Center as part of a women’s and men’s doubleheader before the series finale at 3M Arena at Mariucci Oct. 14.
A rivalry will be renewed Oct. 20-21 as the Gophers hit the road for a matchup with the Fighting Hawks of North Dakota. B1G play begins Oct. 26-27 when the ‘U’ hosts Wisconsin for a Border Battle series and takes on its second in-state opponent the following weekend with a home-and-home series against Minnesota Duluth. Game one versus the Bulldogs is set for Nov. 3 at 3M Arena at Mariucci and ends on the road Nov. 4 at AMSOIL Arena in Duluth, Minn.
The first B1G road trip takes place Nov. 10-11 when the team heads to Michigan before returning home for a series with both Notre Dame (Nov. 17-18) and Michigan State (Nov. 24 & 26). The Gophers then hit the road for back-to-back weekends and the longest trips of the year as they face Penn State (Dec. 1-2) and Ohio State (Dec. 8-9) to close the calendar year.
After taking time off for the holidays, Minnesota returns to home ice for its next three series beginning in 2024. The action starts with Colorado College (Jan. 7-8) for a rare Sunday-Monday series and continues Jan. 12-13 in a battle against Robert Morris, a team making its return to college hockey after being reinstated following three years off. The homestand concludes when the Gophers take on Ohio State Jan. 19-20.
Trips to Michigan State (Jan. 26-27) and Wisconsin (Feb. 2-3) are slated for the Maroon and Gold with a home series versus Penn State (Feb. 9-10) to follow down the stretch. The final road action is set for Feb. 16-17 when Minnesota travels to South Bend, Ind., to face the Fighting Irish.
A premiere matchup of two NCAA Frozen Four teams from a year ago will be the final series of the regular season when the ‘U’ takes on the Wolverines Mar. 1-2.
Season tickets for Minnesota men’s hockey in 2023-24 are now on sale at GopherSports.com, while single-game tickets will be available starting Sept. 7 for the general public.
(info courtesy of Gopher Sports)
