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UConn Men's Hockey: Huskies to Compete in Desert Hockey Classic

The Huskies will join Yale and Michigan Tech in Tempe for Arizona State's first Division I hockey tournament.

By Tim Fontenault
Rob Nichols and UConn will do a lot of traveling in January, with tournaments at Minnesota and Arizona State preceding a trip to Maine.
Rob Nichols and UConn will do a lot of traveling in January, with tournaments at Minnesota and Arizona State preceding a trip to Maine.

Arizona State's men's hockey team will play a mixed schedule in 2015-16, featuring both club and Division I hockey programs as the Sun Devils, a national club powerhouse, begin the transition to Division I.

Thursday evening, Arizona State announced the Division I schedule will include a tournament hosted in Glendale, and UConn is invited.

The Huskies will head to Arizona for the first Desert Hockey Classic the weekend of Jan. 8. Yale and Michigan Tech will also participate.

The tournament replaces a previously-scheduled weekend series between Arizona State and Yale.

It will be Arizona State's first home competition in Division I. According to the program's press release, the games during the four-team tournament will be the first Division I hockey games in Arizona since Northern Arizona stopped sponsoring Division I hockey in 1985.

According to Mike Anthony of the Hartford Courant, UConn was planning to play a series at Nebraska-Omaha that weekend, but plans fell through. The Huskies will be competing in the Mariucci Classic in Minneapolis Jan. 1 and 2. Michigan Tech will play in both tournaments, as well.

After two straight weekend tournaments, the Huskies will travel to Maine for two Hockey East games against the Black Bears Jan. 15 and 16.

Arizona State will travel to Connecticut for a game against UConn at the XL Center Oct. 16.

What we know about UConn's schedule right now:

The UConn men's hockey schedule is expected to be released in the next few days. Based on information that has trickled out, here is what we know so far.

  • The Huskies will open the season with a weekend series at Alabama-Huntsville Oct. 8 and 9
  • UConn will open the home schedule with games against Arizona State and Quinnipiac at the XL Center Oct. 16 and 17, respectively.
  • The Huskies will play Notre Dame at the Barclays Center Sunday, Nov. 1. Since UConn is supposed to host Notre Dame twice this season, this means the two teams will play that Friday or Saturday at the XL Center.
  • UConn will host former Atlantic Hockey rival Army Nov. 10.
  • As mentioned above, UConn will play in two tournaments in early January: the Mariucci Classic against Minnesota, Ferris State and Michigan Tech Jan. 1 and 2, and the Desert Hockey Classic against Arizona State, Yale and Michigan Tech Jan. 8 and 9.
  • The Huskies will then travel to Maine for a weekend Hockey East series Jan. 15 and 16.

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