BOULDER (7/21/110 – University of Colorado Collegiate Sport Clubs has announced the 2011-12 regular season schedules for the division-II and division-III men’s ice hockey teams.
Both the D-II varsity and the D-III junior varsity teams will play another season against quality American Collegiate Hockey Association opponents, including both clubs playing the 2010-11 national champions. CU’s varsity squad will play the defending division-II champion, Grand Valley State Lakers, on Oct. 8 while the junior varsity team will take on the division-III champs, College of the Canyons Cougars, on Jan. 29.
The varsity Buffaloes will open their season on Saturday Oct. 1 at 7:30 p.m., at home against Cal State Long Beach, a team CU defeated 12-1 last year. Colorado’s JV club will begin their season on Sept. 23 at the United States Air Force Academy and will play their first home game on Oct. 8 versus D-II Northern Colorado.
For the third straight season, Colorado will play in-state rival Colorado State at the Pepsi Center in Denver. The varsity teams from Boulder and Fort Collins have split their meetings at the home of the Colorado Avalanche of the National Hockey League the last two years, with the Rams gaining the edge last season. The two division-II squads will square off on Saturday Nov. 5 at 7:30 p.m., the day following CU’s nationally televised football game with Southern California in Boulder. The division-III game between the two schools will take place prior to the varsity contest at 5 p.m.
Overall, both CU squads will play their in-state rival four times. The D-II club will play the Rams on Nov. 4 at EPIC Ice Arena in Fort Collins, Nov. 5 at the Pepsi Center, Feb. 3 at the Budweiser Events Center in Loveland, Colo., and Feb. 4 at the CU Ice Arena in Boulder. The D-III team will face Colorado State on Nov. 4 and 5, and will play the Ram on Feb. 3 in Boulder and Feb. 4 in Fort Collins.
The varsity team will take four road trips throughout the season, with the first trip being to the ACHA Showcase in St. Louis, Mo., in October. CU will play Michigan State, Grand Valley State and De Paul at the showcase. The next trip will be down to the desert in November for games against D-I Arizona, and D-II Northern Arizona and Arizona State.
Colorado will also take two trips to Utah, the first being for the November Beehive Showcase at Eccles Ice Arena in Logan. Opponents for the showcase have yet to be decided, but the Buffs will play three games over the course of the weekend. CU’s other trip to Utah will come on Jan. 19-21 with contests versus the Utah Utes, the BYU Cougars and the Weber State Wildcats.
The junior varsity club will take three road trips: to Alabama, to the Midwest and to California. CU’s first trip will be to the Alabama Showcase in Huntsville, Ala.; with games against Hope College, Alabama, Florida Gulf Coast and Central Florida.
After the thanksgiving break, the JV team will then head to the Midwest for contests against Creighton, Nebraska and Dordt College. The final road trip will be made to Valencia, Calif., for games with Cal State Northridge, Fresno State and College of the Canyons.
The division-II Buffs will also co-host a regular season tournament of their own, the Western Classic. Colorado will host the Dec. 1-4 tournament at the CU Ice Arena in Boulder, one of three sites in the State of Colorado. The Buffs will play Northern Arizona, Arizona State, Washington and Nevada Las Vegas over the weekend.
The ACHA Division-II West Regional Tournament will be held on Feb. 25-26 at a location that has yet to be decided, while the national championships will be in Fort Myers, Fla., on Mar. 16-19. The division-III Pacific Regional Tournament’s location has also not been decided, but it will be held on Feb. 17-18. The D-III national championships will be in St. Louis, Mo., on Mar. 14-17.
Colorado’s division-II team will play four preseason contests, beginning with a matchup with the division-III squad in Boulder on Sept. 9. The Buffs will also play two games against the Colorado Thunderbirds AAA in Boulder and Littleton on Sept. 16-17, and another scrimmage against a currently unnamed opponent on Sept. 24.
The division-III squad’s only scheduled preseason bout will be against the D-II Buffs on Sept. 9. However, members of both the D-II and D-III teams will take part in another warm up game, the CU Alumni Game on Friday Sept. 30 – the night before the school plays Washington State in the football team’s family weekend contest.
Admission to Colorado’s division-II games at the CU Ice Arena, which is located inside the Student Recreation Center on campus, is $5 for the general public and $3 for students with a valid Buff One Card. All division-III games are free. Stay tuned for ticket information regarding games at the Pepsi Center and the Budweiser Events Center.
The Buffs will also release their 2011-12 broadcast schedule in the near future. Stay tuned to www.cubuffshockey.org for the complete list of games that will air live on the CU Buffs Hockey Network.
Colorado Buffaloes Division-II Men’s Hockey 2011-12 Season Schedule
Fri. Sept. 9 – CU Division-III, 7:30 p.m. (preseason)
Fri. Sept. 16 – Colorado Thunderbirds AAA, 7:30 p.m. (preseason)
Sat. Sept. 17 – at Colorado Thunderbirds AAA, 6:45 p.m. at Big Bear Ice in Denver (preseason)
Sat. Sept. 24 – Scrimmage vs. TBD, 7:30 p.m. (preseason)
Fri. Sept. 30 – CU Alumni Game, 7:30 p.m.*
Sat. Oct. 1 – Cal State Long Beach, 7:30 p.m. (season opener)
ACHA Division-II Showcase at Lindenwood Ice in St. Louis, Mo.
Fri. Oct. 7 – Michigan State, 3:30 p.m.
Sat. Oct. 8 – Grand Valley State, 11:45 a.m.
Sun. Oct. 9 – De Paul, time TBD
Fri. Oct. 14 – Northern Colorado, 7:30 p.m.
Sat. Oct. 15 – at Northern Colorado, 9 p.m.
Fri. Oct. 21 – Cal State Fullerton, 7:30 p.m.
Sun. Oct. 23 – Weber State, 10 a.m.
Sat. Oct. 29 – at Denver, time TBD
Fri. Nov. 4 – at Colorado State, 8:00 p.m.
Sat. Nov. 5 – Colorado State, 7:30 p.m. at Pepsi Center in Denver
Fri. Nov. 11 – at Arizona D-I, 7:30 p.m.
Sat. Nov. 12 – at Northern Arizona in Tempe, Ariz.
Sun. Nov. 13 – at Arizona State
Utah State/Weber State Beehive Showcase – Logan and Ogden, Utah
Fri. Nov. 18 – Opponent TBD
Sat. Nov. 19 – Opponent TBD
Sun. Nov. 20 – Opponent TBD
Western Classic Tournament in Boulder and Fort Collins
Thu. Dec. 1 – Northern Arizona, 8:30 p.m.
Fri. Dec. 2 – Arizona State, 8:30 p.m.
Sat. Dec. 3 – Washington, 7:30 p.m.
Sun. Dec. 4 – Nevada-Las Vegas, 10:15 a.m.
Sat. Jan. 7 – Scrimmage vs. CU D-III, 7:30 p.m.
Thu. Jan. 12 – Texas A&M, 6 p.m.
Sat. Jan. 14 – Northern Colorado, 7:30 p.m.
Thu. Jan. 19 – at Utah, time TBD
Fri. Jan. 20 – at Brigham Young, time TBD
Sat. Jan. 21 – at Weber State, time TBD
Thu. Jan. 26 – Boston University, 8:30 p.m.
Sat. Jan. 28 – Lindenwood, 7:30 p.m.
Fri. Feb. 3 – at Colorado State at the Budweiser Event Center in Loveland, 7:30 p.m.
Sat. Feb. 4 – Colorado State, 7:30 p.m.
Thu. Feb. 9 – at Northern Colorado, 8 p.m.
Fri. Feb. 10 – Denver, 7:30 p.m.
Sat. Feb. 11 – San Jose State, 7:30 p.m.
Fri. Feb. 17 – Arizona D-I, 7:30 p.m.
Sat. Feb. 18 – Denver, 7:30 p.m. (senior night)
Feb. 25-26 – ACHA West Regional Tournament – location TBD
Mar. 16-19 ACHA Division-II National Championships in Fort Myers, Fla.
Colorado Buffaloes Division-III Men’s Hockey 2011-12 Season Schedule
Sept. 9 – CU Division-II, 7:30 p.m. (preseason)
Fri. Sept. 23 – at Air Force Academy (season opener)
Sept. 30 – CU Alumni Game, 7:30 p.m.*
Sat. Oct. 1 – at CU-Denver, 7:30 p.m. at Edge Ice Arena in Littleton
Sat. Oct. 8 – Northern Colorado D-II, 7:30 p.m. (home opener)
Fri. Oct. 14 – at Metropolitan State College of Denver D-II, time TBD
Sat. Oct. 15 – Denver D-II, 7:30 p.m.
Fri. Oct. 21 – Colorado College, 5:15 p.m.
Fri. Oct. 28 – Creighton, 7:30 p.m.
Sat. Oct. 29 – Wyoming, 7:30 p.m.
Fri. Nov. 4 – at Colorado State, 5 p.m.
Sat. Nov. 5 – Colorado State, 3 p.m. at Pepsi Center in Denver
Alabama Showcase - Huntsville, Ala.
Thu. Nov. 10 – Hope College, time TBD
Fri. Nov. 11 – Alabama, time TBD
Sat. Nov. 12 – Florida Gulf Coast, time TBD
Sun. Nov. 13 – Central Florida, time TBD
Fri. Nov. 18 – CU-Denver, 7:30 p.m.
Sat. Nov. 19 – at Northern Colorado D-II, 9 p.m.
Thu. Dec. 1 – at Creighton, time TBD
Fri. Dec. 2 – at Nebraska in Fremont, Neb., time TBD
Sat. Dec. 3 – at Dordt College, 4 p.m.
Fri. Dec. 9 – Metropolitan State College of Denver D-II, 7:30 p.m.
Sat. Jan. 7 – Scrimmage vs. CU D-II, 7:30 p.m.
Fri. Jan. 20 – Air Force Academy, 7:30 p.m.
Fri. Jan. 27 – at Cal State Northridge in Valencia, Calif., time TBD
Sat. Jan. 28 – at Fresno State in Valencia, Calif., time TBD
Sat. Jan. 29 – at College of the Canyons in Valencia, Calif., time TBD
Fri. Feb. 3 – Colorado State, 7:30 p.m. (senior night)
Sat. Feb. 4 – at Colorado State, 7:30 p.m.
Fri. Feb. 10 – at Colorado College, 7:30 p.m.
Sat. Feb. 11 – at Wyoming, time TBD
Feb. 17-18 – ACHA Pacific Regional Tournament – location TBD
Mar. 14-17 ACHA Division-III National Championships in St. Louis, Mo.
All Dates, Times, and Opponents are subject to change
All times are regional
Bold indicates home games
Blue indicates Tournaments/Showcases
* Indicates CU Alumni Game
