From Indiana Hockey
By Sam Weixler
BLOOMINGTON, Ind.- Summer has come and gone for the Bloomington boys, and a new season of hockey at Indiana University is just beyond the horizon. Coach Andrew Weiss and the Hoosiers look to follow up their historic 2021-22 season with another stellar campaign.
Last year, the squad sailed into the postseason after ending the regular season on a 15-game winning streak. They continued their tear by beating the defending TSCHL Champion (and nationally ranked) Miami RedHawks to clinch the first Tri-State Collegiate Hockey League Playoff Championship in program history.
During the ACHA Regionals games, IU again stood head and shoulders above the competition. Outscoring their opponents 12-2 across the Regionals weekend, the Hoosiers failed to yield a goal in either of the two final games. Thanks to Sammy Bilis’ two shutouts in net, the skaters in front of him had plenty of confidence going forward.
Their three wins in Columbus, Ohio earned Indiana its first berth into the ACHA Nationals tournament for the first time since 2008, where the team lost in the National Championship game. The 2022 ACHA Nationals tournament was held in the Greater St. Louis, Mo. area, and featured the top teams in all of collegiate club hockey.
This season, the road back to Nationals won’t be quite as easy, however, as the Hoosiers schedule features numerous nationally-opponents up and down the calendar. While there are some familiar faces and sweaters in TSCHL opponents, old rivalries will be renewed and new ones will surely blossom.
Here’s the slate for the upcoming 2022-23 season:
September 16 – vs. #39 Concordia-Wisconsin
September 17 – vs. #39 Concordia-Wisconsin
September 23 – vs. #8 Miami (OH)
September 24 – @ #8 Miami (OH)
September 30 – @ #16 Michigan State
October 1 – @ #16 Michigan State
October 14 – vs. Bowling Green State
October 15 – vs. Bowling Green State
October 21 – @ #6 NC State (ACC Invitational- Vinton, Va.)
October 22 – @ #54 Virginia Tech (ACC Invitational- Vinton, Va.)
October 23 – @ #45 North Carolina (ACC Invitational- Vinton, Va.)
October 28 – @ #21 Kentucky
October 29 – @ #21 Kentucky
November 4 – vs. Louisville
November 5 – @ Louisville
November 11 – @ Xavier
November 12 – vs. Xavier
November 18 – @ Depaul (Chicago, Ill.)
November 19 – @ Depaul (Chicago, Ill.)
December 2 – @ #23 Cincinnati
December 3 – vs. #23 Cincinnati
January 13 – vs. #48 Ohio University
January 14 – vs. #48 Ohio University
January 20 – vs. #53 Michigan
January 21 – vs. #53 Michigan
January 27 – vs. Dayton
January 28 – @ Dayton
January 29 – @ #27 Ohio State
February 3 – @ #20 Trine University (Battle of Indiana- Angola, Ind.)
February 4 – @ Indiana Tech (Battle of Indiana- Fort Wayne, Ind.)
TSCHL Playoffs: Feb 10-12
ACHA Regionals: Feb 24-26
ACHA Nationals: March 17-21
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Of the 30 games on the calendar for Indiana, 13 feature opponents currently ranked in the ACHA national top 40, 12 are against clubs that made their way to ACHA Regionals this past year, and two even joined IU in St. Louis for Nationals.
(Originally published at https://www.hockeyiu.com/articles/202223-iu-hockey-schedule-release-season-preview-l6ykwdow)
