Thursday, February 09, 2012

GLI going outside to Comerica Park

The 48th annual Great Lakes Invitational will be played outdoors at Detroit’s Comerica Park as part of the Hockeytown Winter Festival and in connection with the NHL’s annual Winter Classic, which will feature the Detroit Red Wings and Toronto Maple Leafs at Michigan Stadium.

These events were officially announced this morning at Comerica Park.

The GLI games will be played Dec. 28 and 29. The semifinals on Dec. 28 will pit Michigan Tech against Michigan followed by Michigan State vs. Western Michigan in the second. The third-place and championship games will be played the following day.

“This is a great opportunity to showcase some of the best college hockey in the state in a unique environment,” said Michigan Tech athletic director Suzanne Sanregret. “We look forward to working with Olympia Entertainment and Comerica Park to host a memorable event for our student-athletes and fans.”

“Playing the GLI at Comerica Park will provide a truly unique event for fans and our players,” said Michigan head coach Red Berenson. “We’ve obviously played in outdoor games in the past, but never in a tournament format like this. I would expect it to be a great experience for everyone involved.”

Also at the Comerica Park venue, a game between notable Red Wings and Maple Leafs alumni is on tap along with other games from youth, high school, Ontario Hockey League (Plymouth Whalers/London Knights and Windsor Spitfires/Saginaw Spirit) and minor professional levels (AHL game between Grand Rapids Griffins and Toronto Marlies).

The full schedule for the Hockeytown Winter Festival will be announced at a later date.

Photo/Mike Caples/MiHockeyNow.com

No comments: