KALAMAZOO, MI (WKZO) – The Detroit Red Wings won’t be the only hockey team to play outdoors next season.
Today it was announced that in conjunction with the 2013 NHL Winter Classic, the Western Michigan University Hockey team will play in its first ever outdoor game. As part of the 2012 Great Lakes Invitational the Broncos will face Michigan State on December 28 at Comerica Park. The winner between the Broncos and Spartans will play the following day against either Michigan or Michigan Tech. This will be WMU’s third appearance in the Great Lakes Invitational.
“We would like to thank the GLI committee, Olympia Entertainment and the Ilitch family for including us in this wonderful event,” said WMU Director of Athletics Kathy Beauregard. “It is a testament to how our program continues to rise to prominence and it will be a historic event for WMU Hockey as our first outdoor game. The GLI is an incredible opportunity for our program as well as our 32,000 Detroit based alumni who represented us so well at Joe Louis Arena last year and at the Little Caesar’s Pizza Bowl this year.”
The Detroit Red Wings and Toronto Maple Leafs will face off against each other at Michigan Stadium in the NHL 2013 edition of the Winter Classic.
The Hockeytown Winter Festival will begin mid-December at Comerica Park. The Great Lakes Invitational will be the first games showcased on the Comerica Park ice.
Game times for the 2012 Great Lakes Invitational and the full schedule for the Hockeytown Winter Festival will be announced at a later date.
