Great Lakes Invitational Moving To Grand Rapids
The annual Great Lakes Invitational college hockey tournament will move from its traditional home in Detroit to Grand Rapids' Van Andel Arena for 2022, in an announcement on Wednesday morning.
The format will remain the same as always. Four teams involved with semifinal games on December 27th with the consolation game and championship tilt the next night.
Tournament host Michigan Tech will play Western Michigan at 3:30pm on December 27th. That's followed by Michigan State against Ferris State at 7:00pm. The consolation game will feature the two semifinal losers at 3:30pm on December 28th, with the two winners playing for the championship at 7:00pm.
Michigan State head hockey coach Adam Nightengale commented on Wednesday's announcement:
"I have had the pleasure of participating in the Great Lakes Invitational as both a player and a coach, the ability to compete for a tournament championship in the middle of a season is exciting, and I was lucky enough to win a GLI title when I was a player. Michigan State is proud to be a part of the great tradition of this tournament - Grand Rapids is a great hockey town and we look forward to playing in a packed Van Andel Arena."
Detroit had hosted the GLI for the first 55 years of the tournament, going from the old Olympia Stadium and Joe Louis Arena to the current Little Caesars Arena. The 2013 GLI was played outdoors at Comerica Park in Detroit.
But the tournament has suffered from lack of attendance and interest in later years and forced the GLI onto campus sites last season. The GLI hopes the site change to Grand Rapids will invigorate interest in the tourney.