BOWLING GREEN — The start of the college hockey season will be pushed back, but officials remain optimistic that teams will return to the ice during the 2020-21 school year.
The Hockey Commissioners' Association, which represents all 11 conferences that sponsor hockey, announced Thursday that the season, which typically begins in October, will not begin on time with the coronavirus pandemic still ongoing in the United States.
"Due to the impact COVID-19 continues to have across the country and within higher education, the start of the college hockey season will be delayed,” the HCA said in a statement. "Each conference will announce plans for the season individually.”
Bowling Green, the only Division I team in northwestern Ohio, had six games planned for October. The Falcons had a two-game away series scheduled against St. Lawrence (N.Y.), plus home-and-home agreements with Western Michigan and Miami.
The Falcons originally were slated to start play in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association on Nov. 6 against Ferris State.
Bowling Green also has two non-conference games later in the season: a two-game set with Rochester Institute of Technology on Dec. 31 and Jan. 2, the latter of which is planned to take place on the outdoor rink at Fifth Third Field for Winterfest.
In the statement, the WCHA said delaying the season will allow administrators more time to craft a return-to-play plan.
“We continue to engage in thorough evaluation and discussion of various options for safely opening the 2020-21 season, both nationally and within the WCHA, as the health and safety of everyone associated with our league is our top priority.” WCHA commissioner Bill Robertson said in a statement. “There was a strong desire to open the season as scheduled on October 3, but that is not possible given the realities we are facing.
“While we are still finalizing plans for our season at this point, we owe it to our student-athletes, coaches, officials and great fans to acknowledge the fact we will not begin play on time.”
The league did not announce a new planned start date, instead saying it will release its conference schedule, details on non-league play, and plans for the WCHA tournament at a date to be determined “later this fall.”
College hockey teams have not played competitive games since March. The Falcons were set to play in a WCHA tournament semifinal series when the remainder of the 2019-20 season, including the NCAA tournament, was canceled due to coronavirus.
First Published September 10, 2020, 5:02 p.m.
