North Michigan News

The Northern Michigan men's hockey team is set to compete in the 58th Great Lakes Invitational (GLI) tournament after their holiday break. The event, hosted by Michigan Tech, will take place at Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids, Michigan, from December 29 to December 30.

The Wildcats will face off against the top-ranked Michigan State Spartans on Sunday at 7 p.m., following the earlier game between Michigan Tech and Western Michigan at 3:37 p.m. The winners of these matches will advance to the championship game scheduled for Monday at 7 p.m., with a third-place game preceding it at 3:30 p.m.

This year's GLI marks the seventh appearance for Northern Michigan and their first since 2015. During that year, they lost to the University of Michigan but secured a victory against Michigan State. Historically, Northern Michigan has faced Michigan Tech three times in this tournament, most recently winning 8-1 in 1998. They have also played against Michigan State four times, achieving victories in both 2015 and 1992.

Michigan Tech has claimed the GLI title twelve times over its history of fifty-seven tournaments. Similarly, Michigan State has won twelve titles across forty-nine tournaments. Western Michigan is making its seventh appearance and last participated when they won the inaugural GLI held at Van Andel Arena in 2022.

Tickets for the event are available through Ticketmaster or directly from the DeVos Place Grand Gallery Box Office. Special presale codes offer exclusive access for students and alumni sections.

For those unable to attend in person, all games will be streamed free on uppermichiganssource.com and via the TV6 & FoxUP Roku app. Additional coverage includes BTN+ for both games involving Michigan State and Midco Sports Plus for games featuring Northern Michigan and Michigan Tech.

Radio broadcasts are also available across various stations including WLUC Marquette MI (TV6), WILX Lansing MI (10.2 MeTV), KCRG Cedar Rapids IA (9.2), KBJR Duluth MN (6.3 My9), KTTC Rochester MN (10.2 CW), KEYC Mankato MN (7.3 Circle), WPAM Columbia SC (18.1), WIS Columbia SC (10.4), WHNS Greenville SC (21.2), WZCH Charleston SC (35.3), and WMBF Myrtle Beach SC (32.3).

Van Andel Arena serves as West Michigan's premier entertainment venue located in downtown Grand Rapids, hosting a variety of events annually including sporting events like NCAA Hockey Regional Championships and concerts by renowned artists such as Paul McCartney and Elton John.

Parking near Van Andel Arena is managed by the City of Grand Rapids with metered street parking available nearby along with accessible spaces provided on a first-come-first-served basis in city-owned lots.