UMD men's hockey: Bulldogs' 2022-23 schedule takes shape with release of NCHC slate

DULUTH — After not traveling to Colorado Springs, Colorado, during the 2021-22 season, the Minnesota Duluth men’s hockey team will finally get to see Colorado College’s new Ed Robson Arena when it opens NCHC play in 2022-23 against the Tigers Nov. 4-5.

The NCHC released its entire conference schedule on Wednesday , and the Bulldogs will face Colorado College twice in the opening five weeks of conference play, with the Tigers visiting Amsoil Arena Dec. 2-3.

The first half of UMD’s 2022-23 NCHC schedule also includes Omaha visiting Amsoil Arena on Nov. 11-12 and defending NCAA champion Denver coming to Duluth on Dec. 9-10.

St. Cloud State (Jan. 27-28), Western Michigan (Feb. 3-4) and Miami (Feb. 24-25) will visit Amsoil Arena for conference play in the 2023 portion of the conference schedule.

North Dakota does not play in Duluth this season. The lone series between the Fighting Hawks and Bulldogs is scheduled for Jan. 20-21 in Grand Forks. UMD does not play at Miami.

UMD’s full 2022-23 schedule is still being finalized and will be released at a later date.

Home games in CAPS

Nov. 4-5 — at Colorado College
Nov. 11-12 — OMAHA
Nov. 18-19 — at Western Michigan

Dec. 2-3 — COLORADO COLLEGE
Dec. 9-10 — DENVER

Jan. 13-14 — at Omaha
Jan. 20-21 — at North Dakota
Jan. 27-28 — ST. CLOUD STATE

Feb. 3-4 — WESTERN MICHIGAN
Feb. 17-18 — at Denver
Feb. 24-25 — MIAMI

March 3-4 — at St. Cloud State
March 10-12 — NCHC quarterfinal series
March 17-18 — NCHC Frozen Faceoff (St. Paul)

The Bulldogs men’s hockey team finished the 2021-22 season fifth in the NCAA in attendance, averaging 5,882 fans per game at the 6,756-seat Amsoil Arena this season.

UMD drew a total of 111,752 for its 19 games, according to numbers compiled by USCHO.com for all 59 NCAA Division I hockey programs that played this season. North Dakota was No. 1 in average attendance with 11,294 fans per game at the 11,634-seat Ralph Engelstad Arena.

“UMD has always had great support for our men's hockey program and with the success of the team the last decade, it has been exciting to watch our fans be a part of that,” said Brian Nystrom, UMD’s assistant athletic director in charge of marketing and corporate relations. “Being able to have fans back in the stands this past year was energizing for our student-athletes and to finish in the top five nationally is special, and a credit to Bulldog Country."

Big Ten schools Wisconsin, Minnesota and Penn State also outdrew the Bulldogs, who were second among NCHC teams. Denver was the only other NCHC team in the top 10, averaging 5,070 at the 6,026-seat Magness Arena in Denver.

The 5,882 average attendance for UMD was down from its last full season without pandemic restrictions of 2019-20, when the Bulldogs averaged 6,122 fans per game over 17 games at Amsoil Arena. UMD was coming off back-to-back national championships that season, and things like mask and vaccine mandates did not exist.

Excluding the 2020-21 season played during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2021-22 season marks the third consecutive season the Bulldogs ranked in the top five in the country in average attendance.