It's Game On for Men's 2025-26 College Hockey Season: Puck Drop
One countdown ends. Another begins.
Tonight, the men's college hockey season will officially get under way, as the start of the 2025-26 season is set to begin 4:30 p.m. ET, with Lake Superior State at Stonehill, with opening night continuing around the country through Minnesota Duluth at Alaska Fairbanks.
It all won't end for 190 days, when the 2026 national national championship is played, and the location is indicative of how this season will be like none other. College hockey's 132nd season overall, and 78th in which a title game is held, will conclude with the Frozen Four at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nev..
In addition to NIL and the transfer portal, which are both reshaping all of college sports, hockey has also benefitted from a rule change allowing Canadian Hockey League (CHL) players to be eligible. Consequently, hundreds of players have signed on to play at the Division I level, including Gavin McKenna, the top prospect for the 2026 NHL Draft. He's already drawn so much interest to Penn State that the NHL Network will broadcast live his first two games at Arizona State this weekend.
Even the NCAA Tournament won't be the same (beyond the whole Las Vegas thing) in that the criteria used to determine and seed the field has been altered. Instead of the Pairwise, a ranking system that had been used for years, the selection committee will rely on the NCAA Percentage Index (NPI), with takes into consideration winning percentage, strength of schedule, quality wins, and even overtime.
But that'll happen in March, after conference tournaments and the regular season that's finally ready to start. It's just like they say on the streets and in the movies, GAME ON!
Puck Drop: Friday, October 3, 2025
A full schedule and results will be posted each day, men's and women's. Speaking of which ...
Opening Weekend in Men's College Hockey
(Rankings from preseason poll)
Games between ranked teams are bolded
Friday’s Games (All Times ET)
Hockey East
Merrimack at Mass.-Lowell, 7:15 p.m.
Non-Conference
Mercyhurst at No. 12 Michigan, 7 p.m.
No. 19 Clarkson at Canisius, 7 p.m.
No. 13 Quinnipiac at No. 6 Boston College, 7 p.m.
Ferris State at Miami, 7 p.m.
Michigan Tech at No. 8 Minnesota, 8 p.m.
No. 5 Penn State at No. 14 Arizona State, 9 p.m., NHL Network
No. 10 UConn at Colorado College, 9 p.m.
Bemidji State at Alaska-Anchorage, 11 p.m.
No. 20 Wisconsin at Lindenwood, 8 p.m.
Minnesota-Duluth at Alaska Fairbanks, 11 p.m.
Exhibitions
Windsor at No. 3 Michigan State, 6 p.m.
Simon Fraser at No. 9 Providence, 7 p.m.
Long Island at Army, 7 p.m.
Augustana at St. Cloud State, 7 p.m.
Notre Dame at US Under-18, 8 p.m.
New Hampshire vs. No. 7 Maine, 8 p.m.
Air Force at Omaha, 8 p.m.
Saturday’s Games
Non-Conference
Lake Superior State at Stonehill, 4:30 p.m.
Army at Union, 5 p.m.
St. Lawrence at Niagara, 6 p.m.
Ferris State at Miami, 6 p.m.
LIU at No. 2 Boston University, 7 p.m.
Mercyhurst at No. 12 Michigan, 7 p.m.
No. 5 Penn State at No. 14 Arizona State, 7 p.m., NHL Network
No. 19 St. Thomas at St. Cloud State, 7 p.m.
Holy Cross at Northeastern 7:30 p.m.
Northern Michigan at No. 15 UMass, 7:30 p.m.
Michigan Tech at No. 8 Minnesota, 8 p.m.
No. 10 UConn at Colorado College, 8 p.m.
No. 20 Wisconsin at Lindenwood, 8 p.m.
Bemidji State at Alaska Anchorage, 9 p.m.
Minnesota Duluth at Alaska Fairbanks, 11 p.m.
Exhibitions
Guelph at RIT, 5 p.m.
Robert Morris at Bowling Green, 6 p.m.
Merrimack at Sacred Heart, 6 p.m.
Manitoba at No. 11 North Dakota, 7 p.m.
Simon Fraser at Bentley, 7 p.m.
Brock at Vermont, 7 p.m.
UNLV at No. 4 Denver, 8 p.m.
Sunday’s Games
Non-Conference
Lake Superior State at Stonehill, 3 p.m.
Northern Michigan at No. 15 UMass, 4 p.m.
St. Lawrence at Canisius, 5 p.m.
Exhibitions
Union vs. Colgate, 2 p.m.
No. 13 Quinnipiac at No. 9 Providence, 2 p.m.
Waterloo at Robert Morris, 4 p.m.
Simon Fraser at Sacred Heart, 4 p.m.
RPI at No. 2 Boston University, 5 p.m.
US Under-18 at No. 1 Western Michigan, 6 p.m.
Women's College Hockey Schedule
Games between ranked teams are bolded
Friday’s Games (All Times ET)
No. 8 Quinnipiac at Providence, 2 p.m.
Sacred Heart at RPI, 5 p.m.
Syracuse at Stonehill, 5 p.m.
No. 2 Ohio State at No. 7 Colgate, 6 p.m.
No. 3 Minnesota at No. 13 Boston University, 6 p.m.
No. 10 St. Lawrence at Mercyhurst, 6 p.m.
No. 6 Penn State at Vermont, 6 p.m.
No. 12 UConn at No. 9 Clarkson, 6 p.m.
RIT at No. 14 Northeastern, 6 p.m.
Merrimack at Union, 6 p.m.
New Hampshire at Assumption, 7 p.m.
Lindenwood at Minnesota State, 7 p.m.
Robert Morris at Bemidji State, 7 p.m.
Maine at No. 1 Wisconsin, 8 p.m.
Saturday’s Games
No. 10 St. Lawrence at Mercyhurst, 1 p.m.
Merrimack at Union, 1 p.m.
Syracuse at Stonehill, 1 p.m.
No. 6 Penn State at Vermont, 2 p.m.
No. 12 UConn at No. 9 Clarkson, 2 p.m.
RIT at No. 14 Northeastern, 2 p.m.
Holy Cross at Delaware, 2 p.m.
RPI at Sacred Heart, 2 p.m.
Maine at No. 1 Wisconsin, 3 p.m.
No. 2 Ohio State at No. 7 Colgate, 3 p.m.
Providence at No. 8 Quinnipiac, 3 p.m.
Boston College at Saint Anselm, 3 p.m.
No. 3 Minnesota at No. 13 Boston University, 4 p.m.
Lindenwood at Minnesota State, 4 p.m.
Robert Morris at Bemidji State 4 p.m.
New Hampshire at Assumption, 7 p.m.
Sunday’s Game
Holy Cross at Delaware, 2 p.m.
Countdown to 2025-26 Men's Hockey Season Opener:
0 Days. It's today!
Did You Notice?
• Former Minnesota defenseman Jackson LaCombe signed an eight-year contract extension with the Anaheim Ducks, reportedly for $72 million. The 24-year-old defenseman had 43 points (14 goals, 29 assists) in 75 games last season. For more see Minnesota Golden Gophers On SI.
• The Pittsburgh Penguins announced that former Notre Dame right wing Bryan Rust will be out two weeks with a lower body injury. For more check out Breakaway On SI.
• RPI announced the addition of former Ohio State forward Cory Schneider as an assistant coach . He spent the past three seasons at Clarkson and was previously on the staff at American International along with new Engineers head coach Eric Lang.
• The Tampa Bay Lighting claimed former Michigan Tech goaltender Pheonix Copley off waivers. He's spent most of the past 10 seasons in the AHL, but has played in 77 NHL games (44-16), with a 2.84 goals against average and .898 save percentage.
• The Pittsburgh Penguins waived former Denver left winger Danton Heinen and former Yale defenseman Philip Kemp. Seattle waived former Minnesota forward Ben Meyers, and Utah did likewise with former UMD defenseman Scott Perunovich. All can be assigned to the minor leagues if another NHL team doesn't pick them up Friday.
• James Fortier, a four-year assistant coach at Maine announced his departure to be the Managing Director with Okanagan Hockey Colorado.
SEE ALSO: Boston College Men's Hockey vs Quinnipiac Opponent Preview: Just a Minute
On This Date in Hockey History:
October 3, 1931: Hall of Fame goaltender Glenn Hall, who once started a record-setting 501 consecutive games, was born in Humboldt, Saskatchewan.
October 3, 1940: Hall of Fame center Jean Ratelle was born in Lac St-Jean, Quebec.
October 3, 1949: Bemidji State defenseman Jim McElmury, who played numerous times on Team USA, was born in St. Paul, Minn.
October 3, 1951: Ohio State defenseman Jim Witherspoon was born in Toronto.
October 3, 1963: Wisconsin right wing Patrick Flatley was born in Toronto. He ended up playing 14 years in the NHL, all but one with the New York Islanders.
October 3, 1966: Ground was broken for a new hockey arena in Bloomington to be the home of the Minnesota North Stars. The Metropolitan Sports Center was built in a year for approximately $7 million. The site is now part of the Mall of America.
October 3, 1967: Lake Superior State right wing Mark Vermette was born in Cochenour, Ontario.
October 3, 1969: UMD defenseman Jon Rohloff was born in Mankato, Minn.
October 3, 1973: Denver left wing Antti Laaksonen was born in Tammela, Finland.
October 3, 1974: Bowling Green right wing Mike Johnson was born in Scarborough, Ontario.
October 3, 1976: Boston University goaltender Michel Larocque was born in Lahr, Germany.
October 3, 1983: Minnesota center Steve Christoff, who was also on the Mircle on Ice team, was traded by the Minnesota North Stars to the Los Angeles Kings for defenseman Dave Lewis. Minnesota then traded Lewis to the New Jersey Devils for left wing Brent Ashton.
October 3, 1986: The Calgary Flames traded defenseman Terry Johnson to the Calgary Flames for former for former Providence defenseman Jim Korn. Calgary then traded Korn to the Buffalos Sabres for former Wisconsin defenseman Brian Engblom.
October 3, 1994: Defenseman Seth Jones, who played two years on the United States National Team Development Program, was born in Arlington, Texas.
October 3, 1994: Former St. Lawrence left wing Eric Lacroix and Chris Snell were traded by Toronto to the Los Angeles Kings for former North Dakota right wing Dixon Ward, Guy Leveque, former Wisconsin center Kelly Fairchild and Shayne Toporowski.
October 3, 1996: Northeastern center Adam Gaudette was born in Braintree, Mass.
October 3, 1996: Former Bowling Green defenseman Rob Blake was named captain of the Los Angeles Kings, replacing Wayne Gretzky.
October 3, 1997: Former Boston College defenseman Brian Leetch was named captain of the New York Rangers, replacing Mark Messier.
October 3, 2000: Maine goaltender Victor Ostman was born in Danderyd, Sweden.
October 3, 2006: Steve Yzerman, Marcel Dionne, Reed Larson, Red Berenson and Glen Sonmor were named recipients of the Lester Patrick Award (honoring contributions to hockey in the United States).
October 3, 2013: Former Minnesota State forward David Backes celebrated opening night to the NHL season with a goal and an assist to lead St. Louis to a 4-2 victory over Nashville.
October 3, 2018: Former Boston University forward Jack Eichel was named captain of the Buffalo Sabres, replacing former Boston College right wing Brian Gionta.
October 3, 2023: Former Wisconsin center Derek Stepan retired after 13 seasons in the NHL.
Hockey Quote of the Day
“Rangers fans are the rudest and they're proud of it, I'm sure.”Byron Dafoe (Alaska Anchorage)
We'll Leave You With This ...
Seriously, how do you fit that on the back of a jersey?
Quinnipiac's captain is Connecticut native and senior forward Victor Czerneckianair from Southington. https://t.co/NOPgTYkfgB
— New Haven Register (@nhregister) October 2, 2025
Christopher Walsh is the founder and publisher of Alabama Crimson Tide On SI, which first published as BamaCentral in 2018, and is also the publisher of the Boston College, Missouri and Vanderbilt sites . He's covered the Crimson Tide since 2004 and is the author of 27 books including “100 Things Crimson Tide Fans Should Know and Do Before They Die” and “Nick Saban vs. College Football.” He's an eight-time honoree of Football Writers Association of America awards and three-time winner of the Herby Kirby Memorial Award, the Alabama Sports Writers Association’s highest writing honor for story of the year. In 2022, he was named one of the 50 Legends of the ASWA. Previous beats include the Green Bay Packers, Arizona Cardinals and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, along with Major League Baseball’s Arizona Diamondbacks. Originally from Minnesota and a graduate of the University of New Hampshire, he currently resides in Tuscaloosa.
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