EAST LANSING – College hockey is back. On Tuesday, The Big Ten announced that the 2020-21 hockey season will begin as early as Nov. 13, 2020.

Each team will play 28 regular-season games, including 24 games against Big Ten opponents and four games against Arizona State in Big Ten stadiums. This means that each team will get one home and one away series against all six conference opponents, and four home games against non-conference opponent Arizona State.

All conference hockey teams will follow the same medical protocols that football players and staff members are using right now. Daily testing, enhanced cardiac screenings and successful isolation procedures for COVID-19 positive players are just some of the tenants that the hockey team will be required to follow this season. 

The conference season will conclude with the Big Ten Hockey Tournament, which is tentatively scheduled for March 18-20 in 2021. The tournament will be a one-weekend, single-elimination tournament that features all seven Big Ten teams; it will consist of six total games to crown a conference tournament champion.

The complete schedule has yet to be announced, but the full schedule with opponents, times, and television carriers will be released sometime in the near future.

Michigan State will return 16 players from last season; the Spartans are also welcoming in 10 freshmen. The Spartans will try to regroup after a disappointing end to the 2019-20 season. MSU finished with an overall record 15-19-2, including an 11-11-2 mark in Big Ten action.