Weekend Roundup: Great Lakes Kickoff Classic headlines busy Indiana hockey weekend.
Penn-Carroll rematch leads an Indiana-heavy tournament in Kalamazoo, while HSE, Central Indiana, South Stars and Carmel face major early-season tests closer to home.
The first weekend of October sends several of Indiana's northern programs back across the state line.
Penn Gold, Carroll, Adams and Homestead are among the teams headed to Kalamazoo for the Great Lakes Kickoff Classic, hosted by the Southwest Michigan Blades at Wings Event Center. The field also includes the Blades, Lakeshore St. Joe, KOHA U18 AA and Little Caesars U18 AA.
For the Indiana teams, the weekend offers a mix of unfamiliar competition and very familiar opponents.
None carries more immediate history than Penn Gold and Carroll.
The Kingsmen and Chargers meet Friday night in a rematch from last weekend, when Penn earned an overtime win. This time, the matchup comes in tournament play, with both teams also getting opportunities against Michigan competition before the weekend is over.
Carroll also returns to a tournament where it has found success before. The Chargers won the third annual Great Lakes Kickoff Classic and went unbeaten through last year's event, finishing the weekend with a 3-2 championship win over KOHA.
That history, combined with four Indiana programs in the field, makes Kalamazoo one of the best early measuring sticks of the weekend.
Great Lakes Kickoff Classic
Indiana gets involved immediately Friday evening.
Adams and Homestead meet at 5 p.m. before Penn Gold and Carroll take the ice 90 minutes later. Saturday then sends each of the Indiana teams into a mix of in-state and out-of-state matchups.
Friday
| Time | Matchup | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 4:30 p.m. ET | KOHA U18 AA vs. Lakeshore St. Joe | Wings Event Center |
| 5 p.m. ET | Adams vs. Homestead | Wings Event Center |
| 6 p.m. ET | Little Caesars U18 AA vs. Southwest Michigan Blades | Wings Event Center |
| 6:30 p.m. ET | Penn Gold vs. Carroll | Wings Event Center |
Penn-Carroll is the immediate game to watch.
Beyond the rematch from last weekend, both programs have recent history at this event. Carroll beat Penn 2-1 during last year's Great Lakes Kickoff Classic on its way to the championship, while Penn closed the tournament with a dominant win over Lakeshore St. Joe.
For Adams and Homestead, Friday provides another all-Indiana comparison before each gets a shot at teams from outside the state Saturday.
Saturday
| Time | Matchup | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 8 a.m. ET | KOHA U18 AA vs. Carroll | Wings Event Center |
| 8:15 a.m. ET | Adams vs. Little Caesars U18 AA | Wings Event Center |
| 12:30 p.m. ET | Homestead vs. Southwest Michigan Blades | Wings Event Center |
| 2 p.m. ET | Penn Gold vs. Lakeshore St. Joe | Wings Event Center |
| 6:30 p.m. ET | KOHA U18 AA vs. Southwest Michigan Blades | Wings Event Center |
| 7:15 p.m. ET | Carroll vs. Adams | Wings Event Center |
| 8 p.m. ET | Little Caesars U18 AA vs. Lakeshore St. Joe | Wings Event Center |
| 8:45 p.m. ET | Homestead vs. Penn Gold | Wings Event Center |
Carroll gets perhaps the toughest Saturday draw among the Indiana teams, opening against KOHA before coming back that evening against Adams.
Penn follows Friday's rematch with games against Lakeshore St. Joe and Homestead, while Adams and Homestead each get an opportunity to test themselves against one of the tournament's out-of-state opponents before returning to Indiana competition later in the day.
By Saturday night, the tournament should provide a useful early-season comparison between several of Northern Indiana's programs.
HSE and Central Indiana meet under the lights
One of the best matchups outside Kalamazoo comes late Friday at the Fuel Tank.
HSE A visits Central Indiana A at 9:40 p.m., bringing together two teams coming off productive weekends.
Central Indiana opened its season last Saturday with an 8-0 win over Brebeuf Jesuit. Seven different Knights scored, Central Indiana put 46 shots on goal and Joseph Rues scored twice.
The balanced attack was one of the biggest takeaways from the opener. Head coach Rob Pozzebon pointed afterward to the importance of having multiple lines capable of contributing offensively as the season moves forward.
HSE, meanwhile, comes off a strong showing at the Ohio-Indiana Showcase. The Royals opened the weekend with a 5-3 win over Canton-Akron, scoring twice short-handed in the third period while putting 41 shots on goal.
Now the two meet in one of the first significant Central Indiana matchups of October.
| Date | Time | Matchup | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| Friday, Oct. 2 | 8:10 p.m. ET | HSE B at Miami Jr. Redhawks | Goggin Ice Center |
| Friday, Oct. 2 | 9:40 p.m. ET | HSE A at Central Indiana A | Fuel Tank at Fishers |
| Saturday, Oct. 3 | 4:20 p.m. ET | Marian-Riley at HSE A | Fuel Tank at Fishers |
| Sunday, Oct. 4 | 12:05 p.m. ET | HSE B at Westfield | Carmel Ice Skadium |
| Sunday, Oct. 4 | 1:30 p.m. ET | Central Indiana A at Zionsville | Carmel Ice Skadium |
HSE's weekend does not get much easier after Friday night.
The Royals come back Saturday afternoon against Marian-Riley, another team that showed plenty of offense last weekend. Marian-Riley scored eight unanswered goals in an 8-1 win over Adams.
Central Indiana gets Saturday off before returning Sunday afternoon against Zionsville.
South Stars and Columbus meet after tournament weekends
South Stars Red returns home from one tournament test and immediately gets another significant Indiana opponent.
The Stars host Columbus Saturday night at Hamilton Community Center & Ice Arena after finishing runner-up at the Great Lakes Fall Classic in Holland, Michigan, last weekend.
South Stars went 3-2 in the tournament, with both losses coming against the West Michigan Ice Dogs. The second came in the championship game, where the Stars pushed West Michigan to a shootout.
The weekend served as an early measuring stick for a South Stars team looking to find out how well it could compete against strong competition outside Indiana.
It passed plenty of those tests.
South Stars also picked up a 7-5 win over Munster on Sunday to reach the championship game.
Columbus enters with tournament experience of its own after competing in Pittsburgh last weekend. The Icemen opened with a 5-0 loss to SHAHA before responding later that day with a 3-1 victory over Piedmont.
Now both teams return to Indiana for a direct comparison.
| Date | Time | Matchup | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saturday, Oct. 3 | 9:15 p.m. ET | Columbus at South Stars Red | Hamilton Community Center & Ice Arena |
For South Stars, the matchup provides another chance to see whether what worked in Michigan carries over against Indiana competition.
The Stars have already shown the ability to play through close games and difficult stretches, including their comeback victory over Westfield earlier this season and a run to the championship game in Holland.
Carmel Gold gets two different tests
Carmel Gold has one of the more interesting two-game weekends on the schedule.
The Icehounds host Westfield Saturday at noon before traveling north to face Culver A on Sunday afternoon.
Carmel has already shown what its defensive ceiling can look like.
In a 6-0 win over Zionsville in September, the Icehounds allowed only three shots on goal and got goals from five different players.
Westfield provides a familiar Indiana opponent Saturday.
Culver provides something different.
Playing at Henderson Ice Arena has traditionally offered Indiana teams a chance to measure themselves against a program that plays a schedule extending well beyond normal league competition.
| Date | Time | Matchup | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saturday, Oct. 3 | Noon ET | Westfield at Carmel Gold | Carmel Ice Skadium |
| Sunday, Oct. 4 | 3:30 p.m. ET | Carmel Gold at Culver A | Henderson Ice Arena |
The back-to-back games should tell the Icehounds something about their ability to carry their early defensive success into different styles of competition.
Zionsville and Brebeuf continue early-season work
Saturday evening brings Zionsville and Brebeuf Jesuit together at Carmel Ice Skadium.
Both have already faced difficult early-season tests.
Brebeuf is coming off an 8-0 loss to Central Indiana, while Zionsville has seen both sides of the early season with a 4-1 win over Carmel Blue followed by a 6-0 loss to Carmel Gold.
The Eagles were held to only three shots against Carmel Gold, making Saturday an opportunity to generate more possession and offensive pressure.
Brebeuf, meanwhile, will look for a response after Central Indiana scored three times in each of the first two periods in last weekend's opener.
| Date | Time | Matchup | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saturday, Oct. 3 | 5:30 p.m. ET | Zionsville at Brebeuf Jesuit | Carmel Ice Skadium |
| Sunday, Oct. 4 | Noon ET | Brebeuf Jesuit at Marian-Riley | The Ice Box |
| Sunday, Oct. 4 | 1:30 p.m. ET | Central Indiana A at Zionsville | Carmel Ice Skadium |
The weekend also creates quick turnarounds for both teams.
Brebeuf travels to South Bend Sunday to face Marian-Riley, while Zionsville draws Central Indiana less than 24 hours after facing the Braves.
Northwest Indiana stays busy
The Kube Sports Complex has a full weekend of its own.
Bishop Noll Blue JV gets Angola on Saturday before a Sunday matchup with Munster White JV, while Bishop Noll's varsity team hosts Lincoln Way Gold Sunday afternoon.
Munster White JV will already have one game under its belt by then after facing Mount Carmel late Saturday night.
The Munster-Bishop Noll matchup adds another chapter to one of Northwest Indiana's most familiar local pairings, this time at the JV level.
| Date | Time | Matchup | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saturday, Oct. 3 | 10 a.m. CT | Angola Hockey JV at Bishop Noll Blue JV | Kube Sports Complex |
| Saturday, Oct. 3 | 11:35 p.m. CT | Mount Carmel at Munster White JV | Kube Sports Complex |
| Sunday, Oct. 4 | 1 p.m. CT | Munster White JV at Bishop Noll Blue JV | Kube Sports Complex |
| Sunday, Oct. 4 | 3:30 p.m. CT | Lincoln Way Gold at Bishop Noll Varsity | Kube Sports Complex |
Around the state
Beyond the featured matchups, the weekend includes games from Evansville to South Bend and several important JV matchups.
Saturday
| Time | Matchup | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Noon ET | Leo Lions at Culver A | Henderson Ice Arena |
| 4 p.m. ET | Crown Point White JV at Penn Black JV | TBD |
| 7 p.m. CT | Bloomington at Evansville | Swonder Ice Arena |
| 8:40 p.m. ET | Columbus JV at Carmel Blue JV | Carmel Ice Skadium |
Sunday
| Time | Matchup | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 11 a.m. ET | South Stars White JV at Penn Black JV | Compton Family Ice Arena |
| 12:45 p.m. ET | Renegades JV at Westfield JV | Pop Weaver Youth Pavilion |
| 3:30 p.m. ET | South Stars White JV at St. Joe White | Compton Family Ice Arena |
| 5 p.m. ET | Crown Point Red at St. Joe | Compton Family Ice Arena |
October starts with more answers to find
September gave Indiana teams plenty of opportunities to travel, experiment and find out what they had.
October begins with more direct comparisons.
Carroll returns to a tournament where it has found success before. Penn gets another shot at the Chargers only days after an overtime meeting. Adams and Homestead join them in an Indiana-heavy field in Kalamazoo.
Central Indiana follows an eight-goal season opener with HSE.
South Stars comes home after proving it can compete deep into a Michigan tournament and immediately gets Columbus.
Carmel gets Westfield and Culver on consecutive days.
And across the state, teams that spent much of September traveling for showcases and tournaments are beginning to see more familiar Indiana sweaters on the other side of the ice.
By Sunday night, the early-season picture should be a little clearer.