Weekend Preview: Early Tests Await Indiana Teams.
Tournament trips and limited home action shape the weekend across Indiana
The calendar still says September, but this weekend should begin providing a clearer picture of where several Indiana high school hockey teams stand.
Tournament fields in Michigan, Pennsylvania and Kentucky will put Indiana programs against opponents they rarely see during the regular season. HSE will get another extended look at competition at Miami University. In South Bend, a series of preseason matchups will give Michiana and Fort Wayne teams additional work before league play begins to carry more weight.
And in Central Indiana, the schedule is unusually quiet.
The most intriguing action may be more than four hours north of Indianapolis, where South Stars and Munster will each send varsity and junior varsity teams to the Great Lakes Fall Classic in western Michigan.
For South Stars Red, it comes immediately after a comeback win over Westfield. For Munster, it follows a 5-5 tie Tuesday against T-Rex U18 AAA out of Chicago.
The two Indiana varsity teams will meet Sunday morning in one of the weekend's most interesting head-to-head matchups.
It makes the weekend less about mileage and more about measurement.
South Stars and Munster get an early measuring stick
The Great Lakes Fall Classic runs Friday through Sunday in Holland, Michigan, with games split between Holland Ice Arena and Hudsonville Ice Arena. The event includes high school varsity and JV divisions and guarantees teams at least four games.
Both South Stars and Munster enter the weekend with reasons for optimism.
South Stars Red is coming off one of the more dramatic early games of the Indiana season.
Westfield jumped to a 2-0 lead last Saturday before the Stars rallied for a 4-3 victory. Landon Kyle finished with two goals and an assist, scoring on the power play to begin the comeback before eventually delivering the game-winner in the third period.
Now the Stars get another concentrated test.
South Stars opens Friday night against the West Michigan Huskies before playing twice Saturday against the Afton Americans and West Michigan Ice Dogs.
Munster enters the tournament following a strong midweek result of its own. The Mustangs tied T-Rex U18, Tuesday night against a Chicago-area AAA opponent before turning their attention toward Michigan.
Munster opens Friday against Afton before facing West Michigan Ice Dogs and West Michigan Huskies on Saturday.
Then comes the head-to-head matchup.
South Stars Red and Munster Red are scheduled to meet Sunday at 9:30 a.m. ET at Holland Ice Arena, giving both teams one final direct comparison against Indiana competition before possible championship play later in the day. South Stars' official schedule lists a varsity championship game for 3:40 p.m. Sunday if the Stars advance.
Great Lakes Fall Classic — Varsity
| DATE | TIME | MATCHUP |
|---|---|---|
| Fri., Sept. 25 | 8 p.m. ET | Munster Red vs. Afton Americans |
| Fri., Sept. 25 | 8:40 p.m. ET | West Michigan Huskies vs. South Stars Red |
| Sat., Sept. 26 | 9:35 a.m. ET | Munster Red vs. West Michigan Ice Dogs |
| Sat., Sept. 26 | 1:30 p.m. ET | South Stars Red vs. Afton Americans |
| Sat., Sept. 26 | 3 p.m. ET | West Michigan Huskies vs. Munster Red |
| Sat., Sept. 26 | 6:50 p.m. ET | West Michigan Ice Dogs vs. South Stars Red |
| Sun., Sept. 27 | 9:30 a.m. ET | South Stars Red vs. Munster Red |
The JV teams get their own tournament test
The Great Lakes Fall Classic is not just a varsity trip for either program.
Munster White JV and South Stars White JV open against each other Friday night at Holland Ice Arena, giving the two organizations an immediate head-to-head matchup before both move into the rest of tournament play.
South Stars White follows with games against the Garden Wolves and Kirkwood Stars on Saturday.
Munster White gets Kirkwood and Texas Heat.
Those games give both programs an early look at their depth while exposing JV players to the same multi-game tournament format their varsity teammates will face.
South Stars' current schedule also shows a Sunday placement game based on seeding, with a JV championship game at 2:10 p.m. if the Stars advance.
Great Lakes Fall Classic — JV
| DATE | TIME | MATCHUP |
|---|---|---|
| Fri., Sept. 25 | 7:10 p.m. ET | Munster White JV vs. South Stars White JV |
| Sat., Sept. 26 | 11 a.m. ET | South Stars White JV vs. Garden Wolves |
| Sat., Sept. 26 | 12:30 p.m. ET | Munster White JV vs. Kirkwood Stars |
| Sat., Sept. 26 | 5:40 p.m. ET | Kirkwood Stars vs. South Stars White JV |
| Sat., Sept. 26 | 5:40 p.m. ET | Texas Heat vs. Munster White JV |
Brebeuf and Central Indiana provide the lone Indianapolis varsity matchup
While much of the state's varsity action moves outside Indiana, Brebeuf Jesuit and Central Indiana will provide the only Indianapolis-area varsity matchup on the current weekend schedule.
The teams meet Saturday afternoon at Fuel Tank at Fishers.
For Brebeuf, it is another opportunity to get work against an Indiana opponent after opening its preseason against Columbus in August.
Central Indiana, meanwhile, gets a home date while its B JV team travels north to Detroit, Michigan.
The other Central Indiana matchup comes later Saturday when Carmel Blue JV faces Westfield JV at Carmel Ice Skadium.
Indianapolis-area schedule
| DATE | TIME | MATCHUP |
|---|---|---|
| Sat., Sept. 26 | 2:31 p.m. ET | Brebeuf Jesuit vs. Central Indiana |
| Sat., Sept. 26 | 6 p.m. ET | Carmel Blue JV vs. Westfield JV |
Central Indiana B JV heads to Detroit
While Central Indiana's varsity team stays home, its JV group heads to the Detroit area for the Ursa Primo tournament hosted by Big Bear.
CIK JV opens Friday night against Michigan Steel White before returning Saturday for games against the 16U Crusaders and 2011 Troy Sting.
Three games against unfamiliar opponents should give the Knights a concentrated early-season test while adding another Indiana team to a weekend dominated by regional competition.
Ursa Primo — Central Indiana B JV
| DATE | TIME | MATCHUP |
|---|---|---|
| Fri., Sept. 25 | 7:50 p.m. ET | Michigan Steel White vs. Central Indiana B JV |
| Sat., Sept. 26 | 11:30 a.m. ET | 16U Crusaders vs. Central Indiana B JV |
| Sat., Sept. 26 | 5:50 p.m. ET | Central Indiana B JV vs. 2011 Troy Sting |
Columbus splits in two directions
Few Indiana organizations will cover more ground this weekend than Columbus.
The varsity team heads south to Owensboro, Kentucky, for the Bluegrass Invitational.
The JV team heads east to Pennsylvania for the Pittsburgh KickOff Classic.
Columbus varsity starts Saturday morning against Owensboro Rampage before returning that evening against Atlanta. The Icemen close Sunday morning against Huntsville.
That gives Columbus three games against three different opponents in a little more than 24 hours.
The varsity Icemen have already shown well against Indiana competition early, including a 3-0 preseason win over Brebeuf.
Bluegrass Invitational — Columbus
| DATE | TIME | MATCHUP |
|---|---|---|
| Sat., Sept. 26 | 9:15 a.m. CT | Columbus vs. Owensboro Rampage |
| Sat., Sept. 26 | 5:45 p.m. CT | Atlanta vs. Columbus |
| Sun., Sept. 27 | 8 a.m. CT | Huntsville vs. Columbus |
Columbus JV gets four in Pittsburgh
The Columbus JV team has one of the heaviest weekend schedules anywhere in the state.
Four games are packed into Friday and Saturday at the Pittsburgh KickOff Classic, which runs Sept. 25-27 across Printscape Arena at Southpointe and Ice Castle Arena.
Columbus opens against Shaha Panthers Friday afternoon before returning that night against Piedmont Predators.
Saturday brings two more: Delco Phantoms in the afternoon and Pittsburgh Vengeance late that night.
It is a demanding stretch, especially for a JV group, and one that should test depth, goaltending and recovery between games.
Pittsburgh KickOff Classic — Columbus JV
| DATE | TIME | MATCHUP |
|---|---|---|
| Fri., Sept. 25 | 12:10 p.m. ET | Shaha Panthers vs. Columbus JV |
| Fri., Sept. 25 | 8:30 p.m. ET | Columbus JV vs. Piedmont Predators |
| Sat., Sept. 26 | 3 p.m. ET | Delco Phantoms vs. Columbus JV |
| Sat., Sept. 26 | 9:50 p.m. ET | Columbus JV vs. Pittsburgh Vengeance |
HSE gets four more looks at Ohio competition
Hamilton Southeastern A will spend the weekend at Miami University's Goggin Ice Center for the Ohio Indiana Showcase.
The Royals will play four games in less than 36 hours.
HSE opens Friday night against the Canton-Akron Jets before facing Miami Jr. RedHawks Saturday afternoon and Dayton Stealth Gold later that evening.
The weekend ends early Sunday against Hilliard.
It is another chance for an Indiana team to get a sustained look at Ohio competition, something several programs have used during the first few weeks of the season before Indiana schedules become more familiar.
For HSE, four games in a compressed window should reveal more than just wins and losses. It also gives the coaching staff a chance to evaluate line balance, defensive pairings, goaltending usage and how the team responds physically from one game to the next.
Ohio Indiana Showcase — HSE A
| DATE | TIME | MATCHUP |
|---|---|---|
| Fri., Sept. 25 | 8:15 p.m. ET | HSE A vs. Canton-Akron Jets |
| Sat., Sept. 26 | 1:45 p.m. ET | HSE A vs. Miami Jr. RedHawks |
| Sat., Sept. 26 | 8 p.m. ET | HSE A vs. Dayton Stealth Gold |
| Sun., Sept. 27 | 8:15 a.m. ET | HSE A vs. Hilliard |
South Bend teams continue preseason work
Not every game this weekend comes with tournament standings attached.
In South Bend, Adams, Marian-Riley, Carroll and Penn Gold continue preparing for the regular season through a series of preseason matchups.
Adams and Marian-Riley open the weekend Friday night at The Ice Box.
Adams comes back Saturday afternoon against Carroll, followed later that evening by Carroll against Penn Gold.
These games have a different feel than the tournament weekends elsewhere.
The results matter, but the bigger value comes from the repetitions.
September gives coaches time to evaluate line combinations, special teams, goaltending and roster roles before the regular-season schedule starts to carry more weight.
Penn adds another layer to the weekend. The program has long been one of the recognizable names in northern Indiana hockey, making Saturday night's Carroll-Penn Gold matchup one of the more interesting preseason games in that part of the state.
Marian-Riley then closes the weekend Sunday morning against Kirkwood Pioneers at Compton Family Ice Arena.
South Bend schedule
| DATE | TIME | MATCHUP |
|---|---|---|
| Fri., Sept. 25 | 7:30 p.m. ET | Adams vs. Marian-Riley |
| Sat., Sept. 26 | 12:45 p.m. ET | Adams vs. Carroll |
| Sat., Sept. 26 | 7:45 p.m. ET | Carroll vs. Penn Gold |
| Sun., Sept. 27 | 10:35 a.m. ET | Marian-Riley vs. Kirkwood Pioneers |
Bishop Noll gets another Chicago-area test
Bishop Noll continues its early run of Illinois competition Saturday.
The varsity Warriors head to Blackhawks Ice Center for a 5:30 p.m. CT matchup against St. Ignatius.
That gives Bishop Noll another Chicago-area opponent after the program's JV team spent last weekend in tournament play at the Wheels of Fire event.
Bishop Noll Blue JV also has a Saturday morning game at Kube Sports Complex.
The opponent remains listed as "Guests" on the current schedule, so that is one matchup that may still be updated before puck drop.
Bishop Noll schedule
| DATE | TIME | MATCHUP |
|---|---|---|
| Sat., Sept. 26 | 10:40 a.m. CT | Guests vs. Bishop Noll Blue JV |
| Sat., Sept. 26 | 5:30 p.m. CT | Bishop Noll vs. St. Ignatius (IL) |
A weekend that should tell us more
September hockey comes with a disclaimer.
Teams are still adjusting line combinations. Rosters are settling. Coaches are testing systems. Some of these games are scrimmages, some are showcases, and some are tournament games against opponents Indiana programs may not see again all season.
But that is also what makes the weekend useful.
South Stars gets a chance to build on a comeback win against Westfield while seeing another deep tournament field.
Munster follows a tie against a AAA opponent with another challenging weekend in Michigan.
And on Sunday morning, South Stars and Munster finally get the direct Indiana comparison that helps make this weekend particularly interesting.
HSE gets four games against Ohio competition.
Columbus sends its varsity and JV teams in opposite directions for seven games combined.
Central Indiana and Brebeuf provide the only Indianapolis-area varsity matchup.
The South Bend teams continue preparing for the regular season against familiar northern Indiana competition.
And Bishop Noll gets another look at Chicago-area hockey.
Nothing is going to be decided in September.
But after this weekend, several Indiana teams should have a much better idea of where they stand.