The Lakehead Thunderwolves hockey team released its 2013-14 schedule today, and will open the season at home versus the Prince Edward Island Panthers on October 4-5. UPEI will be the first AUS opponent to visit the Fort William Gardens since Saint Marys in 2008-09.
Other teams coming to the Gardens this season include Alberta, RMC, Laurier, Concordia, Laurentian, Toronto, Ryerson, Ottawa and Waterloo. This season will mark the first time that UPEI, Laurentian or Concordia have played in Thunder Bay.
The complete schedule of both home and away games can be viewed on the teams official website, thunderwolveshockey.com.
For the upcoming 2013-14 hockey season, the Thunderwolves will compete in a league with realigned divisions and a revised regular-season format.
The changes were brought about by the addition of Laurentian University to the OUA, increasing the total number of teams to 20. Laurentian will compete in the East Division, and Ontario Tech will move from the west to the east. Ryerson and Toronto moved from the east to the west where they will become division rivals of the Thunderwolves.
Lakehead will play 28 OUA regular-season games as usual, but only 18 of those contests will be against West Division opponents, with 10 games versus East Division foes. The previous format was 24 games versus the west and only 4 against the east, so the new configuration will allow Thunderwolves fans to see a greater variety of teams play at the Gardens.
Season tickets will go on sale at the Fort William Gardens box office on August 19.