DETROIT – Olympia Entertainment’s 2011-12 ‘College Hockey in the D’ schedule is set to begin four weeks from today, as the 2011 Great Lakes Invitational gets underway on Thursday, December 29 at Joe Louis Arena. For the 47th year in a row, four high-profile NCAA hockey teams will descend upon the Motor City for a two-day, single-elimination-style tournament that has become a holiday tradition for sports fans in southeastern Michigan. Event mainstays Michigan, Michigan State and Michigan Tech will once again be competing for the MacInnes Cup this year, with special invitee Boston College of Hockey East also set to participate for the first time since they claimed the tournament title in 2003 and the fourth time overall. 

“Throughout the course of my coaching career, there have always been a few major tournaments around the Christmas holiday that have achieved almost iconic status,” says BC Eagles Head Coach Jerry York. “The Great Lakes Invitational, because of its history, has always captivated the national hockey audience.  As an eastern team going out to the Midwest, we feel very proud and excited to challenge three schools with great hockey tradition in Michigan Tech, Michigan and Michigan State.” 

The 2011 edition of the GLI will begin with a showdown between Michigan State and Michigan Tech at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday, December 29 followed by a battle between Boston College and Michigan later that evening (puck drop – 7:30 p.m.). The two winning teams will then compete for the GLI championship at 7:30 p.m. the following night, with the consolation final set to be staged immediately beforehand (puck drop – 4:00 p.m.). Tickets to this event are now available for purchase at the JLA Box Office (313-396-7575), all Ticketmaster (800-745-3000) outlets, and online at OlympiaEntertainment.com/CollegeHockeyInTheD.