The start of the college hockey season will be delayed until at least Nov. 20, the Hockey Commissioners Association announced on Thursday.
“The eleven Division I men’s and women’s ice hockey conferences, represented by the Hockey Commissioners Association (HCA), are committed to providing memorable experiences for our student-athletes during the upcoming season. The conferences have been working together on plans to return to play with a focus on the health and safety of everyone associated within our campus communities. Due to the impact COVID-19 continues to have across the country and within higher education, the start of competition for the Division I college hockey season will be delayed. Each conference will announce plans for the season individually. We look forward to enjoying the college hockey experience this season.”
The delay was expected, but there is more optimism than ever among college coaches that there will be a 2020-21 season, in some form, beginning as early as November (around Thanksgiving, per sources). While the format of those games is still to be determined, it’s likely that conferences will stick to conference-only games.
