2017-18 Men's schedule released

Mike Marnell is primed to lead SLU's offense into a tough 2017-18 schedule (Jack Lyons)

The full schedule for the 2017-18 men's hockey team was released this morning, filling in some of the non-conference opponents we didn't know, and setting the dates for all games. You can find the full schedule here, and it looks like a really strong slate of opponents, with some high profile programs set to appear in Appleton this season. All in all, the Saints have again set themselves up to be aided immensely in the PairWise by way of their strength of schedule, and let's hope this is the year that it helps SLU return to the NCAA tournament.

2015 national champions Providence will play the Saints at Appleton in late October, along with UMass-Lowell, teams that SLU struggled with on the road last season, though the injury bug had already set in by that time. Those teams project to be good again next season, and along with SLU's first three opponents, Penn State and Michigan at home, and North Dakota on the road, the Saints have a challenging start to the season.

Their first two road trips are also beasts. SLU almost never flies on roadies, but they'll definitely fly out to Grand Forks for October 13 and 14 matchups with the Fighting Hawks, and they'll likely fly again for their second roadie, at Wisconsin two weeks later. Then, after a quick two game ECAC opener against Union and RPI, they'll play five straight road games in ECAC play, although the last one is just in Potsdam as part of their home-and-home against Clarkson.

Their home game against Tech on December 9 will mark the end of the first half of the schedule, but in a break from years past, the Saints will resume play in December, shortening the break by about 8 days. SLU has struggled to find their rhythm coming out of longer winter breaks in the past few years, but this year, they'll take part in the Catamount Cup, taking on UVM on December 29th, and Lowell again on the 30th. I'm interested to see if this helps the Saints maintain any momentum they may have, especially if they close out the first half with a sweep of Clarkson.

All those roadies in the first half of the season means that SLU will play just six games away from Appleton in 2018. Two of those games, against RPI and Union, are in New York State as well, which means the Saints should be well rested and will be playing in front of friendly crowds as they make the playoff push.

A strong start to the season will be crucial, especially with so many younger players expected to be important roles. This edition of the Skating Saints has some massive holes on defense to fill, but they also return two players in Nolan Gluchowski and Ben Finkelstein who can help players like Jake Stevens and Bo Hanson step in and have an impact early, much like both Gluchowski and Fink did.

I'm excited for this season. Year two under Morris and Co. will see the systems more firmly in place, and although there were some massive losses to graduation, including one of the best players to ever play at St. Lawrence, Gavin Bayreuther, the rookie additions and younger players who will take on bigger roles still make this team very competitive. They have a tough schedule, with some great opponents out of conference, but it's also set up well for SLU to start strong and finish strong. SLU is back on the map as great program within the ECAC and college hockey, and it's only a matter of time before another banner is hung from the rafters of Appleton Arena.