University of Minnesota Athletics
'U' Releases 2026-27 Men's Hockey Schedule
6/18/2026 2:00:00 PM | Men's Hockey
Official dates for B1G matchups still to be determined
MINNEAPOLIS - The University of Minnesota men's hockey program unveiled its full 2026-27 schedule Tuesday, a slate packed with historic rivalries, a pair of highly anticipated in-state clashes, and thrilling Big Ten Conference matchups for head coach Brett Larson's first year leading the Maroon and Gold.
Important Note on Big Ten Conference Play:
All B1G games are currently listed within a four-day weekend window. The games will be played sometime within those designated stretches and official dates and times for the conference matchups will be confirmed at a later date.
The Golden Gophers begin their 106th campaign Oct. 2-3 on the road in Houghton, Mich., to take on the Huskies of Michigan Tech. The historic series between former WCHA foes dates back more than a century, while it will be Minnesota's first visit to MacInnes Student Ice Arena since October of 2012. After an early bye week, the season-opening road swing continues Oct. 16-17 with a trip north to renew a longtime rivalry with Minnesota Duluth for a third-straight season. The visiting team has swept the weekend series on the road in each of the last two years as the Gophers look to continue that trend against the Bulldogs.
Minnesota finally gets a chance to play in front of its fans inside 3M Arena at Mariucci and will do so during an extended, nine-game homestand covering more than a month. The home opener is set for Oct. 22-23 against North Dakota where one of the most storied rivalries in college hockey will be played Thursday and Friday and always delivers an intensity that accompanies the historic clash.
The Maroon and Gold waste no time jumping into league play, officially opening the B1G portion of the schedule at home against Penn State from Oct. 29-Nov. 1. The homestand continues the next weekend, Nov. 5-8, when NCAA runner-up Wisconsin comes to Minneapolis for the first Border Battle of the year. Nonconference action briefly resumes Nov. 13-14 when the Gophers host the Seawolves of Alaska Anchorage for a weekend set. Despite having played more than 80 games against each other in the all-time series, they have not faced off in a decade, last playing in the 2016-17 season opener.
The nonconference part of the regular season then closes with a home-and-home series against Minnesota State. The Thanksgiving weekend showdown gets started on Nov. 27 in Minneapolis, Minn., at 3M Arena at Mariucci and concludes Nov. 28 in Mankato, Minn., at Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center.
December features a heavy road itinerary to close out the first half of the season, starting with a trip to South Bend, Ind., to face Notre Dame from Dec. 3-6. Minnesota then heads to East Lansing, Mich., to challenge defending B1G regular season champion Michigan State from Dec. 10-13 before breaking for the holidays.
Following the winter break, the Maroon and Gold return to 3M Arena at Mariucci on Jan. 2 for an exhibition matchup against Bemidji State. The regular-season gauntlet resumes with a B1G home series against Michigan from Jan. 7-10 and continues with a road test at Ohio State Jan. 14-17.
A crucial four-game stretch for the Gophers on home ice caps the month of January when they host back-to-back series against Notre Dame (Jan. 21-24) and Michigan State (Jan. 28-31). February begins with consecutive road trips as Minnesota travels to Wisconsin from Feb. 4-7, followed by a trip to Penn State Feb. 11-14.
Minnesota's final home series takes place Feb. 18-21 against Ohio State before the team wraps up the regular season on the road in Ann Arbor, Mich., against the Wolverines from Feb. 25-28.
The quest for a B1G Tournament title begins in March and all rounds of the event are hosted at the campus site of the higher seed. NCAA Regional action is slated for March 25-28 and the ultimate goal of a national title will happen at the NCAA Frozen Four on April 8 and 10 at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C.
Season tickets are on sale now and can be purchased HERE or by calling the ticket office at 1-800-U-GOPHER, while single game tickets will go on sale later this summer. Exact game dates/times and all broadcast details for both television and radio will be announced at a later date.
Important Note on Big Ten Conference Play:
All B1G games are currently listed within a four-day weekend window. The games will be played sometime within those designated stretches and official dates and times for the conference matchups will be confirmed at a later date.
The Golden Gophers begin their 106th campaign Oct. 2-3 on the road in Houghton, Mich., to take on the Huskies of Michigan Tech. The historic series between former WCHA foes dates back more than a century, while it will be Minnesota's first visit to MacInnes Student Ice Arena since October of 2012. After an early bye week, the season-opening road swing continues Oct. 16-17 with a trip north to renew a longtime rivalry with Minnesota Duluth for a third-straight season. The visiting team has swept the weekend series on the road in each of the last two years as the Gophers look to continue that trend against the Bulldogs.
Minnesota finally gets a chance to play in front of its fans inside 3M Arena at Mariucci and will do so during an extended, nine-game homestand covering more than a month. The home opener is set for Oct. 22-23 against North Dakota where one of the most storied rivalries in college hockey will be played Thursday and Friday and always delivers an intensity that accompanies the historic clash.
The Maroon and Gold waste no time jumping into league play, officially opening the B1G portion of the schedule at home against Penn State from Oct. 29-Nov. 1. The homestand continues the next weekend, Nov. 5-8, when NCAA runner-up Wisconsin comes to Minneapolis for the first Border Battle of the year. Nonconference action briefly resumes Nov. 13-14 when the Gophers host the Seawolves of Alaska Anchorage for a weekend set. Despite having played more than 80 games against each other in the all-time series, they have not faced off in a decade, last playing in the 2016-17 season opener.
The nonconference part of the regular season then closes with a home-and-home series against Minnesota State. The Thanksgiving weekend showdown gets started on Nov. 27 in Minneapolis, Minn., at 3M Arena at Mariucci and concludes Nov. 28 in Mankato, Minn., at Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center.
December features a heavy road itinerary to close out the first half of the season, starting with a trip to South Bend, Ind., to face Notre Dame from Dec. 3-6. Minnesota then heads to East Lansing, Mich., to challenge defending B1G regular season champion Michigan State from Dec. 10-13 before breaking for the holidays.
Following the winter break, the Maroon and Gold return to 3M Arena at Mariucci on Jan. 2 for an exhibition matchup against Bemidji State. The regular-season gauntlet resumes with a B1G home series against Michigan from Jan. 7-10 and continues with a road test at Ohio State Jan. 14-17.
A crucial four-game stretch for the Gophers on home ice caps the month of January when they host back-to-back series against Notre Dame (Jan. 21-24) and Michigan State (Jan. 28-31). February begins with consecutive road trips as Minnesota travels to Wisconsin from Feb. 4-7, followed by a trip to Penn State Feb. 11-14.
Minnesota's final home series takes place Feb. 18-21 against Ohio State before the team wraps up the regular season on the road in Ann Arbor, Mich., against the Wolverines from Feb. 25-28.
The quest for a B1G Tournament title begins in March and all rounds of the event are hosted at the campus site of the higher seed. NCAA Regional action is slated for March 25-28 and the ultimate goal of a national title will happen at the NCAA Frozen Four on April 8 and 10 at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C.
Season tickets are on sale now and can be purchased HERE or by calling the ticket office at 1-800-U-GOPHER, while single game tickets will go on sale later this summer. Exact game dates/times and all broadcast details for both television and radio will be announced at a later date.
Thursday, May 07
Monday, March 30
Monday, March 30
Wednesday, March 25