IU boasts tough schedule

Last weekend, the IU hockey team faced two tough opponents on the road. This weekend, the team will face two top-ranked teams at home. Next weekend, IU will take the ice against a 7-0-0 Liberty University. See a pattern developing?\nThe team is in the middle of one of the toughest schedules any collegiate hockey team will undertake this year. The Hoosiers conference, the Great Midwest Hockey League, sent five of six teams to the national tournament last year, and IU coach Rich Holdeman said he expects all six teams to be in Anaheim, Calif., this year for the American Collegiate Hockey Association Division II tournament.\n"We joined this league last year because we wanted to play good teams every weekend," Holdeman said, "And last year, we got exactly what we expected; the league championship was in question until the last weekend."\nThe ACHA is divided into four regions and ranks teams within those regions. The top four teams in each region play for a national title at the end of the season. IU is currently No. 1 in the southeast region.\nThe GMHL could possibly send all six teams to the national tournament because Miami (Ohio) and IU compete in the southeast region while the other four teams, Michigan, Oakland, Michigan State and Ferris State, compete in the Central region. \nThe Hoosiers have 17 games against Division II opponents remaining. Twelve of those games will be against teams ranked fourth or higher in their respective region. In January, IU will travel to Pennsylvania and play Division I No. 11 Washington & Jefferson and possibly Division I No.1 Penn State.\nIU hockey General Manager Adam Schuchman is responsible for scheduling the team's games. Schuchman said there are many benefits to compiling such a hard schedule, even if it means dropping a few games against tough teams.\n"If you end up with a simple schedule, when you're beating every team by 10 goals, players aren't having fun," Schuchman said. "It isn't exciting for the players, and it isn't exciting for the fans."\nIf the opponents are not difficult enough, IU will be on the road for the majority of the season. Of the Hoosiers' 29 games this year, only 12 will be played at Frank Southern Arena. All the more reason, Schuchman said, the Hoosiers will be forced to play great hockey.\n"Every guy has to go out there and play every single minute of every game," Schuchman said. "In the past, we've allowed one line in particular to get the job done, but now we are playing four lines every game."\nIU (4-5-0, 0-2-0) will take on No. 1 Michigan and No. 4 Ferris State this weekend in Bloomington. The Hoosiers will be working to close the 8-point gap between them and first-place Oakland University (10-2-1, 4-0-0) in the GMHL.