IU takes on Wright State on alumni weekend

Tailgating and hockey may not be two things that normally coincide, but Friday night, IU hockey fans will be in luck.

No. 23 IU (4-14) will put on a variety of events this weekend to celebrate the return of former players.

The Hoosiers will take on a D-II opponent, Wright State.

It will be a two-game series with the first game being played Friday at 9:15 p.m. and the second being played Saturday at 2:30 p.m. Both will take place at Frank Southern Arena.

This weekend will have added incentives for the crowd.

Friday’s tailgate theme will help to celebrate all the Big Ten Championships IU won over the last year.

IU diving coach Jeff Huber will drop the puck, and free hot dogs will be given to the first 200 fans.

Saturday will be the annual alumni game with IU alums pitted against one another.
The atmosphere this weekend will not deter the Hoosiers from getting two much-needed victories, sophomore Kevin Memolo said.

He said he is looking forward to using the alumni crowd as motivation for a win.
“It will be nice to see them back in Bloomington and let them see how our team has progressed,” he said.

IU and Wright State have met on numerous other occasions, and each game has proved to be a physical battle.

IU coach Tom Orr said it will be a close and hard-fought game.

“They play aggressive, intense hockey,” he said. “If we don’t work our best they are going to give us a great game.”

The physicality of the game led to several fights in the teams’ last matchup.

“They definitely like to hit,” Memolo said. “We have to make sure we assert ourselves physically.”

This will be IU’s last home game before next semester and another opportunity to better their record.

“It’s our last chance at home to impress our fans this year,” Orr said.