The 19th annual Ice Breaker Tournament marks the traditional start to the college hockey season, and this year’s event brings a terrific field to Portland, Maine’s Cross Insurance Arena.
Friday, Oct. 9
4:30 p.m. ET: Lake Superior State vs. North Dakota
8 p.m. ET: Maine vs. Michigan State
Saturday, Oct. 10
4:30 p.m. ET: Lake Superior State vs. Michigan State
8 p.m. ET: Maine vs. North Dakota
Elite field – The four teams in the 2015 Ice Breaker have combined to win 15 national championships and make 47 Frozen Four appearances. It marks just the third time in Ice Breaker history and the first time since 2007 that all four participating teams have won an NCAA title (also 2002).
| NCAA Titles | Frozen Fours | |
| North Dakota | 7 | 21 |
| Michigan State | 3 | 11 |
| Lake Superior | 3 | 4 |
| Maine | 2 | 11 |
Fresh faces – North Dakota head coach Brad Berry – the only new head coach in Division I this season – will make his debut in Portland Friday night against Maine. All four schools feature relatively new blood behind the bench, combining for seven years of head coaching experience. Michigan State’s Tom Anastos, beginning his fifth year, is the longest tenured of the four coaches. Maine’s Red Gendron is entering his third year while Lake Superior State’s Damon Whitten returns for his second season.
Family ties – Michigan State senior Travis Walsh (Haslett, Mich./Muskegon-USHL) – the son of the late Shawn Walsh, legendary coach at Maine – will face the Black Bears for the first time in his career Friday night. Travis is a talented two-way defenseman who led MSU blueliners in scoring last season.
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Ice Breaker history – Michigan State is the only team in the field to have won the Ice Breaker before. The Spartans claimed the title in the tournament’s first year, 1997, when current Lake Superior State head coach Damon Whitten was a freshman with MSU. He made his collegiate debut in those games in Madison, Wisc. Michigan State is making its fifth Ice Breaker appearance; Maine and North Dakota are each making their fourth, while Lake Superior State takes part in the tournament for the first time.
First taste for freshmen – Players who have been striving for an NCAA opportunity for years get their first official taste of it this weekend, including first-round NHL draft pick Brock Boeser (Burnsville, Minn./Waterloo-USHL/VAN) of North Dakota. Others expected to make an impact include Maine forward Dane Gibson (Sidney, B.C./Victoria-BCHL), Michigan State forward Mason Appleton (Green Bay, Wisc./Tri-City-USHL), Lake Superior State forward Gage Torrel (Monticello, Minn./Langley-BCHL) and North Dakota goaltender Matej Tomek (Bratislava, Slovakia/Topeka-NAHL/PHI).
Future stars – College hockey produces 30% of all NHL players and there figure to be several future NHLers on the ice in Portland. Nineteen NHL draft picks dot the rosters of the four teams, led by 12 on North Dakota. Many more figure to have opportunities as undrafted free agents; 55% of undrafted players in the NHL last season came from the NCAA ranks.