Minnesota Duluth’s season-opening exhibition in 2020-21 against the University of Guelph will be pushed back to a later season after U Sports — Canada’s national governing body for college sports — announced this month the cancellation of all events through Dec. 31, 2020 , due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Gryphons, whose campus is located 55 miles west of Toronto, were scheduled to play Saturday, Oct. 3, at Amsoil Arena and the next day at St. Cloud State. A UMD official confirmed Monday the exhibition at Amsoil has been postponed.
The rest of the Bulldogs’ 2020-21 men’s hockey schedule remains unchanged for now, with the new starting point being the Ice Breaker Tournament on Oct. 9-10 at Amsoil Arena featuring UMD, Minnesota, Minnesota State-Mankato and Providence. The Bulldogs are scheduled to open the tournament against the Gophers, while the Mavericks take on the Friars.
Jumping right into the regular season is nothing new for UMD, which opened 2016-17 with a home sweep of Michigan Tech en route to the first of three-straight appearances in the NCAA championship game. The Bulldogs opened 2018-19 with a home tie and road loss to Minnesota before winning a second-straight national championship.
