Northern Michigan University’s Wolfgang Govedaris, left, passes to a teammate during a semifinal game at the Great Lakes Invitational tournament played against Michigan State at Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids on Dec. 29. (Photo courtesy Cara Kamps)

HOUGHTON — Without Northern Michigan University back in the lineup, the Great Lakes Invitational will feature host Michigan Tech as it always has for the 59th time in late December in Grand Rapids.

The annual college hockey event held between Christmas and New Year’s Day will be held on Sunday and Monday, Dec. 28-29, at Van Andel Arena, its new home since 2022.

Joining the Huskies is permanent member of the lineup Michigan State, along with Ferris State and Miami to add in an Ohio team with the three from Michigan.

Last December’s lineup featured the Wildcats in an all-Michigan cast that also included MTU, MSU and Western Michigan, the Broncos finishing the season in April as national champions

Though Northern didn’t win a game in the 2024 GLI, NMU showcased some of its best performances of the season, taking the national No. 1 Spartans to the end before falling 2-0, then taking Tech even further, going to overtime before coming up short 4-3.

Michigan State’s Daniel Russell, center, takes a shot that goes wide past Northern Michigan University goaltender Ryan Ouellette, left, during their semifinal game at the Great Lakes Invitational tournament played at Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids on Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024. (Photo courtesy Cara Kamps)

It was the Wildcats’ seventh appearance at the GLI, their most recent before last year in 2015 when it was still played at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit.

Semifinal games this year on the first day will feature the Huskies vs. Miami at 3:30 p.m. and the Spartans vs. Ferris at 7 p.m.

Losers play in the third-place game the second day at 3:30 p.m., winners go for the GLI title and the MacInnes Cup that goes with it at 7 p.m.

Ticket packages are scheduled to go on sale in September online at VanAndelArena.com.

Tech, which like NMU is a member of the CCHA, has won the tourney title a dozen times in 58 tries, most recently in 2023, while MSU of the Big 10 is defending champion and has won it 13 times in 50 attempts.

Ferris, another CCHA member, makes its fifth appearance, while this will be the initial entry for Miami, which hails from the National College Hockey Conference.

The tourney, which wasn’t held in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, has otherwise been played every year since 1965, when it was conceived by MTU head coach John MacInnes, Olympia Stadium general manager Lincoln Cavalieri and Detroit Red Wings scout Jack Paterson. Olympia was the home of the Red Wings at that time.

The GLI was also played at Olympia until 1978, then moved with the Red Wings to Joe Louis Arena from 1979-2016, except in 2013 when it was held outdoors at the nearby Detroit Tigers’ home of Comerica Park.

It again moved as the Red Wings did to Little Caesars Arena in 2018 and 2019. After the 2020 cancellation, a nontournament showcase was held in 2021 before the move west to Grand Rapids in 2022.

Lineups for the next two GLIs have also been announced, with the Huskies and Spartans to be joined by Western Michigan of the NCHC and Lindenwood, an independent, in 2026, and Penn State of the Big 10 and Ferris in 2027.

Story contents based on email received from Michigan Tech University Sports Information. Journal Sports Editor Steve Brownlee’s email address is sbrownlee@miningjournal.net.