By Brian Kalisher –

By the end of the calendar year, the holiday season is coming to a close, and presents have been opened, exchanged, and possibly returned already.  But one present that remains very much alive in the minds of college hockey players and fans alike is the Great Lakes Invitational.

The 47th annual GLI tournament, slated for Dec. 29 and 30 at Joe Louis Arena, will feature the usual suspects – Michigan Tech, Michigan State and Michigan – along with this year’s guest opponent, Boston College.

The tournament, which started in 1965, is annually hosted by Michigan Tech, and features the other two Michigan squads with a guest team invited to participate.  All four teams share in the excitement of playing in the great holiday tournament and the Boston College Eagles look forward to being a part of the competition this year.

“It’s a great opportunity for our team to go to Michigan and play in one of the most prestigious, if not the most prestigious, Christmas tournament,” said Eagles coach Jerry York.

Boston College’s senior captain, defenseman Tommy Cross, said he and his teammates are looking forward to skating at historic Joe Louis Arena.

“Our squad is really excited to be back from holiday break and really anxious to get out to Detroit and play at Joe Louis,” Cross said.  “Some of our older guys had a great experience in Detroit a couple years ago for the NCAA tournament and definitely looking forward to going out there this year – especially with such a great field in the tournament.”

The two-day tournament features two semifinal match-ups on Thursday, followed by a third-place and championship game on Friday.  No. 14 Michigan State (10-6-2) will square off against Michigan Tech (9-9-1), while No. 20 Michigan (9-8-3) plays No. 3 Boston College (12-6-0) on Thursday.

Although the Michigan Wolverines have won three of the past four GLI tournaments, coach Red Berenson recognizes the challenges he faces this year with such great talent from the three other clubs.

“We’re glad to be back in the GLI – it’s been a tradition around Michigan to start off the second half of the year,” Berenson said.  “And it’s been important how we do in the GLI; it seems to reflect in our season end run, either good or bad, but definitely in the last few years it’s been a positive.  We think it’s really important, its bragging rights in the state of Michigan.

“Our team might be the underdog of the four teams this year, even though I think the stats would tell you we’ve won three of the last four GLI’s, but it doesn’t seem like it this year, it seems like we’re going in a bit of an underdog.”

Michigan goaltender Shawn Hunwick is simply happy to be back on the ice after holiday break.

“The mentality, I think, you’re going to go out and you’re going to work your hardest no matter how many times you’re on the ice,” Hunwick said.  “You got the Christmas break so you haven’t been on the ice as much, so it’s nice to get out there and feel the puck and for the guys to get their hands back.”

Michigan Tech coach Mel Pearson, who played for the Huskies before spending 23 years on the bench alongside Berenson at the University of Michigan, will make his first trip to the GLI to coach behind an opposing bench.

“I had a great run at Michigan, I really enjoyed my time there,” Pearson said.  “Obviously, I’ve learned so much from Coach Berenson. It would be a real honor and privilege, it would be a little weird obviously being on the other bench and facing them, but I know it’s going to happen sooner or later.

“I just hope we can both do that in the championship game and hopefully one of us can win it.”

Michigan State, who last won the tournament in 2009, is always a tough team to compete with in the GLI. Tom Anastos, the former CCHA commissioner, will coach MSU in the tournament for the first time.

“Our team is continuing to evolve and our players and our staff is really excited about the field for this year’s GLI,” Anastos said.  “It’s a real competitive field; we’re excited about spending the holiday break playing down in Detroit.”

“We have a number of upperclassmen, who, this will be their last time in the event so I think their excited to play in it, a number of kids from the Detroit area in particular, from the state of Michigan, who have grown up watching this event and really think it’s a big deal, as we all do.”

Michigan State captain Torey Krug shares in his coach’s enthusiasm.

“Being a guy from the Michigan area, we have a lot of Michigan guys on our team…it’s a very important weekend for us, hopefully we can go out there and make some things happen.

“Like I said, we have so many guys from the Detroit area that we grow up watching this tournament, they turn it on TV, our parents do, and we watch it growing up every year.  So very important for us, we want to send the seniors out on a good note.”