GREAT FALLS, Mont. – The University of Providence men's hockey team officially announced their 2020-21 season schedule Friday afternoon. Their first game of the season will be next Friday, Jan. 15 at 7 p.m. in Great Falls against the University of Mary.

When the Argos hit the ice at the Great Falls Ice Plex next week, it will have been 335 days since the team last played a game. The team is coming off a historic season, in which they won the West Region Championship and earned a #2 seed in the ACHA National Tournament in only their second year as a program.

"It's difficult to describe in words how great it is to be back with this group," head coach Jeff Heimel said. "You wait that long coming off a season like that. You think you're excited, and then you get out there and you realize how much you missed it, how much you missed the guys and what playing sports does for these kids. It's hard to describe that, that feeling that we've had. To have an opportunity to play a game, that's a special thing. We're just really really excited about it."

Heimel said it was a challenge to be away from his group for so long. He especially was antsy in the fall, a time when he would normally have been preparing his team through a more usual preseason schedule.

"It's been hard," Heimel said. "We have such a good group. We really just get along well. Zoom can replace some of that, fill some voids, but it's not even close to the real feeling. It's just been hard. We've grown in a lot of ways. It's been an opportunity to reflect. You really miss the team and you're really glad that they're back."

The team returned to campus at the end of December and have been practicing for almost two weeks. For the season, the Argos will play a total of ten games against a total of two opponents – University of Mary and Williston State.

"We like our schedule," Heimel said. "We're just really excited to get out there and play. It's been a long time since we last hit the ice. We'll be ready to go."

For the full University of Providence men's hockey schedule, click here.

As of now, fans will not be permitted to University of Providence home athletic events. All University of Providence home athletic events will be streamed free of charge on www.upargos.com