O'FALLON, Ill. --The McKendree Men's D2 Hockey team opens the season with a home & home series against Maryville University on Friday & Saturday. Game times for both games is at 7:30 p.m.

McKendree will host the first game Friday night at the McKendree Metro RecPlex, while Maryville will play host to the Saturday night game in Chesterfield, Mo.

Alec Nichols becomes the new head coach for the D2 men's hockey team this season, after graduating from McKendree last spring.

"I want to thank McKendree University for this amazing opportunity to be a part of a strong and growing program," said Nichols. "The trust that Garry Henson, Anthony Francis, and so many others have shown is incredibly confidence building and really makes me excited to get going."

The Bearcats carry a smaller roster this season with only 16 players listed on the roster, with 3 of them being new additions to the roster. While the bench appears to be shorter this season for the Bearcats, it's not a concern for Nichols.

"I expect a strong team, not giving away too much but we have a very experienced team with a lot of hockey knowledge and awareness," shared Nichols. "These young men know what they have, and you can see them working hard and competing every practice to be successful this season.

"There isn't much more you could ask for as a coach."

There were only two games last year for the Bearcats. Both were played against their opening weekend opponent in the Saints of Maryville University, and both games ended in victories for the Bearcats against arguably their biggest rival.

Fans are welcome to attend at McKendree Metro RecPlex for the game Friday night. It will be the first home game with fans in attendance for the Bearcats since the 2019-20 season.