2009-10 SCHEDULE RELEASED   The 2009-10 Yellowjacket men's hockey schedule has been finalized, and it will have a much different look then it has in years past.  For those that missed it, here is a quick look at what has transpired. Lake Forest Departs: citing economics an opportunity to join a league that will make them more competitive, Lake Forest has left the NCHA, the league they were a part of since 1992.  Beginning this season, they will be a full-time member of the MCHA.  The MCHA includes teams such as Lawrence, Marian and MSOE, all of which are much closer to the Foresters' Illinois campus than teams in the NCHA, thus reducing the burden of travel for the school.  The members of the MCHA are also private schools and have an academic and athletic philosophy that more closely resembles that of Lake Forest. No More Crossover: After a decade, the crossover schedule between the NCHA and MIAC has gone by the wayside.  There will still be games between the two leagues, however the frequency of those games will be reduced as they are no longer mandated. Lucky Seven: With the departure of Lake Forest, the NCHA is now down to seven members.  The result is a schedule that will now feature 18 conference games (as opposed to 14 in recent years), with every team playing the others three times.  "We went around and around in trying to figure out the best way to create this schedule," said Yellowjacket Head Coach Dan Stauber.  "We thought about a 24-game conference schedule where you played everyone else four times, but in the end we decided that was just too much conference play and could hurt our teams down the stretch and at NCAA selection time.  We ultimately came up with a matrix that allowed for the odd number of games against every other team." The move to the 18-game conference schedule also means that the league will have two-game series in the regular season for the first time since the 1998-99 season. "I know there are some out there that honestly don't like the series, but me personally, I'm happy to see them come back," Stauber said.  "It really creates some great atmospheres, especially if the first game of the series creates excitement.  That will carry over and make for some great games on Saturday night." The defending NCHA champions will raise the banner and open the season at home with a two-game set against UW-River Falls on October 30-31.  After four-straight at home to open the season, the 'Jackets will travel to Appleton, Wis. on November 14 to take on Lawrence College.  It will be the first-ever meeting between the two schools.  Lawrence is coached by former St. Norbert standout goaltender Mike Szkodzinski. The 'Jackets will have a seven-game road swing from late November into mid-January, including two-game sets at Stevens Point and St. Scholastica.  They will travel to St. Norbert for two games on January 22-23.  The final home game will be February 11 against St. Scholastica and the regular season will close in Eau Claire on February 13.  "It's got a different look than we've become used to around here, but I think the people that consider themselves 'NCHA purists' will absolutely love it.  Having the same team in your building for two straight nights will be great," Stauber said.  "From a hockey standpoint, I like the idea of not always having to travel on Friday night or Saturday afternoon.  In that respect it could be better for the players and not give them that fatigue that they sometimes get on a two or three hour bus ride." Another interesting off-season move comes in the way of the common start date, something that never happened in the past. "You would have one team starting on one date, another teams starting their practices a week later, and some teams that would have four games in before other teams took to the ice," Stauber said.  "That will all be gone this year.  Every team has their first practice on the same date, so the schedule as the season goes on will be a little more uniform than in the past." School kicks off on the UW-Superior campus September 2. Click here for the complete 2009-10 schedule.