Great Lakes Invitational 2012 To Be Held At Comerica Park, Feature All-Michigan Lineup

Rumors about the 2012 Great Lakes Invitational being moved outdoors to Comerica Park were confirmed at Thursday morning's press conference for the 2013 Winter Classic. The GLI is usually played at Joe Louis Arena, but with several events set to take place at Comerica Park as part of the Hockeytown Winter Festival, the decision was made to change the venue for the 2012 edition of the event.

The lineup for the 2012 GLI was also made official on Thursday morning. The tournament will feature Michigan, Michigan State, Michigan Tech and Western Michigan, meaning for the first time since 1999, the GLI will have four teams from Michigan competing in it. (That year the lineup was Michigan, Michigan State, Michigan Tech and Lake Superior State.)

The Wolverines have won the last two GLIs and four out of the previous five overall. They will go for a third straight championship in what will be their fourth and fifth outdoor games over the course of four seasons. Just last month Michigan beat Ohio State in the Frozen Diamond Faceoff at the Cleveland Indians' stadium, which followed up a win over Michigan State in The Big Chill at the Big House in December 2010. The season before that, Michigan lost to Wisconsin in the Camp Randall Classic. With Michigan guaranteed to play two games at the GLI at Comerica Park, the total number of outdoor games over four seasons will be increased to five.

The 2012 GLI will be held at Comerica Park on Dec. 28 and 29, which is a Friday and Saturday.