The Cats football team isn’t the only sport on campus enjoying its home opener this weekend. Be sure to head out to the Lexington Ice Center tonight and Saturday to see the Wildcats, formerly the Cool Cats, take on Niagara. Admission is just $5.00 at the door and the aforementioned ‘door’ opens at 11:30pm. For this year’s full schedule go HERE.

More importantly, this means another year carrying on one of the most ingenious marketing ploys ever invented. Starting back in the year of 1998, former Yump Ashley Judd posed in just her UK Hockey jersey for a schedule poster. The team’s signature posters are the brainchild of longtime General Manager Ian Ward, who came up with the idea after seeing the fanfare created by Judd at a UK basketball game. Ward realized how much attention Judd could bring to the team, and contacted her to explain his idea.

Every year since another lovely lady from the state of Kentucky has graced the poster. No word yet on who will grace the 2009-2010 UK Hockey poster, but here are past years’ efforts…. However, for the 2007-2008 season there was no poster.

The actress who was supposed to grace the poster, Rebecca Budig, a local actress on the soap opera “All My Children” and her publicist did not perform the traditional UK hockey jersey pinup pose, and the team realized the poster would not do, Ward said. Since the correct poster would not have been available until late into the season, the team decided to do without. I included her photog anyhow.

Anyways, the UK Hockey Poster Girls, UH YUMP!!