It’ll actually begin when the channel is still caused Versus, but the bulk of the 16 game schedule will be after the name change to NBC Sports Network on January 2. Overall, it’s a very good college hockey schedule and it will culminate with the Hockey East Tournament in March. NBC Sports Network will air games from the ECAC, Hockey East, CCHA and WCHA.
There will be three doubleheaders on February 10, February 24 and on March 16. The March doubleheader will be the Hockey East Semifinals in Boston.
The games will air Friday nights on Versus/NBC Sports Network. We have your press release from the NBC Sports Group.
NBC SPORTS GROUP LAUNCHES FIRST-EVER COLLEGE HOCKEY COVERAGE WITH 16 GAMES ON NBC SPORTS NETWORK THIS SEASON
Network Drops Puck on Coverage with #12 Boston University-#4 Notre Dame
New Year’s Eve Match-up
11 Friday Nights of College Hockey Begins Jan. 6; Hockey East Tournament Coverage Begins March 9
NBC Sports Network to also Air Notre Dame Home Hockey Games Beginning with 2013-14 SeasonNEW YORK (November 2, 2011)— The NBC Sports Group will air 16 live college hockey games this season on NBC Sports Network, including four from the Hockey East Tournament (one Quarterfinal, both Semifinals and the Final). This season’s schedule, which marks the first time that the NBC Sports Group will air college hockey games, was developed through partnerships with numerous collegiate hockey associations and universities.
The coverage begins on VERSUS, which will be rebranded as the NBC Sports Network on Jan. 2, on Saturday, December 31, when No. 4 Notre Dame hosts No. 12 Boston University at 7 p.m. ET. The remainder of this season’s schedule, which includes a game each Friday in primetime starting in January, will be seen on NBC Sports Network. The schedule culminates with live coverage of the Hockey East Tournament with a Quarterfinal game on March 9, as well as both Semifinals and the Final on March 16 and 17, 2012, respectively, from TD Garden in Boston, Mass.
“We are excited to be launching our first-ever college hockey package by building a destination on Friday nights on the NBC Sports Network with many of the preeminent brands in the sport,” said Jon Miller, President of Programming for NBC Sports Group.
Additional regular-season highlights include No. 4 Notre Dame hosting No. 3 Michigan on Jan. 20; No. 9 Yale facing Harvard on Jan. 27; and a Feb. 10 doubleheader featuring No. 1 Boston College traveling to Vermont and No. 8 Denver hosting No. 5 Minnesota.
The college hockey telecasts will be produced by the same Emmy Award-winning team that oversees all of the NHL games for the NBC Sports Group, led by Sam Flood, Executive Producer for NBC Sports and VERSUS.
The NBC Sports Group also recently announced a multi-year deal with Notre Dame to have their home games televised on the NBC Sports Network beginning with the 2013-14 season, when the school joins Hockey East.
NBC Sports Network’s College Hockey Schedule (all times ET, subject to change):
Saturday, December 31, 2011 — #12 Boston University at #4 Notre Dame 7:00 p.m. (VERSUS)
Friday, January 6, 2012 — Dartmouth at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute 7:30 p.m.
Friday, January 13 — #14 Minnesota-Duluth at Nebraska-Omaha 7:30 p.m.
Friday, January 20 — #3 Michigan at #4 Notre Dame 7:30 p.m.
Friday, January 27 — #9 Yale at Harvard 7:30 p.m.
Friday, February 3 — Cornell at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute 7:30 p.m.
Friday, February 10 — #1 Boston College at Vermont 7:30 p.m.
Friday, February 10 — #5 Minnesota at #8 Denver 10:00 p.m.
Friday, February 17 –Dartmouth at #9 Yale 7:30 p.m.
Friday, February 24 — #12 Boston University at Vermont 7:30 p.m.
Friday, February 24 — #15 North Dakota at #8 Denver 10:00 p.m.
Friday, March 2 — #8 Denver at Nebraska-Omaha 7:30 p.m.Hockey East Tournament
Friday, March 9 — Quarterfinals 7:30 p.m.
Friday, March 16 — Semifinals 5:00 p.m. and 8 p.m.
Saturday, March 17 — Finals 8:00 p.m.All rankings based off USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine 2011-12 Men’s College Hockey Poll #5 (October 31, 2011).
That’s going to do it.
