CSTV will open its national hockey package this season on Friday, Oct. 8 when North Dakota plays at Maine at 8 p.m. CSTV is the only network to ever broadcast a college hockey game of the week, and this season, under the current NHL lockout situation, will be the only American television network to nationally televise hockey at all.
(Full schedule below)
The 2004-05 edition of CSTV Friday Night Hockey features 13 teams that competed in the 16-team NCAA Men’s Championship last season, including champion Denver, Minnesota-Duluth, Boston College, Notre Dame and Ohio State, as well as Michigan, Michigan State, Harvard, Wisconsin, Minnesota and New Hampshire. All six NCAA Division I men’s hockey conferences are represented on the 2004-05 CSTV Friday Night Hockey schedule, which numbers 33 games, up from 30 last year.
Eric Frede and Steve Schlanger will rotate calling the action on CSTV Friday Night Hockey, while Billy Jaffe will provide analysis of the men’s games and Ellen Weinberg will handle the women’s telecasts.
Just as Fridays have always denoted the end of the work week, Fridays now also mean CSTV Friday Night Hockey, which will be promoted through CSTV’s new “TGI Hockey!” promotional campaign. “TGI Hockey” will play off of and utilize the title song from the hit 1978 motion picture “Thank God It’s Friday.” The multi-media campaign will include on-air spots, online banners on CSTV’s CollegeSports.com and hockey Web sites, CSTV Friday Night Hockey schedules, flyers and t-shirts distributed at hockey games and other college events, and affiliate promotions.
College Sports TV will also feature extensive college hockey coverage within its studio shows such as “The 1 College Sports Show,” with analysis from the likes of Mike Eruzione, Adam Wodon and Dave Starman. “The 1 College Sports Show,” originating from the CSTV Fieldhouse in New York, will precede and follow each CSTV Friday Night Hockey telecast, bringing fans the latest news, scores, analysis and highlights from throughout college hockey.
In addition, CSTV will offer live hockey games on SIRIUS College Sports Radio, the first radio network dedicated to college sports, and several CSTV Friday Night Hockey telecasts will be available in high definition on INHD, cable’s most widely distributed all high-definition network.
CSTV Friday Night Hockey Highlights
• Rivalries such as Michigan-Michigan State, Boston College-Boston University, Yale-Harvard, Army-Air Force, Michigan-Notre Dame and Boston University-New Hampshire
• A special Saturday edition (October 23) featuring St. Cloud State at Denver at which Denver will raise its 2003 NCAA Championship banner to the rafters
• The NCAA Women’s Frozen Four for the second consecutive year
• The CHA and ECAC men’s championships will receive live coverage on CSTV
• Minnesota at Boston University on January 2, the final hockey game played at Boston U.’s legendary Walter Brown Arena
• Minnesota at Boston University on January 3, the first hockey game played at Boston U.’s new on-campus Agganis Arena
• For the second straight season, live telecasts of the Everblades Classic from Florida, featuring Cornell, Boston College, Maine and Saint Cloud State
“There has never been a better college hockey schedule on television, and this year’s CSTV Friday Night Hockey package builds upon the tremendous momentum generated by our coverage last year,” said Tim Pernetti, senior vice president, CSTV. “As the only national network televising hockey this fall, CSTV is committed to delivering unsurpassed game coverage, news and information, and original programming featuring the best teams and student-athletes from throughout the world of college hockey.”
The 2004-05 CSTV Friday Night Hockey Schedule
(all times ET)
Fri., Oct. 8 North Dakota @ Maine 8:00 p.m.
Fri., Oct. 15 New Hampshire @ Michigan 8:00 p.m.
Sat., Oct. 23 St. Cloud State @ Denver 9:00 p.m.
Fri., Oct. 29 North Dakota @ Boston College 8:00 p.m.
Fri., Nov. 5 Boston Univ. @ New Hampshire 8:00 p.m.
Fri., Nov. 12 Yale @ Harvard 8:00 p.m.
Thu., Nov. 18 Michigan @ Michigan State 8:00 p.m.
Fri., Nov. 26 Michigan @ Minnesota 8:00 p.m.
Fri., Dec. 3 Boston College @ Boston U. 8:00 p.m.
Fri., Dec. 10 Michigan St. @ Notre Dame 8:00 p.m.
Fri., Dec. 17 Denver @ Minnesota-Duluth 8:00 p.m.
Tue., Dec. 28 Everblades Classic
Cornell vs. Boston College 4:00 p.m.
Maine vs. Saint Cloud State 7:30 p.m.
Wed., Dec. 29 Everblades Classic
Championship Game 7:30 p.m.
Sun., Jan. 2 Minnesota @ Boston University 7:00 p.m.
(Last Game @ Walter Brown Arena)
Mon., Jan. 3 Minnesota @ Boston University 7:00 p.m.
(First Game @ Agganis Arena)
Fri., Jan. 7 Ferris State at Ohio State 8:00 p.m.
Fri., Jan. 14 Army @ Air Force 8:00 p.m.
Fri., Jan. 21 Wisconsin @ Notre Dame 8:00 p.m.
Sat., Jan. 22 Michigan @ Ohio State 7:00 p.m.
Fri., Jan. 28 Clarkson @ Cornell 8:00 p.m.
Fri., Feb. 4 Maine @ New Hampshire 8:00 p.m.
Sat., Feb. 5 Royal Military College @ Army 7:00 p.m.
Fri., Feb. 11 Ohio State @ Wisconsin (Women) 8:00 p.m.
Sat., Feb. 12 Brown @ RPI 7:00 p.m.
Big Red Freakout
Fri., Feb. 18 Michigan vs. Notre Dame 8:00 p.m.
@ Fort Wayne, IN
Fri., Feb. 25 Alaska-Fairbanks @ Neb.-Omaha 8:00 p.m.
Fri., Mar. 4 Colorado College @ Denver 9:00 p.m.
Sun., Mar. 13 CHA Championship 8:00 p.m.
Sat., Mar. 19 ECAC Championship 8:00 p.m.
Fri., Mar. 25 NCAA Women's Frozen Four
@ Whittemore Center, Durham, NH
Semi-Final Game # 1 4:00 p.m.
Semi-Final Game #2 7:00 p.m.
Sun., Mar. 27 NCAA Women's Championship 5:00 p.m.
@ Whittemore Center, Durham, NH
