If you labor in an office setting, you’re no doubt familiar with the “creative” excuses some co-workers have used this week to excuse themselves from work to follow Thursday and Friday play in the NCAA hoops tourney. It’s a common pursuit by the common man.
The uncommon sport’s fan, however, appreciates alternative television viewing this weekend.
College hockey — far less exploitive of its student athletes insomuch as its postseason games, like its regular season ones, are contested on actual weekends — offers this afternoon semifinal play in all of the sport’s power conferences, and there’s ample cable television coverage of it. This year Hockey East (NESN), the CCHA (FSN/FoxCollegeSports), and the WCHA (FSN/FCS) are on TV and available in numerous cable markets and on satellite.
The Caps play only tonight this weekend, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t plenty of great puck to view. If you’re late arriving to the great party that is college hockey, watch a few of these postseason games this weekend, replete with their multiple overtime, sudden-death drama, and you’ll be hooked.
Even if you aren’t feeling under the weather at the moment, it’s a good time of year to take precautionary measures, and extend your rest time this weekend with an early office depature this afternoon.
So start coughing around 2:00 and try this prescription:
(All times Eastern Daylight)
3:00 p.m.: Fox College Sports – WCHA semifinal game 1
4:30 p.m.: Fox College Sports — CCHA semifinal game 1
5:00 p.m.: NESN — Hockey East semifinal Game 1
7:00 p.m.: Fox College Sports — WCHA semifinal game 2
8:00 p.m.: Fox College Sports — CCHA semifinal game 2; NESN — Hockey East semifinal game 2
On Saturday, you can see re-broadcasts of many of Friday’s semifinal games in the afternoon before the finals in the evening. And one or two Saturday night finals’ games will be re-broadcast on Sunday.
5 Comments
as a twitter friend and a huge fan of the wcha, i can tell you the final five semifinals today are going to be insane. denver/north dakota and minnesota/colorado college, both intense nail-biters, i’m sure. the play-in game last night (minnesota/st. cloud) set an attendance record at the xcel center, more than any of the wild’s 300+ sellouts (this pretty much happens during the final five each year). so if you like hockey, this is definitely the best tournament of the year to watch.
You missed the NHL Network coverage of the ECAC tourney semis at 4pm and 7pm today.
DVR is set for the Denver North Dakota match-up
sk8 -
Correct me if I’m wrong, but ECAC action on the NHL Network is restricted to the outlet’s broadcasts in Canada. That’s what I read earlier today. I may also be in error in not regarding the ECAC as a “power” conference, as it last produced a national champion around the time Ken Dryden played college hockey. (Admittedly a slight exaggeration)
I am not in front of a tv to confirm, but my local cable company has the games listed and I don’t see anything indicating it is blacked out (except perhaps for Time Warner customers in the NE.)
Live broadcasts of college hockey on NHL Network is worth a mention, IMO. IIRC, there are 6 Div 1 conferences for hockey, so yes, I think it is worth mentioning in that context, too.
As noted on the USCHO site, “For BU, Colgate and Princeton, meanwhile, it’s simple: win today and win Saturday, or you’re out of the NCAAs.” So, the game has relevance to the tourney, too; and one of the ECAC teams in action, features one of the 10 finalists for the Hobey Baker, Jubinville, Princeton.
Now on the trivia that you didn’t ask, I believe the conference produced a champion in the late 80’s, Harvard, ask the current Harvard coach, he was on the team, so no, you don’t have to go back to Dryden
This might be a good time to tell people about sopcast.org and hockeywebcasts.com You don’t have to have expensive cable to see these games. Also, what’s up with the frozen four in DC? Got any info on tickets?
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