Aug. 21, 2009

2009-10 Schedule | Season Tickets | Red Hot Hockey Tickets

BOSTON - Highlighted by contests with the program's top rivals at two of the country's most iconic sporting venues and early-season home games against national powers Notre Dame and Michigan, the 2009-10 schedule for the defending national champion Boston University men's ice hockey team has been announced by head coach Jack Parker.

Back by popular demand, Red Hot Hockey returns this fall as historic rivals BU and Cornell will return to the ice at Madison Square Garden in New York City on Saturday, Nov. 28. Just six weeks later, the Terriers will take on cross-town rival Boston College at Fenway Park on Friday, Jan. 8, in BU's first outdoor game in 54 years.

"This is certainly one of the most attractive and demanding schedules we have ever put together," said Parker, who is entering his 37th season at the helm of the Terrier program. "We're really looking forward to returning to New York City, and bringing our team to play at Fenway will be a huge event for our entire university and undoubtedly be one of the biggest thrills of my coaching career."

Back in 2007, the Terriers posted a 6-3 victory over the Big Red before a sold-out crowd of 18,200 at MSG. The Fenway game will take place one week after the National Hockey League holds its third annual Winter Classic there, as the Boston Bruins will play host to the Philadelphia Flyers on New Year's Day. BU last played outdoors on Jan. 7, 1956, against Tufts at MIT.

BU will host 18 games at Agganis Arena this season, beginning with a pair of exhibition contests against St. Francis Xavier (Oct. 3) and the U.S. National Under-18 Team (Oct. 10).

In addition to the team's 27-game Hockey East schedule, the Terriers will play a total of seven non-conference games, including two in the Beanpot. Of those opponents from outside the league, Notre Dame, Michigan and Cornell all qualified for the 2009 NCAA tournament. Three other Hockey East schools (New Hampshire, Northeastern, Vermont) were also among the 16-team NCAA field.

Last year, the Terriers went a perfect 9-0-0 in non-league play during the regular season before going on to claim their fifth NCAA championship.

After opening its regular season with a road contest against Massachusetts on Nov. 16, BU will unveil its 2009 NCAA title banner on Tuesday, Oct. 20, when it welcomes Notre Dame to Agganis Arena for the home opener. The Terriers and the Fighting Irish exchanged control of the nation's No. 1 ranking for the vast majority of the 2008-09 campaign. This will be just the third meeting between the two schools and the first in 14 seasons.

Another powerhouse from the Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) visits Boston four days later, as Michigan makes its second trip to Agganis in as many seasons Oct. 24 during BU's Reunion and Alumni Weekend. Last year, the Terriers made a big early-season statement with a 7-2 home victory over the Wolverines.

After opening its Hockey East slate right off the bat with UMass, the Terriers will return to league play for eight straight games after the Michigan contest, including home-and-home series with UMass Lowell (Oct. 30-31) in a rematch of last year's Hockey East championship game, Merrimack (Nov. 13-14) and New Hampshire (Nov. 20-21). BU will visit Northeastern on Nov. 6 before traveling north to face Maine two days later.

The Terriers' final three non-conference opponents in the first half of the season all hail from the ECAC Hockey League, beginning with a game at cross-town rival Harvard on Nov. 24. After a one-year hiatus, the Terriers return to their tradition of facing the Crimson on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving. BU takes on Cornell four days later and the team's final game before the semester break will be at Agganis on Dec. 11 against Rensselaer, one of its most common non-conference opponents since joining Hockey East.

BU has two league games in December, and both will be at home with Vermont and BC visiting on Dec. 4 and 5, respectively.

The second half of the season, which will begin at home with UMass on Jan. 2, will feature 18 games with 16 of them being Hockey East tilts. Beginning with the Minutemen, who also make the trip to Boston on Jan. 29, the Terriers will have eight home games in the 2010 portion of the schedule, as Merrimack (Jan. 16), UNH (Jan. 23 - Winterfest Weekend), Maine (Feb. 12-13), Providence (Feb. 20) and Northeastern (March 5 - Senior Night) will round out the home slate.

The Terriers will have seven road games after the holiday break, beginning on Jan. 15 with the first of two trips - the other being Feb. 19 - to face Providence. With the Fenway match-up being the middle game of their league series, BU and BC's third meeting will take place at Conte Forum on Jan. 22.

As always, the Terriers will head downtown to TD Garden on the first two Mondays in February to play in the 58th Annual Beanpot Tournament. In first-round play on Feb. 1, BU - the defending champion - will face Northeastern in the late game before taking on either Boston College or Harvard the following week.

In between the Beanpot, BU will travel to face UMass Lowell on Feb. 5 and will have a long weekend in Vermont to take on the Catamouts on Feb. 26 and 28. The regular-season finale will take place on March 6 when the Terriers invade Matthews Arena for a contest against Northeastern.

 

---

For more information or to purchase men's ice hockey season tickets, please visit www.AgganisArena.com, call 617-353-GOBU (4628), or visit the Agganis Arena Ticket Office, located at 925 Commonwealth Avenue, Monday-Friday, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.