as Ice Breaker games are exempt from the 34-game schedule limit
One strong Eastern team (BC), two strong Western teams (UMD and UNO), a top tournament, and not much filler (NMU, RPI)
There will likely be a lot of BC fans on 12/31 with the students out of town and the Bruins on campus the next day
RPI. Wouldn’t mind someone like Harvard, Yale, Cornell or Union instead.
That is an interesting stat.
It's a really late Easter this year (April 21) so the champion will be crowned before Palm Sunday.
If one of Wisconsin, UMinn, MSU, or PSU played Duluth twice in addition to 4 games each against us, UMich, and OSU
They open with a home-and-home against UMD.
Last season's was relatively early (April 5-7).
This schedule would be the hardest in the nation last year
This year it could turn out easy if the B1G returns to form.
Keep making the B1G our pissboys and I’ll be happy
no insult taken. Bruins fans travel and aren't cheap. BC fans don't and are.
I would expect many of the NHL fans in town to attend the BC-ND game, if for no other reason than what else would there be to do in South Bend on New Year's Eve?
A few other interesting tidbits about the schedule:
* There are two Tuesday night home games -- Northern Michigan on November 27 (right after Thanksgiving) and Michigan on February 12. In both instances, ND will have home series the following Friday and Saturday (RPI on November 30-December 1 and Wisconsin on February 15-16).
* ND will not play on Thanksgiving weekend this year, or the weekend before Thanksgiving.
* ND will have four home games with the students away, all during Christmas break -- BC on NYE, Michigan on January 5 (reportedly at the Stadium; time is listed as TBA), and January 11-12 versus Minnesota.
* The second game of the UMD series will start one hour before the Navy football game in San Diego, and the second game of the road trip to Michigan will start 30 minutes before the home football game vs. Florida State. There also could be an overlap between the second home game vs. Ohio State and the football game at Northwestern; the start time for that game probably won't be set until 6-12 days beforehand. If ND plays the early Saturday game in the Erie tournament, it would overlap with the home football game against Pitt, but I doubt there will be TV for that tournament.
since I'll be over at the stadium next day. It surprises people from elsewhere how few sports fans in Boston care about, or root for, B.C.