Big Ten/Hockey East Challenge is a Thing

Submitted by gwkrlghl on

Just announced today is the fact that the Big Ten and Hockey East (home of BC, BU, Notre Dame, etc) have reached an agreement to have a Big Ten/Hockey East Challenge ala the B1G/ACC Challenge for basketball. I believe this is going to be an annual affair.

All of the games have already been scheduled and now it makes sense why we have games against BC, BU, Umass-Lowell and New Hampshire (which are all Hockey East) and very few against the NCHC and WCHA. Interestingly, the BC game does not count in the challenge though.

The Big Ten/Hockey East Challenge Cup will be presented to the conference that records the most points from the 13 games. Teams will earn points as follows: two points for a win, one point for a tie and a bonus point for a road win.

Eligible games:

Friday, October 18
#3 Wisconsin at #4 Boston College
Michigan State at Massachusetts
#10 Michigan at #13 New Hampshire (7:30 p.m.)

Saturday, October 19
#3 Wisconsin at Boston University
Michigan State at Massachusetts
#10 Michigan at #13 New Hampshire

Friday, October 25
#4 Boston College at #5 Minnesota (8 p.m.)*
Boston University at #10 Michigan#
#1 UMass Lowell at Michigan State@

Saturday, October 26
Boston University at Michigan State
#1 UMass Lowell at #10 Michigan#
Penn State vs. Vermont % (Philadelphia – 5 p.m.)

Sunday, October 27
#4 Boston College at #5 Minnesota (2 p.m.)^  

Quite a few huge games in there. Interestingly, Ohio State is not partcipating while Michigan and MSU have four. May have been conflicts with scheduling on fairly short notice. Anyway, should be a good thing for college hockey and B1G hockey exposure as the Big Ten/ACC Challenge has been for basketball.

Source: USCHO

 

Canadian

September 24th, 2013 at 11:58 PM ^

I like it. Would be cool to see this get a lot of attention and continue into the future. Could set it up ion back to back weekends in October every year and give every team in both conferences the chance to play. Have all six B1G teams. Travel on the road the first weekend and play two road games against different teams (1 hockey east team plays two games). Then the following weekend have the top 3 and bottom 3 hockey east schools travel to B1G schools to play.

LSAClassOf2000

September 25th, 2013 at 6:44 AM ^

I actually really like this idea as well as a way to get some pretty good matchups between ranked teams going right off the bat in the season. One thing that is nice here is that the conferences are driving it, whereas I seem to recall that the Big Ten / ACC Challenge was - at least in part - the brainchild of ESPN. 

gwkrlghl

September 25th, 2013 at 7:17 AM ^

(I know you're making a joke) but I'm guessing this year's schedule was goofy and only teams that could fit other games on their schedule this year are participating. Penn State only has one game and OSU has none and I think only 4 or 5 teams from Hockey East are participating. I'd guess in subsequent years it'll be a bit more even amongst BTHC teams at least

chatster

September 25th, 2013 at 10:00 AM ^

I like the concept.  It just seems strange to start it this season.  While it probably will be good in future seasons, I don’t know if it makes much sense now.
 
Some of these games were scheduled months ago.  Both Michigan and Michigan State have four games each in the “Challenge.”  Ohio State has none, because its schedule doesn’t include any Hockey East teams.  Notre Dame, new to Hockey East this season, also has no games in the “Challenge” because its only games against a Big Ten team (Minnesota) this season are scheduled for the first weekend of November.  Hockey East teams Maine, Merrimack, Northeastern and Providence have no games scheduled against Big Ten teams.
 
Only six of the games will be televised, and only one (Boston College at Minnesota on Friday, October 25) will be on the Big Ten Network, while the other televised games will be on regional networks..
 
Of the 13 games in the “Challenge,” five of them involve two of the teams from Hockey East that are expected to be among the weaker teams in that conference (Boston University, picked 6th in their coaches’ preseason poll, and UMass-Amherst, picked 10th in that poll.)  Three of Michigan State’s games are against those teams.  Three of Michigan’s games are against teams ranked among the top 15 teams in the country (Top-ranked UMass-Lowell and 13th-ranked New Hampshire.)
 
If the conferences are tied in total points, the “tie-breaker” game will be based on the winner of the Penn State-Vermont game that’s being played in Philadelphia, the only neutral site game, at 5:00 PM on Saturday, October 26.  But the final point totals won’t be known until after Boston College plays at Minnesota on Sunday, October 27.