Last Modified: 2011 October 9
Joe Schlobotnik / joe@amurgsval.org
URL for this frameset: http://slack.net/~whelan/tbrw/tbrw.cgi?1999/pr980912tv.shtml
1998 September 12 press release from ECAC HockeyNet
ECAC Announces Ice Hockey Television Package
The ECAC Ice Hockey Game of the Week will be seen in over 2.4 million cable television households and available around the country on home satellite services, as the nation's oldest and most prolific ice hockey conference announced partnerships with both Empire Sports Network and New England Sports Network for the 1998-99 season. The two partnerships will once again give the ECAC its largest viewing audience for the ECAC Ice Hockey Game of the Week in the conference's history.
Destination Lake Placid, as the game of the week television package will be entitled, will include a total of 11 games beginning January 8 and conclude with the ECAC Championships live from Lake Placid, March 19-20. All 11 games will been seen live on NESN. Live broadcasts on Empire are still being determined.
"The conference is thrilled to continue a long-standing relationship with Empire and further develop a wonderful relationship with NESN. Both partners will be instrumental in helping the ECAC secure excellent television exposure in both New York and New England. We will reach more homes in the region then ever before and with more and more people purchasing satellite systems, ECAC Ice Hockey will be seen around the country," ECAC Ice Hockey Commissioner Jeff Fanter said. "Everyone around the nation, from fans to parents, to alumni will get an opportunity to see college hockey's top conference in action."
Tom Caron will provide the play-by-play while Bob Norton will serve as the color commentator. Caron is currently the co-host for the network's nightly sports magazine program, Front Row, and also serves as a Boston Bruins reporter for NESN.
Norton, a familiar face as the color commentator for the NCAA Ice Hockey Championships the last few years, is not new to ECAC television as he currently serves as the color analyst on the ECAC Football Game of the Week package on NESN.
"NESN is delighted that our association with the ECAC Ice Hockey has continued into the 1998-99 season. We know that our viewers will enjoy the high caliber brand of hockey that ECAC schools are know for," Bob Whitelaw, NESN Vice President Programming and Operations.
This year marks the seventh season that the ECAC Ice Hockey Championships will appear on Empire.
"We are excited about our ECAC schedule this season. We will showcase some of the league's top teams and also show some the conference's most storied rivalries," Empire Director of Operations Joe DelBaso said.
Times for regular season broadcasts, live or taped, will be announced in the near future.
The package will kick off with the defending regular season champion Yale, playing host to Vermont at Ingalls Rink on January 8. January 23 will feature the fiercest rivalry in all of college hockey when Clarkson plays host to St. Lawrence in Cheel Arena on January 23. A return trip is made to Yale on January 29 when Colgate comes calling and February 5 features Harvard at Union, live from Achilles Rink. February 12 features one of college hockey's best atmospheres when Cornell travels to Vermont and Gutterson Field House. The notorious "Freakout" game will be featured on February 20 when Rensselaer plays host to Dartmouth at Houston Field House. Dartmouth returns the following week to play host to defending tournament champion, Princeton at Thompson Arena on February 27. March 6 will conclude the regular season package. The teams for that game will be selected based on playoff implications.
Both networks will broadcast the ECAC semifinals and championship game from Lake Placid. The semifinals will be played on March 19 at 4:00 and 7:00 pm and the puck will be dropped for the final game on March 20 at 7:00 pm.