Boston College Athletics
Eagles, North Dakota to meet at MSG in 2016
September 24, 2015 | Men's Hockey
Boston College and North Dakota will take place in the first installment of the College Hockey Showdown at Madison Square Garden on Dec. 3, 2016
NEW YORK – In a clash between two of college hockey's premier programs, the University of North Dakota and Boston College will meet in a new marquee event, the College Hockey Showdown, on December 3, 2016 at Madison Square Garden in New York City, the National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) and Madison Square Garden announced Thursday.
The College Hockey Showdown at Madison Square Garden brings together perennial top-10 schools, which have won a combined 12 NCAA national championships and made 45 NCAA Frozen Fours, to face off at the historic venue.
"The NCHC is honored and excited to partner with Madison Square Garden, the University of North Dakota and Boston College to host the College Hockey Showdown at MSG in 2016," NCHC Commissioner Josh Fenton said. "This event provides a great opportunity to showcase two of the greatest programs in college hockey history along with the NCHC brand in the 'World's Most Famous Arena.' We look forward to witnessing a great event experience for the participating student-athletes and attending fans."
The Eagles and UND have squared off 23 times previously with the series deadlocked at 11-11-1. The teams met in back-to-back NCAA Championship Games in 2000 and 2001 with North Dakota winning the first meeting and Boston College capturing the rematch in overtime.
"College hockey's return to Madison Square Garden in 2007 has led to wildly successful and exciting matches," said Joel Fisher, executive vice president, MSG Sports. "We are proud that the University of North Dakota and Boston College, two of college hockey's marquee programs, will continue this great new college hockey tradition at The Garden in 2016."
The NCHC will serve as a co-host for the College Hockey Showdown with Madison Square Garden. North Dakota, which will be the home team in the game, is a founding member of the conference. The NCHC is entering its third season of competition and placed six of its eight teams in the NCAA Tournament in 2015.
North Dakota is coming off a strong 2014-15 season that saw them capture the Penrose Cup as NCHC regular-season champions, earn a 13th straight berth in the NCAA Tournament and a second straight trip to the NCAA Frozen Four, as UND finished with a 29-10-3 record. UND has won seven national championships in program history and made 21 Frozen Four appearances. North Dakota has produced 72 All-Americans and sent 84 players to the National Hockey League, including several for the New York Rangers, who played on the same ice at Madison Square Garden. Among the seven UND alumni to play for the Rangers are Geoff Smith, Jeff Ulmer and Dixon Ward.
"North Dakota is honored and excited to have been selected to participate in the inaugural College Hockey Showdown game at Madison Square Garden," North Dakota Director of Athletics Brian Faison said. "It will be the best of the best in collegiate hockey battling it out in the Big Apple. We look forward to a great following from the nation's most terrific fans as they paint the city UND green."
The Eagles, who were picked as preseason favorites to win the Hockey East regular-season title in 2015-16, also made the NCAA Tournament a season ago, posting a 21-14-3 record while finishing tied for second in Hockey East. Boston College has won five national championships in program history while making 24 trips to the Frozen Four, tied for the most of any program. Forty-eight All-Americans have suited up for BC while many have gone on to play in the NHL. Current Boston College alumni playing for the Rangers include Brian Gibbons, Kevin Hayes and Chris Kreider, while several other Eagles have called Madison Square Garden home as well.
"Boston College, as an institution, fan base, alumni group and hockey program, could not be any prouder to take part in this first installment of what will be a great annual tradition," Boston College Director of Athletics Brad Bates said. "We are excited to continue our storied rivalry against North Dakota in one of the most famous venues in the world. We are eager to showcase our talents and reunite current and former Eagles in New York City."
Along with the announcement of the College Hockey Showdown at Madison Square Garden, the logo for the event was unveiled. The logo, which was designed by Adrenalin, Inc. in Denver, Colo., is a shield shape featuring the New York City skyline, including Madison Square Garden, at the top, with the words "College Hockey Showdown" underlined by a hockey stick and the participating team logos below. Aside from the school logos, the colors of the College Hockey Showdown logo include the NCHC's blue, red and powder blue with the event, location and date in white text.
Founded in 1997, Adrenalin is a full-service branding, marketing and design agency that specializes in supporting the brand-expansion goals of sports, outdoor and lifestyle organizations around the world.
Ticket pricing and information for the College Hockey Showdown at Madison Square Garden will be announced later this season. A pre-sale will begin in mid-February and run through the NCHC and Hockey East Tournaments for UND, BC and MSG constituents. Once the pre-sale is complete, tickets will go on sale to the general public.
Fans interested in purchasing tickets and receiving the latest information regarding the College Hockey Showdown at Madison Square Garden can sign up for pre-sale information here: www.THEGARDEN.com/insider.
Fans can also stay up to date on the latest College Hockey Showdown at Madison Square Garden information by following the event on Twitter @HkyShowdown_MSG.
More information regarding the College Hockey Showdown at Madison Square Garden, including ticket information and a website, will be announced later this season.
About The Madison Square Garden Company
The Madison Square Garden Company is comprised of three business segments: MSG Sports, MSG Media and MSG Entertainment and is built on a foundation of iconic venues and compelling content that the company creates, produces, presents and/or distributes through its programming networks and other media assets. MSG Sports owns and operates the following sports franchises: the New York Knicks (NBA), the New York Rangers (NHL), the New York Liberty (WNBA), the Westchester Knicks (NBADL) and the Hartford Wolf Pack (AHL). MSG Sports also features the presentation of a wide variety of live sporting events including professional boxing, college basketball, bull riding and tennis. MSG Media is a leader in production and content development for multiple distribution platforms, including content originating from the Company's venues. MSG Media's television networks consist of regional sports networks, MSG Network and MSG+, collectively referred to as MSG Networks. MSG Entertainment is one of the country's leaders in live entertainment. MSG Entertainment creates, produces and/or presents a variety of live productions, including the Radio City Christmas Spectacular and the New York Spring Spectacular, both featuring the Rockettes. MSG Entertainment also presents or hosts other live entertainment events such as concerts, family shows and special events in the Company's diverse collection of venues. These venues consist of Madison Square Garden, The Theater at Madison Square Garden, Radio City Music Hall, the Beacon Theatre, the Forum in Inglewood, CA, The Chicago Theatre, and the Wang Theatre in Boston, MA. More information is available at www.themadisonsquaregardencompany.com.
The College Hockey Showdown at Madison Square Garden brings together perennial top-10 schools, which have won a combined 12 NCAA national championships and made 45 NCAA Frozen Fours, to face off at the historic venue.
"The NCHC is honored and excited to partner with Madison Square Garden, the University of North Dakota and Boston College to host the College Hockey Showdown at MSG in 2016," NCHC Commissioner Josh Fenton said. "This event provides a great opportunity to showcase two of the greatest programs in college hockey history along with the NCHC brand in the 'World's Most Famous Arena.' We look forward to witnessing a great event experience for the participating student-athletes and attending fans."
The Eagles and UND have squared off 23 times previously with the series deadlocked at 11-11-1. The teams met in back-to-back NCAA Championship Games in 2000 and 2001 with North Dakota winning the first meeting and Boston College capturing the rematch in overtime.
"College hockey's return to Madison Square Garden in 2007 has led to wildly successful and exciting matches," said Joel Fisher, executive vice president, MSG Sports. "We are proud that the University of North Dakota and Boston College, two of college hockey's marquee programs, will continue this great new college hockey tradition at The Garden in 2016."
The NCHC will serve as a co-host for the College Hockey Showdown with Madison Square Garden. North Dakota, which will be the home team in the game, is a founding member of the conference. The NCHC is entering its third season of competition and placed six of its eight teams in the NCAA Tournament in 2015.
North Dakota is coming off a strong 2014-15 season that saw them capture the Penrose Cup as NCHC regular-season champions, earn a 13th straight berth in the NCAA Tournament and a second straight trip to the NCAA Frozen Four, as UND finished with a 29-10-3 record. UND has won seven national championships in program history and made 21 Frozen Four appearances. North Dakota has produced 72 All-Americans and sent 84 players to the National Hockey League, including several for the New York Rangers, who played on the same ice at Madison Square Garden. Among the seven UND alumni to play for the Rangers are Geoff Smith, Jeff Ulmer and Dixon Ward.
"North Dakota is honored and excited to have been selected to participate in the inaugural College Hockey Showdown game at Madison Square Garden," North Dakota Director of Athletics Brian Faison said. "It will be the best of the best in collegiate hockey battling it out in the Big Apple. We look forward to a great following from the nation's most terrific fans as they paint the city UND green."
The Eagles, who were picked as preseason favorites to win the Hockey East regular-season title in 2015-16, also made the NCAA Tournament a season ago, posting a 21-14-3 record while finishing tied for second in Hockey East. Boston College has won five national championships in program history while making 24 trips to the Frozen Four, tied for the most of any program. Forty-eight All-Americans have suited up for BC while many have gone on to play in the NHL. Current Boston College alumni playing for the Rangers include Brian Gibbons, Kevin Hayes and Chris Kreider, while several other Eagles have called Madison Square Garden home as well.
"Boston College, as an institution, fan base, alumni group and hockey program, could not be any prouder to take part in this first installment of what will be a great annual tradition," Boston College Director of Athletics Brad Bates said. "We are excited to continue our storied rivalry against North Dakota in one of the most famous venues in the world. We are eager to showcase our talents and reunite current and former Eagles in New York City."
Along with the announcement of the College Hockey Showdown at Madison Square Garden, the logo for the event was unveiled. The logo, which was designed by Adrenalin, Inc. in Denver, Colo., is a shield shape featuring the New York City skyline, including Madison Square Garden, at the top, with the words "College Hockey Showdown" underlined by a hockey stick and the participating team logos below. Aside from the school logos, the colors of the College Hockey Showdown logo include the NCHC's blue, red and powder blue with the event, location and date in white text.
Founded in 1997, Adrenalin is a full-service branding, marketing and design agency that specializes in supporting the brand-expansion goals of sports, outdoor and lifestyle organizations around the world.
Ticket pricing and information for the College Hockey Showdown at Madison Square Garden will be announced later this season. A pre-sale will begin in mid-February and run through the NCHC and Hockey East Tournaments for UND, BC and MSG constituents. Once the pre-sale is complete, tickets will go on sale to the general public.
Fans interested in purchasing tickets and receiving the latest information regarding the College Hockey Showdown at Madison Square Garden can sign up for pre-sale information here: www.THEGARDEN.com/insider.
Fans can also stay up to date on the latest College Hockey Showdown at Madison Square Garden information by following the event on Twitter @HkyShowdown_MSG.
More information regarding the College Hockey Showdown at Madison Square Garden, including ticket information and a website, will be announced later this season.
About The Madison Square Garden Company
The Madison Square Garden Company is comprised of three business segments: MSG Sports, MSG Media and MSG Entertainment and is built on a foundation of iconic venues and compelling content that the company creates, produces, presents and/or distributes through its programming networks and other media assets. MSG Sports owns and operates the following sports franchises: the New York Knicks (NBA), the New York Rangers (NHL), the New York Liberty (WNBA), the Westchester Knicks (NBADL) and the Hartford Wolf Pack (AHL). MSG Sports also features the presentation of a wide variety of live sporting events including professional boxing, college basketball, bull riding and tennis. MSG Media is a leader in production and content development for multiple distribution platforms, including content originating from the Company's venues. MSG Media's television networks consist of regional sports networks, MSG Network and MSG+, collectively referred to as MSG Networks. MSG Entertainment is one of the country's leaders in live entertainment. MSG Entertainment creates, produces and/or presents a variety of live productions, including the Radio City Christmas Spectacular and the New York Spring Spectacular, both featuring the Rockettes. MSG Entertainment also presents or hosts other live entertainment events such as concerts, family shows and special events in the Company's diverse collection of venues. These venues consist of Madison Square Garden, The Theater at Madison Square Garden, Radio City Music Hall, the Beacon Theatre, the Forum in Inglewood, CA, The Chicago Theatre, and the Wang Theatre in Boston, MA. More information is available at www.themadisonsquaregardencompany.com.
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