National Collegiate Athletic Association

The NCAA News - News and Features

February 16, 1998

Association establishes TV schedule for entire Division I hockey tourney

The NCAA has announced a television schedule for the 1998 NCAA Division I Ice Hockey Championship that makes the event only the second NCAA championship in which all games are televised.

Regional contests will be played in Ann Arbor, Michigan, March 27 and 28 and Albany, New York, March 28 and 29. In addition to the over-the-air network and cable distribution, the regional games, for the first time, will be available nationally on pay-per-view.

NCAA Productions will coordinate with ESPN Enterprises to distribute the eight regional games to DirecTV and Echostar direct broadcast satellite services. The pay-per-view plan also will be available on selected cable television systems. Viewers should call their local cable or satellite dish provider for details.

All games will be shown live and be available at a suggested pay-per-view retail price of $29.95 for the entire eight-game package.

Game times for March 28 have been adjusted at both regionals to allow for uninterrupted telecasts of each game.

The entire live-telecast schedule (all times are Eastern):

  • Sunday, March 22 -- 12:30 p.m.: Selection Show (ESPN2/
    ESPNews).

  • Friday, March 27 -- 5 p.m.: West regional first round, Ann Arbor, Michigan. 8:30 p.m.: West regional first round, Ann Arbor, Michigan.

  • Saturday, March 28 -- Noon: East regional first round, Albany, New York. 3 p.m.: East regional first round, Albany, New York. 6 p.m.: West regional second round, Ann Arbor, Michigan. 9 p.m.: West regional second round, Ann Arbor, Michigan.

  • Sunday, March 29 -- 2 p.m.: East regional second round, Albany, New York. 5:30 p.m.: East regional second round, Albany, New York.

  • Thursday, April 2 -- 2 p.m.: Semifinal No. 1 (ESPN2), Boston. 8 p.m.: Semifinal No. 2 (ESPN2), Boston.

  • Saturday, April 4 -- 7:30 p.m.: Championship game (ESPN), Boston.