WAKEFIELD, Mass. - The Hockey East Association and ESPN announced today that all three games of the 2017 Hockey East Tournament championship weekend will be made available to stream live on ESPN3. #1 UMass Lowell and #4 Notre Dame square off at 5 p.m. from Boston's TD Garden while #2 Boston University and #3 Boston College take the ice at 8 p.m. on Friday, March 17. The winners will advance to the 33rd annual Hockey East Championship game at 7 p.m. on Saturday, March 18.
#1 UMass Lowell (24-10-3/14-7-1 HEA) moves into the semifinals for the fifth straight season to meet #4 Notre Dame (21- 10-5/12-6-4 HEA) for the third time in the four years Notre Dame has skated in Hockey East. The River Hawks, who have appeared in the Hockey East Tournament title game for the last four years in a row, moved past #10 New Hampshire in the lone three-game quarterfinal series, pumping in eight goals in the decisive Game 3. The Irish downed #5 Providence in straight games, 5-0 and 5-2, to move out of the quarterfinal round of postseason play for the first time since 2014. That year, UMass Lowell knocked the Irish out of the semifinals, 4-0, en route to winning the second Hockey East Tournament title in program history. The River Hawks also won a three-game quarterfinal series with Notre Dame in 2015.
#2 Boston University (23-10-3/13-6-3 HEA) faces off with #3 Boston College (20-14-4/13-6-3 HEA) in the 23rd semifinal appearance for each school after the Terriers and Eagles both swept their quarterfinal series. Boston University claimed victory in two come-from-behind wins, downing #8 Northeastern, 3-2, in overtime in Game 1 before earning a 3-2 triumph in regulation time in Game 2. The Eagles' offense exploded in two games over #6 Vermont, scoring 14 goals in two games to take 7-0 and 7-4 wins from the Catamounts. The two historic programs have not met in the playoffs since the 2013 semifinals, a 6-3 Boston University win. The Eagles boast the most Hockey East Tournament titles in league history, wearing the crown 11 times in 16 trips to the championship game, while the Terriers eight championships in 11 appearances is the next highest total. All-time in the Hockey East postseason, Boston University owns a 9-3-0 record over Boston College, including a 3-1 mark in the semifinals.
ESPN3 is ESPN's live multi-screen sports network, a destination that delivers thousands of exclusive sports events annually. It is accessible on computers, smartphones, tablets and streaming devices through WatchESPN and the ESPN app.
The network is available at no additional cost to fans who receive their high-speed Internet connection or video subscription from an affiliated service provider. The network is also available at no cost to U.S. college students and U.S.-based military personnel via computers, smartphones and tablets connected to on-campus educational and on-base military broadband and Wi-Fi networks.
The Hockey East Tournament semifinals and championship will air on NESN throughout New England. Tickets are now on sale at the TD Garden Box Office. Tickets can also be purchased online at www.ticketmaster.com or by calling Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000.