NCAA Div. I Men’s College Hockey Championships, Frozen Four to Receive Extensive Live Coverage on ESPNU, ESPN2, ESPN, ESPN Classic and ESPN360.com

NCAA Div. I Men’s College Hockey Championships, Frozen Four to Receive Extensive Live Coverage on ESPNU, ESPN2, ESPN, ESPN Classic and ESPN360.com

ESPNU, ESPN2, ESPN and ESPN360.com will combine for expanded live coverage of all 15 games from the 2009 NCAA Division I Men’s Ice Hockey Championships, March 27-April 11. ESPNU will telecast eight regional games exclusively, while ESPN2, ESPN Classic and ESPN360.com, ESPN’s signature broadband service, also will offer live coverage of regional semifinals and finals. The Frozen Four, live from the Verizon Center in Washington, DC, will be presented in high definition on ESPN and ESPN2, while ESPN360.com also will provide extensive live coverage.

Coverage of the tournament begins Sunday, March 22, at 11:30 a.m. ET, with the NCAA Hockey Selection Show on ESPN2 HD and ESPN360.com, hosted by John Buccigross, who will be joined by analysts Barry Melrose and former University of Michigan hockey standout Sean Ritchlin.

ESPNU will provide extensive coverage of the tournament, from the regional semifinals Friday, March 27, through the regional finals Sunday, March 29. Also, on Friday, April 10, at 7 p.m., the network will present the Hobey Baker Award live in high definition from the Verizon Center in Washington, DC. The presentation honors college ice hockey’s top men’s player and will be hosted by Clay Matvick and Ben Holden.

ESPN HD, ESPN2 HD and ESPN360.com will showcase the Frozen Four, live from Washington, DC, with the national semifinal games Thursday, April 9, at 5 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. on ESPN2 HD and ESPN360.com. The national championship will be telecast on Saturday, April 11, at 7 p.m. on ESPN HD and ESPN360.com.

The Frozen Four telecasts will feature Gary Thorne (play-by-play), Barry Melrose (analyst), Clay Matvick (ice-level reporter) calling all the action from Washington, DC, and John Buccigross will host the intermissions. At regional semifinals and finals, commentators include Justin Kutcher (play-by-play), Damian DiGuilian (analyst) and Ken Hodge (ice-level reporter) in the East Regional, Bridgeport, Conn.; Matvick and Jim Paradise in the West Regional, Minneapolis; Buccigross and Melrose in the Northeast Regional, Manchester, N.H.; with Ben Holden and Sean Ritchlin calling the action in the Midwest Regional, Grand Rapids, Mich. Also during coverage of the regional round, the ESPNU studio will be anchored by Lowell Galindo and Bob Norton.

ESPN360.com is available at no cost to millions of U.S. college students and U.S.-based military personnel. Users accessing ESPN360.com from an on-campus “.edu” or “.mil” network domain in the United States receive free, seamless access to the NCAA Div. I Men’s Ice Hockey Championships and hundreds of other live college and professional sporting events each month. ESPN360.com is also available via affiliated ISPs nationwide, including AT&T, Verizon, RCN, Insight, Frontier, Cavalier, Charter, Mediacom, Conway, Grande Communications and many more.

Schedule (all times Eastern)

NCAA Selection Show

Sun., Mar 22 11:30 a.m.      ESPN2 HD / ESPN360.com

NCAA Div. I Men’s Ice Hockey Championships

Date    Time    Regional        Site    Network
Fri., Mar 27 3 p.m. East Regional Semifinal #1 Bridgeport, Conn.       ESPNU HD
5:30 p.m. West Regional Semifinal #1 Minneapolis     ESPN2 HD / ESPN360.com
6:30 p.m. East Regional Semifinal #2 Bridgeport      ESPNU HD
9 p.m. West Regional Semifinal #2 Minneapolis     ESPNU HD
Sat., Mar 28 2 p.m. Northeast Regional Semifinal #1 Manchester, N.H.        ESPN2 / ESPN360.com
4 p.m. Midwest Regional Semifinal #1 Grand Rapids, Mich.     ESPNU
5:30 p.m. Northeast Regional Semifinal #2 Manchester      ESPN2 / ESPN360.com
6:30 p.m. East Final Bridgeport      ESPNU HD
7:30 p.m. Midwest Regional Semifinal #2 Grand Rapids    ESPN Classic / ESPN360.com
9 p.m. West Final Minneapolis     ESPNU HD
Sun., Mar 29 5:30 p.m. Northeast Final Manchester      ESPNU
8 p.m. Midwest Final Grand Rapids    ESPNU

Frozen Four
Verizon Center, Washington, DC

Date    Time    Event   Network
Thur., Apr 9 5 p.m. National Semifinal #1 ESPN2 HD / ESPN360.com
8:30 p.m. National Semifinal #2 ESPN2 HD / ESPN360.com
Fri., Apr 10 7 p.m. Hobey Baker Award ESPNU HD
Sat., Apr 11 7 p.m. NCAA Championship Finals ESPN HD / ESPN360.com

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