Both the men's and women's ice hockey teams released their schedules this week, and the one certainty for both teams is that they'll be well-traveled and battle-tested before the Hockey East Championships in March.
The men's ice hockey team will open the season on the road in the first game of a four-team Ice Breaker Tournament at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minn.
On Friday, Oct. 12 they'll face off against the CCHA power Michigan.
For the Eagles it will be the first time they have faced the Wolverines since the opener of the 2005-2006 campaign when they lost 3-2 in Ann Arbor.
Depending on whether they win or lose, Boston College will play Minnesota or RPI on Oct. 13, before returning to Chestnut Hill for their home opener on Oct. 19 against North Dakota.
Beginning on Oct. 21, the Eagles will play 11 straight Hockey East contests, beginning at Vermont and then ending in a Friday-Saturday series with Boston University on Nov. 30-Dec.1.
Before the new year, the team will travel back to Minnesota to play in the Dodge Holiday Classic at the Mariucci Arena in Minneapolis, Minn. on Dec. 29 and 30.
First the Eagles will take on Air Force, who is led by forward Eric Ehn, a Hobey Baker finalist last season.
Then, depending on the outcome of that game, the Eagles will face either Minnesota or RIT.
The Eagles play at Clarkson on Jan. 5 then resume Hockey East play with seven straight league games before the Beanpot on Monday, Feb. 4, where waiting in the first round will be their Commonwealth Avenue rivals, BU.
On the following Monday, the Eagles will conclude the Beanpot tournament, before heading into the final part of their scheduled eight straight league games with series against UMass-Lowell, New Hampshire, Providence, and Northeastern.
The women's ice hockey team and first-year head coach Katie King will begin their season on Oct. 5, with a home game against Rensselaer.
After road games against Quinnipiac and perennial power Princeton, the Eagles will begin their Hockey East slate with defending conference champion New Hampshire on Oct. 25.
The Eagles will round out their out-of-conference schedule with games against Yale, Connecticut, and three teams who are coming off of a great year, St. Lawrence, Harvard, and Dartmouth.
On Feb. 5, the Eagles begin their quest for a third consecutive Beanpot title, with a first-round game against BU, who they beat last year in the final, 6-1.
On the following Tuesday, they'll play in the second game of the Beanpot Tournament before returning to Hockey East play to finish out the regular season.
BC will face Maine, BU, and Providence in three consecutive two-game series.
Both teams face a difficult road to postseason play, as the men's team faces eight teams that made the NCAA tournament in 2007, while the women's team faces four.
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