The school's website has yet to release the defending National Champions 2012-13 schedule, but everyone else in Hockey East has now released their schedules -- including Hockey East, which gives us a glimpse at this coming season's slate of games.
Boston College will face 10 teams from last April's NCAA Tournament as well as participate in two of the year's biggest tournaments - the Mariucci Classic out in Minneapolis and the 62nd annual Beanpot.
After playing an exhibition game against the University of New Brunswick on October 6, the Eagles will open the season on the road at Matthews Arena against the Northeastern Huskies (October 13). BC then travels to Amherst to take up UMass on Friday, October 19 followed by a home game against Northeastern the next night.
BC then draws UMass Lowell in a Friday-Sunday home-and-home on October 26 (away) and October 28 (home), and follows that up with a second straight Friday-Sunday weekend at Maine (November 2) and vs. UMass (Nov. 4).
The team's non-conference portion of the schedule kicks off on Friday, November 9 as the Eagles (finally) host the visiting Notre Dame Fighting Irish, kicking off a rather epic rivalry weekend. The Friday night Holy War on ice is followed by Saturday's home football game against Notre Dame and capped with a Sunday afternoon game down the B-line at Agganis Arena the House that Jerry Built.
BC next hosts Merrimack at home on Friday, November 16 and follows that up with a home non-conference tilt against the ECAC's Dartmouth Big Green. The Eagles could very well be finished with the Terriers by December 1, as BC and BU wrap up the regular season series with a home-and-home series on November 30 (away) and December 1 (home).
After a road game against an upstart Providence team on December 7, the Eagles then take a few weeks off for the holidays before appearing in the 2012 Mariucci Classic where they'll face Alabama-Huntsville and Minnesota in consecutive nights on December 29-30.
BC opens the new year with a home game against former ECAC rival Yale (January 5) before returning to Hockey East play with two against New Hampshire (Jan. 11-12), one against UMass and Northeastern (Jan. 18-19) and two home games against Maine (Jan. 25-26).
The Vermont Catamounts serve as this year's Beanpot warm-up game (February 1) before BC faces Harvard in the opening round of the 62nd annual Beanpot. The following weekend it is UMass-Lowell that faces the Eagles (February 8) before the Beanpot Championship / Consolation game against either BU or Northeastern.
The Eagles wrap up the regular season with seven straight Hockey East contests, including at Merrimack (February 15), New Hampshire (Feb. 17), at Merrimack (Feb. 23), Providence (March 1), at Providence (Mar. 2) and two road games up in Burlington (Mar. 8-9).
On the whole, it looks to be another season where the schedule is very front-loaded. Of the ten teams on BC's sched to make last year's NCAA Tournament, the Eagles will see seven of those teams before January 1. Hopefully the defending champs pick up where they left off earlier this year and rattle off a bunch of wins early and ride the momentum during the second half of the year to yet another deep run in the Hockey East and NCAA Tournaments.
We'll have more on the 2012-13 schedule as the season draws closer. For now, leave your initial thoughts on the schedule below. Go Eagles!