The Kelley-Harkness Cup might be up for grabs for the tenth time this fall as Purple Sizzling Hockey returns to Madison Sq. Backyard on Saturday, Nov. 29.
Puck drop for this yr’s recreation is about for 8 p.m. EST. Tickets for Purple Sizzling Hockey might be out there beginning June 4 at midday and may be bought at bigredtix.com.
Followers can even buy tickets for the Boston College or Cornell fan sections. Scholar tickets might be out there at a reduced value on the Agganis Area field workplace (Boston College) and the Cornell athletic ticket workplace in Bartels Corridor.
“Experiencing taking part in at MSG for the primary time since 2009 was higher than I remembered,” mentioned Casey Jones, who might be getting into his first season as the top coach of Cornell, in an announcement. “What this recreation has come to imply to our program and our alumni is unbelievable. The Lynah devoted are the very best followers in school hockey and you may see how athletics can join our alumni to our college. This yr with BU, it must be one other nice battle in ‘The World’s Most Well-known Area.’”
“We’re excited to return to Madison Sq. Backyard in November,” added Jay Pandolfo, Boston College’s fourth-year head coach. “It’s an unbelievable alternative to not solely play for a trophy on such a giant stage however to face off towards one of many high applications within the nation. This rivalry brings out the very best in each groups, as evidenced by all of the one-goal video games we’ve performed over the previous three seasons. The ambiance is all the time electrical and we count on one other unbelievable crowd at MSG.”
Greater than half of the earlier Purple Sizzling Hockey video games have taken place earlier than sold-out crowds at Madison Sq. Backyard. The inaugural occasion, attended by 18,200 college students, alumni, dad and mom, and followers, was a convincing success. Held on Nov. 24, 2007, it featured members of the 1980 gold medal-winning U.S. Olympic hockey staff, together with Mike Eruzione, Jack O’Callahan, and David Silk from Boston College, together with Joe Nieuwendyk, a member of the Cornell Athletics and Hockey Corridor of Fames.
After Boston College went undefeated within the first 5 Purple Sizzling Hockey conferences (3-0-2), Cornell has received the final 4 conferences, together with a 2-1 victory in 2023, the place the Huge Purple scored two targets within the third interval. The Terriers received in 2007, 2011, and 2013, whereas the rivals skated to ties in 2009 and 2015.
The Kelley-Harkness Cup, which honors legendary coaches Jack Kelley (BU) and Ned Harkness (Cornell), was launched 10 years in the past.
The rivalry between Boston College and Cornell started on Jan. 10, 1925, when the Terriers secured a 7-2 victory on Beebe Lake in Ithaca, N.Y., and consists of matchups within the NCAA title video games in 1967 and 1972. For the reason that Terriers departed from ECAC Hockey to hitch Hockey East within the 1984-85 season, the 2 colleges have met sporadically earlier than the primary Purple Sizzling Hockey occasion.
Madison Sq. Backyard, house to the NHL’s New York Rangers and NBA’s New York Knicks, has served because the venue for this showcase since its inception.
Boston College and Cornell are the one two colleges in Division I males’s hockey to win at the very least one NCAA match recreation in every of the final three years, with the Terriers making it to the Frozen 4 every time. The Terriers defeated the Huge Purple in an NCAA regional closing twice over the previous three seasons, together with a 3-2 extra time victory in Toledo, Ohio, this previous March on their approach to the nationwide title recreation. Every of the final 12 conferences between the Huge Purple and the Terriers has been determined by two targets or fewer, together with 4 consecutive one-goal video games.
Each colleges are perennial powerhouses in school hockey, combining for 355 victories and a .650 profitable proportion over the previous decade. Boston College has received the nationwide championship 5 occasions (1971, 1972, 1978, 1995, and 2009), whereas Cornell has claimed the title twice (1967 and 1970). Collectively, these two colleges have produced over 100 NHL gamers, together with outstanding names reminiscent of New York Rangers president Chris Drury, new Rangers head coach Mike Sullivan, Jack Eichel, and Macklin Celebrini (BU), together with Ken Dryden, Joe Nieuwendyk, and present NHL gamers Morgan Barron and Sam Malinski (Cornell).
