NCCA College Hoop & Hockey, Super 8 Hockey Championship and Candlepin Bowling

Highlight Programming Expansion

(BURLINGTON, MA - December 11, 2008 )– Comcast SportsNet announced today that it is expanding its programming by adding more live local sports coverage, including the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) basketball tournament, select Hockey East regular season games, MIAA Super 8 Hockey Championship and the timeless New England favorite, The Candlepin Challenge, beginning on Saturday, January 10.

Comcast SportsNet serves more than four million cable and satellite homes across New England. These events were previously scheduled to air on CN8, which currently reaches 1.8 million New England homes served by Comcast Cable.

“Comcast SportsNet is excited make these local sports events available to an even wider audience,” said Bill Bridgen, Comcast SportsNet executive vice president and general manager. “This is great news for fans who actively follow the CAA, America East and Hockey East conferences as well as schools like BU, BC, UNH, and the University of Vermont.”

Comcast SportsNet’s new programming is highlighted by:

College Basketball
Comcast SportsNet adds 17 men’s and women’s CAA, America East and Ivy League college basketball games to its existing college basketball programming that featured 81 CAA, Pac-10; Pac-10 women’s; and Big 12 women’s contests.  In addition, CSN is also adding CAA men’s quarterfinal and semifinal action to its post-season coverage of the America East, Pac-10 men, CAA women’s and Pac-10 women’s tournaments.

College Hockey
Comcast SportsNet will telecast select Hockey East games featuring Boston University, University of New Hampshire and the University of Vermont. Marquee matchups include: Boston College @ UVM on January 10; BC @ BU on January 17; BU @ UNH on January 24; and BU @ Northeastern on February 21.

Candlepin Challenge
The Candlepin Challenge is a one-hour program featuring a king-of-the-hill format where two challengers bowl a one-game match for the right to face the current champion in a two-game match. The Candlepin Challenge will run on Saturdays at 11 a.m.

MIAA Super 8 Hockey Championship
Massachusetts schoolboy hockey concludes with the state’s top two teams facing off for the coveted Super 8 Championship. Comcast SportsNet will provide full coverage of the game on Sunday, March 15, at 7 p.m.

High School Basketball
Comcast SportsNet will provide coverage of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame’s annual Spalding Hoophall Classic. CSN’s coverage includes a doubleheader on Sunday, January 18, beginning at 2 p.m. and featuring legendary programs DeMatha and Gonzaga of Washington, DC and St. Mark’s of Southborough. 

In addition to picking up the CN8 programming, Comcast SportsNet will keep all telecast teams in place for this programming.

Comcast SportsNet’s full schedule of additional programming can be found below (all events live unless noted):

Sat, January 10    Bowling: Candlepin Challenge        11 a.m.
                                CBB: Towson @ Northeastern        3 p.m.
                                HE: BC @ UVM                7 p.m.
           
Sun, January 11    CBB: Albany @ Vermont            4 p.m.
                                 WCB: Hofstra @ Drexel            6:00 p.m. (tape delay)
           
Sat, January 17    Bowling: Candlepin Challenge        11 a.m.   
                                HE: BC @ BU                    7 p.m.
                               CBB: James Madison @ George Mason    9:30 p.m. (tape delay)

Sun, January 18    HSBB: Spalding Hoophall Classic       
                                 Gonzaga (DC) vs. St Mark’s (MA)        2 p.m.
                                 DeMatha (DC) vs. Neumann-Goretti (PA)    4 p.m.

Mon, January 19     CBB: UMBC @ Vermont            8 p.m.

Sat, January 24    Bowling: Candlepin Challenge         11 a.m.   
                                HE: BU @ UNH                TBD

Sun, January 25    WCB: Towson @ Drexel            1 p.m.

Tue, January 27    CBB: Delaware @ George Mason        7 p.m.

Sat, January 31    Bowling: Candlepin Challenge        11 a.m.   
                                CBB: VCU @ Hofstra                12 p.m.
                                CBB: Penn @ Dartmouth            7 p.m.

Wed, February 4    CBB: Drexel @ Delaware            10:30 p.m. (tape delay)

Sat, February 7    Bowling: Candlepin Challenge        11 a.m.   
                               HE: Providence @ UVM            7 p.m.
   
Sun, February 8    WCB: VCU @ Delaware            6 p.m. (tape delay)

Sat, February 14    Bowling: Candlepin Challenge        11 a.m.   
                                  CBB: Hofstra @ Delaware            6 p.m. (tape delay)

Sun, February 15    CBB: Towson @ Drexel            3 p.m.

Wed, February 18    CBB: Delaware @ VCU            7 p.m.

Sat, February    21    Bowling: Candlepin Challenge        11 a.m.
                                    CBB: Harvard @ Penn            6 p.m.
                                    HE: BU @ Northeastern            8 p.m.

Thu, February 26    CBB: Albany @ UNH                7 p.m.

Sat, February 28    Bowling: Candlepin Challenge        11 a.m.
                                 CBB: Georgia St @ VCU            4 p.m.
                                  HE: UMass @ BU                8 p.m.

Sat, March 7        Bowling: Candlepin Challenge        11 am
                              CBB: CAA Quarterfinals No 1            12 p.m.
                              CBB: CAA Quarterfinals No 2            2:30 p.m.
                              CBB: CAA Quarterfinals No 3            6 p.m.
                              CBB: CAA Quarterfinals No 4            8:30 p.m.

Sun, March 8        CBB: CAA Semifinals No. 1            TBD
                               CBB: CAA Semifinals No. 2            TBD 

Tue, March 10        CBB: Princeton @ Penn            8 p.m.

Sat, March 14        Bowling: Candlepin Bowling            11 a.m.
                                 WCB: CAA Women’s Semis
                                 Games 1 & 2                    12 p.m.
                                 HE: Quarterfinals @ Vermont            TBD

Sun, March 15       HS Hockey: Super 8 Champ. Game        7 p.m.

Sat, March 21        Bowling: Candlepin Challenge        11 a.m.           

In early 2009, CN8 is being restructured into two more locally-focused networks based in Philadelphia and The Washington/Baltimore region.

Comcast SportsNet reaches more than 4 million households in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont. Comcast SportsNet’s programming includes the Boston Celtics, Mohegan Sun Sports Tonight, Celtics Now, New England Tailgate, and Net Impact. Comcast SportsNet’s partnership with the 17-time NBA Champion Boston Celtics is the longest team-regional sports network relationship in New England and the fourth longest in professional sports. Comcast SportsNet New England is owned and managed by Comcast Sports Group. Visit www.comcastsportsnet.com for more information.

Comcast Sports Group operates 10 sports networks that cover more than 2,400 live sporting events annually and deliver comprehensive sports news and analysis to 40 million cable and satellite homes.  Comcast Sports Group’s networks are: Comcast SportsNet Bay Area, Comcast SportsNet California, Comcast SportsNet Chicago, Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic, Comcast SportsNet New England, Comcast SportsNet Northwest, Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia, SNY, The Mtn. – Mountain West Sports Network, and CSS.  These networks provide live game coverage 18 professional teams, as well as college, minor league and other sports.  For more information, see ComcastSportsNet.com.

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