Published: October 12, 2008 11:45 pm         

NIAGARA UNIVERSITY: Purple Eagles amp up TV presence

Don’t adjust your television set — you’re supposed to see that much purple.

Niagara University revealed an ambitious television schedule for its hockey and basketball teams over the weekend, highlighted by nine select games produced by the second-year Niagara Sports Network that will be available in at least 1.4 million homes, university officials said.

More than 40 men’s and women’s contests will air over the next six months, beginning with Friday’s men’s hockey opener against St. Lawrence on Lockport Cable Television.

“This schedule gives us the opportunity to bring Niagara University into more homes than ever in our history,” said Ed McLaughlin, university athletics director. “It is a tribute to the success of our basketball and hockey programs, as well as the quality of product we created with the Niagara Sports Network.”

NSN games will air locally on RTN-11, and on Time Warner channels in Rochester and Albany, giving the Purple Eagles a presence in several alumni hotbeds, including parts of eastern New England that pick up Albany stations.

“We’ll also be on satellite,” said Glenn Hofmann, associate athletics director. “Which means anybody can pick up the highlights. And if we have a kid from a certain market, we can give those TV folks a heads up and they can show the game if they want.”

While LCTV games will continue to run on taped delay, local fans will get to see live broadcasts of all NSN productions, as well as the five basketball games on national or regional networks, and some games scheduled for Time Warner Cable SportsNet.

NSN, which debuted last year with six games, will return with the rematch of last year’s NCAA men’s hockey tournament game between Niagara and Michigan, Oct. 23 in Ann Arbor. Visits to Maine (Oct. 31 and Nov. 1) and Cornell (Jan. 10) will also air on NSN, along with games from the College Hockey America championship tournament.

The men’s basketball opener against Towson on Nov. 16 will be shown by NSN, as will road games at South Florida (Dec. 14), Drexel (Dec. 18), and Iona (Feb. 2).

Steve Degler will return to handle play-by-play duties for all NSN games. He will be joined in the hockey rafters by WGR radio personality Paul Hamilton, and on the basketball sidelines by Mike McDonald, the former Canisius coach now at Medaille. WGR’s Jeremy White will be the sideline reporter.

On top of adding more games, the Purple Eagles invested in improving the quality of production, Hofmann said, not only for game broadcasts, but student-athlete features that will air during halftimes.

“It’ll give us a better avenue to tell our stories,” he said.

Feature packages will also be part of the revamped SportsNite Niagara program that will return to RTN-11 in January.

The women’s basketball and hockey teams will receive unprecedented television exposure this winter, with 10 games set to air, including the Purple Eagles’ Feb. 13 basketball game at Loyola.

“We need to get them on more; that’s a critical priority for us,” Hofmann said. “To some extent, we’re at the mercy of our television partners. But from day one, we’ve said we need to get them on more. And we have — but I think we have a long way to go.”



NIAGARA PURPLE EAGLES ON TV



Men’s Basketball

Game Date Channel

Towson Nov. 16 NSN*

at Villanova Nov. 19 ESPNU

at Buffalo Nov. 25 TW-13

Akron Dec. 3 TW-13

at South Florida Dec. 14 NSN

at Drexel Dec. 18 NSN*

at Manhattan Jan. 3 TW-13

at Siena Jan. 24 MSG

Canisius Jan. 26 TW-13

at Iona Feb. 2 NSN*

Saint Peter’s Feb. 6 LCTV

at Canisius Feb. 12 TW-13

at Fairfield Feb. 14 ESPN2

Siena Feb. 27 ESPNU

Maris March 1 TW-13



Women’s Basketball

Game Date Channel

Oakland Nov. 16 LCTV

at Buffalo Nov. 25 TW-13

Binghamton Dec. 1 LCTV

St. Bonaventure Dec. 17 TW-13

Canisius Jan. 4 TW-13

at Loyola Feb. 13 ESPNU

at Canisius TW-13



Men’s Hockey

Game Date Channel

St. Lawrence Oct. 17 LCTV

at Michigan Oct. 23 NSN*

Merrimack Oct. 25 LCTV

at Maine Oct. 31 NSN*

at Maine Nov. 1 NSN*

RIT Nov. 1 LCTV

Canisius Nov. 11 TW-13

Bemidji State Nov. 22 LCTV

Robert Morris Dec. 13 TW-13

at Cornell Jan. 10 NSN*

Quinnipiac Jan. 17 LCTV

Quinnipiac Jan. 17 TW-13

Robert Morris Feb. 7 TW-13

Ala.-Huntsville March 6 LCTV

CHA Tournament March 13 NSN*

CHA Tournament March 13 NSN*



Women’s Hockey

Game Date Channel

Minnesota Jan. 4 LCTV

Syracuse Jan.17 TW-13

Syracuse Jan. 18 LCTV

Mercyhurst Feb. 17 TW-13



* RTN-11 in Buffalo, Time Warner Cable channels in Rochester, Albany







Contact reporter Jonah Bronstein at 282-2311, ext. 2261.