2012 College Hockey schedule: UMass-Lowell starts Hockey East play

The exhibition schedules for most college hockey teams are over, and several New England squads get their regular season underway Friday night, including a Hockey East matchup.

UMass-Lowell drops the puck on their season with a matchup against conference foe Vermont. The Riverhawks are looking to improve on last year, when they finished a game away from making it to the Frozen Four. They'll hope to make quick work of Vermont, who finished well in last place in Hockey East last season at 3-23-1.

Connecticut and Massachussets also play in a matchup that pits a decent team from the Atlantic Hockey conference against a middling team from Hockey East.

Here's a rundown of games in tonight's lineup for teams from the Northeast. It's the first regular season matchup for every team listed, although some have played tune-up games against Canadian squads. All times are Eastern.

7 p.m.: Vermont vs. UMass-Lowell

7 p.m.: Sacred Heart vs. Providence

7 p.m.: UConn vs. UMass (WSHM/Channel 3 in Springfield)

7:30 p.m.: St. Cloud State vs. New Hampshire (WBIN/Channel 35 in New Hampshire, Fox College Sports)

BC and BU each get their Hockey East schedules underway Saturday, with the Eagles taking on a cross-town opponent in Northeastern while the Terriers take on Providence.