2012 NCAA Hockey schedule: Ranked BC, BU, Harvard on ice Friday

Three ranked Boston teams hit the ice in college hockey Friday night, including the top-ranked Boston College Eagles and a nationally televised ECAC matchup for the Harvard Crimson.

Merrimack vs. No. 1 Boston College, 7 p.m.: The season started off a little bit scarily for the Eagles, as they lost to Northeastern and were pushed to overtime by UMass. Since, they've won all seven games in regulation, earning all 50 first-place votes in the most recent USCHO poll. They host Merrimack, which is 4-5-1 overall after a two-game losing streak but hanging close to the top of Hockey East thanks to a pair of wins over Northeastern.

No. 11 Boston University vs. Vermont, 7:05 p.m.: The Terriers head up to Burlington, looking to bounce back from a loss in the Green Line Rivalry with Boston College last Saturday. They'll play a Catamounts team whose only conference victory thus far came against Providence.

No. 17 Harvard vs. No. 10 Cornell, 7:30 p.m., NBC Sports Network: Two Ivy League rivals square off in an ECAC matchup that will be carried nationally and called by Doc Emrick, a familiar voice for lockout-sick NHL fans. Neither squad has been particularly great of late, as the Crimson were blown out 5-1 by Yale and 6-2 by Union before a bounceback win over Rennselaer, while the Big Red are 0-2-1 in their last three times on the ice.

Here's some other matchups for local teams:

UMass vs. Maine, 7 p.m.

Northeastern vs. Providence, 7 p.m.

No. 5 New Hampshire vs. UMass-Lowell, 7 p.m.