Merrimack College will be rolling out the red carpet next Friday, when the Warriors host St. Cloud State in the inaugural game for the new women’s hockey program.

There will be several special guests in attendance, with a list that includes Olympians and current pro players from the Boston Pride, the franchise in the National Women’s Hockey League that will be playing its home games at Harvard.

Also, there are rumblings that the Merrimack athletic department will be televising the game, though network details aren’t known. The athletic department is also producing an “All Access” program, documenting the lead up to the program’s first game next Friday. It’s similar to what the school did with the men’s hockey program in 2012, as it headed towards the Hockey East playoffs.

Mike McMahon

Mike McMahon is in his 13th year covering Merrimack College for The Eagle Tribune and is the founder and managing editor of The Mack Report. Mike also serves on staff as a senior writer at College Hockey News. Follow him on Twitter @MikeMcMahonCHN