Connecticut Ice is an annual ice hockey event celebrating the tradition and progress of youth and amateur hockey in the state of Connecticut. The three-day event is headlined by a four-team tournament with participation from all of the state's four Division I programs: Connecticut, Quinnipiac, Sacred Heart and Yale.[1]

Connecticut Ice
Tournament information
SportCollege ice hockey
LocationConnecticut
Established2020
Number of
tournaments
4
FormatSingle-elimination
VenueWebster Bank Arena (2020–2022)
Home sites (2023–)
Teams4
Current champion
Quinnipiac

History

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After years of organization, the first event was finally arranged for late January in 2020.[2] In addition to the collegiate tournament, the three-day event includes youth tournaments from various levels of junior ice hockey.

SportsNet New York agreed to broadcast all four games of the tournament.[3]

In 2021, in what was supposed to be the second edition of the tournament, the event was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Among other problems, the virus had led Yale to cancel its entire season.[4]

After returning in 2022, the tournament ended its arrangement with the Webster Bank Arena and was played at the M&T Bank Arena, the home venue for Quinnipiac. As a result, SNY decided against broadcasting the tournament, which was renamed as the 'Connecticut Hockey Tournament'. After the season, the series reverted to being called 'Connecticut Ice' and a new arrangement was made to hold the series at the XL Center in Hartford, Connecticut for 2024.[5] SNY agreed to resume broadcasting the series which was also renewed until at least 2026.

Yearly results

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Year Champion Runner-up Third place Fourth place Venue Ref
2020 Sacred Heart Quinnipiac Yale Connecticut Webster Bank Arena [6]
2022 Quinnipiac Connecticut Sacred Heart Yale Webster Bank Arena [7]
2023 Quinnipiac Connecticut Sacred Heart Yale M&T Bank Arena [8][9]
2024 Quinnipiac Connecticut Yale Sacred Heart XL Center
2025 Martire Family Arena
2026 Ingalls Rink

References

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  1. ^ "Connecticut Ice festival in Jan. 2020 to feature all four in-state men's D-I hockey teams". USCHO.com. March 25, 2019. Retrieved December 5, 2019.
  2. ^ "'Connecticut Ice' finally gets state's college hockey teams together". CT Post. March 25, 2019. Retrieved December 5, 2019.
  3. ^ "Matchups, start times announced for inaugural Connecticut Ice college hockey tournament featuring UConn, Quinnipiac, Yale and Sacred Heart". The Hartford Courant. October 8, 2019. Retrieved December 5, 2019.
  4. ^ "Ivy League cancels winter sports season, delays spring play". ESPN. November 12, 2020. Retrieved January 25, 2021.
  5. ^ "Connecticut Ice tournament with UConn, Quinnipiac, Yale, Sacred Heart moves to XL Center". CT Insider. August 8, 2023. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
  6. ^ "Connecticut Ice: Sacred Heart uses scoring burst to beat Quinnipiac in title game; UConn squanders another strong start, falls to Yale". The Hartford Courant. January 26, 2020. Retrieved January 27, 2020.
  7. ^ "Takeaways from Quinnipiac's 2-0 Connecticut Ice championship win over UConn, including Yaniv Perets' record-setting shutout".
  8. ^ "Men's Ice Hockey vs UConn on 1/28/2023 - Box Score".
  9. ^ "Men's Ice Hockey vs Yale on 1/28/2023 - Box Score".
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