ECAC Hockey Women’s Championship Moves to Lake Placid

Two big college hockey announcements have been made with one event heading to Lake Placid, New York, and another continuing its decade-long tradition in Belfast, Ireland.

ECAC Hockey has announced the league’s women’s tournament will move to Lake Placid beginning with the 2025–2026 season. The top four women’s programs in the league will compete for the title at the 1980 Rink at Herb Brooks Arena inside the Olympic Center, the site for the Miracle on Ice at the 1980 Olympic Winter Games.

“Lake Placid is a special place in the hockey community and we are thrilled to bring the ECAC Hockey Women’s Championship to this historic venue,” said ECAC Hockey Commissioner Doug Christiansen. “This move will provide an unforgettable championship atmosphere for our student-athletes and fans, while building on the league’s tradition of excellence.”

The inaugural Lake Placid women’s championship weekend is set for March 6–7, 2026, featuring semifinal games on March 6 and the championship final on March 7. The winner will earn the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

“We’re excited to partner with ECAC Hockey and welcome its women’s championship to Lake Placid, the home of ECAC Hockey,” said Chadd Cassidy, vice president of legacy venue operations for the Olympic Regional Development Authority. “Herb Brooks Arena is the most iconic rink in the world, and we look forward to creating a memorable experience for players, coaches and fans.”

Friendship Four Continues in Belfast

The Odyssey Trust has announced the competing teams for the 2026, 2027 and 2028 Friendship Four ice hockey tournaments as the event celebrates its 10-year anniversary in Belfast in 2025. Held annually at the SSE Arena, the Friendship Four is the only NCAA Division I ice hockey tournament to take place outside of North America.

“Reaching the 10-year anniversary of the Friendship Four is a remarkable achievement and a celebration of everything the tournament has come to represent,” said Steve Thornton, sports director at The Odyssey Trust. “Over the past decade, Belfast has welcomed some of the top NCAA teams and inspired new generations of fans. As we look to the future, we are thrilled to confirm three outstanding lineups for 2026, 2027, and 2028, which promise to deliver more unforgettable hockey memories at The SSE Arena.”

The 2026 edition of the Friendship Four will welcome Connecticut, Providence, Minnesota-Duluth and Colgate. In 2027, Northeastern, Quinnipiac, North Dakota and Wisconsin will take to the ice. The 2028 lineup will see Notre Dame, Nebraska-Omaha, Dartmouth and the University of Maine compete.

The tournament builds on the Sister Cities agreement between Belfast and Boston signed a decade ago. The agreement aims to foster stronger economic development, trade and investment, tourism, youth, cultural exchanges and educational linkages between the two cities.

The Friendship Four returns to Belfast in November 2025, with the Rochester Institute of Technology, Sacred Heart, Miami and Union going head-to-head at the home of the Belfast Giants. The fourth women’s Friendship Series tournament will see Boston, Harvard, Quinnipiac and Minnesota-Duluth take to the ice in Belfast in January 2026.