Connecticut Ice Explained

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]

History

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

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

Notes and References

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