| Friendship Four | |
| Sport: | College ice hockey |
| Location: | Belfast, Northern Ireland |
| Teams: | 4 |
| Number: | 7 |
| Format: | Single-elimination |
| Venue: | SSE Arena Belfast |
| Current Champion: | Boston University |
The Friendship Four is an annual mid-season college ice hockey tournament that has been held since 2015 at SSE Arena Belfast in Belfast, Northern Ireland with the winner receiving the Belpot Trophy. It is currently the only college ice hockey tournament to take place outside of the United States.
The tournament began as a way to foster stronger economic development, trade and investment, tourism, cultural exchange, and educational linkages between the sister cities of Boston and Belfast.[1] Each year four teams are selected to participate in the tournament which is typically held on the same weekend as Thanksgiving in the United States. As of 2019, all games have been played at the SSE Arena Belfast while all participating schools have come from the eastern region. While only two participating universities have come from Boston, many more have come from the same general region.
After the 2020 and 2021 series were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2022 Friendship Four was announced on December 4, 2021.[2] The series continued in 2024[3], and is set to be played as a women's tournament in 2025.[4]
| Year | Champion | Runner-up | Third place | Fourth place | Ref | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Massachusetts–Lowell | [5] | |||||
| Vermont | Massachusetts and St. Lawrence (tie) | [6] | ||||
| Clarkson | [7] | |||||
| Union | [8] | |||||
| Northeastern | [9] | |||||
| Quinnipiac | [10] | |||||
| 2024 | Boston University | Notre Dame | Harvard | Merrimack | [11] | |
The 2025 Friendship Four will be contested between Miami, Sacred Heart, RIT, and Union.[12] In 2026, the tournament will be played by women's teams for the first time, with Boston University, Harvard, Quinnipiac, and Minnesota Duluth participating.