Special Events

"It was a great atmosphere for the kids to be in. I thought the whole tournament was tremendous. It's a phenomenal experience. I mean, this is one of the best venues you could have in this tournament, if not the best. It's a hockey city. It's a great building and a great atmosphere." -- Minnesota Duluth head coach Scott Sandelin  on the Frozen Four

"What the Beanpot means to me? Quite simply, there are two words that come to mind: tradition and emotion. Anyone who has a pulse around here knows about the tradition of the Beanpot. I'm a local kid. I grew up in Scituate. I started coming to the Beanpot about the same time I started playing hockey." -- David Silk, former BU forward and 1980 Olympic gold medal winner

"It was awesome. I just can't explain it. It was awesome. I blacked out. It was nuts -- just so much excitement." -- Michigan defenseman Jon Merrill on The Big Chill

photoFrom the season-opening Ice Breaker Tournament to the Frozen Four, college hockey features a variety of special events that put the schools and student-athletes in the spotlight throughout the season.

College hockey pioneered the modern outdoor hockey game with the 2001 "Cold War" (right) between Michigan State and Michigan. Those schools met again in the 2010 "Big Chill" at Michigan Stadium, attracting a crowd of 109,901, the most ever to watch a hockey game. Other programs to participate in outdoor games include Boston College, Boston University, Connecticut, Ohio State, Sacred Heart and Wisconsin.

Other in-season events include the Beanpot (featuring four Boston schools at TD Garden), Red Hot Hockey between BU and Cornell at Madison Square Garden and a variety of annual holiday tournaments like the Great Lakes Invitational at Detroit's Joe Louis Arena. Traditional on-campus events like Rensselaer's Big Red Freakout! and Michigan Tech's Winter Carnival also highlight the schedule.

Postseason schedules take teams to conference tournaments at a variety of neutral sites like Xcel Energy Center. The NCAA Tournament features 16 teams and begins with four regional sites and culminating at the Frozen Four.
 

Ice Breaker Tournament

photoThe annual Ice Breaker Tournament marks the traditional start to the college hockey season. Celebrating its 15th season in 2011-12, the Ice Breaker brings together four of the nation's top teams from different conferences.

This year's event will be held in Grand Forks, N.D., at the Ralph Engelstad Arena and will feature hosts North Dakota, Air Force, Boston College and Michigan State. Games will take place Oct. 7-8.

A terrific opportunity to put the spotlight on college hockey just as the season gets underway, the Ice Breaker also provides a tough early season test for some NCAA championship contenders. Past Ice Breaker champions include Boston University (three times), New Hampshire (twice), Boston College, Colorado College, Denver, Michigan State, Minnesota, Nebraska-Omaha, St. Cloud State and Vermont.

The event has taken place at a mix of on- and off-campus sites, visiting top venues such as Xcel Energy Center (St. Paul), Scottrade Center (St. Louis) and Kohl Center (Madison, Wis.).

Ice Breaker Tournament History

Year Host Site Field (Champion in Boldface)
1997 University of Wisconsin Dane County Coliseum (Madison) BU, Clarkson, Michigan State, Wisconsin
1998 University of Minnesota Mariucci (Minneapolis) BC, Minnesota, Ohio State, St. Lawrence
1999 University of Denver Magness Arena (Denver) Denver, Notre Dame, Providence, Union
2000 University of Michigan Yost Arena (Ann Arbor) Colgate, Michigan, New Hampshire, North Dakota
2001 University of Maine Alfond Arena (Orono) Bowling Green, Clarkson, Maine, St. Cloud
2002 University of Wisconsin Kohl Center (Madison) BU, Northern Michigan, Rensselaer, Wisconsin
2003 Michigan State University Munn Arena (East Lansing) BC, Findlay, Minnesota-Duluth, Michigan State
2004 New Hampshire Whittemore Center (Durham) New Hampshire, Ohio St., St. Cloud, St. Lawrence
2005 Colorado College World Arena (Colorado Springs) Air Force, Colorado College, Maine, Union
2006 Miami University Goggin Ice Arena (Oxford) Colgate, Denver, Miami, Vermont
2007 University of Minnesota Xcel Energy Center (St. Paul) BC, Michigan, Minnesota, Rensselaer
2008 Boston University Agganis Arena (Boston) BU, UMass, Michigan State, North Dakota
2009 Nebraska-Omaha Qwest Center (Omaha) Army, UMass Lowell, Nebraska-Omaha, St. Lawrence
2010 St. Louis Sports Commission Scottrade Center (St. Louis) BU, Holy Cross, Notre Dame, Wisconsin
2011 University of North Dakota Ralph Engelstad Arena (Grand Forks) Air Force, BC, Michigan State, North Dakota

NCAA Frozen Four

The NCAA crowns its national champion at the culmination of the college hockey season, the Frozen Four, each spring. Held before sellout crowds at NHL arenas, the Frozen Four consists of the two semifinal games and one championship game, played over three days. Each game is broadcast live on ESPN or ESPN2.

The Frozen Four is the culmination of the NCAA Tournament, which has been held each year since 1948. The tournament expanded to its current 16-team format in 2003.

Over time, the Frozen Four has become more than just the games - it's a weekend long celebration of college hockey. Thousands of fans attend year after year, regardless of the teams involved, creating crowds filled with dozens of different jerseys. On the day between games college hockey celebrates some of its best, with the presentation of the Hobey Baker Award, the Hockey Humanitarian Award and the AHCA All-America Teams.

Upcoming Frozen Fours will be held in Tampa (2012), Pittsburgh (2013) and Philadelphia (2014).

All-Time Frozen Four Tournament History

Year Champion Runner-up Third Fourth Site
1948 Michigan Dartmouth Other semifinalists: BC and Colorado College Col. Springs, Colo.
1949 Boston College Dartmouth Michigan Colorado College Col. Springs, Colo.
1950 Colorado College Boston University Michigan Boston College Col. Springs, Colo.
1951 Michigan Brown Boston University Colorado College Col. Springs, Colo.
1952 Michigan Colorado College Yale St. Lawrence Col. Springs, Colo.
1953 Michigan Minnesota Rensselaer Boston University Col. Springs, Colo.
1954 Rensselaer Minnesota Michigan Boston College Col. Springs, Colo.
1955 Michigan Colorado College Harvard St. Lawrence Col. Springs, Colo.
1956 Michigan Michigan Tech St. Lawrence Boston College Col. Springs, Colo.
1957 Colorado College Michigan Clarkson Harvard Col. Springs, Colo.
1958 Denver North Dakota Clarkson Harvard Minneapolis, Minn.
1959 North Dakota Michigan State Boston College St. Lawrence Troy, N.Y.
1960 Denver Michigan Tech Boston University St. Lawrence Boston, Mass.
1961 Denver St. Lawrence Minnesota Rensselaer Denver, Colo.
1962 Michigan Tech Clarkson Michigan St. Lawrence Utica, N.Y.
1963 North Dakota Denver Clarkson Boston College Chestnut Hill, Mass.
1964 Michigan Denver Rensselaer Providence Denver, Colo.
1965 Michigan Tech Boston College North Dakota Brown Providence, R.I.
1966 Michigan State Clarkson Denver Boston University Minneapolis, Minn.
1967 Cornell Boston University Michigan State North Dakota Syracuse, N.Y.
1968 Denver North Dakota Cornell Boston College Duluth, Minn.
1969 Denver Cornell Harvard Michigan Tech Col. Springs, Colo.
1970 Cornell Clarkson Wisconsin Michigan Tech Lake Placid, N.Y.
1971 Boston University Minnesota Denver Harvard Syracuse, N.Y.
1972 Boston University Cornell Wisconsin Denver Boston, Mass.
1973 Wisconsin Denver Boston College Cornell Boston, Mass.
1974 Minnesota Michigan Tech Boston University Harvard Boston, Mass.
1975 Michigan Tech Minnesota Boston University Harvard St. Louis, Mo.
1976 Minnesota Michigan Tech Brown Boston University Denver, Colo.
1977 Wisconsin Michigan Boston University New Hampshire Detroit, Mich.
1978 Boston University Boston College Bowling Green Wisconsin Providence, R.I.
1979 Minnesota North Dakota Dartmouth New Hampshire Detroit, Mich.
1980 North Dakota Northern Michigan Dartmouth Cornell Providence, R.I.
1981 Wisconsin Minnesota Michigan Tech Northern Michigan Duluth, Minn.
1982 North Dakota Wisconsin Northeastern New Hampshire Providence, R.I.
1983 Wisconsin Harvard Providence Minnesota Grand Forks, ND
1984 Bowling Green Minnesota Duluth North Dakota Michigan State Lake Placid, N.Y.
1985 Rensselaer Providence Minnesota Duluth Boston College Detroit, Mich.
1986 Michigan State Harvard Minnesota Denver Providence, R.I.
1987 North Dakota Michigan State Minnesota Harvard Detroit, Mich.
1988 Lake Superior State St. Lawrence Maine Minnesota Lake Placid, N.Y.
1989 Harvard Minnesota Michigan State Maine St. Paul, Minn.
Year Champion Runner-up Other Semifinalists Site
1990 Wisconsin Colgate Boston College Boston University Detroit, Mich.
1991 Northern Michigan Boston University Maine Clarkson St. Paul, Minn.
1992 Lake Superior State Wisconsin Michigan Michigan State Albany, N.Y.
1993 Maine Lake Superior State Boston University Michigan Milwaukee, Wis.
1994 Lake Superior State Boston University Harvard Minnesota St. Paul, Minn.
1995 Boston University Maine Michigan Minnesota Providence, R.I.
1996 Michigan Colorado College Boston University Vermont Cincinnati, Ohio
1997 North Dakota Boston University Colorado College Michigan Milwaukee, Wis.
1998 Michigan Boston College New Hampshire Ohio State Boston, Mass.
1999 Maine New Hampshire Boston College Michigan State Anaheim, Calif.
2000 North Dakota Boston College Maine St. Lawrence Providence, R.I.
2001 Boston College North Dakota Michigan Michigan State Albany, N.Y.
2002 Minnesota Maine New Hampshire Michigan St. Paul, Minn.
2003 Minnesota New Hampshire Cornell Michigan Buffalo, N.Y.
2004 Denver Maine Boston College Minnesota Duluth Boston, Mass.
2005 Denver North Dakota Colorado College Minnesota Columbus, Ohio
2006 Wisconsin Boston College Maine North Dakota Milwaukee, Wis.
2007 Michigan State Boston College Maine North Dakota St. Louis, Mo.
2008 Boston College Notre Dame Michigan North Dakota Denver, Colo.
2009 Boston University Miami Bemidji State Vermont Washington, D.C.
2010 Boston College Wisconsin Miami RIT Detroit, Mich.
2011 Minnesota-Duluth Michigan Notre Dame North Dakota St. Paul, Minn.

 

 

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