Tuesday, July 23, 2013
Future Ice Breakers Awarded
2014 and ’15 events to visit Compton Family Ice Arena at Notre Dame, Cumberland County Civic Center in Maine.
The Ice Breaker Tournament, the traditional start to the college hockey season, will be held at the Compton Family Ice Arena at the University of Notre Dame in 2014 and at the Cumberland County Civic Center in Portland, Maine, in 2015.
Ice Breaker Tournament History
College Hockey Inc., which manages the event on behalf of the Hockey Commissioners Association, also announced that the 2014 tournament will feature Minnesota, Minnesota Duluth and Rensselaer in addition to host Notre Dame. The 2015 field will include the host school, the University of Maine, with three other teams to be determined at a later date.
“The Ice Breaker will be visiting two fantastic venues in 2014 and ’15, arenas that showcase college hockey in their own unique way,” said Mike Snee, Executive Director of College Hockey Inc. “We are thrilled to work with Notre Dame and Maine on these tournaments and look forward to celebrating the start of the 2014 and ’15 seasons in these terrific settings.”
The 2013 Ice Breaker Tournament, the 17th year of the event, will be held Oct. 11-12 at Minnesota’s Mariucci Arena and features Clarkson, Mercyhurst and New Hampshire in addition to the host Golden Gophers.
Notre Dame Hosts for First Time
Notre Dame, which won the 2012 Ice Breaker in Kansas City, will be participating in its fourth Ice Breaker in 2014, its first as host. The 5,022-seat Compton Family Ice Arena, located on the Notre Dame campus in Notre Dame, Ind., opened in the fall of 2011.
“This is an awesome opportunity for our university and hockey program to host the prestigious Ice Breaker Tournament in October, 2014,” said Notre Dame head coach Jeff Jackson. “The event deserves to be held at campus sites and there is none better than the Compton Family Ice Arena. Our alumni, students and loyal fans will be treated to some great hockey to start the 2014-15 season.”
Maine will host the Ice Breaker for the second time in 2015, the first at an off-campus venue. Alfond Arena was home to the fifth Ice Breaker Tournament in 2001.
Renovated Civic Center Hosts in 2015
The Cumberland County Civic Center is set to undergo a $33 million modernization that will be complete prior to the 2015 Ice Breaker. The facility, which will seat approximately 6,500 fans, is home to the AHL’s Portland Pirates and regularly hosts Maine games.
“The University of Maine is thrilled to be hosting the 2015 Ice Breaker Tournament in Portland,” said Maine first-year head coach Red Gendron. “The Ice Breaker Tournament annually features the nation’s best teams in the top venues. The Cumberland County Civic Center is undergoing a multi-million dollar renovation and we are looking forward to hosting the tournament there. We can’t wait to showcase college hockey to our great fans, including the ones in southern Maine, in addition to college hockey fans throughout the nation.”
Ticket packages and other information about the 2014 and ’15 Ice Breaker Tournaments will be announced by each school as the events get closer.