Women’s Ice Breaker Tournament
The annual Women’s Ice Breaker Tournament marks the traditional start to the college hockey season. Celebrating its fourth tournament in 2024-25, the Ice Breaker brings together four of the nation’s top teams, typically from different conferences.
The Ice Breaker Tournament was created by the Hockey Commissioners Association in order to celebrate the start of the season with teams from a variety of NCAA Division I conferences. The event has a legislative exemption from the NCAA which allows the four participants to play two additional games above the normal limit of 34.
The 2024 Ice Breaker Tournament was hosted by defending NCAA champion Ohio State at The Schottenstein Center with the Buckeyes claiming the title. The other participants include Cornell, Penn State and Stonehill.
After defeating the Stonehill Skyhawks in game one, the Buckeyes claimed the championship with a 7-3 win over the Cornell Big Red. It was a high-scoring weekend for the champs, as Ohio State had 10 different goal scorers on the weekend. Junior goaltender Lexington Secreto (New Windsor, N.Y.) earned her first start, shutout, and win as a Buckeye, with nine saves, including a penalty shot.
Joy Dunne (O’Fallon, Mo.), Emma Peschel (Edina, Minn.) and Josie St. Martin (Stillwater, Minn.) earned WCHA honors for their play over the weekend.
Women’s Ice Breaker Tournament History
| Year | Host | Site | Participants (Champion in Boldface) |
| 2019 | Mercyhurst | Buffalo Harbor Center (Buffalo, N.Y.) | Colgate, UConn, Mercyhurst, Minnesota Duluth |
| 2020 | Not held because of COVID-19 | ||
| 2021 | Not held because of COVID-19 | ||
| 2022 | Neutral Site | 1980 Rink Herb Brooks Arena (Lake Placid, N.Y.) | Clarkson, Holy Cross, St. Lawrence, Syracuse |
| 2023 | Sacred Heart | Martire Family Arena (Fairfield, Conn.) | Lindenwood, Northeastern, Sacred Heart, St. Cloud State |
| 2024 | Ohio State | Schottenstein Center (Columbus, Ohio) | Cornell, Ohio State, Penn State, Stonehill |