Men's Hockey to Compete in 2018 Friendship Four in Northern Ireland
January 6, 2017 | Men's Ice Hockey
BOSTON - The Boston University men's ice hockey program will play its first games outside of North America during Thanksgiving week in 2018 as the athletic department has accepted an invitation to compete in the annual Northern Irish Connections Friendship Four Tournament held in Belfast, Northern Ireland, it was announced on Friday at Fenway Park.
Hockey East and ECAC Hockey will continue to send two teams for the next two years after successful Friendship Four tournaments were held in 2015 and 2016. Boston University will be joined by Connecticut, Union and Yale on Nov. 23 & 24, 2018, while Providence, Maine, Rensselaer and Clarkson will compete in the 2017 edition.
"Having been part of the first two Friendship Four events, I am thrilled with this news and what it means to the athletes and coaches who will be the primary beneficiaries," said Hockey East commissioner Joe Bertagna. "Our hosts have done a tremendous job launching this event and the schools who have played to date have delivered the best of NCAA ice hockey to the people of Belfast."
"The Friendship Four tournament has been a phenomenal event for ECAC Hockey and its member institutions. All aspects of the tournament during the first two years have been first class, and created life-long memories," said ECAC Hockey commissioner Steve Hagwell. "I know the teams participating in the 2017 and 2018 tournaments are eager to visit the great city of Belfast and to experience everything the Friendship Four has to offer."
The squads will square off at The SSE Arena, home of the Belfast Giants, a professional team that competes within the Elite Ice Hockey League. The arena has hosted the Friendship Four Tournament since 2015, when the inaugural tournament provided a four-game set that featured the ECAC's Brown University and Colgate University and Hockey East's UMass Lowell River Hawks and Northeastern Huskies.
Additionally, the teams will take part in cultural experiences, including visiting with youth groups and exploring the deep history of Northern Ireland. Last year's iteration of the tournament was an international success, seen on television across North America and Europe, and attended by over 20,000 spectators. The 2015 event, part of Boston and Belfast's sister cities project, marked the first time that NCAA college hockey was played outside of North America.
2018 Friendship Four
November 23, 2018
Boston University vs. UConn
Yale vs. Union
November 24, 2018
Belpot Title Game
Third-Place Game
