Men's Ice Hockey to Return to Belfast for 2024 Friendship Four
November 2, 2023 | Men's Ice Hockey
BOSTON - The Boston University men's ice hockey team will take part in the 2024 Friendship Four in Belfast, Northern Ireland, it was announced on Thursday at the Massachusetts State House.
BU will join Harvard, Merrimack and Notre Dame at the 2024 edition of the tournament, which will be held at SSE Arena, home of the Belfast Giants. The Terriers first played for the Belpot in 2018 when they made the trip across the Atlantic with UConn, Union and Yale. This will be the first appearance for the other three schools.
Held annually in Belfast since 2015, the Friendship Four is designed to promote education, social welfare, and community interaction, building on the sister cities agreement between Belfast and Boston, which was signed a decade ago. Having seen a total of 24 games played across six tournaments, Northern Ireland remains the only destination outside of the United States to host consequential NCAA Division I ice hockey games.
"I am proud to announce that the Friendship Four will be taking place in 2024," Robert Fitzpatrick, chief executive officer of The Odyssey Trust, said. "Creating opportunities for student-athletes to have a global experience is incredibly important and something that underpins the tournament. The significance of the games reaches far beyond the ice, providing a unique opportunity to use sport as a tool to educate young people and create a spirit of mutual understanding, friendship, solidarity, and fair play."
BU will be back in action on Friday night when the Terriers begin a two-game series against North Dakota at Agganis Arena. Fans can purchase tickets to both games by clicking here.
