BULLDOGS TO HOST 2017 ICE BREAKER TOURNAMENT AT AMSOIL ARENA
College hockey's signature opening weekend event -- the Ice Breaker Tournament -- will be coming to AMSOIL Arena in 2017 with the University of Minnesota Duluth serving as the host.
"We are extremely excited and honored to host the 2017 Ice Breaker Tournament," said UMD athletic director Josh Berlo. "This tournament will place UMD at the forefront of the men's college hockey world for the start of the 2017 season. We couldn't be prouder to host and wish to express our appreciation to College Hockey Inc., the Hockey Commissioners Association and our partners -- Holiday Station Stores, Essentia Health, and Visit Duluth -- for helping making this happen. In addition, this tournament will bring four additional games (2 UMD home games) and positive economic activity to Duluth."
The Ice Breaker Tournament traditionally brings together four of the nation's top teams -- each from a different conference -- and the 21st annual tourney should be no exception as the Bulldogs of the National Collegiate Hockey Conference will be joined by a pair of long-time rivals in the University of Minnesota (Big Ten) and Michigan Tech University (Western Collegiate Hockey Association) and 2014 NCAA champion Union College (Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference). The first round matchups, set for Oct. 6, 2017 have Michigan Tech taking on Union at 4 pm. with UMD and Minnesota facing off in the 7:30p.m.night cap. The third place and championship games will take place the following day at the 6,756-seat AMSOIL Arena.
UMD has competed in two previous Ice Breaker Tournaments -- in 2003 in East Lansing, Mich. and one year ago in South Bend, Ind. In 2017, Minnesota will make its fourth Ice Breaker Tournament appearance while Union and Michigan Tech will both be first-time participants.
Since its 1997, the Ice Breaker has been heldat an array of on- and off-campus sites, including high-end venues such as Xcel Energy Center (St. Paul), Scottrade Center (St. Louis) and Kohl Center (Madison, Wis.). The 2016 event is scheduled for the University of Denver's Magness Arena.
"Duluth is a perfect spot to play host to the Ice Breaker tournament," said College Hockey, Inc. executive director Mike Snee. "AMSOIL is a spectacular rink and the Bulldogs are a great representation of what makes college hockey so special. It will be exciting to celebrate the start of the 2017-18 season in one of the best hockey cities in North America."
UMD last hosted a regular season men's tournament in 2001, when the four-team Silverado Shootout was held for a third, and final time, at the Duluth Entertainment and Convention Center.
Tournament details with ticket prices will be released at a later date and posted at umdbulldogs.com/icebreaker. Tickets to the 2017 Ice Breaker Tournament will be included in 2017-18 UMD men's hockey full season ticket packages AND half-season ticket holders (Friday or Saturday night) will have the corresponding Ice Breaker games included in their season ticket package. Season ticket holders will also have an exclusive opportunity to purchase extra tickets to the 2017 Ice Breaker Tournament.
Bob Nygaard
Assistant Athletic Director-Communications
University of Minnesota Duluth Athletics
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