The Nutmeg State Freezes Over - CT Ice’s Tournament History and Future
Image Courtesy: Daniel Connolly/UConn Hockey Hub
CONNECTICUT’S ANSWER TO THE BEANPOT HAPPENS THIS WEEKEND - WHAT’S IT ALL ABOUT?
WRITTEN BY JAMES BLENNAU
Connecticut Ice, commonly abbreviated to CT Ice is one of college hockey's most unique and fastest-growing tournaments. Despite not having a name as catchy as the "Beanpot," it has crowned its fair share of great champions. (You know... The Pizza Pot would make a great name. Don't worry tournament administrators, I take royalties.)Sacred Heart, Yale, UConn and Quinnipiac comprise the state's four Division I men's hockey programs. Like its women's tournament counterpart, the Nutmeg Classic, each edition brings hard-fought battles with squads ranging from underdogs to tournament hopefuls. When it was previously hosted at Quinnipiac's M&T Bank Arena in 2023, fans in attendance saw the eventual national champions take home their second consecutive trophy in a comeback win against UConn in a hard-fought ranked matchup. Wait, Quinnipiac's M&T Bank Arena? Great observation, my wonderful reader! That brings me to my first point: locations!The tournament has only been played four times prior to the 2025 edition and has been hosted at a few different sites to different avail from fan and coach feedback. The first two iterations in 2020 and 2022 were played at what was then known as Webster Bank Arena, now known as Total Mortgage Arena in Bridgeport, Connecticut as a neutral site for all schools. The tournament was canceled in 2021 due to COVID-19 issues and Yale canceled their entire season based on the virus's complications. 
Image Courtesy: Anthony Rossi | Quinnipiac celebrating a win while hosting the 2023 CT Ice Tournament
The first changes came when the tournament moved to campus sites in the 2023 edition following low attendances at the 10,000-seat Total Mortgage Arena, ironically which occurred at the first-ever tournament, and a huge snowstorm during the second. UConn fans were especially disappointed at the downgrade in capacity to Quinnipiac's roughly 3,300-seat bowl in Hamden, leaving standing room to even become expensive at the campus site. 2024's edition of the tournament was nowhere short on seats this time though, as the aptly-named XL Center's capacity of over 14,000 for hockey (nearly 10,000 with the upper bowl closed) was more than enough for the hosts, UConn, to show how the arena's potential for expansion and a greater fan experience should land the tournament in Hartford permanently. It's back to campus sites for the next two tournaments as this year it heads to Fairfield and the Martire Family Arena on Sacred Heart's campus. The sparkly new arena is a top-notch venue for the tournament having opened in January 2023, but with about 3,600 seats, the venue could very well be at capacity from the jump. Tournament and school officials have yet another year on the deal after this with Yale's Ingalls Rink hosting in 2026, and while its history can speak for itself, it could very well have its own issues. leaving the 2027 tournament deal still directionless. In the meantime, the 2025 edition brings in four teams and coaches who all have their fair share of experience in the home-state gauntlet, each looking to make a mark on their Pairwise rankings resume. QUINNIPIAC
The Bobcats come into Fairfield for the first time at least since the tournament's inception not as the clear favorites to take the trophy home to Hamden. The three-time reigning champions enter the latter part of their campaign with a 14-7-2 record this season, which doesn't look terrible on paper, but the Bobcats' losses to Maine, New Hampshire, Colgate and Northeastern place them at 15th in the January 20th USCHO poll. Quinnipiac's season has been quite inconsistent and disappointing, especially compared to the last two campaigns winning a national championship and losing in the regional final to number one overall seed Boston College. With a team built on incoming recruits and transfers, the end of the season and especially this tournament is the time to gel and take a run not only for a NCAA tournament spot but their first Whitelaw Cup ECAC Hockey tournament championship since 2016. Uconn
The Huskies are off to their most impressive season we've seen in years, and their first CT Ice championship would be just the mark they need to make themselves known at the top of the Hockey East. With a 12-8-2 record including wins against #15 UMass, #2 Boston College, #15 UMass Lowell and #5 Maine, Mike Cavanaugh's team is hot enough to melt the ice in the tournament's name. The three-time runners-up to Quinnipiac come in ranked higher than the Bobcats in the January 20th USCHO poll at 13, with the possibility of a win taking them into the top 10. The chip on the Huskies' shoulder could just be the thing to take them to their first championship with a signature ranked win against a historically strong team like the Bobcats. Look out in March if they manage to pull it off, and don't be surprised when you see them knock out a Hockey East blue blood. SACRED HEART
The tournament's hosts come home with a more-than-solid 14-8-4 record leaving them atop Atlantic Hockey America, and their upset wins against #18 Cornell and #15 UMass could be just the jolt they need to regain their status as champions after winning the inaugural tournament in 2020. C.J. Marottolo showed his ambition even in preseason when his team was favored to win the conference, and they have been proving people right so far.A tournament win could launch them into the USCHO poll as they sit fifth outside the poll with 30 votes. Home ice and a knack for knocking off ranked ECAC Hockey teams could be just the storm the Pioneers need to jumpstart their tournament bid without needing to win Atlantic Hockey America and make a name for their team against big-name schools.YALE
It's tough to gauge Yale at this point in the season as they’ve been struggling despite a few upset wins. With a 5-11-1 overall record, the Bulldogs have come short of regaining their early-to-mid-2010s glory for at least since their season was canceled in 2020-21. This part of the season is the time to turn it around, if ever though. With a season-standout upset win against #13 Boston University, Yale has shown they can show up when it matters.Despite consistent losses to in-state rivals, especially Quinnipiac, all it takes is two wins to take home their first CT Ice trophy and for Keith Allain to start building his program back to its former Ivy League and national glory. In hockey, momentum can change everything, and for Yale, it may just be the shot they need to bring a winning team back to New Haven.
Image Courtesy: Sacred Heart Athletics | Martire Family Arena during a Pioneers game
Games start on Friday, and will be broadcast live on SNY with the first game as potentially the best matchup, as #15 Quinnipiac takes on #13 UConn at 4 p.m. in a rematch of the past three championship games. Later that night it's the hosts Sacred Heart facing off against Yale at 7:30 p.m. in the second first-round matchup. Saturday sees both the championship and consolation games, with the third-place game played at 4 p.m. and the winner being crowned at 7:30 p.m. with the winners of each first-round game facing each other in the later game, and the losers squaring off for third. The 2025 CT Ice tournament has the potential to be the most exciting edition yet, with teams looking to upset and others looking to avoid the upset more than ever as NCAA tournament hopes hang in the balance at Martire Family Arena. Grab your New Haven-style pizza and some farm-fresh ice cream and watch the Nutmeg State's best compete in one of college hockey's newest and fastest-growing tournaments.