The Friendship Four is an annual mid-season college ice hockey tournament that has been held since 2015 at SSE Arena Belfast in Belfast, Northern Ireland with the winner receiving the Belpot Trophy. It is currently the only college ice hockey tournament to take place outside of the United States.
| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Sport | College ice hockey |
| Location | Belfast, Northern Ireland |
Number of tournaments | 6 |
| Format | Single-elimination |
| Venue | SSE Arena Belfast |
| Teams | 4 |
| Current champion | |
| Quinnipiac | |
History
editThe tournament began as a way to foster stronger economic development, trade and investment, tourism, cultural exchange, and educational linkages between the sister cities of Boston and Belfast.[1] Each year four teams are selected to participate in the tournament which is typically held on the same weekend as Thanksgiving in the United States. As of 2019, all games have been played at the SSE Arena Belfast while all participating schools have come from the eastern region. While only two participating universities have come from Boston, many more have come from the same general region.
After the 2020 and 2021 series were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2022 Friendship Four was announced on December 4, 2021.[2] The series is set to continue in 2024.[3]
Yearly Results
edit| Year | Champion | Runner-up | Third place | Fourth place | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Massachusetts–Lowell | Brown | Northeastern | Colgate | [4] |
| 2016 | Vermont | Quinnipiac | Massachusetts and St. Lawrence (tie) | [5] | |
| 2017 | Clarkson | Providence | Maine | Rensselaer | [6] |
| 2018 | Union | Boston University | Yale | Connecticut | [7] |
| 2019 | Northeastern | Colgate | New Hampshire | Princeton | [8] |
| 2022 | Quinnipiac | Massachusetts | Massachusetts Lowell | Dartmouth | [9] |
Upcoming Tournaments
editThe 2024 Friendship Four will be contested between Boston University, Harvard, Merrimack, and Notre Dame.[10] In 2025, Miami, Sacred Heart, RIT, and Union will participate.[11]
References
edit- ^ "The Friendship Four Hockey Tournament Returns to The SSE Arena, Belfast". Friendship Four. October 10, 2019. Retrieved December 5, 2019.
- ^ "Friendship Four tournament returning to Belfast in 2022, with UMass, UMass Lowell, Quinnipiac, Dartmouth slated to play". USCHO.com. December 4, 2021. Retrieved December 4, 2021.
- ^ "Legacy Of Friendship Four To Continue Into 2024 - Hockey East Association". hockeyeastonline.com. Retrieved 2024-08-26.
- ^ "Highlights: Friendship Four Final – UMass Lowell 6-5 Brown". Friendship Four. November 30, 2015. Retrieved December 5, 2019.
- ^ "Vermont Catamounts Are The 2016 Belpot Winners". Friendship Four. November 27, 2016. Retrieved December 5, 2019.
- ^ "FRIENDSHIP FOUR CHAMPIONS". Clarkson Golden Knights. November 25, 2017. Retrieved December 5, 2019.
- ^ "A Successful Fourth Annual Friendship Four". Friendship Four. November 25, 2018. Retrieved December 5, 2019.
- ^ "Weekly Release: Northeastern Wins Friendship Four to Highlight Thanksgiving Weekend". Hockey East Online. December 2, 2019. Retrieved December 5, 2019.
- ^ "SATURDAY ROUNDUP: No. 4 Quinnipiac wins Belpot championship in dramatic shootout over No. 17 UMass; No. 14 UMass Lowell rallies from three down for third place in Belfast; Michigan hands Harvard first loss; Brown upsets PC for Mayor's Cup". USCHO. November 27, 2022. Retrieved November 27, 2022.
- ^ Belfast Giants (2024-09-23). 2024 Friendship Four. Retrieved 2024-09-25 – via YouTube.
- ^ "Men's Hockey selected to play in 2025 Friendship Four in Belfast". Rochester Institute of Technology Athletics. 2024-09-24. Retrieved 2024-09-25.