UConn men’s hockey to host 2024 CT Ice Tournament at XL Center

UConn men’s hockey will host the 2024 CT Ice Tournament at the XL Center on Jan. 26 and 27, according to new information released to season ticket holders on Tuesday.

On the same website, the school also projected it will play 10-12 games at Toscano Family Ice Forum in Storrs and 4-6 games at the XL Center in Hartford. This season, UConn hosted 12 games in Hartford and five on campus, though the new arena wasn’t ready until January. Whether or not the CT Ice games will count towards the 4-6 at the XL Center is unclear at the moment.

Currently, no new season tickets will be sold for UConn men’s hockey “based on existing demand” but if more seats open up, additional information will be released. Existing season ticket holders who renew for the 2023-24 campaign will automatically receive tickets at a discounted price for CT Ice, though they will have the option to opt out of those games as well.

The CT Ice Tournament, entering its fifth edition, pits Connecticut’s four Division I men’s hockey programs against each other. The Huskies have reached the championship game each of the last two seasons but fell to Quinnipiac both times.

After being held at Total Mortgage Arena (formerly Webster Bank Arena) in Bridgeport for the first two seasons, Quinnipiac hosted it in 2023. The plan is for the tournament to rotate between all four schools, though UConn coach Mike Cavanaugh called for it to be at the XL Center on an annual basis.

“I think that it should be played at the XL Center,” he said after the championship game. “It should be played at a big venue. I think we’re shortchanging ourselves by limiting it to 3,600 fans. I really believe that this tournament would get 8-9,000 fans at the XL Center.”

Quinnipiac coach Rand Pecknold pushed against that idea.

“I’ve always wanted a rotation,” he said. “If UConn is our host for next year...then they can do it at the XL or they can do it at the new rink they just built. I’m fine with either.”

The 2023 tournament didn’t go off without its share of problems, though. After SNY dropped its sponsorship, the name, broadcast rights and other key details weren’t decided until days before the games kicked off. Quinnipiac also struggled with the ticket demand from opposing school’s fans.

There are plenty of details about 2024 that still need to be figured out, though. For now, UConn will host CT Ice in Hartford, and it’ll go from there.