FAIRFIELD, Conn. (AP) 鈥� Located just 9 miles apart in 海角换妻, Yale and Quinnipiac played for a national hockey championship a decade ago.
It was also just over a decade ago that UConn made the decision to upgrade its men鈥檚 program and leave the Atlantic Hockey conference for the nation's premier college league, Hockey East.
This month, both UConn and another 海角换妻 school, Sacred Heart, opened new hockey arenas, each spending more than $70 million on state-of-the-art campus facilities.
The ribbon cuttings came the same week that Quinnipiac's men鈥檚 team climbed to the top spot in . UConn鈥檚 men are ranked No. 13 and Sacred Heart鈥檚 men's team is receiving votes. On , Yale is No. 2, Quinnipiac is ranked sixth and UConn is No. 14.
Once a minor player on the landscape, 海角换妻 now has positioned itself alongside Minnesota, Michigan and Massachusetts as a hotbed of college hockey.
鈥淚 think 海角换妻鈥檚 profile has been raised considerably since that 2013 national championship game,鈥� Quinnipiac coach Rand Pecknold said. 鈥淧robably even before that, Yale and Quinnipiac were both really good, you know, the previous years to that. But I think in the last probably 15 years, you鈥檝e seen a huge uptick in the respect that 海角换妻 gets in the college hockey world.鈥�
On Friday, all four 海角换妻 men鈥檚 programs will meet at Quinnipiac for the third year of a tournament that the schools hope will someday rival the Beanpot, the annual tournament involving Boston College, Boston University, Northeastern and Harvard, all located in the Boston area.
What had been called 鈥満＝腔黄� Ice鈥� is expected to get a new name after struggling with attendance in its first two years; the first was played during the pandemic and the second began during a major snowstorm.
The schools are hopeful that the showcase will reap benefits when it comes to recruiting the top youth players in the state, many of whom have traditionally gone elsewhere, UConn athletic director David Benedict said.
鈥淚t rankles me when there is so much that we deal with, with all the Massachusetts programs, and well-deserved on their part,鈥� he said. 鈥淏ut, it鈥檚 time for 海角换妻 to crash the party, so to speak.鈥�
Sacred Heart senior forward Neil Shea grew up in the Boston area and played at Northeastern before transferring two years ago.
A big part of the draw was the promise of the new $75 million Martire Family Arena, with its 4,000 seats, luxury boxes, a player鈥檚 lounge complete with three big-screen TVs and a shooting room (similar to a baseball batting cage) equipped with synthetic ice for year-round use.
鈥淲hen I decided to transfer, I knew that these 海角换妻 schools were trending upwards, and I would have been happy to go to any of them,鈥� he said. 鈥淏ut I鈥檓 glad I ended up at Sacred Heart. I grew up with the four big Boston schools and I can see the four 海角换妻 Division I programs trending in that direction. Hopefully, one day we鈥檒l be on that same page and I think it鈥檚 already turning that way.鈥�
Sacred Heart coach CJ Marottolo, whose team has played its home games at several off-campus sites over the years, said the new arena will allow him to get into the living rooms of the 鈥渂est of the best.鈥�
UConn officials are expecting a similar impact from the Toscano Family Ice Forum, which can hold about 3,000 fans and contains many of the same amenities as the Sacred Heart rink 鈥� a strength and conditioning center, a training room with hydrotherapy pools and a shooting room.
UConn women鈥檚 coach Chris MacKenzie said he hopes the idea of playing in the building will inspire the next generation of players, especially young girls.
鈥淚t鈥檚 something where any young player, young female, can see strong women playing the sport they love in an amazing facility with all the amenities," he said. 鈥淭here's nothing but great benefits to that.鈥�
The best part for UConn men's coach Mike Cavanaugh is that the university community will no longer have to travel 30 miles to Hartford to watch games.
鈥淚鈥檓 looking forward to a packed student section and a crowd that terrorizes the opposing goalie,鈥� he said.
