At a press conference Monday, SNY announced its plans for a first-of-its-kind weekend hockey festival, Connecticut Ice.
The inaugural three-day festival celebrating youth, amateur and collegiate hockey in the state of Connecticut will take place Jan. 24-26, 2020 at Webster Bank Arena in Bridgeport, Conn.
The multi-day festival will include a mites cross-ice jamboree, youth tournaments with the championship games in three divisions (boys 12U and 10U and girls 12U) taking place on the Webster Bank Arena ice, and high school and prep school rivalry games.
The festival will also include on-ice clinics and off-ice seminars for youth players and their families in conjunction with USA Hockey.
In addition, the first-ever tournament pitting Connecticut’s four NCAA Division I men’s hockey teams against each other will take place as Quinnipiac, Sacred Heart, UConn and Yale will play a two-round, four game-tournament with all games broadcast live on SNY.
“We are very pleased to announce Connecticut Ice and to bring this festival to the city of Bridgeport,” said SNY president Steve Raab in a statement. “Connecticut’s love for hockey is tremendous and the opportunity for it to be a catalyst for us to make a major, positive impact in the state is exciting. This annual festival would not be possible without the enthusiastic support already pledged by every part of the state’s hockey community.”
“The Connecticut Hockey Conference is excited to play an integral part in Connecticut Ice,” added Connecticut Hockey Conference president Chuck Wilkerson. “Whether it’s the youth clinics and tournaments being offered or the Connecticut Division I college tournament, there’s something for every one of the 13,000 Connecticut Hockey Conference players and their families. This is a tremendous opportunity to celebrate and showcase the Connecticut Hockey community.”
