Friendship Four
| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Sport | College ice hockey |
| Location | Belfast, Northern Ireland |
Number of tournaments | 5 |
| Format | Single-elimination |
| Venue | SSE Arena Belfast |
| Teams | 4 |
| Current champion | |
| Northeastern | |
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.
History
The 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 it 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.
Yearly Results
| Year | Champion | Runner-up | Third place | Fourth place | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Massachusetts–Lowell | Brown | Northeastern | Colgate | [2] |
| 2016 | Vermont | Quinnipiac | Massachusetts and St. Lawrence (tie) | [3] | |
| 2017 | Clarkson | Providence | Maine | Rensselaer | [4] |
| 2018 | Union | Boston University | Yale | Connecticut | [5] |
| 2019 | Northeastern | Colgate | New Hampshire | Princeton | [6] |
References
- ^ "The Friendship Four Hockey Tournament Returns to The SSE Arena, Belfast". Friendship Four. October 10, 2019. Retrieved December 5, 2019.
- ^ "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.