The 2025-26 UConn men's hockey road trip guide

No sport at UConn — or really all of college sports — has a more accessible road slate than hockey. Since 2022-23, the Ice Bus has only taken two road trips that required a flight (including this season). Everything else is within a four-hour drive, with most coming in at or under two hours.

That’s the beauty of Hockey East.

So whether you’re a longtime fan or someone who’s just getting into the Huskies after their historic season, there’s an away day for everyone.

12. LIU — Saturday, Jan. 3

What better way to ring in the new year than by sitting in traffic for hours just to go watch a game with 15 other people? LIU earns its spot on the bottom of this list.

The Sharks play at the Islanders’ practice facility, though it’s essentially just a community rink with the team’s branding plastered in various places. LIU has to walk through the public lobby to get from its locker rooms to the ice — a fact I learned by accident when I nearly bumped into a player on my way to the bathroom during intermission a few years back — where hordes of youth hockey players and parents mill around.

The 2 p.m. puck drop makes it easier to go down and back in a day, though it would be tough to do much else besides the game. Still, it’s smack dab in the middle of Long Island, a stone’s throw from the old Nassau Coliseum, so the options for a pre- or post-game meal will be plentiful.

My recommendation: Spend some time with loved ones by doing literally anything else instead.

11. Merrimack — Friday, Dec. 5

There’s just not much to get excited about on a trip to Merrimack.

This year’s game falls on a Friday, so the Mass Pike and I-495 will have plenty of traffic. The options for a pregame meal around the campus are limited and there’s not anything fun to check out (that I’ve found, at least) beforehand. Lawler Rink is also the worst arena in Hockey East by a wide margin — the sight lines are terrible and the atmosphere is gone after a renovation moved the student section out from behind the net.

Go if you still need to check Merrimack off your list but otherwise, you’re not missing much.

My recommendation: Drive past Lawler Rink down 114 to get a pregame ice cream at Richardson’s. Dress warm, too — it can get cold in the stands.

10. UMass Lowell — Saturday, Jan. 10

While UMass Lowell actually has one of the nicer home venues in the league with the Tsongas Center, everything else about this trip is lacking. The city has plenty of history as an old mill town — Lowell National Historic Park is supposed to be great — but it hasn’t found a way to attract much recent development.

As if fighting traffic, driving through the city and paying way too much for parking weren’t bad enough, you have to do all that just to watch a brand of hockey so boring that it’s used as the main ingredient in most sleep medications.

My recommendation: Find somewhere to eat before the game. The options inside the Tsongas Center are rough.

9. Providence — Saturday, Nov. 8; Saturday, Mar. 7

If nothing else, the trip to Providence is aggravating. There’s no direct way from Connecticut, the campus itself is difficult to get to, parking is tough and nobody waits for the whistle inside Schneider Arena. UConn is lucky enough to travel there twice this season, too.

My recommendation: Go out to eat in Federal Hill before the game, then make your way over to Schneider Arena. There’s not much around Providence’s campus.

8. Boston College — Friday, Feb. 20

Boston College is perfect inoffensive in every way. It’s easy enough to get to — traffic can sometimes but a pain but it’s not nearly as bad as it would be trying to get into Boston proper — parking is painless and Conte Forum is fine. There are plenty of places to eat within a 15-ish minute drive in Newton, too. Nothing stands out, but there’s no glaring negatives either.

The hockey should be worthwhile, though. UConn-BC games are usually competitive and both teams should find themselves towards the top of the Hockey East standings. There could be postseason implications on the line in this series.

My recommendation: White Mountain Creamery is a staple of my trips to Boston College. It’s located on Comm Ave just next to campus, making it an easy walk to Conte Forum.

7. Boston University — Friday, Oct. 24

Unlike BC, a trip to Agganis Arena will actually bring you inside Boston’s city limits. Build in plenty of time to get there given Friday traffic in Boston since the easiest way there is via Storrow Drive. Agganis is a great place to see a hockey game with good sightlines, good food and a lively atmosphere despite an abundance of empty seats thanks to the Dog Pound.

UConn will also go up there in late October, so the weather should still be nice. If you have the time, get in early and either take the T into the city (Newbury Street is only a few stops away) or walk to the Charles River Esplanade to see the leaves turning.

My recommendation: If you’re a baseball fan, give yourself 15 minutes to walk through Nickerson Field, located right next to Agganis Arena. The stands are all that remains from Braves Field, the old home of the Boston (now Atlanta) Braves. Inside, there are plenty of old signs and pictures that tell the history of the ballpark. Make sure to stop outside the BU Police Department, too — it used to be the Braves’ ticket office.

6. UMass — Saturday, Feb. 28

No trip in Hockey East is easier than UMass. It’s a straight shot up I-91 and takes a little more than an hour. Once you get there, parking is straightforward. The Mullins Center is a nice arena, though with a capacity of 8,389, there’s always plenty of empty seats which kills the atmosphere.

The pregame options are plentiful. Northampton is a great place to grab a bite and walk around while Amherst is a classic New England college town.

My recommendation: The Hangar Pub and Grill, located just a few minutes down the road from the rink, has great food and is usually lively before a game.

5. Maine

This trip would be higher if it wasn’t such a haul to get to Orono. Unlike every other drive on this list, it’s not feasible to do it in a single day or even two. Given it’s a two-game series, three days should be the minimum.

Still, there’s plenty to do on the way up. Stop in Portsmouth or Portland. Drive along the Maine coast then cut over. Between games, take a short journey over to Acadia National Park, just an hour away. Orono is small but has some charm: Pat’s Pizza is an iconic place to eat while Woodman’s Bar and Grill is a perfect pregame hangout — to name a couple.

The real star is Alfond Arena, though. It’s the best atmosphere in Hockey East and there’s not a close second. The student section is always packed and hangs over the goaltender from a second-level deck. When Maine scores, it gets loud enough to burst an eardrum and a few shirtless students run a lap around the arena ringing cowbells.

Now that the Black Bears are good again, the non-student fanbase has returned in force and every seat in the house is filled. The experience is unlike any other in college hockey. It’s worth the drive.

My recommendation: Break up the drive by stopping in Portsmouth or Portland on the way up, then stay in Bangor or Brewer, where the hotels are cheaper and more plentiful. Between games, drive out to Bar Harbor (and into Acadia if it’s not too cold). After Saturday’s contest, jump in the car and drive the two hours back to Portland to stay overnight. That’ll make the final leg home on Sunday much easier.

4. Yale — Friday, Jan. 23; Saturday, Jan. 24

For the first time since New Year’s Eve 2018, UConn will play at the Whale as the Connecticut Ice tournament finishes its rotation through each respective school’s home ice. Ingalls Rink is worth seeing on its own as one of the best college hockey barns in the country, not to mention the fact that it’s an easy drive for pretty much anyone in the state. New Haven has plenty to see and do, too.

My recommendation: Grab a slice of pizza at one of the city’s iconic joints before watching the Huskies try to repeat as CT Ice champions.

3. UNH — Friday, Nov. 21

My favorite annual trip in Hockey East, UNH is doable in a day (it’s about a 2.5 hour drive from the Hartford area) but a lot easier with an overnight. Portsmouth might be the best small city in New England while the nearby New Hampshire coast has plenty to see and do (as long as it’s not too cold in November).

Downtown Durham features some good eats while Whittemore Center might be the most underrated arena in Hockey East.

My recommendation: If you can, make a day out of it and explore Portsmouth. For a pregame meal, stop at Durham House of Pizza.

2. Northeastern — Saturday, Nov. 15; Friday, Feb. 6 (latter location TBA)

This trip is set to plummet down the rankings after this year. While Northeastern is located in the heart of Boston and has a T station nearby to get around the city, the main reason to go in November is to see UConn play in the iconic Matthews Arena one last time.

The current arena opened in 1921 after a fire destroyed the original 1910 structure. Using the latter date, it’s the oldest hockey arena in the country and served as the first home of the Boston Celtics, Boston Bruins and Hartford Whalers. Imagine Fenway Park but as a college-sized arena.

Northeastern is set to tear the building down after structural issues were discovered in recent years and replace it with a multi-purpose athletic and student recreation facility on the same footprint. The Huskies have marketed their Dec. 13 matchup with BU as the final game at the old barn and have not announced where they’ll play home games after that.

My recommendation: Do all you can to make it to this game. Matthews Arena is that special.

1. Colorado College — Friday, Oct. 4; Saturday, Oct. 5

The foliage? Turning. The weather? Immaculate. The mountains? Snowcapped. UConn couldn’t have picked a better weekend to travel to Colorado Springs. Though it requires a flight and some extensive planning, this might be the best possible trip the Huskies can make in all of Division I men’s hockey.

Fly into Denver, rent a car and have the freedom to explore all this area offers. Spend a day in the capital or make the easy 1:20 drive down to Colorado Springs. There’s outdoor activities for all levels of fitness — Garden of the Gods features roads running through incredible red rock formations in the shadow of Pikes Peak; Pikes Peak itself has a toll road or even a cog railway that runs year-around. Test your endurance at the Manitou Incline, an old cable car track with 2,768 steps that rises over 2,000 feet in elevation in less than a mile. Find a trail in North Cheyenne Cañon or Red Rock Canyon.

If that’s not your speed, there’s museums — the US Olympic and Paralympic Museum, the US Olympic Training Center, National Museum of World War II Aviation — the US Air Force Academy (though check the requirements to get on base before you go) or Manitou Springs, a fun (albeit touristy) town in the mountains.

Oh and UConn plays two games as well. There’s that.

My recommendation: Fly into Denver, rent a car and spend the weekend exploring before heading to the games at night. Extend your trip by a few days to go hiking in Rocky Mountain National Park. (Note: This is just my own itinerary).