UConn men's hockey to play in 2026 Friendship Four

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UConn men’s hockey is set to head across the pond next season. On Tuesday, the team announced that it’ll participate in the 2026 Friendship Four in Belfast, Northern Ireland on Nov. 27-28. Providence, Colgate and Minnesota Duluth are the other opponents with the Huskies likely to open against one of the latter two.

“It was such a great experience for our team, being able to go over to a foreign country learn about some history. A lot of our kids had no idea about the conflict and The Troubles that went on in [Northern] Ireland and I think that was eye opening,” head coach Mike Cavanaugh said on Tuesday. “It's a trip that, yeah, we're going to be playing for a trophy and but I think it's more than that. I think it's a life experience that the kids will never forget. So we're really grateful that they asked us to come back and we'll be excited to go back there.”

The tournament is held at SSE Arena, situated on the River Lagan and just a short distance from where the Titanic was built in Belfast. Started in 2015, the Friendship Four is “designed to promote education, social welfare, and community interaction, building on the ‘Sister Cities’ agreement between Belfast and Boston” while linking the two cities even closer together. It’s the only college hockey tournament played outside the United States with the winner claiming The Belpot trophy.

This will be UConn’s second time playin the Friendship Four. The Huskies previously traveled to Belfast during the 2018-19 campaign, where they fell to Boston University 3-2 in the opener followed by a 6-3 defeat at the hands of Yale.

Elsewhere in UConn’s non-conference schedule next season, it’ll travel to Ohio State for a two-game series, host Colorado College for a pair and take part in Connecticut Ice. That leaves the Huskies with just two games left to fill.

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