With CT Ice victory, UConn gains upper-hand in rivalry with Quinnipiac

UConn men’s hockey claimed its first CT Ice title last season, besting Quinnipiac with a last-second goal in the first round before a 1-0 win over Sacred Heart in the final. That was a rollercoaster. This year, UConn is on the elevator.

On Saturday, the Huskies took down Quinnipiac 4-2 in the 2026 CT Ice championship game, scoring three in the third period to claim a meaningful, come-from-behind victory over the team that has stood between them and statewide bragging rights for the better part of the last decade.

“Going into this game, we talked openly about the fact that we'd been in the finals three times previously against Quinnipiac and going into the third period, it was an even game three times — and we lost all three,” UConn coach Mike Cavanaugh said. “We've got to face it. That's our demon. We looked that square in the eye and were able to overcome that tonight.”

Quinnipiac had won three of the first five CT Ice tournaments, beating UConn each time in the finals in 2022, 2023, and 2024. The Bobcats have also established themselves as the most successful program in the state, having won a national championship in 2023 to go with three Frozen Four appearances and nine ECAC regular-season crowns since 2013.

But the Huskies are gaining ground, and perhaps the tide is turning. In addition to last year’s CT Ice triumph, UConn handed the Bobcats a 4-1 thrashing in a March rematch with much higher stakes for its first-ever victory in the NCAA Tournament.

The Huskies are finally starting to knock on the door of national relevance. Until then, control of the state can be gained along the way. Right now, that belongs to UConn after it claimed its second-straight CT Ice championship. At a game held eight miles from Quinnipiac’s campus, Husky fans filled about three-quarters of the stands.

“It's just setting the standard,” Jake Percival said. “You have to keep raising it year after year. That's what all of us [upperclassmen] are trying to do. They want to leave it better than they found it. This is a good start to that.”

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