Boston to Host 2015 Frozen Four

(2009 Frozen Four, Photo: NHL Capitals)

What today is known as the Frozen Four, called that since 1999, is the NCAA championship competition in men’s ice hockey. The name is a nod to the NCAA’s basketball championship that is known as the Final Four. It can trace its history, according to Inside College Hockey,  back to 1948 in Colorado Springs, Colorado, where the competition would be held for the next ten years. However, beginning in 1958, the semi-finals and final games of the competition have been held in a variety of cities in the United States, including Tampa, Florida in 2012.

The last time the Frozen Four was held in Boston or the men’s championship was in 2004. The city of Boston, in addition to being the host city for the games, was represented as far as the semi-finals by the Boston College Eagles, who fell to Maine 2-1. Maine would go on to be shut out by Denver during the final game. However, Boston College has won it three of the last six year.

Announced earlier today, the Frozen Four will be coming back to Boston and to the TD Garden, with Hockey East acting as the hosting conference for the 2015 championship. This is the seventh time that the city of Boston has played host to the NCAA Men’s Division I ice hockey championship.

The Dunkin’ Donut Center in Providence will host the East Regional for 2015 and the Verizon Center at the University of New Hampshire in Manchester will host the Northeast Regional.

Additional Frozen Four hosting cities announced include Tampa, Florida (2016), Chicago, Illinois (2017) and St. Paul, Minnesota (2018).

This season’s Frozen Four will be played in Philadelphia at the Wells Fargo Center and will be held April 10 and 12.