NCAA names Women’s Frozen Four host sites for 2023-26

Only one of these cities has a Raising Cane’s

The NCAA announced the Frozen Four host sites for the upcoming cycle, from 2022-23 to 2025-26: Duluth, Minn.; Durham, N,H,; Minneapolis, Minn,; and University Park, Pa.

Duluth will host the 2023 Frozen Four at AMSOIL Arena. This will be the fourth time the Frozen Four comes to Duluth, and the first time since 2012.

In 2024, the University of Minnesota’s Ridder Arena will then play host to the Frozen Four. Minneapolis has hosted the Frozen Four more than any other city; this’ll be the seventh time the tournament heads there and the fifth time that Ridder hosts. The last time the national championship was played there was in 2018.

Durham is another repeat site, last playing host in 2016. This is the fourth time the Frozen Four heads there; it’ll be held at the University of New Hampshire’s Whittemore Center.

We have not yet seen a Frozen Four played in State College, but this will technically be the second time Penn State hosts by the time 2026 rolls around. They’re also hosting the 2022 Frozen Four at Pegula Ice Arena; the 2026 tournament will again head there.

Notably, Boston University, which was supposed to host the 2020 Frozen Four, will not host a tournament during the upcoming quad, either. The 2020 Frozen Four was canceled due to COVID-19.

The upcoming Frozen Four is scheduled to be held in Erie, Pa., at Erie Insurance Arena on March 19-21, 2021. With the start of the college hockey season currently delayed, there’s a chance those dates could move.

All in all, not the most surprising list of host cities, but it’s a bit disappointing we won’t get any first-time hosts for the next Frozen Four cycle. Here’s a complete list of cities that have played host to the women’s national championship before, noting the number of times they’ve hosted so far:

  • Minneapolis, Minn. (6)
  • Duluth, Minn. (3)
  • Durham, N.H. (3)
  • Hamden, Conn. (2)
  • Boston, Mass. (1)
  • Erie, Pa. (1)
  • Lake Placid, N.Y. (1)
  • Providence, R.I. (1)
  • St. Charles, Mo. (1)/