Rochester to host NCAA men's hockey tournament games for first time since 2007: Details

Coming soon to Rochester: collegiate hockey's best teams.

The Rochester Institute of Technology announced on Wednesday that the school will team with Blue Cross Arena to serve as a regional site for NCAA Division I men's ice hockey tournament in 2028. In addition, RIT will also host the NCAA Division III women's lacrosse championships that same year.

That tournament will mark the first time since 2007 that Rochester will serve as a gateway to the Frozen Four.

"We are excited to be chosen by the NCAA to host two such prestigious events," RIT Executive Director of Athletics Jacqueline Nicholson said in a press release. "We look forward to showing off our campus as well as the greater Rochester region and can't wait to welcome all the teams and their supporters to our community."

Regional semifinals will be played either Thursday, March 23, 2028 or Friday, March 24, with regional finals taking place after a one-day break. Whichever team wins the region will advance to the Frozen Four, hosted by Chicago's United Center.

Six conference champions and 10 at-large bids make up the 16-team tournament.

RIT, the impending host, has reached the NCAA tournament four times since becoming a Division I program in 2005-06. In 2010, the Tigers played two regional contests at the Times Union Center in Albany, and won them both to advance to the Frozen Four for the first (and only) time in program history. Albany was also a regional site in 2016 when the Tigers bowed out after their first game.

Rochester has been home to the Division III men's hockey tournament on three occasions (1984, 1989, 2001). Host RIT reached the final in two of those instances.

The 2024-25 Tigers open their hockey season on Saturday at St. Lawrence, followed by a meeting with Clarkson University the following day. RIT's first home game is Saturday, Oct. 19 vs. Bowling Green, which will be played at Blue Cross Arena.

The Tigers open the season at No. 2 in Atlantic Hockey's preseason coaches poll , after winning the conference last season. RIT has big skates to fill following the departures of starting goalie Tommy Scarfone (University of Wisconsin) and leading scorer Carter Wilkie (University of North Dakota), both of whom transferred.

This story was updated because an earlier version included an inaccuracy .

This article originally appeared on MPNnow: Rochester to host NCAA men's hockey tournament games for first time since 2007: Details