 | The topic of this article may not meet Wikipedia's notability guideline for events .(January 2019) |
| Fortress Invitational | |
|---|---|
| Stadium | T-Mobile Arena |
| Location | Las Vegas, Nevada |
| Operated | 2018-present |
| Former names | |
Ice Vegas Invitational (2018–2019) | |
The Fortress Invitational, formerly known as the Ice Vegas Invitational, is an annual mid-season college ice hockey tournament that has been held since 2018 at T-Mobile Arena on the Las Vegas Strip.
The Ice Vegas Invitational was created by BD Global, a marketing firm that had produced various college sports events in the Las Vegas area, in partnership with MGM Resorts International, the operator of T-Mobile Arena. [1] [2] The organizers hoped that the tournament would attract the top college hockey teams in the country by its third year, fueled by growing appreciation of ice hockey in the area since the launch of the Vegas Golden Knights of the National Hockey League. [3] They expected the Invitational to demonstrate the arena's viability as an eventual venue for the NCAA Men's Ice Hockey Championship (the "Frozen Four"). [4]
In 2017, Arizona State decided to cancel the Desert Hockey Classic in order to participate in the inaugural Ice Vegas Invitational. They won the tournament. [5]
The 2020 tournament was renamed the Fortress Invitational (in reference to T-Mobile Arena's nickname, "The Fortress" [6] ), and was hosted by the Golden Knights. It was held January 3 and 4, 2020 and included Army, Cornell, Ohio State and Providence. [7] Providence defeated Army 3-1 in the first round while Cornell defeated Ohio State 5-2.
| Year | Champion | Runner-up | Third place | Fourth place | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Arizona State | Michigan Tech | Northern Michigan | Boston College | [5] |
| 2019 | Western Michigan | Air Force | Connecticut | St. Lawrence | [8] |
| 2020 | Providence | Cornell | Ohio State | Army |
| Team | # of times participated | Titles | Conference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona State | 1 | 1 | Independent |
| Western Michigan | 1 | 1 | NCHC |
| Providence | 1 | 1 | Hockey East |
| Michigan Tech | 1 | 0 | CCHA |
| Air Force | 1 | 0 | Atlantic Hockey |
| Cornell | 1 | 0 | ECAC |
| Northern Michigan | 1 | 0 | CCHA |
| UConn | 1 | 0 | Hockey East |
| Ohio State | 1 | 0 | Big Ten |
| Boston College | 1 | 0 | Hockey East |
| Army | 1 | 0 | Atlantic Hockey |
| St. Lawrence | 1 | 0 | ECAC |
The annual NCAA women's ice hockey tournament—officially known as the National Collegiate Women's Ice Hockey Championship—is a college ice hockey tournament held in the United States by the National Collegiate Athletic Association to determine the top women's team in the NCAA.
ECAC Hockey is one of the six conferences that compete in NCAA Division I ice hockey. The conference used to be affiliated with the Eastern College Athletic Conference, a consortium of over 300 colleges in the eastern United States. This relationship ended in 2004; however, the ECAC abbreviation was retained in the name of the hockey conference. ECAC Hockey is the only ice hockey conference with identical memberships in both its women's and men's divisions.
Total Mortgage Arena is a 10,000-seat multi-purpose arena in downtown Bridgeport, Connecticut, United States. It is the home venue of the Bridgeport Islanders of the American Hockey League (AHL). Managed by the Oak View Group, the arena was built alongside the Hartford HealthCare Amphitheater and opened on October 10, 2001. Webster Bank entered into a 10-year $3.5 million agreement on January 6, 2011, with the City of Bridgeport for the arena naming rights. When this agreement ended, the City entered into a new one on March 8, 2022, that granted the naming rights to Total Mortgage of Milford, Connecticut.
Orleans Arena is a 9,500-seat multi-purpose arena in Paradise, Nevada, in the Las Vegas Valley. It is located at the Orleans Hotel and Casino and is operated by Coast Casinos, a subsidiary of Boyd Gaming Corporation.
The MGM Grand Garden Arena is a 17,000-seat multi-purpose arena within the MGM Grand resort, located on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada. The venue opened on December 31, 1993, with a concert by Barbra Streisand, and subsequent concerts by Luther Vandross, Anita Mui and Janet Jackson.
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Frozen Fury was an annual pre-season ice hockey game hosted by the Los Angeles Kings of the National Hockey League (NHL), held in Salt Lake City since 2021. A previous incarnation of the series was held between the Kings and the Colorado Avalanche in Las Vegas from 1997 to 2016. On four occasions, the Kings faced different teams instead of the Avalanche; once each against the Arizona Coyotes, the San Jose Sharks, New York Rangers, and the Dallas Stars. The 15th Frozen Fury was originally supposed to take place on September 29, 2012, but was cancelled due to the 2012–13 NHL lockout. It resumed September 27–28, 2013, with the New York Rangers making their debut in the series.
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The annual NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Tournament is a college ice hockey tournament held in the United States by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) to determine the top men's team in Division I. Like other Division I championships, it is the highest level of NCAA men's hockey competition. This tournament is somewhat unique among NCAA sports as many schools which otherwise compete in Division II or Division III compete in Division I for hockey.
Patrick Wellington Brown is an American professional ice hockey forward and captain for the Providence Bruins in the American Hockey League (AHL) while under contract to the Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League (NHL). He previously played for the Carolina Hurricanes, Vegas Golden Knights, Philadelphia Flyers and Ottawa Senators. He won the Calder Cup with Carolina's AHL affiliate, the Charlotte Checkers in 2019.
The Vegas Golden Knights are a professional ice hockey team based in the Las Vegas metropolitan area. The Golden Knights compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division in the Western Conference. Founded in 2017 as an expansion team, the team is the first major sports franchise to represent Las Vegas. The franchise is primarily owned by Black Knight Sports and Entertainment, a consortium led by Bill Foley, with Adrienne Maloof holding a minority stake. Their home games are played at T-Mobile Arena on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada.
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The Desert Hockey Classic is an annual mid season ice hockey tournament hosted by Arizona State University.
The 2017–18 Arizona State Sun Devils men's ice hockey season was the 3rd season of play for the program at the Division I level. The Sun Devils represented Arizona State University and were coached by Greg Powers, in his 8th season.
The Boston Arena Christmas Tournament was a mid-season college ice hockey tournament with the first iteration played in late December 1953. It was held 17 times over an 18-year span and was discontinued after the 1970 edition.
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