MEN鈥橲 HOCKEY: Bemidji State, North Dakota to co-host 2023 Ice Breaker

102021.S.BP.BSUMHKY Ethan Somoza.jpg — Bemidji State senior Ethan Somoza (9) challenges North Dakota goalie Zach Driscoll (33) in the first period on Friday, Oct. 15, 2021, at the Sanford Center. (Jillian Gandsey / Bemidji Pioneer)

By Brad Elliott Schlossman

October 04, 2022 at 2:33 PM

BEMIDJI 鈥� The Ice Breaker Tournament will be coming to Bemidji next season.

In October 2023, the Bemidji State men鈥檚 hockey team and North Dakota will co-host the season-opening event, which annually features four teams from four different leagues.

The Fighting Hawks and Beavers are expected to host Wisconsin and Army in the event. The Badgers will play in Bemidji one night and in Grand Forks, N.D., the other night. The Black Knights will do the same.

The four conferences represented will be the Central Collegiate Hockey Association (BSU), National Collegiate Hockey Conference (UND), Big Ten (Wisconsin) and Atlantic Hockey (Army).

Although Bemidji State and UND will not play head-to-head in the Ice Breaker, they will still play two regular-season games against each other next season. Both will be in Grand Forks.

The Ice Breaker started in 1997. Bemidji State has never played in the tournament.

Due to the canceled 2020 Ice Breaker, there were two events for the first time ever in 2021 鈥� one in Worcester, Mass., (Boston College, Holy Cross, Quinnipiac, Northeastern) and one in Duluth (Minnesota Duluth, Michigan, Minnesota State and Providence).

This weekend, the Ice Breaker will have multiple hosts for a single tournament for the first time, with Air Force and Denver co-hosting Maine and Notre Dame.

By Brad Elliott Schlossman

Schlossman has covered college hockey for the Grand Forks Herald since 2005. He has been recognized by the Associated Press Sports Editors as the top beat writer for the Herald's circulation division four times and the North Dakota sportswriter of the year twice. He resides in Grand Forks. Reach him at bschlossman@gfherald.com.