The University of Minnesota Duluth was chosen to host the 2023 NCAA Division I Women's Frozen Four at AMSOIL Arena, as announced by the NCAA today. This is fourth time the Bulldogs will host a Division I NCAA Frozen Four, and it will also mark the second time the event will be held at AMSOIL Arena.
"UMD Athletics is honored to have been awarded the 2023 Women's Ice Hockey Frozen Four and expresses our appreciation to the Committee," said UMD Athletic Director Josh Berlo. "This is a credit to our women's hockey program, our great University, our strong community and the first class facility that is AMSOIL Arena. We appreciate the partnerships that came together to make this event a reality and look forward to hosting an exceptional National Championship that will put a spotlight on UMD and Duluth while generating significant economic impact."
UMD has been the host school for the Frozen Four in 2003 and 2008, with the Bulldogs winning the Division I title in 2003 and 2008 as the host school. The Bulldogs clinched their fourth NCAA women's hockey title in program history by blanking the University of Wisconsin 4-0 at the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center in 2008. That season UMD sported the nation's best offense, averaging 4.26 goals a contest en route to winning a program-record of 34 triumphs. UMD made NCAA women's hockey history in 2003 by defeating Harvard 4-3 in double overtime for its third straight NCAA title. The game was held at the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center in front of a then NCAA women's hockey-record crowd of 5,167.
"We are thrilled to hear that the Frozen Four is coming back to Duluth," said UMD Women's Hockey head coach Maura Crowell. "The 2003 and 2008 events were a dream come true for our program, university, and community. The location of AMSOIL Arena right on Lake Superior makes this an excellent venue and we cannot wait to show it off to fans from all over the country."
For only the third time in its history, the NCAA undertook a site selection process where most of its championships were put out for bid at the same time. The result: The Association made more than 450 selections of host sites for preliminary rounds and final sites of predetermined championships in Divisions I, II and III, with most to be held from 2022-23 through 2025-26. The NCAA received more than 3,000 bid submissions from NCAA member schools, conferences, sports commissions and cities vying to host predetermined rounds for 86 of the NCAA's 90 championships. The sites were selected by the respective NCAA sports committees and approved by the divisional competition oversight and championships committees.
NCAA Women's Hockey Frozen Four host sites:
- 2023: Duluth, MN (Minnesota Duluth)
- 2024: Durham, NH (New Hampshire)
- 2025: Minneapolis, MN (Minnesota)
- 2026: University Park, PA (Penn State)
For the full NCAA release click here.
