COLUMBUS, Ohio –The Ohio State women’s hockey team, in partnership with the Greater Columbus Sports Commission, Western Collegiate Hockey Association and the Hockey Commissioners Association, will host the 2024 Women’s Ice Breaker Tournament at the Schottenstein Center in downtown Columbus.

“We are excited for the opportunity to host the Ice Breaker Tournament in Columbus next year,” Ohio State head coach Nadine Muzerall said. “The way the Columbus community has rallied around our program and women’s hockey as a whole has been really special to see and we are looking forward to bringing this event to our city for our fans.”

The Buckeyes will be joined by Cornell, Penn State and Stonehill in the event, scheduled for Oct. 25-26, 2024.

The Women’s Ice Breaker Tournament, which started in 2019, was created by the Hockey Commissioners Association to celebrate the start of the season with teams from a variety of NCAA Division I conferences.

“Columbus, Ohio State, and Nationwide Arena are proud to host the 2024 Women’s Ice Breaker Tournament,” Ohio State Senior Deputy Athletic Director and SWA Janine Oman said. “The support the hockey community has provided to the women’s team and the growth of ice hockey in Columbus make this event a perfect fit to continue to grow the sport in Central Ohio. We can’t wait to welcome fans to Columbus to showcase high-level NCAA women’s ice hockey.”

The 2024 event marks the first time the Ice Breaker will be played in Columbus and hosted by Ohio State. It will be the third held in Ohio as the men’s tournament was hosted by Miami University in 2006 and by Bowling Green in 2019.

“The Icebreaker Tournament brings four teams together for an early season women’s hockey showcase and we’re delighted have Ohio State has the host,” Steve Metcalf, Hockey East Commissioner and President of the Hockey Commissioners Association, said.

The Buckeye women’s hockey team will make its first appearance in the Ice Breaker Tournament when it hosts next year, becoming the first WCHA team to host the event and second to play in it.

“The Ice Breaker Tournament has established itself as one of the traditional events in women’s college hockey that fans across the country look forward to at the start of each season,” WCHA Interim Commissioner Tracy Dill said. “The WCHA is thrilled that the event in 2024 will be hosted by Ohio State and the city of Columbus, Ohio and we are looking forward to the opportunity to showcase the sport of NCAA Division I women’s college hockey and the WCHA.”