Friendship Series Bringing NCAA Women's To Northern Ireland

Four NCAA women's hockey teams - Minnesota-Duluth, Harvard, Quinnipiac, and Boston University are heading to Belfast, Northern Ireland for another instalment of the Friendship Series. It's the first time the event will feature four teams taking place on January 2 and 3.

"We are looking forward as a program to the educational experience and team building opportunities for student-athletes this incredible tournament will provide," said Minnesota-Duluth head coach Laura Schuler when the 2026 Series was announced.

"We are proud to be a part of the first four-team women's tournament, and really excited to reconnect in person with all our European Bulldog alumni."

"This is an amazing opportunity this is for our program," echoed Laura Bellamy, Harvard's women's hockey coach. "We are so fortunate to have this chance to play in this tournament and give our team this once in a lifetime experience. It will be an honor to represent Harvard on the world stage in this historic event next season."

According to Sarah Fraser, Deputy Director of Athletics at Quinnipiac University, it's been exciting to watch the event grow in that span.

"As we approach a decade of the Friendship Four, it's been fantastic to see how the tournament has gone from strength to strength. Undoubtedly, the significance and impact of the games reaches far beyond the ice, offering student-athletes a rounded cultural experience in Belfast. Looking ahead to the next two tournaments, I feel particularly proud that 2026 will see the first four-team women's tournament take place at The SSE Arena, Belfast, providing a great opportunity to showcase the up-and-coming talent within the female game."

Harvard is the only of the four teams that does not include European talent as the other three feature players from Sweden, Czechia, Germany, France, and Finland. 

Minnesota-Duluth and Quinnipiac are both currently top 10 ranked programs in the nation.