Festival of Hockey

PLAY IN BELFAST’S FIRST FESTIVAL OF HOCKEY

The Odyssey Trust, owners of the Odyssey Arena, home of the Belfast Giants, has announced that four top collegiate universities from the prestigious National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) will play in Belfast’s first Festival of Hockey over Thanksgiving weekend (Friday November 27th and Saturday 28th November 2015).

This will be a world first for the NCAA as it is the first time the league has taken to the ice to play competitive games outside the USA. The four-team tournament is expected to draw large numbers of spectators from across Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland, the UK and America.

The University of Massachusetts (UMass Lowell), Northeastern University, Brown University and Colgate University have all agreed to play in Belfast’s Odyssey Arena as part of the festival. Each team competes in the NCAA division 1, the top level of university sports.

To complete a bumper weekend of hockey there will also be Elite League matches on the Saturday and Sunday involving the Belfast Giants.

The Lord Mayor, Councillor Arder Carson, is undertaking his first civic visit to Belfast’s Sister City of Boston this weekend, to officially announce details of the major sporting event. During his trip to Boston the Lord Mayor will meet with a number of key influencers to help promote Belfast and its Sister Cities link on the international stage.

“The Sister City agreement which we signed w