DCU Center Selected to Host 2016 NCAA Hockey Northeast Regionals

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Saturday, December 14, 2013

GoLocalWorcester Sports Team

Worcester's DCU Center will host its 14th NCAA Hockey tournament in 2016.

Worcester has been selected by the NCAA to host the Division I Men’s Ice Hockey Northeast Regional Championship in 2016. The bid to host the event was submitted this spring by the College of the Holy Cross, the DCU Center, and Destination Worcester. Games will take place between March 26-27, 2016.

“We really want to thank everyone who put in a bid,” said Mark Lewis, NCAA executive vice president of championships and alliances. “The competitiveness of the bids made it extremely difficult for the sport committees to select sites as there just weren’t spots for all of the great bids we received. Ultimately the sites that were selected will provide our student-athletes, coaches and fans the best experience possible.”

The Worcester arena has hosted the regionals in twelve previous years (1993, 1995, 1997, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2012), not including the upcoming regional in March 2014. In 2012, the DCU Center broke the NCAA record for most hockey tournament games by any arena.

The 2016 event will mark the 5^th Regional for Holy Cross as Host Institution while having also been the Host Institution for the 2005 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championships First/Second Rounds at the DCU Center.

"We are grateful for our partnership with Holy Cross for without them these major collegiate sporting events could not happen,” said Sandy Dunn, General Manager of the DCU Center. “We are thrilled to share this announcement on the heels a $31.5M renovation and expansion,” Dunn added.