The UConn men’s ice hockey team, along with the three other Division I men’s teams in the Nutmeg State, will launch the first Connecticut Ice Festival the weekend of Jan. 24 through 26.

The weekend hockey extravaganza will take place at Webster Bank Arena in Bridgeport, and will be an annual event that celebrates youth, amateur and collegiate hockey in the state. UConn will compete in a two-round, four-game tournament along with teams from Sacred Heart University, Quinnipiac University, and Yale University. All games will be broadcast live on SNY, which also carries UConn football and men’s and women’s basketball games.

There also will be a series of youth events, on-ice clinics for young players, and youth tournaments in three divisions for boys and girls ages 12 and under, as well as a Girls and Boys Showcase Game and Prep School Showcase Games in conjunction with USA Hockey.

Many hockey fans might be familiar with the Beanpot college hockey tournament that has been a fixture in Boston for almost 70 years, but this will be different because of the involvement with hockey beyond college teams.

UConn will face off against Quinnipiac on Jan. 25 at 4 p.m. followed by Sacred Heart against Yale at 7:30 p.m. The match-ups on Sunday will be determined by the Saturday results. For more information, visit this link.

Huskies head coach Mike Cavanaugh was a longtime assistant at Boston College and says he would like to see the Connecticut Ice Festival develop a similar atmosphere for hockey fans here. He spoke with the UConn 360 podcast about the festival and this year’s season.