Lake Placid Olympic Center. Photo by Jacob Slagel.
The ECAC Hockey Championships are coming back to Lake Placid in March, giving Northwood students a chance to watch Division I college hockey in the Olympic Center’s 1980 Herb Brooks Arena. The ECAC is the Eastern College Athletic Conference, and its championship weekends bring the top teams in the league to Lake Placid for semifinal and championship games.
This year, the Women’s ECAC championship weekend will be held March 6th and 7th. Semifinal games are scheduled for 4 pm and 7 pm on Friday, March 6, and the championship game is scheduled for 5 pm Saturday, March 7. The Men’s ECAC championship weekend is scheduled for March 20 and 21, with semifinals at 4 pm and 7 pm Friday, March 20, and the championship game at 5 pm Saturday, March 21.
Students are already making plans to attend, and many said the experience is as much about the atmosphere as it is about the hockey. Harry Vant ’26 said he has gone in previous years and plans to go again. “I had a good time with my friends,” Vant said. “The hockey was good.” For a lot of students, it is an easy weekend activity that still feels like a big event.
Cooper Plotts ’26 also went last year and said the best part was being there with other students. “It was really fun being able to sit with the whole team just kind of watching really good, high level hockey,” Plotts said. He called it “a great thing to do on the weekend,” especially for students who already follow hockey or want to see what playoff level games look like.
For students newer to hockey, the ECAC weekends can be a good way to learn more about the sport. Sasha Luhur ’27 said she did not start watching hockey until she came to Northwood. “Now I’ve been here long enough that I kind of understand it,” Luhur said, “and it’ll be cool to see competitive college level hockey.” She hopes to attend both weekends and is excited that the women’s tournament is included in the Lake Placid lineup.
For the women’s tournament, coach Tommy Spero shared discounted ticket details for the Northwood community. Students can buy a $30 weekend pass that covers all three games, both semifinals and the final, and families will be billed home. Students who want to attend a single game also need to message him directly, but the single game rate was still to be determined at the time of his message. To receive tickets, students must send coach Spero a direct Teams chat before 9 p.m. Sunday, March 1, since he needs a final count on Monday.
With two championship weekends on the schedule, March should feel busy in the best way around campus and around town. Whether students go to watch specific teams, support friends who love hockey, or just be part of a big crowd at the Olympic Center, the ECAC games are an easy way to show school spirit and take advantage of what Lake Placid offers. If you plan to go to the women’s weekend, make sure to message coach Spero before the deadline, and keep an eye out for the school’s announcement on men’s tournament ticket details.
