This story will be updated.
ECAC Hockey’s women’s semifinals and championship game — collectively known as championship weekend — will be played inside Herb Brooks Arena in Lake Placid, New York, rather than on campus sites starting in the 2025-2026 season. A Lake Placid Olympic Regional Development Authority spokesperson confirmed the move in a statement sent to The Sun.
“We’re thrilled to finally be hosting the ECAC Women’s Hockey Championship in Lake Placid. The Olympic Regional Development Authority has a long history of welcoming the men’s championship, and it’s fitting that we now bring the women’s event to this world-class stage,” said ORDA director of communications Darcy Rowe Norfolk.
The Sun was able to initially determine the change in venue on Sept. 5 from a listing on a Lake Placid events website. ECAC Hockey confirmed the change in a Sept. 24 press release.
“Lake Placid is a special place in the hockey community, and we are thrilled to bring the ECAC Hockey Women’s Championship to this historic venue,” said ECAC commissioner Doug Christiansen in the press release. “This move will provide an unforgettable championship atmosphere for our student-athletes and fans, while building on the league’s tradition of excellence.”
The ECAC men’s championship game has taken place in Lake Placid 21 times stretching back to 1993, but the conference’s women’s championship — since the league began sponsoring one in 1984 — has been held at the highest remaining seed’s home rink. Last year, for example, Lynah Rink hosted championship weekend after Cornell secured its seventh regular season title. Cornell went on to win the tournament championship at Lynah on March 8, 2025.
Arguments in favor of “on-campus” finals include their ability to boost attendance and place a greater emphasis on winning the regular season. The women’s tournament will now take the same structure as that of the men — an “on-campus” opening round and quarterfinal, before the final four remaining teams head to Lake Placid. The change could cause teams to place less value on winning the regular season — focusing instead on a top four finish and its reward of an opening-round bye.
There may be no location worldwide more connected to hockey than Lake Placid. The small town located nearly five hours north of Ithaca hosted what is widely regarded as the greatest hockey game of all time: a thrilling 4-3 comeback win by the United States over the Soviet Union in the the 1980 Winter Olympic Games. The venue has since hosted both men’s and women’s hockey national championships.
Women’s hockey’s official schedule has yet to be officially released — but based on public information from other teams and conferences, Cornell will begin its season against Boston College on Oct. 17 at Lynah Rink. The men will drop the puck on the 2025-2026 season on the road against the University of Massachusetts on Oct. 31. The women’s ECAC championship weekend will take place March 6 and 7 in Lake Placid and will be followed two weeks later by the men.
Jane McNally is a senior editor on the 143rd editorial board and was the sports editor on the 142nd editorial board. She is a member of the Class of 2026 in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. You can follow her on X @JaneMcNally_ and reach her at jmcnally@cornellsun.com.
Eli Fastiff is a senior editor on the 143rd editorial board and a member of the class of 2026 in the College of Arts and Sciences. You can follow him on X @Eli_Fastiff and reach him at efastiff@cornellsun.com.
