Miami Hockey set to participate in the 2025 Friendship Four tournament

The Miami University RedHawks hockey team will have an exciting Thanksgiving break during the 2025-26 season, including some international travel. The program announced this afternoon its agreement to participate in the 2025 Friendship Four tournament.

Miami alumnus and former Boston Bruins player in the National Hockey League Pat Leahy (’01) and sports administrator Brad Okel were present for the announcement and represented the RedHawks at the Massachusetts State House.

The tournament, which started in 2015 and has been an annual event since, is hosted in Belfast, Northern Ireland. It’s the only NCAA Division I men’s hockey tournament outside North America.

The games will be held in The SSE Arena Belfast on Nov. 28 and 29. The venue holds 10,000 people and is home to the Belfast Giants of the United Kingdom’s Elite Ice Hockey League.

Miami is playing in the tournament against three other schools: Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT), Sacred Heart University and Union College. The winner of the tournament will receive the Belpot Trophy.

Miami is the first program from the National Collegiate Hockey Conference to participate in this tournament.

New Miami hockey head coach Anthony Noreen will be in his second season by the time the tournament rolls around, and he knows the chance that this presents for his players and coaching staff.

"The Friendship Four is a tremendous opportunity for our program," Noreen said. "It will provide a first-class experience both hockey and life-wise for our student-athletes, and we are honored for the chance to be part of such a prestigious event."

@jjmid04

middleje@miamioh.edu