Adirondack Bank Center Selected to Host 2026 NCAA Division III Men's Hockey Championship

UTICA, NY- Utica College and the Adirondack Bank Center were selected Wednesday to host the 2026 NCAA Division III Men's Hockey Championships.  The honor marks the second time in school-history that Utica College will host an NCAA Championship as Utica also hosted the 2017 NCAA Division III Men's Hockey Championships.

Championship weekend consists of the final four teams in the NCAA Division III Men's Hockey Tournament.  UC advanced to the national semifinal in 2013 in Lake Placid, NY.  The NCAA also announced that the 2024 championships will be hosted by Trinity College (CT)

Bidding for 86 of 90 NCAA championships began in August 2019 and more than 3,000 bid applications were ultimately submitted. Each sport committee, per division, selected the host sites it believed would provide the ultimate experience for the respective student-athletes, resulting in more than 450 total championship event sites being awarded. More than 54,000 student-athletes compete in NCAA championships each year. The four championships not included in the process due to preexisting site arrangements are: Division I baseball, Division I football, Division I softball and Division III women’s ice hockey.

“The response of our membership, host cities and local organizing committees to this process was tremendous,” said Joni Comstock, NCAA senior vice president of championships. “Thanks to their commitment, we are excited that our student-athletes will play in some of the top locations and venues in the United States.”

The Utica College men's and women's hockey teams play their home games at the Adirondack Bank Center. Located in downtown Utica, just five miles from campus, the Adirondack Bank Center is a state of the art hockey facility with a seating capacity for more than 3,800+ fans.

US College Hockey On-line has called the Adirondack Bank Center (formerly known as the Utica Memorial Auditorium) one of the top rinks in Division III. The building is also home to the American Hockey League's Utica Comets.