Competition will begin with a Friday afternoon matinee when the second-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes take on the St. Lawrence Saints at 1:00 p.m. Following game one, the Bulldogs of the University of Minnesota Duluth, ranked sixth in the nation, will take on the Penn State Nittany Lions at 4:00 p.m.
Play will resume Saturday afternoon when Minnesota Duluth battles St. Lawrence at 2:30 p.m. The tournament will then conclude with a clash between Big Ten rivals Penn State and Ohio State beginning at 5:30 p.m.
This year will mark the third iteration of the D1 in D.C. tournament held at the Medstar Capitals Iceplex since 2017. According to Kush Sidhu, Director of the Washington Pride youth hockey program, the tournament's goal is to showcase the sport to the community and to inspire the next generation of local players to achieve their goals of playing high-level college hockey.
Given the lack of NCAA programs in the area, Sidhu believes tournaments like D1 in D.C. are vitally important.
"For many young players," Sidhu points out, "this will be the first time they will have actually seen a Division I women's hockey game, or any college hockey game for that matter. If they can see it, they can achieve it."
Along with the tournament's four-game schedule, the Washington Pride will also be hosting an "NCAA Opportunities" roundtable for players and their parents. Starting at 1:30 p.m. Saturday, the roundtable is designed to provide the local community with an inside-look into what it takes to play hockey at the collegiate level.
"There are some particular rules and misconceptions about what paths lead to college hockey," Sidhu said. "Having some people who recruit for a living can help answer questions and hopefully everyone will leave with a greater appreciation for what goes into a high school-aged kid being recruited and ultimately committing to an NCAA program."
For St. Lawrence defender Lily Wildman, returning to play hockey in the DMV will be especially meaningful. Born and raised in Great Falls, the Saints' junior is an alumna of both the Reston Raiders and Washington Pride youth programs. Wildman will join former Saints' left wing Maggie McLaughlin and Northeastern forward Veronika Pettey as the third Pride alumna to compete in the D1 in D.C. tournament.
Tickets for all tournament games are available now at
. As an added bonus, any youth hockey player ages 19 and under will receive free admission by wearing their team jersey, sweatshirt, or jacket to the game.
