U SPORTS Men’s and Women’s Hockey Championships announced for the 2020-21 season.

This article was last updated on April 16, 2022

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The UPEI Panthers will play host to the 2021 U SPORTS University Cup, while the Montreal Carabins will stage the 2021 U SPORTS Women’s Hockey Championship.

“We are confident both championships will be professionally organized and provide excellent services to our student-athletes and coaching staff,” said U SPORTS President and CEO Graham Brown. “Fans can expect some great quality competition at both events. We are already looking forward to making history in Montreal, while also returning to Charlottetown next season.”

The 2020-21 campaign will mark UPEI’s third year in a row hosting a U SPORTS hockey national championship, after welcoming the women’s event to MacLauchlan Arena last season for the first of two straight years. The 2021 men’s tournament is a joint venture with the Province of PEI, and the City of Charlottetown and will be held at the Eastlink Centre, home of the Charlottetown Islanders of the QMJHL.

UPEI last hosted the men’s event in 1970 – in the university’s inaugural year – and last appeared in the tournament in 1991, but has not won the David Johnston University Cup in team history.

“We are very excited to be hosting the 2021 U SPORTS Men’s Hockey Championship,” said Chris Huggan, Director of UPEI Athletics and Recreation. “This would not have happened if the Islanders hadn’t been so supportive of and engaged in the U SPORTS Women’s Hockey Championship we hosted in March. We will continue to strive to grow the women’s event for 2020 while we build towards a sold-out EastLink Centre for the men’s tourney in 2021.”

Acadia University will play host to the 2020 University Cup at the Scotiabank Centre in Halifax.

On the women’s side, the Carabins will host the national championship for the first time on campus at CEPSUM Arena, after previously capturing the Golden Path Trophy in 2013 and 2016. The 2019-20 season will mark the team’s 10th anniversary since debuting in the 2009-10 campaign.

In the team’s short history, the Carabins have appeared in eight national championships – including seven times in the last eight years – where they have reached the podium six times (2 gold, 2 silver 2 bronze).

“It shows our desire to get involved in university sport and to bring unforgettable experiences to our student-athletes,” said Carabins Director of Sport Excellence Manon Simard. “We are very proud to see that the hockey and sports communities, especially the provincial government and the City of Montreal, are ready to support us in organizing an event of this magnitude, after only 10 years of existence.”

Both hockey national championships will be held March 18-21, 2021.

The Panthers will also host the 2020 U SPORTS Women’s Hockey Championship from March 12-15, while the Carabins are set to host the 2019 U SPORTS Men’s Soccer Championship this fall from Nov.7-10, where they will look to defend their national title on home field.

Official logos will be unveiled later this summer as part of a relaunched National Championships marketing campaign.

Following Tuesday’s announcements, 11 national championships hosts across six provinces have been announced for the 2020-21 season, reaffirming U SPORTS as the national brand of university sports in Canada.