INDIANAPOLIS — The NCAA and Big Ten Network announced today they have reached a four-year agreement to broadcast the Women’s Frozen Four on BTN.
In 2017, BTN will air the championship game live, and then in 2018, 2019 and 2020, the semifinals and the championship game of the Women’s Frozen Four will be aired live. The 2017 semifinals will be streamed on ncaa.com.
“This is a tremendous opportunity for us to showcase our championship on national television,” said Sarah Fraser, the deputy director of athletics at Quinnipiac University and the chair of the NCAA Women’s Ice Hockey Committee. “It is wonderful for women’s ice hockey to receive this type of exposure so everyone can see the talented women we have playing our game, which include some of the best women’s ice hockey players in the world.”
The 2017 Women’s Frozen Four will be played March 17 and 19 at the Family Arena in St. Charles, Missouri, while the 2018 event will be March 16 and 18 at Ridder Arena on the campus of the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. The host sites for 2019 and 2020 will be announced April 18.
“We’re absolutely thrilled to be providing a national stage for an iconic championship event like the Women’s Frozen Four,” said Michael Calderon, senior vice president of programming and digital media at BTN. “The Big Ten Network’s commitment to gender equality has resulted in more than 700 women’s sporting events being televised and streamed per year, and the Women’s Frozen Four is a welcome addition to an already compelling lineup.”
The Big Ten Network, a joint venture between the Big Ten Conference and Fox, was founded in 2007 and reaches more than 60 million homes nationwide.