Inaugural ‘Coachella Valley Cactus Cup’ College Hockey Meet announced at Acrisure Arena
The first college hockey tournament series hosted in the Coachella Valley is slated for the start of 2025, it was announced today.
The inaugural "Coachella Valley Cactus Cup'' will pit four NCAA Division I Men's teams against each other on Jan. 3 and Jan. 4 at Acrisure Arena, according to the venue Senior Vice President John Page.
"We are thrilled to host the inaugural Coachella Valley Cactus Cup 2025,'' Page said. ``This tournament will feature some of the nation's most exciting ... hockey teams, providing fans with an unparalleled experience of high-stakes hockey action."
He said the sports entertainment is certain to be "intense, showcasing the competitive spirit of college hockey at its finest."
The arena is home to the Coachella Valley Firebirds, part of the American Hockey League and affiliated with the National Hockey League's Seattle Kraken.
The teams scheduled to compete for the cup are the Holy Cross College Crusaders, the University of Massachusetts-Lowell River Hawks, the Michigan Tech University Huskies and the Nebraska University Mavericks.
"We are excited to be headed to the Cactus Cup next winter,'' Holy Cross Coach Bill Riga said. "It will be a great opportunity to compete against three great college hockey programs in an unconventional setting that will allow us help to spread the Holy Cross hockey brand and the overall college hockey product all the way to the west coast."
Michigan Tech Coach Joe Shawhan hailed the Cactus Cup as a "great opportunity for our team to play high-quality non-conference opponents.''
"We have a large alumni base in the area who are looking forward to watching the Huskies in their backyard,'' he said.
Ticket sales for the event will start Tuesday, reserved exclusively for students and alumni from each university, and sales to the general public will begin Thursday, according to Acrisure Arena.
Additional information is available at https://acrisurearena.com/.
