USA Hockey announced Thursday that USA Hockey Arena in Plymouth, Michigan will host the 2017 IIHF Ice Hockey Women’s World Championship.
The tournament will take place April 1-8, 2017 and will feature eight of the best teams in international women’s hockey. 22 games will be played at the two-rink facility, with the main NHL-sized rink featuring a capacity of over 3,500.
“We are thrilled to be bringing the IIHF Women’s World Championship to Michigan,” said Dave Ogrean, executive director of USA Hockey. “We’re confident Plymouth and USA Hockey Arena will provide a great environment for the teams and fans, and know those in the region will enjoy watching the best female hockey players in the world compete for a gold medal.”
The former Compuware Arena was purchased in 2015 by USA Hockey and is the home of the USA Hockey National Team Development Program. The arena just hosted the U-17 Five Nations Tournament and will host the 2016 U.S. National Junior Evaluation Camp in July as the US, Canada, Finland and Sweden prepare for the World Junior’s at the end of the year.
The field for the tournament will be determined following the completion of the 2016 Women’s Worlds, to be played March 28-April 4 in Kamloops, B.C.
The tournament has been dominated by the United States and Canada, as they have met in the final of every tournament since it began in 1990. Canada has 10 gold medals while the United States has six. The Americans have won five of the last six tournaments, with Canada’s 1012 triumph in Burlington, Vermont coming in overtime. The United States is hosting the tournament for the fourth time and will look to win the gold for the first time on home soil.
A schedule and ticket packages for the 2017 IIHF Ice Hockey Women’s World Championship will be available in the coming months.
