The Shillelagh Tournament is a Division I men's college ice hockey tournament hosted annually during the NCAA Division I men's ice hockey season by the Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's ice hockey program. It was first held during the 2008–09 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey season as the successor to the Lightning College Hockey Classic.[1] After the Tampa Bay Lightning withdrew as tournament sponsor because of ownership changes, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's ice hockey program took control of the event, moving it to the Sears Centre in Hoffman Estates, Illinois.[1]
The tournament is named after the shillelagh, a wooden club typically made from blackthorn or oak with a large knob on the end that is associated with Ireland and Irish folklore.[2] The Notre Dame Fighting Irish football program has annually exchanged the Shillelagh Trophy and the Jeweled Shillelagh with the Purdue Boilermakers and USC Trojans respectively.[2]
Notre Dame won the inaugural Shillelagh Tournament, defeating the University of Minnesota Duluth 3–1 in the final game.[3]
Results
| Year | Winning team | Runner-up | Third place | Fourth place | Location | Venue | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Notre Dame | Minnesota-Duluth | Union | Massachusetts-Lowell | Hoffman Estates, Illinois | Sears Centre |