The NCAA Division III men’s ice hockey committee recently announced that Lake Placid, N.Y. will host both the 2012 and 2013 Division III men’s ice hockey national championships. The New York State Olympic Regional Development Authority (ORDA) and State University of New York College at Plattsburgh (SUNY Plattsburgh) are the co-hosts of the two tournaments.

This year, the nation’s top four teams will vie for the national crown at Ridder Arena on the campus of the University of Minnesota before returning to the famed 1980 Herb Brooks Olympic arena, which played host to the last three national championships, teaming with SUNY Plattsburgh to co-host the past two.

The championship weekends in Lake Placid will feature two semi-final games, on the first day, followed by the championship match-up on the second day. Last year, St. Norbert College, Oswego State, Norwich University and SUNY Plattsburgh vied for the Division III men’s ice hockey national championship crown. Norwich University skated away with the title, beating St. Norbert College 2-1 in what was the longest game in NCAA Division III tournament history, 99 minutes, 29 seconds.

Photo: NCAA Hockey courtesy Wikipedia