INDIANAPOLIS---The NCAA Division I Men’s Ice Hockey Committee has selected the MCI Center in Washington, D.C. as the site for the 2009 NCAA Men’s Frozen Four, Ford Field in Detroit as the host site for 2010, the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minnesota, as the 2011 host site and the St. Pete Times Forum in Tampa, Florida as the host site for 2012.

“To be selected as a Frozen Four site from all the outstanding bids presented this year is truly an exceptional accomplishment,” said Wayne Dean, chair of the Division I Men’s Ice Hockey Committee. “Each selected venue brings something very unique and exciting to the table, something that ensures a great Frozen Four experience for our student athletes, fans, and all those associated with our great tournament.”

The U. S. Naval Academy and the Greater Washington Sports Alliance will serve as co-hosts for the 2009 NCAA Frozen Four that will be held April 9-11, at the home of the National Hockey League’s (NHL) Washington Capitols. This will mark the first time the event has been held in the nation's capitol. The Central Collegiate Hockey Association and the Detroit Metro Sports Commission will co-host the April 8-10, 2010, event at the home of the National Football League's Detroit Lions. It will mark the first time the event has ever been held in a dome. Detroit has been the host city for five previous Frozen Fours, but none since 1990 when it was held in the Joe Louis Arena.

The 2011 Men's Frozen Four will be hosted by the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities and be played April 7-9, at the home of the NHL's Minnesota Wild. The Xcel Energy Center also hosted the event in 2002 and still holds every Frozen Four attendance mark. The University of Alabama, Huntsville and the Tampa Bay Sports Commission will serve as co-hosts for the competition to be held April 5-7, 2012. It will mark the first time any round of NCAA ice hockey championships competition will be held in the state of Florida.

The committee also selected regional sites for all four regions in 2008 and 2009, and the East and Northeast regional sites in 2010 and 2011. The specific dates for each regional have not been determined, but they will encompass March 28-30, 2008; March 27-29, 2009; March 26-28, 2010; and March 25-27, 2011.

In 2008, the East regional will be played at the Pepsi Arena in Albany, New York and will be co-hosted by the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. The University of Wisconsin, Madison was selected to host the Midwest regional on campus at the Kohl Center. The Northeast regional will be held at the DCU Center in Worcester, Massachusetts, and will be hosted by the College of the Holy Cross, while Colorado College will host the West regional at the World Arena in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

In 2009, the East regional will be co-hosted by Yale University and Fairfield University and will be held at the Bridgeport Arena at Harbor Yard in Bridgeport, Connecticut. The Midwest regional will be held at Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and be co-hosted by the Central Collegiate Hockey Association and Western Michigan University. The University of New Hampshire will host the Northeast regional at the Verizon Wireless Arena in Manchester, New Hampshire, and the West regional will be held at Mariucci Arena on the campus of the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities.

In 2010, the ECAC and Rensselaer will repeat as hosts of the East regional at the Pepsi Arena in Albany, New York, while Holy Cross will once again host the Northeast regional at the DCU Center. In 2011, the East regional will once again be hosted by Yale and Fairfield at the Bridgeport Arena at Harbor Yard, while New Hampshire will host the Northeast regional at the Verizon Wireless Arena for the second time in three years.

“Each year the field of regional bids keeps getting better and better. This year was certainly no exception," Dean said. "It is crucial to the success of the tournament that we offer quality regional sites and experiences, and we feel those selected are second to none.”

Previously announced, the 2006 Men's Frozen Four will be held at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee, April 6-8, while the 2007 Men's Frozen Four will be held April 5-7, at the Savvis Center in St. Louis, and the 2008 event will be held April 10-12, at the Pepsi Center in Denver.