The annual Women's Ice Breaker Tournament marks the traditional start to the college hockey season. Celebrating its fourth tournament in 2024-25, the Ice Breaker brings together four of the nation's top teams, typically from different conferences.
The Ice Breaker Tournament was created by the Hockey Commissioners Association in order to celebrate the start of the season with teams from a variety of NCAA Division I conferences. The event has a legislative exemption from the NCAA which allows the four participants to play two additional games above the normal limit of 34.
The 2024 Ice Breaker Tournament will be hosted by defending NCAA champion Ohio State at OhioHealth Ice Haus. The other participants include Cornell, Penn State and Stonehill.
| Year | Host | Site | Participants (Champion in Boldface) |
| 2019 | Mercyhurst | Buffalo Harbor Center (Buffalo, N.Y.) | Colgate, UConn, Mercyhurst, Minnesota Duluth |
| 2020 | Not held because of COVID-19 | ||
| 2021 | Not held because of COVID-19 | ||
| 2022 | Neutral Site | 1980 Rink Herb Brooks Arena (Lake Placid, N.Y.) | Clarkson, Holy Cross, St. Lawrence, Syracuse |
| 2023 | Sacred Heart | Martire Family Arena (Fairfield, Conn.) | Lindenwood, Northeastern, Sacred Heart, St. Cloud State |
| 2024 | Ohio State | OhioHealth Ice Haus (Columbus, Ohio) | Cornell, Ohio State, Penn State, Stonehill |