The PrimeLink Great Northern Shoot-Out, a new season-opening tournament featuring four top Division III hockey programs from New York and Vermont, will debut in November on the campus of Norwich University.
Slated to appear are ECAC powerhouse and host Norwich, three-time defending Division III champion Middlebury, perennial NCAA contender and 1992 national champion Plattsburgh State and SUNYAC stalwart SUNY-Potsdam. The tournament is sponsored by PrimeLink, a Champlain, N.Y., telecommunications firm.
“In this part of the country, we can witness some of the nation’s finest and fiercest collegiate hockey contests,” said Trent Trahan, president and CEO of PrimeLink and an alumnus of Plattsburgh State. “This tournament will showcase the talent of these local colleges and provide area residents with some exciting and entertaining hockey.” Trahan also credited Plattsburgh head hockey coach Bob Emery with the idea for the new tournament.
Norwich’s new multi-purpose arena, to be completed this spring, will house the inaugural tourney, after which it will rotate to Middlebury in 1999, Plattsburgh State in 2000 and SUNY-Potsdam in 2001. First-round matchups at the first Shoot-Out will feature Norwich vs. Plattsburgh and Middlebury vs. Potsdam. The following day teams will meet in championship and consolation games.
