It is not only UConn basketball making sports headlines.
UConn hockey is headed to their first-ever NCAA tournament, where they will be taking on in-state rival Quinnipiac University.
The Huskies and the Bobcats are on a crash course for the first round of the tournament.
We spoke with fans and players ahead of the much-anticipated match-up.
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UConn student Connor Shaw said he's a fan of the program and confident the Huskies will get it done.
“The boys are really good, so we’ll go, and we’ll crush them,” Shaw said.
Storrs, often referred to as the basketball capitol of the world, is making noise on the ice this season.
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After making it all the way to the Hockey East finals, the Huskies have earned their first-ever bid to the NCAA Tournament.
Students at the Storrs campus said that despite all the attention the basketball program gets, hockey is becoming a fan favorite, as well.
Lenka Chytyl, a freshman at UConn, said the environment at the Tuscano Ice Forum is special.
“The games are super fun and a lot of energy," Chytyl said.
UConn student Alexa Fernandez said the popularity of the team has been increasing.
“A lot of my friends who are big on hockey have seen the hockey team do well, so we have transferred some of our support to the hockey team,” Fernandez said.
“It's my favorite sport here personally," Shaw said. "And I’m sure that with more investment, it will only get better and better.”
In the southern-central part of the state, this is nothing new for Quinnipiac men’s hockey.
The Bobcats have made the tournament several times, and won it all in 2023. The team said the rivalry has been building in recent years.
Cooper Moore, a graduate student for Quinnipiac hockey, said the rivalry has been building in recent years.
“Especially with the rise of the CT Ice Tournament, the four teams in Connecticut are starting to hate each other a little bit," Moore said.
Andon Cerbone, a sophomore for the Bobcats, told us how he thinks the round one game will play out.
“I think it’s going to be a physical game; it’s going to be a battle," Cerbone said. "We’re going to be up and down the sheets, so it’s going to be exciting."
Students said the Bobcats have the edge. Jack O’Sullivan, a Quinnipiac student, said the Bobcats have the edge.
“UConn is pretty good right now within March Madness. But in hockey, no, it’s definitely Quinnipiac,” O'Sullivan said.
Puck drop is set for 5 p.m. on Friday in Allentown, Pennsylvania.
