The University of Vermont and the city of Burlington will host the 2012 IIHF World Women’s Championship, with Gutterson Fieldhouse being the primary venue.
Gutterson, home to the UVM men’s and women’s programs, will will host all U.S. and Canada games, as well as the playoff and medal rounds. Cairns Arena will serve as the secondary facility for the event.
Burlington was selected from a pool of finalists that also included Minneapolis, Rochester, N.Y., and Hartford, Conn.
The eight-nation tournament, which will tentatively run from April 7-14, 2012, includes 22 games and features the top female hockey players in the world.
“We are thrilled to be serving as the host site for the IIHF World Women’s Championship and look forward with enthusiasm and excitement to working with USA Hockey, the greater Burlington community and the state of Vermont in preparing for this very special and world-wide celebration of women’s hockey,” Robert Corran, associate vice president and director of athletics for UVM, said in a statement.
The United States has earned gold medals in three of the last four world championships (2005, 2008, 2009), while capturing silver in the remaining nine years (1990, 1992, 1994, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2004, 2007). The title game has featured the U.S. and Canada every year of the tournament dating back to its inception in 1990.
