INDIANAPOLIS, IN - The NCAA Division III Men’s Ice Hockey Committee has announced the field of 11 teams for the 2011 NCAA Division III Men’s Ice Hockey Championship. Curry College opens play at Norwich University on Wednesday, March 9.  The Colonels (16-8-3) take on the defending national champion Cadets (20-5-3) in a 7:00 p.m. contest in Northfield, Vermont.

The championship playoff format involves three first-round games and four quarterfinal games that are played on the campuses of the participating institutions. All games in the championship are single elimination. The four quarterfinal winners advance to Minneapolis, Minnesota, at Ridder Arena for the semifinals and championship game, which will be conducted March 25-26. The Northern Collegiate Hockey Association will host the championship.

In addition to Curry, champions of the ECAC Northeast, six other conferences have been awarded automatic qualification. The remaining four teams were selected at-large by the committee.

Conferences that Received Automatic Qualification:

ECAC DIII Men’s East Hockey League - Norwich University (20-5-3)
ECAC DIII Northeast Hockey League - Curry (16-8-3)
Midwest Collegiate Hockey Association - Adrian (23-3-1)
Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference - Hamline University (16-6-5)
New England Small College Athletic Conference - Bowdoin College (17-7-1)
Northern Collegiate Hockey Association - St. Norbert (22-4-1)
State University of New York Athletic Conference - Plattsburgh State University of New York (20-7-1)

Elmira College, Neumann College, State University of New York at Oswego and University Wisconsin, Superior, enter the field as the four at-large selections.

The championship game will be webstreamed live on NCAA.com at 8 p.m. ET.

In 2010, Norwich claimed its third national championship title with a 2-1 win in overtime against St. Norbert at the Herb Brooks Arena in Lake Placid, N.Y.

For more information about the 2011 Division III Men’s Ice Hockey Championship, visit www.NCAA.com

Click here for ticket information and game coverage

Click here to view the Championship Bracket