WAKEFIELD, Mass. - The Hockey East Association has announced that Merrimack College will serve as hosts for the 2020 Hockey East Women's Championship weekend at Lawler Rink on Saturday, March 7 and Sunday, March 8 as announced by the League on Monday.

"We are looking forward to a return to Merrimack as everyone on the Warriors staff did an excellent job when they last hosted this event in 2016," said Hockey East commissioner Joe Bertagna. "We are also pleased to bring this level of skill and excitement to the Merrimack Valley hockey community, an area that appreciates world class hockey."

"It is an honor to have Merrimack host the women's Hockey East Championship this season," women's ice hockey head coach Erin Hamlen said. "We welcome another opportunity to successfully showcase our talented league for Merrimack College, North Andover, and our surrounding communities."

The Hockey East Tournament semifinals will be held on Saturday, March 7 with games tentatively slated for 12 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. The winners of each semifinal will advance to the 18th Women's Hockey East championship game on Sunday, March 8 which is tentatively scheduled for 2 p.m. Ticketing information for all of Championship Weekend will be announced at a later date.

All games will be aired live on NESNplus as part of Hockey East's new partnership with the regional sports network. The championship weekend can be streamed across the globe through CBS All-Access streaming.

Teams will compete in the Hockey East quarterfinals from Feb. 28 to March 1, as the top eight teams in the league standings at the conclusion of the regular season will qualify. Seeds No. 1-4 will host No. 5-8 in a best-of-three series, with the four advancing quarterfinalists will be re-seeded for the semifinals.

Merrimack is hosting the Women's Hockey East Championship for the second time, as the College played host in March 2016 to cap off the program's inaugural season.