St. Lawrence’s Drake Burgin skates with the puck during the Adirondack Winter Invitational in 2024. (Provided photo — ORDA)

LAKE PLACID — The third annual Adirondack Winter Invitational Division I men’s hockey tournament is returning to this village Thanksgiving weekend — Friday, Nov. 28 and Saturday, Nov. 29 — at the Olympic Center’s 1980 Herb Brooks Arena.

University of Massachusetts Lowell returns as the defending tournament champion, while North Country stalwarts Clarkson University and St. Lawrence University will look to keep the trophy in local hands. University of Alaska Fairbanks is making its first appearance in the tournament. Each team will play two non-conference games over two days, with the tournament champion determined through an overall points system.

Clarkson and St. Lawrence are members of the ECAC Hockey conference, which hosts its championship tournament in Lake Placid annually. UMass Lowell competes in the Hockey East conference while Alaska Fairbanks is an Independent NCAA team.

On Friday, Nov. 28, Alaska Fairbanks will take on St. Lawrence at 4 p.m., while UMass Lowell and Clarkson will face off at 7:30 p.m. The following day, UMass Lowell will take on St. Lawrence at 4 p.m., followed by Alaska Fairbanks vs. Clarkson at 7:30 p.m.

The event will take place during the first half of each team’s season schedule. The Adirondack Winter Invitational provides an opportunity to compete on neutral ice against non-conference opponents. Arizona State won the inaugural Adirondack Winter Invitational title in 2023, followed by UMass Lowell’s narrow victory last year.

Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased through the Olympic Center’s event website at tinyurl.com/4c757372.