Road to the men's Frozen Four: Conference tournaments at a glance
The road to the men’s Frozen Four is heating up as the regular season winds down and conference tournaments get underway.
The 16-team NCAA field will be announced March 19 (6:30 p.m. ET, ESPNU), with the regionals scheduled for March 23-26 and the Frozen Four set for April 6 and 8 in Tampa, Florida.
The winners of the six conference tournaments — Atlantic, Big Ten, CCHA, ECAC, Hockey East and NCHC — and 10 at-large teams will make up the 16-team field. The at-large teams are determined by the PairWise rankings.
The winner of the Atlantic will fall outside the PairWise top 16 as RIT, the league’s regular-season champion and highest-ranked team, enters the weekend at No. 22. And there are other potential bid stealers out there, particularly in Hockey East, where only Boston University sits on the right side of the bubble entering the weekend.
Here is a look at all six conference tournaments, with schedules and results to be updated as games are played.
Atlantic
RIT snapped AIC’s four-year run as the Atlantic Hockey regular-season champ. In a new format this season, the top eight teams of the 10-team league qualify for the league tournament. The top four seeds host best-of-three quarterfinal series. The four quarterfinal winners advance to the best-of-three semifinals, with those winners moving on to the single-game final, all on campus sites.
Quarterfinals, March 3-5: No. 8 Mercyhurst at No. 1 RIT; No. 7 Holy Cross at No. 2 AIC; No. 6 Niagara at No. 3 Sacred Heart; No. 5 Army at No. 4 Canisius
Semifinals, March 10-12: At highest remaining seeds
Final, March 18: At higher remaining seed
Big Ten
Minnesota, the Big Ten regular-season champion for the second year in a row, gets a bye into the semifinals. Seeds 2-7 play best-of-three quarterfinal series before the single-game semis and final, all on campus sites.
Quarterfinals, March 3-5: No. 7 Wisconsin at No. 2 Michigan; No. 6 Penn State at No. 3 Ohio State; No. 5 Michigan State at No. 4 Notre Dame
Semifinals, March 11: Lowest remaining seed at No. 1 Minnesota; second-lowest seed at second-highest seed
Final, March 18: At higher remaining seed
CCHA
Minnesota State claimed its sixth straight CCHA regular-season title and is the No. 1 seed. Best-of-three quarterfinals will be hosted by the top four seeds, followed by single-game semifinals and final, all on campus sites.
Quarterfinals, March 3-5: No. 8 Lake Superior State at No. 1 Minnesota State; No. 7 St. Thomas at No. 2 Michigan Tech; No. 6 Ferris State at No. 3 Bowling Green; No. 5 Bemidji State at No. 4 Northern Michigan
Semifinals, March 11: At highest remaining seeds
Final, March 18: At higher remaining seed
ECAC
With a 20-2 league record, top-seeded Quinnipiac was the first ECAC team since 1988-89 to post 20 wins in the regular season. The top four teams receive first-round byes, with seeds 5-12 playing single games in the first round. After a reseed, the top four seeds host best-of-three quarterfinal series. Winners move on to single-game semifinals and final. (All games available on ESPN+.)
First round, March 3: No. 12 Dartmouth at No. 5 Colgate
First round, March 4: No. 11 Brown at No. 6 Clarkson; No. 10 Yale at No. 7 Rensselaer; No. 9 Princeton at No. 8 Union
Quarterfinals, March 10-12: TBD at No. 1 Quinnipiac; TBD at No. 2 Harvard; TBD at No. 3 Cornell; TBD at No. 4 St. Lawrence
Semifinals, March 17: at Lake Placid, New York
Final, March 18: at Lake Placid, New York
Hockey East
Entering the final weekend of the regular season, only one seed — No. 11 Vermont — is locked in. The conference tournament is single elimination throughout. Seeds 6-11 play in the first round, then the eight remaining teams are reseeded for the quarterfinals. Winners move on to the semifinals and final. (All games available on ESPN+.)
First round, March 8: No. 11 Vermont at No. 6 seed; No. 10 seed at No. 7 seed; No. 9 seed at No. 8 seed
Quarterfinals, March 11: No. 5 seed at No. 4; TBD at No. 1 seed; TBD at No. 2 seed; TBD at No. 3 seed
Semifinals, March 17: at TD Garden, Boston
Final, March 18: at TD Garden, Boston
NCHC
Defending national champion Denver has wrapped up the regular-season title, but most of the remaining seeds are still to be determined over the final weekend. The top four seeds host best-of-three quarterfinal series, then the winners move on to the single-game semifinals and final.
Quarterfinals, March 10-12: No. 8 Miami (Ohio) at No. 1 Denver; No. 7 seed at No. 2 seed; No. 6 seed at No. 3 seed; No. 5 seed at No. 4 seed
Semifinals, March 17: at Xcel Center, St. Paul, Minnesota
Final, March 18: at Xcel Center, St. Paul, Minnesota
