Road to Frozen Four: Men's conference tournament results, schedules
The road to the men’s Frozen Four kicks off in earnest with the conference tournaments, where six automatic berths are up for grabs.
The bracket for the 16-team NCAA field will be revealed March 24 (7 p.m. ET, ESPNU and ESPN+), with the regionals scheduled for March 28 through March 31 and the Frozen Four set for April 11 and 13 in St. Paul, Minnesota.
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.
Here’s a look at the schedules and results from each of the conference tournaments.
Every game of the NCAA men’s hockey tournament, including the Frozen Four and championship game, will be available on ESPN+. Subscribe to watch!
Atlantic
RIT won its second consecutive Atlantic regular-season title and sixth overall. With first-round games involving the six lowest seeds complete, 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 games are on campus sites.
Quarterfinals, March 8-10
(best-of-three series)
No. 11 Robert Morris at No. 1 RIT
No. 8 Canisius at No. 2 Holy Cross
No. 7 Niagara at No. 3 Sacred Heart
No. 5 AIC at No. 4 Air Force
Semifinals, March 15-17
(best-of-three series)
Final, March 23
Big Ten
Michigan State (22-9-3) earned a quarterfinals bye after claiming its first Big Ten regular-season title. Seeds 2-7 play best-of-three quarterfinal series before the single-game semis and final, all on campus sites.
Quarterfinals, March 8-10
(best-of-three series)
No. 7 Ohio State at No. 2 Wisconsin
No. 6 Penn State at No. 3 Minnesota
No. 5 Notre Dame at No. 4 Michigan
Semifinals, March 16-17
Finals, March 23
CCHA
Ending the regular season with eight straight wins, Bemidji State won its first regular-season title since 2017. The 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 8-10
(best-of-three series)
No. 8 Ferris State at No. 1 Bemidji State
No. 5 Northern Michigan at No. 4 Minnesota State
No. 6 Bowling Green at No. 3 Michigan Tech
No. 7 Lake Superior State at No. 2 St. Thomas
Semifinals, March 16
Final, March 22
ECAC
Defending national champion Quinnipiac won its fourth straight regular-season title. 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 8 and 9
No. 9 Princeton at No. 8 Harvard
No. 10 Yale at No. 7 St. Lawrence
No. 11 Brown at No. 6 Union
No. 12 RPI at No. 5 Clarkson
Quarterfinals, March 15-17
(best-of-three series)
at No. 1 Quinnipiac
at No. 2 Cornell
at No. 3 Colgate
at No. 4 Dartmouth
Semifinals and final, March 22 and 23
at Lake Placid, New York
Hockey East
With one weekend remaining in the regular season, Boston College, the top-ranked team in the country, has clinched its 18th Hockey East regular-season title and first since 2021. The Hockey East 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 13
No. 11 seed at No. 6 seed
No. 10 seed at No. 7 seed
No. 9 seed at No. 8 seed
Quarterfinals, March 16
No. 5 seed at No. 4 seed
Lowest remaining seed at No. 1 Boston College
Second-lowest remaining seed at No. 2 Boston University
Third-lowest remaining seed at No. 3 seed
Semifinals and final, March 22 and 23
at TD Garden, Boston
NCHC
North Dakota clinched its sixth regular-season title in the 11-year history of the NCHC and its fourth in the last five years. The top four seeds will host best-of-three quarterfinal series, then the winners move on to the single-game semifinals and final.
Quarterfinals, March 15-17
(best-of-three series)
No. 8 Miami at No. 1 North Dakota
No. 7 Minnesota Duluth at No. 2 seed
No. 6 seed at No. 3 seed
No. 5 seed at No. 4 seed
Semifinals and final, March 22 and 23
at Xcel Energy Center, St. Paul, Minnesota
