With the regular season winding down and conference tournaments underway, the road to the men’s Frozen Four is heating up.
The 16-team NCAA field will be announced on March 19 (6:30 p.m. ET, ESPNU), with regionals scheduled for March 23-26 and the Frozen Four on April 6 and 8 in Tampa, Florida.
The winners of the Atlantic, Big Ten, CCHA, ECAC, Hockey East and NCHC six conference tournaments and the 10 Big Ten teams make up the 16-team field. The top teams are determined by the PairWise ranking.
Atlantic winner PairWise will remain out of the Top 16 as RIT, the league’s regular-season champion and top-ranked team, enters the weekend at No. 22. There are also other potential bid stealers, especially in the Hockey East, where only Boston University sits on the right side of the bubble entering the weekend.
See all six conference tournaments here, with schedules and results updated as games are played.
Atlantic
RIT ended AIC’s four-year run as Atlantic Hockey regular season champions. This season, in a new format, the top eight teams from the 10-team league will qualify for the league tournament. The best-of-three quarterfinal series will be played in the top four seeds. The four quarterfinal winners advance to the best-of-three semifinals, with those winners all advancing to the one-game finals at campus venues.
Quarterfinals, March 3-5
No. 8 Mercyhurst at No. 1 RIT — Game 1: RIT wins, 5-0; Game 2: RIT wins, 4-3 (OT)
No. 7 Holy Cross at No. 2 AIC — Game 1: AIC won, 3-1; Game 2: Holy Cross wins, 4-3; Game 3: Holy Cross wins, 4-3 (OT)
No. 6 Niagara at No. 3 Sacred Heart — Game 1: Sacred Heart wins, 3-1; Game 2: Niagara won, 4-1; Game 3: Niagara won, 7-3
No. 5 Army at No. 4 Canisius — Game 1: Canisius wins, 5-2; Game 2: Army won, 1-0 (OT); Game 3: Canisius wins, 3-0
Semi-finals, March 10-12: Holy Cross at RIT; Niagara and Canisius
Final, March 18: In the top seed
The Big Ten
Minnesota, the defending Big Ten regular-season champion for the second year in a row, has a bye in the semifinals. The 2-7 seeds will play best-of-three quarterfinal series at campus sites before the one-game semifinals and finals.
Quarterfinals, March 3-5
#7 Wisconsin at #2 Michigan — Game 1: Michigan wins, 6-5 (OT); Game 2: Michigan wins, 7-4
#6 Penn State at #3 Ohio State — Game 1: Ohio State won, 5-1; Game 2: Penn State wins, 2-1 (OT); Game 3: Ohio State wins, 3-1
#5 Michigan State at #4 Notre Dame — Game 1: ND wins, 1-0; Game 2: Michigan St. won, 4-2; Game 3: Michigan St. won, 4-2
Semi-finals, March 11: Michigan State at No. 1 Minnesota; Ohio State at Michigan
Final, March 18: In the top seed
CCHA
Minnesota State won its sixth straight CCHA regular season title and is the No. 1 seed. The best-of-three quarterfinals will be followed by the best-of-four, one-game semifinals and the finals on campus grounds.
Quarterfinals, March 3-5
#8 Lake Superior State at #1 Minnesota State — Game 1: Minn. St. won, 6-1; Game 2: Minn. St. won, 2-1
No. 7 St. Thomas at No. 2 Michigan Tech — Game 1: Michigan Tech won, 1-0; Game 2: Michigan Tech won, 5-4
#6 Ferris State at #3 Bowling Green — Game 1: Ferris St. wins, 4-3 (OT); Game 2: Ferris St. won, 2-1 (OT)
No. 5 Bemidji State at No. 4 Northern Michigan — Game 1: N. Michigan won, 7-3; Game 2: N. Mich. won, 2-1 (OT)
Semi-finals, March 11: Ferris State, Minnesota; Northern Michigan, Michigan Tech
Final, March 18: In the top seed
ECAC
With a 20-2 league record, top-seeded Quinnipiac became the first ECAC team to reach 20 wins in a regular season since 1988-89. The top four teams have a bye in the first round, and in the first round 5-12 teams play one game. After reseeding, the top four seeds host the best-of-three quarterfinal series. The winners advance to the one-game semi-finals and final. (All games are available on ESPN+.)
First round, March 3: No. 5 Colgate 5, No. 12 Dartmouth 3
First round, March 4: No. 6 Clarkson 5, No. 11 Brown 1; No. 9 Princeton 6, No. 8 Union 4; No. 10 Yale 4, No. 7 Rensselaer 1
Quarterfinals, March 10-12: Yale, No. 1 Quinnipiac; #2 Princeton at Harvard; Clarkson is No. 3 at Cornell; No. 4 Colgate at St. Lawrence
Semi-finals, March 17: in Lake Placid, New York
Final, March 18: in Lake Placid, New York
Hockey East
Boston University has won the Hockey East regular season title and is the only team in the league that is guaranteed to make the NCAA Tournament. All others must win by winning the conference tournament, which is a one-time qualifier. In the first round, 6-11 teams will play, after which the remaining eight teams will be sent back to the quarter-finals. The winners advance to the semi-finals and finals. (All games are available on ESPN+.)
First round, March 8: No. 11 Vermont, No. 6 Maine; #10 New Hampshire at #7 Providence; No. 9 UMass at No. 8 Boston College
Quarterfinals, March 11: No. 5 UMass-Lowell, No. 4 UConn; #1 TBD at Boston University; TBD at No. 2 Merrimack; TBD #3 Northeast
Semi-finals, March 17: TD Garden, Boston
Final, March 18: TD Garden, Boston
NCHC
Defending national champion Denver wrapped up the NCHC regular season title, with Western Michigan and St. Cloud State in good position for at-large berths in the NCAA. The top four will host three quarterfinal series, with the winners advancing to the one-game semifinals and finals.
Quarterfinals, March 10-12: No. 8 Miami (Ohio) at No. 1 Denver; No. 2 Colorado College at Western Michigan; No. 6 North Dakota at No. 3 Omaha; No. 5 Minnesota-Duluth at No. 4 St. Cloud State
Semi-finals, March 17: Xcel Center, St. Paul, Minnesota
Final, March 18: Xcel Center, St. Paul, Minnesota
