NCAA Men's Hockey Tournament Matchups and Previews

The 2026 men's Frozen Four tournament is officially scheduled, with Big Ten champion Michigan secured as the No. 1 overall seed.

The Wolverines are targeting their first national championship since 1998 and will be making their 42nd NCAA tournament appearance, which ties them with Minnesota for the most in history. Alongside Michigan, the other No. 1 seeds in the 16-team tournament include Big Ten regular-season champion Michigan State, defending champion Western Michigan, and North Dakota from the NCHC.

Automatic berths were awarded to the six conference tournament winners, while the remaining spots were filled by the top 10 teams in the NPI rankings. The four regional champions will progress to the Frozen Four, taking place in Las Vegas on April 9 and 11.

All NCAA men's hockey tournament games will be broadcast across ESPN networks and available for live streaming on the ESPN App. The semifinals of the Frozen Four will be shown on ESPN2, while the final will air on ESPN.

The tournament schedule is as follows:

Worcester (Massachusetts) Regional
Semifinals, Thursday
No. 1 Michigan State vs. No. 4 UConn, 1:30 p.m., ESPN2
No. 2 Dartmouth vs. No. 3 Wisconsin, 5 p.m., ESPNU
Final, Saturday
Semifinal winners, time TBD

Sioux Falls (South Dakota) Regional
Semifinals, Thursday
No. 2 Providence vs. No. 3 Quinnipiac, 5 p.m., ESPN+
No. 1 North Dakota vs. No. 4 Merrimack, 8:30 p.m., ESPN2
Final, Saturday
Semifinal winners, time TBD

Albany (New York) Regional
Semifinals, Friday
No. 1 Michigan vs. No. 4 Bentley, 5:30 p.m., ESPNU
No. 2 Minnesota Duluth vs. No. 3 Penn State, 9 p.m., ESPN2
Final, Sunday
Semifinal winners, time TBD

Loveland (Colorado) Regional
Semifinals, Friday
No. 1 Western Michigan vs. No. 4 Minnesota State, 2:30 p.m., ESPNU
No. 2 Denver vs. No. 3 Cornell, 6 p.m., ESPN+
Final, Sunday
Semifinal winners, time TBD

FROZEN FOUR
at T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas
National semifinals, April 9
5 and 8:30 p.m., ESPN2
National final, April 11
5:30 p.m., ESPN

Records and Statistics Entering the NCAA Tournament

Michigan State Spartans
How they got here: At-large bid
Last 10 games: 5-3-2 (lost to Ohio State in Big Ten semifinal)
NCAA history: 30th appearance; seeking 12th Frozen Four and fourth national title (last won in 2007). This marks their third consecutive NCAA appearance after an 11-year hiatus, having lost in the first round as a No. 1 seed in 2025.
Fast fact: The Spartans' roster includes four first-round NHL draft picks and 15 overall, both the highest among tournament teams.

Dartmouth Big Green
How they got here: ECAC champion
Last 10 games: 6-1-3 (defeated Princeton in ECAC final)
NCAA history: Fifth appearance; aiming for their fifth Frozen Four and first national title, marking their first NCAA entry since 1980.
Fast fact: Sophomore Hayden Stavroff, an undrafted NHL free agent, leads the nation with 29 goals and has recorded seven goals and five assists in his last eight games.

Wisconsin Badgers
How they got here: At-large bid
Last 10 games: 6-4 (lost to Ohio State in Big Ten quarterfinal)
NCAA history: 29th appearance; seeking a 13th Frozen Four and seventh national title (last won in 2006). This is their second NCAA tournament in three seasons under coach Mike Hastings.
Fast fact: Wisconsin's season has fluctuated, starting 14-2-2, but experiencing a 2-7 stretch mid-season before ending with a 6-2 record.

UConn Huskies
How they got here: At-large bid
Last 10 games: 3-5-2 (lost to Merrimack in Hockey East final)
NCAA history: Second appearance; pursuing first Frozen Four and national title. UConn achieved its first NCAA victory last year before falling to Penn State in the regional final.
Fast fact: The Huskies rebounded from a 1-4-2 close to the regular season to advance to the Hockey East final, making them the last at-large team in the NCAA field.

Michigan Wolverines
How they got here: Big Ten champion
Last 10 games: 6-3-1 (defeated Ohio State in Big Ten final)
NCAA history: 42nd appearance; seeking their 29th Frozen Four and 10th national title (last won in 1998), after missing the tournament last year following four consecutive appearances.
Fast fact: Michigan leads the nation in scoring with an average of 4.57 goals per game and boasts the best power play at a 31% conversion rate.

Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs
How they got here: At-large bid
Last 10 games: 6-3-1 (lost to Denver in NCHC final)
NCAA history: 16th appearance; seeking their ninth Frozen Four and fourth national title (last won in 2019). This is their first NCAA appearance since 2022, ending an eight-year streak of tournament appearances.
Fast fact: The Bulldogs excel in special teams, ranking second in the nation for power-play conversions at 29.9% and third in penalty killing at 89.3%.

Penn State Nittany Lions
How they got here: At-large bid
Last 10 games: 3-5-2 (lost to Michigan in Big Ten semifinal)
NCAA history: Sixth appearance; seeking their second Frozen Four and first national title. They previously defeated UConn and Maine in the 2025 regionals before losing to Boston University in the national semifinal.
Fast fact: Freshman Gavin McKenna, expected to be a top NHL draft pick, ranks second nationally with 51 points (15 goals, 36 assists) in 34 games.

Bentley Falcons
How they got here: Atlantic Hockey champion
Last 10 games: 7-3 (won against St. Thomas in Atlantic final)
NCAA history: Second appearance; aiming for their first Frozen Four and national title. They lost to Boston College in last year's tournament.

North Dakota Fighting Hawks
How they got here: At-large bid
Last 10 games: 7-2-1 (defeated Minnesota Duluth in NCHC semifinals)
NCAA history: 36th appearance; striving for their 23rd Frozen Four and ninth national title (last won in 2016). They have made five NCAA appearances in the last seven years.

Providence Friars
How they got here: At-large bid
Last 10 games: 7-3-0 (lost to Merrimack in Hockey East quarterfinals)
NCAA history: 17th appearance; looking for their sixth Frozen Four and second national title (won in 2015). They made their second consecutive NCAA appearance following a five-year absence.

Quinnipiac Bobcats
How they got here: At-large bid
Last 10 games: 6-4 (lost to Clarkson in ECAC quarterfinals)
NCAA history: 12th appearance; pursuing their fourth Frozen Four and second national title (won in 2023). They lost to UConn in the first round of the 2025 tournament.

Merrimack Warriors
How they got here: Hockey East champion
Last 10 games: 6-3-1 (defeated UConn in Hockey East final)
NCAA history: Fourth appearance; seeking their first Frozen Four appearance. This marks their first NCAA bid since 2023.

Western Michigan Broncos
How they got here: At-large bid
Last 10 games: 7-2-1 (lost to Denver in NCHC semifinals)
NCAA history: 11th appearance; pursuing their second Frozen Four and national title (won last year).