Half of the 2026 men’s Frozen Four is set, with North Dakota and Wisconsin earning trips to Las Vegas to play for the national championship.
The Fighting Hawks, who were the top seed in the Sioux Falls regional, advanced with a 5-0 rout of Quinnipiac, while the Badgers won the Worcester regional with a 4-3 overtime victory over top seed Michigan State.
This is North Dakota’s first Frozen Four appearance since 2016, when it won the national title. Wisconsin is in the Frozen Four for the first time since 2010.
The other two spots will be determined Sunday in the regional finals at Albany, New York, where Michigan plays Minnesota Duluth, and Loveland, Colorado, where Denver meets Western Michigan.
The six winners of their conference tournaments earned automatic berths, with the next top 10 teams in the NPI rankings filling out the NCAA field. The four regional winners will advance to the Frozen Four at Las Vegas on April 9 and 11.
Every game of the men’s hockey tournament will air on the ESPN networks and will stream live on the ESPN App. The Frozen Four semifinals will air on ESPN2 and the final airs on ESPN.
Below is the complete schedule for the tournament, video features and a look at each of the 16 teams in the field.
Jump to a section:
Video features | Teams at a glance
Schedule
All times Eastern.
Worcester (Massachusetts) Regional
Semifinals, Thursday
No. 1 Michigan State 2, No. 4 UConn 1
No. 3 Wisconsin 5, No. 2 Dartmouth 1
Final, Saturday
Wisconsin 4, Michigan State 3 (OT)
Sioux Falls (South Dakota) Regional
Semifinals, Thursday
No. 3 Quinnipiac 5, No. 2 Providence 2
No. 1 North Dakota 3, No. 4 Merrimack 0
Final, Saturday
North Dakota 5, Quinnipiac 0
Albany (New York) Regional
Semifinals, Friday
No. 1 Michigan 5, No. 4 Bentley 1
No. 2 Minnesota Duluth 3, No. 3 Penn State 1
Final, Sunday
Michigan vs. Minnesota Duluth, 5:30 p.m., ESPN
Loveland (Colorado) Regional
Semifinals, Friday
No. 1 Western Michigan 3, No. 4 Minnesota State 1
No. 2 Denver 5, No. 3 Cornell 0
Final, Sunday
Western Michigan vs. Denver, 3 p.m., ESPN2
FROZEN FOUR
at T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas
National semifinals, April 9
Wisconsin vs. North Dakota, 5 or 8:30 p.m., ESPN2
Albany winner vs. Loveland winner, 5 or 8:30 p.m., ESPN2
National final, April 11
5:30 p.m., ESPN
Highlights
0:41
Wisconsin scores winner 24 seconds into OT to book ticket to Frozen Four
Ben Dexheimer buries the winning goal in overtime for Wisconsin to knock off Michigan State and reach the Frozen Four.
1:26
Penn St. Nittany Lions vs. Minn. Duluth Bulldogs Game Highlights
Penn St. Nittany Lions vs. Minn. Duluth Bulldogs Game Highlights
1:26
Cornell Big Red vs. Denver Pioneers Game Highlights
Cornell Big Red vs. Denver Pioneers Game Highlights
1:26
Minnesota St. Mavericks vs. Western Mich. Broncos Game Highlights
Minnesota St. Mavericks vs. Western Mich. Broncos Game Highlights
1:29
Bentley Falcons vs. Michigan Wolverines Game Highlights
Bentley Falcons vs. Michigan Wolverines Game Highlights
Top storylines
NIL and college hockey: Will big-money behemoths skew the sport’s balance of power? Adam Rittenberg
Michigan’s Michael Hage: How hockey helped the Wolverines star cope with tragedy. Emily Kaplan
8:04
How Michael Hage is honoring his father’s legacy for Michigan
Emily Kaplan shares how Michael Hage is carrying his late father’s legacy with him on the ice for Michigan.
5:33
Penn State’s Frozen Four run draws top prospect Gavin McKenna
After a historic run to the Frozen Four, the Penn State Nittany Lions inspired generational talent Gavin McKenna to leave Canadian juniors for Happy Valley.
6:44
Zacch Wisdom’s journey has been anything but easy
P.K. Subban shares the story of how a childhood of struggle turned into a way out through the game of hockey for Western Michigan’s Zacch Wisdom.
4:39
How Providence men’s hockey has built a winning culture
With just one senior on the roster, the Friars have leaned into their youthful core in one of the most compelling success stories of the season.
4:39
How Quinnipiac’s Ethan Wyttenbach has quickly made a name for himself
Jeremy Schaap tells Ethan Wyttenbach’s story after the Quinnipiac freshman led the nation in scoring with 58 points in 38 games.
4:35
How Rand Pecknold built Quinnipiac into a college hockey powerhouse
The Quinnipiac Bobcats had no rink or winning tradition until Rand Pecknold made them into one of most formidable programs in college hockey.
Teams at a glance
Records, statistics entering NCAA tournament
Worcester Regional
No. 1 Michigan State
Record: 25-8-2
NPI ranking: 3
How the Spartans 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). … Third straight NCAA appearance after 11-year absence. … Lost to Cornell in first round as No. 1 seed in 2025.
Fast fact: Michigan State’s roster features four first-round NHL draft picks and 15 picks overall, both the most among tournament teams.
No. 2 Dartmouth
Record: 23-7-4
NPI ranking: 6
How the Big Green got here: ECAC champion
Last 10 games: 6-1-3 (beat Princeton in ECAC final)
NCAA history: Fifth appearance; seeking fifth Frozen Four and first national title. … First NCAA appearance since 1980.
Fast fact: Sophomore Hayden Stavroff, an undrafted NHL free agent, leads the country with 29 goals. He has seven goals and five assists in his last eight games.
No. 3 Wisconsin
Record: 21-12-2
NPI ranking: 12
How the Badgers got here: At-large bid
Last 10 games: 6-4 (lost to Ohio State in Big Ten quarterfinal)
NCAA history: 29th appearance; seeking 13th Frozen Four and seventh national title (last won in 2006). … In the NCAA tournament for the second time in three seasons under coach Mike Hastings.
Fast fact: Wisconsin’s season has been a bit of a roller coaster, with a 14-2-2 start and 6-2 finish but a 2-7 stretch in between. The Badgers lost 7-1 to Ohio State in the Big Ten tournament the last time they took the ice.
No. 4 UConn
Record: 20-12-5
NPI ranking: 14
How the Huskies got here: At-large bid
Last 10 games: 3-5-2 (lost to Merrimack in Hockey East final)
NCAA history: Second appearance; seeking first Frozen Four and first national title. … Recorded program’s first NCAA victory last year, beating Quinnipiac in first round before falling to Penn State in regional final.
Fast fact: UConn rebounded from a 1-4-2 closing stretch of the regular season to advance to the Hockey East final, then made the NCAA field as the last at-large team.
Albany Regional
No. 1 Michigan
Record: 29-7-1
NPI ranking: 1
How the Wolverines got here: Big Ten champion
Last 10 games: 6-3-1 (beat Ohio State in Big Ten final)
NCAA history: 42nd appearance; seeking 29th Frozen Four appearance and 10th national title (last won in 1998). … Missed tournament last year after making four straight appearances.
Fast fact: Michigan is the highest-scoring team in the country (4.57 goals per game) and has the best power play (31% conversion rate). The Wolverines converted two of three chances in the Big Ten final against Ohio State.
No. 2 Minnesota Duluth
Record: 23-14-1
NPI ranking: 8
How the Bulldogs got here: At-large bid
Last 10 games: 6-3-1 (lost to Denver in NCHC final)
NCAA history: 16th appearance; seeking ninth Frozen Four and fourth national title (last won in 2019). … First NCAA appearance — and first winning season — since 2022. … Had made eight straight tournaments before that.
Fast fact: The Bulldogs’ special teams are just that: They are second nationally in power-play conversions (29.9%) and third in penalty killing (89.3%).
No. 3 Penn State
Record: 21-13-2
NPI ranking: 9
How the Nittany Lions got here: At-large bid
Last 10 games: 3-5-2 (lost to Michigan in Big Ten semifinal)
NCAA history: Sixth appearance; seeking second Frozen Four and first national title. … Defeated 1-seed Maine and 2-seed UConn in 2025 regionals before losing to Boston University in national semifinal. … All six NCAA appearances have come in the past 10 years.
Fast fact: Highly touted freshman Gavin McKenna, expected to be the No. 1 pick in June’s NHL draft, ranks second in the country with 51 points (15 goals, 36 assists) in 34 games.
No. 4 Bentley
Record: 23-11-5
NPI ranking: 23
How the Falcons got here: Atlantic Hockey champion
Last 10 games: 7-3 (beat St. Thomas in Atlantic final)
NCAA history: Second appearance; seeking first Frozen Four and first national title. … Lost 3-1 to top overall seed Boston College in last year’s tournament.
Fast fact: Bentley hasn’t lost in nine overtime games this season (4-0-5).
Sioux Falls Regional
No. 1 North Dakota
Record: 27-9-1
NPI ranking: 2
How the Fighting Hawks got here: At-large bid
Last 10 games: 7-2-1 (lost to Minnesota Duluth in NCHC semifinals)
NCAA history: 36th appearance; seeking 23rd Frozen Four and ninth national title (last won in 2016). … Fifth NCAA appearance in the past seven years.
Fast fact: North Dakota has only two regulation losses since Nov. 28: 3-2 vs. Denver on Jan. 17 and 5-1 to Minnesota Duluth in the NCHC tournament.
No. 2 Providence
Record: 23-10-2
NPI ranking: 7
How the Friars got here: At-large bid
Last 10 games: 7-3-0 (lost to Merrimack in Hockey East quarterfinals)
NCAA history: 17th appearance; seeking sixth Frozen Four and second national title (won in 2015). … Lost to Denver in first round as 2-seed in 2025 tournament. … Second straight NCAA appearance after five-year absence.
Fast fact: The Friars rolled to their first regular-season Hockey East title, going 14-2 to close their schedule before losing to No. 8 seed Merrimack 3-2 in overtime in the conference quarterfinals.
No. 3 Quinnipiac
Record: 26-9-3
NPI ranking: 10
How the Bobcats got here: At-large bid
Last 10 games: 6-4 (lost to Clarkson in ECAC quarterfinals)
NCAA history: 12th appearance; seeking fourth Frozen Four and second national title (won in 2023). … Lost to UConn in first round of 2025 tournament. … Sixth straight NCAA appearance and 11th in 14 seasons.
Fast fact: Ethan Wyttenbach, a 19-year-old freshman, leads the NCAA with 58 points (24 goals, 34 assists) in 38 games. He was a fifth-round pick of the Calgary Flames in last year’s NHL draft.
No. 4 Merrimack
Record: 21-15-2
NPI ranking: 19
How the Warriors got here: Hockey East champion
Last 10 games: 6-3-1 (beat UConn in Hockey East final)
NCAA history: Fourth appearance; seeking first Frozen Four appearance. … First NCAA bid since 2023 (first-round loss to Quinnipiac).
Fast fact: Sophomore goalie Max Lundgren leads the country with 1,109 saves (.920 percentage). He made a career-high 49 stops, 22 in the third period, in the Warriors’ win over UConn in the Hockey East championship game.
Loveland Regional
No. 1 Western Michigan
Record: 26-10-1
NPI ranking: 4
How the Broncos got here: At-large bid
Last 10 games: 7-2-1 (lost to Denver in NCHC semifinals)
NCAA history: 11th appearance; seeking second Frozen Four and second national title (won last year). … Defeated Denver in national semifinals and Boston University in championship game in 2025.
Fast fact: Western Michigan faced one of the toughest schedules in the country, going 9-6 against ranked opponents.
No. 2 Denver
Record: 25-11-3
NPI ranking: 5
How the Pioneers got here: NCHC champion
Last 10 games: 9-0-1 (beat Minnesota Duluth in NCHC final)
NCAA history: 34th appearance; seeking 20th Frozen Four and 11th national title (last won in 2024). … Defeated overall No. 1 seed Boston College in regional final last year before losing to Western Michigan in national semifinal. … Has reached Frozen Four three of the past four seasons.
Fast fact: No one is hotter than the Pioneers, who extended their unbeaten streak to 13 (12-0-1) in winning the NCHC championship with a 4-3 double-overtime victory over Minnesota Duluth.
No. 3 Cornell
Record: 22-10-1
NPI ranking: 11
How the Big Red got here: At-large bid
Last 10 games: 5-4-1 (lost to Princeton in ECAC semifinals)
NCAA history: 26th appearance; seeking ninth Frozen Four and third national title (last won in 1970). … Beat 1-seed Michigan State in first round last year before losing to Boston University in regional final. … Has made eight of the past nine tournaments, with first-year coach Casey Jones picking up where longtime coach Mike Schafer left off.
Fast fact: Cornell has the stingiest defense in the country, allowing 1.94 goals per game.
No. 4 Minnesota State
Record: 22-10-7
NPI ranking: 13
How the Mavericks got here: CCHA champion
Last 10 games: 6-2-2 (beat St. Thomas in CCHA final)
NCAA history: 12th appearance; seeking third Frozen Four and first national title. … Eighth tournament appearance in the last nine years. … Lost to eventual national champion Western Michigan in double overtime in first round of last year’s tourney.
Fast fact: The Mavericks are in the tournament for the second straight year under Luke Strand after making the field in nine of 11 seasons under Mike Hastings, who left after the 2020-21 season to coach Wisconsin.
