The journey to the 2025 men’s Frozen Four is intensifying as the sport’s six leagues determine their tournament champions, marking the final stage before the NCAA tournament.
The champions from each of the six conference tournaments will secure berths in the NCAA tournament. Ten additional teams will be selected at-large based on PairWise rankings to complete the 16-team bracket. The NCAA tournament bracket announcement is scheduled for March 23 on ESPNU and ESPN+.
Regional competitions will commence on March 27, with regional finals set for March 29 and 30. The Frozen Four is scheduled to take place in St. Louis on April 10 and 12. All games will be broadcast on the ESPN networks and streamed on ESPN+.
Below are the tournament schedules for each conference. These schedules will be updated with results as games conclude. Also provided is an overview of each league’s NCAA tournament outlook. (All times are Eastern Time.)
Atlantic Hockey
Atlantic Hockey is expected to have a single bid to the NCAA tournament. Holy Cross, having secured their first regular-season title since 2006 and currently on a strong 12-1-1 run, must maintain their momentum and win the league tournament to qualify for the NCAA tournament. Holy Cross advanced to the semifinals by defeating AIC in a quarterfinal series that went to three games, with AIC’s hopes of continuing as a Division I program ending in an overtime loss in Game 3.
Quarterfinals, March 7-9
(best of three)
No. 8 AIC at No. 1 Holy Cross
Game 1: AIC 3, Holy Cross 2
Game 2: Holy Cross 3, AIC 2
Game 3: Holy Cross 4, AIC 3 (OT)
Holy Cross wins series 2-1
No. 5 Army at No. 4 Niagara
Game 1: Army 3, Niagara 2 (2 OT)
Game 2: Niagara 4, Army 3
Game 3: Army 4, Niagara 3 (OT)
Army wins series 2-1
No. 6 Canisius at No. 3 Bentley
Game 1: Bentley 4, Canisius 0
Game 2: Bentley 2, Canisius 0
Bentley wins series 2-0
No. 7 Air Force at No. 2 Sacred Heart
Game 1: Sacred Heart 4, Air Force 1
Game 2: Air Force 3, Sacred Heart 2 (2 OT)
Game 3: Sacred Heart 4, Air Force 1
Sacred Heart wins series 2-1
Semifinals, March 14-16
(best of three)
Army at Holy Cross
Game 1: Holy Cross 3, Army 2 (OT)
Game 2: Holy Cross 5, Army 1
Holy Cross wins series 2-0
Bentley at Sacred Heart
Game 1: Bentley 5, Sacred Heart 2
Game 2: Bentley 3, Sacred Heart 0
Bentley wins series 2-0
Final, March 22
Bentley at Holy Cross, 7 p.m.
Big Ten
Penn State concluded the regular season with strong performance, improving their chances for an NCAA tournament bid based on PairWise rankings. Michigan’s situation is less certain after the ECAC gained a second bid when Quinnipiac was defeated in the conference semifinals. Michigan State has secured the No. 2 overall seed, while Minnesota and Ohio State are also expected to participate in the tournament.
Quarterfinals, March 7-9
(best of three)
No. 5 Penn State at No. 4 Michigan
Game 1: Penn State 6, Michigan 5 (OT)
Game 2: Penn State 5, Michigan 2
Penn State wins series 2-0
No. 6 Wisconsin at No. 3 Ohio State
Game 1: Wisconsin 4, Ohio State 1
Game 2: Ohio State 3, Wisconsin 2 (OT)
Game 3: Ohio State 3, Wisconsin 2
Ohio State wins series 2-1
No. 7 Notre Dame at No. 2 Minnesota
Game 1: Notre Dame 3, Minnesota 2
Game 2: Minnesota 4, Notre Dame 2
Game 3: Notre Dame 4, Minnesota 1
Notre Dame wins series 2-1
Semifinals, March 15
No. 1 Michigan State 1, Notre Dame 0
Ohio State 4, Penn State 3 (OT)
Final, March 22
Ohio State at Michigan State, 7:30 p.m.
CCHA
Minnesota State dominated the CCHA, finishing strong with a 6-0-1 record in their last seven regular-season games. They had already secured the CCHA’s automatic NCAA tournament bid even before winning the championship game because their opponent, St. Thomas, is ineligible for NCAA postseason play during their transition from Division III to Division I. No other teams from the CCHA are expected to receive at-large bids.
Quarterfinals, March 7-9
(best of three)
No. 8 Lake Superior at No. 1 Minnesota State
Game 1: Minnesota State 4, Lake Superior 1
Game 2: Minnesota State 3, Lake Superior 2
Minnesota State wins series 2-0
No. 5 Michigan Tech at No. 4 Bowling Green
Game 1: Bowling Green 2, Michigan Tech 1 (OT)
Game 2: Bowling Green 4, Michigan Tech 0
Bowling Green wins series 2-0
No. 6 Ferris State at No. 3 St. Thomas
Game 1: St. Thomas 7, Ferris State 3
Game 2: St. Thomas 4, Ferris State
St. Thomas wins series 2-0
No. 7 Bemidji State at No. 2 Augustana
Game 1: Augustana 3, Bemidji State 1
Game 2: Bemidji State 4, Augustana 3
Game 3: Bemidji State 3, Augustana 2 (OT)
Bemidji State wins series 2-1
Semifinals, March 15
Minnesota State 4, Bemidji State 0
St. Thomas 3, Bowling Green 1
Final, March 21
Minnesota State 4, St. Thomas 2
ECAC
Quinnipiac has likely done enough to qualify for an at-large NCAA tournament spot. However, their loss to Cornell in the conference semifinals means that the ECAC tournament final between Cornell and Clarkson will determine whether the conference gets an extra NCAA bid (if the winner is not already expected to qualify).
First round
March 7
No. 8 Brown 3, No. 9 Princeton 2
No. 7 Harvard 5, No. 10 Rensselaer 2
March 8
No. 5 Dartmouth 6, No. 12 St. Lawrence 2
No. 6 Cornell 5, No. 11 Yale 1
Quarterfinals, March 14-16
(best of three)
Brown at No. 1 Quinnipiac
Game 1: Quinnipiac 4, Brown 1
Game 2: Quinnipiac 4, Brown 0
Quinnipiac wins series 2-0
Harvard at No. 2 Clarkson
Game 1: Clarkson 3, Harvard 2
Game 2: Harvard 3, Clarkson 2 (OT)
Game 3: Clarkson 2, Harvard 1 (OT)
Clarkson wins series 2-1
Cornell at No. 3 Colgate
Game 1: Cornell 4, Colgate 1
Game 2: Cornell 3, Colgate 0
Cornell wins series 2-0
Dartmouth at No. 4 Union
Game 1: Dartmouth 3, Union 2
Game 2: Dartmouth 7, Union 2
Dartmouth wins series 2-0
Semifinals, March 21
at Lake Placid, N.Y.
Cornell 3, Quinnipiac 2 (OT)
Clarkson 4, Dartmouth 1
Final, March 22
at Lake Placid, N.Y.
Cornell vs. Clarkson, 5 p.m.
Hockey East
Boston College remains the top-ranked team nationally despite their unexpected quarterfinal loss to Northeastern. Northeastern’s subsequent loss to Maine in the semifinals eliminated them as a potential bid stealer. Maine secured their sixth Hockey East title, their first since 2004, while runner-up UConn is expected to make their first NCAA tournament appearance despite losing to Maine in the final. Boston University, Providence, and UMass are also anticipated to represent Hockey East in the 16-team NCAA tournament field, potentially giving the conference six teams in total.
First round, March 12
No. 6 UMass 2, No. 11 Vermont 1
No. 7 UMass-Lowell 3, No. 10 New Hampshire 2 (OT)
No. 9 Northeastern 3, No. 8 Merrimack 2 (2 OT)
Quarterfinals
March 14
No. 4 UConn 3, No. 5 Providence 1
March 15
Northeastern 3, No. 1 Boston College 1
No. 2 Maine 7, UMass-Lowell 1
No. 3 Boston University 3, UMass 2 (OT)
Semifinals, March 20
at Boston
UConn 5, BU 2
Maine 4, Northeastern 3 (2 OT)
Finals, March 21
at Boston
Maine 5, UConn 2
NCHC
Western Michigan and Denver will compete for the NCHC championship. Both teams are expected to qualify for the NCAA tournament. Western Michigan has a chance to earn a No. 1 seed, while Denver aims to defend their national title.
Quarterfinals, March 14-16
(best of three)
No. 8 St. Cloud State at No. 1 Western Michigan
Game 1: Western Michigan 6, St. Cloud 2
Game 2: Western Michigan 6, St. Cloud 2
Western Michigan wins series 2-0
No. 7 Minnesota Duluth at No. 2 Arizona State
Game 1: Arizona State 4, Minnesota Duluth 3
Game 2: Arizona State 6, Minnesota Duluth 5 (OT)
Arizona State wins series 2-0
No. 6 Colorado College at No. 3 Denver
Game 1: Colorado College 3, Denver 1
Game 2: Denver 6, Colorado College 3
Game 3: Denver 9, Colorado College 2
Denver wins series 2-1
No. 5 North Dakota at No. 4 Omaha
Game 1: North Dakota 3, Omaha 2
Game 2: North Dakota 3, Omaha 2
North Dakota wins series 2-0
Semifinals, March 21
at St. Paul, Minnesota
Denver 4, Arizona State 2
Western Michigan 4, North Dakota 2
Finals, March 22
at St. Paul, Minnesota
Western Michigan vs. Denver, 8:30 p.m.
