INDIANAPOLIS—The NCAA Division I Men’s Ice Hockey Committee has selected the 16 teams that will participate in the 2026 NCAA Division I Men’s Ice Hockey Championship.
The championship playoff format involves four predetermined regional sites with four teams assigned to each site. The regional winners advance to the Men’s Frozen Four. The entire championship uses a single-elimination format.
Automatic qualification privileges are granted to the postseason champions of the six conferences. The remainder of the field is selected at large using the NCAA Percentage Index.
Michigan is the No. 1 overall seed. The other No. 1 seeds, in order, include North Dakota, Michigan State and Western Michigan.
The dates, sites, times and pairings of this year’s championship are as follows:
Albany Regional, March 27-29 — MVP Arena, Albany, New York
- Friday, March 27, 5:30 p.m. Eastern time, ESPNU
- No. 1 Michigan (29-7-1) vs. No. 4 Bentley (23-11-5)
- Friday, March 27, 9:00 p.m., Eastern time, ESPN2
- No. 2 Minn. Duluth (23-14-1) vs. No. 3 Penn State (21-13-2)
- Sunday, March 29, 3:00 p.m. or 5:30 p.m. Eastern time, TBA
- Albany Regional Championship
Loveland Regional, March 27-29 — Blue Arena, Loveland, Colorado
- Friday, March 27, 2:30 p.m., Eastern time, ESPNU
- No. 1 Western Michigan (26-10-1) vs. No. 4 Minnesota State Mankato (22-10-7)
- Friday, March 27, 6:00 p.m. Eastern time, ESPN+
- No. 2 Denver (25-11-3) vs. No. 3 Cornell (22-10-1)
- Sunday, March 29, 3:00 p.m. or 5:30 p.m. Eastern time, TBA
- Loveland Regional Championship
Sioux Falls Regional, March 26-28 — Denny Sanford PREMIER Center, Sioux Falls, South Dakota
- Thursday, March 26, 5:00 p.m. Eastern time, ESPN+
- No. 2 Providence (23-10-2) vs. No. 3 Quinnipiac (26-9-3)
- Thursday, March 26, 8:30 p.m. Eastern time, ESPN2
- No. 1 North Dakota (27-9-1) vs. No. 4 Merrimack (21-15-2)
- Saturday, March 28, 4:30 p.m. or 7:00 p.m. Eastern time, ESPN2
- Sioux Falls Regional Championship
Worcester Regional, March 26-28 — DCU Center, Worcester, Massachusetts
- Thursday, March 26, 1:30 p.m. Eastern time, ESPN2
- No. 1 Michigan St. (25-8-2) vs. No. 4 UConn (20-12-5)
- Thursday, March 26, 5:00 p.m. Eastern time, ESPNU
- No. 2 Dartmouth (23-7-4) vs. No. 3 Wisconsin (21-12-2)
- Saturday, March 28, 4:30 p.m. or 7:00 p.m. Eastern time, ESPN2
- Worcester Regional Championship
Men’s Frozen Four, April 9 and 11 — T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada
- Thursday, April 9, 5 and 8:30 p.m. Eastern time, ESPN2 (order of games TBD)
- Albany Regional Champion vs. Loveland Regional Champion
- Worcester Regional Champion vs. Sioux Falls Regional Champion
- Saturday, April 11, 5:30 p.m. Eastern time, ESPN
The following conferences and teams received automatic qualification:
- Atlantic Hockey Association – Bentley
- Big Ten Conference – Michigan
- CCHA – Minnesota State Mankato
- ECAC Hockey – Dartmouth
- Hockey East Association – Merrimack
- National Collegiate Hockey Conference – Denver
For all information about the championship, log on to www.NCAA.com/FrozenFour.
