Four Games, Four Routs on 2nd Day of NCAA Regionals

Four teams won in the NCAA Division I men's ice hockey regionals on Friday—and none of the games were even close on the scoreboard.

In Manchester, Ohio State annihilated Harvard by an 8-1 score, as Cam Thiesing notched two goals and an assist, and Jake Wise set up four goals for the Buckeyes. In the nightcap in New Hampshire, Quinnipiac blanked Merrimack, 5-0, as Jacob Quillan scored twice, Sam Lipkin had three points, and Yaniv Perets stopped all 15 shots he faced for the shutout. Ohio State will face Quinnipiac in the regional final on Sunday afternoon.

In Allentown, host Penn State cruised to an 8-0 victory over Michigan Tech, as Liam Souliere earned the shutout on 24 stops. A total of seven Nittany Lion skaters registered two points each, including leading goal scorer Kevin Wall. In the late game in Pennsylvania, Michigan used seven second-period scores to rout Colgate, 11-1. Luke Hughes led the way for the Wolverines with two goals and three assists for five points, while T.J. Hughes and Seamus Casey set up three goals apiece. Michigan meets Big Ten rival Penn State Sunday night for the right to go to the NCAA Frozen Four in Tampa next month.

2023 NCAA Men's Hockey Regionals Revealed

The pairings are set for the regionals of the 2023 NCAA Division I Men's Hockey Championship, with faceoff time (Eastern) and TV network listed after each pairing:

SCHEELS Arena (Fargo, N.D.)

Thursday, March 23

St. Cloud State vs. Minnesota State, 5 p.m., ESPNU

Minnesota vs. Canisius, 9 p.m., ESPN2

Regional Final: Saturday, March 25, 6:30 p.m., ESPNU

SNHU Arena (Manchester, N.H.)

Thursday, March 23

Boston University vs. Western Michigan, 2 p.m., ESPN 2

Denver vs. Cornell, 5:30 p.m., ESPNews

Regional Final: Saturday, March 25, 4 p.m., ESPNU

PPL Center (Allentown, Pa.) 

Friday, March 24

Penn State vs. Michigan Tech, 5 p.m., ESPNU

Michigan vs. Colgate, 8:30 p.m., ESPNU

Regional Final: Sunday, March 26, 6:30 p.m., ESPN2

Total Mortgage Arena (Bridgeport, Conn.) 

Friday, March 24

Quinnipiac vs. Merrimack, 5:30 p.m., ESPNews 

Harvard vs. Ohio State, 2 p.m. ESPNU

Regional Final: Sunday, March 26, 4 p.m., ESPN2

The regional semifinal winners from the first day of competition will meet in the regional final at each site two days later. 

The four regional winners will advance to the NCAA Frozen Four semifinals in Tampa on April 6 (5 p.m./8:30 p.m. ESPN 2), with the Fargo winner facing the Manchester winner, and the Allentown victor facing the Bridgeport victor. The semifinal winners will then meet on April 8 (8 p.m. ESPN2) for the national title.

2021 NCAA Division I Men's Hockey Regionals - Day One

 

The first day of the 2021 NCAA Division I Men's Hockey Championship is in the books, with the first day of regional competition completed.

Bridgeport, CT Regional

Bemidji State 6, Wisconsin 3

The fourth-seeded Beavers jumped to a 2-0 lead after 20 minutes and then made it 4-1 after 40 minutes en route to eliminating the Badgers, who got two goals from Cole Caufield. Brendan Harris led Bemidji with a goal and two assists, while Zach Driscoll made 30 saves. 

Massachusetts 5, Lake Superior State 1

The Minutemen spoiled Lake Superior's first NCAA tournament appearance in 25 years by breaking a 1 1-1 first period tie with four unanswered goals. Jake Gaudet scored twice and Oliver Chau set up two goals for UMass, which got 20 stops from Filip Lindberg. 

Fargo, ND Regional

North Dakota 5, American International 1

The Fighting Hawks raced out to a 4-0 advantage in advancing to the regional final. Collin Adams and Jasper Weatherby scored two goals apiece for UND, while Adam Scheel stopped 18 AIC shots.  

Minnesota-Duluth over Michigan

No contest, Michigan ruled out of tournament due to positive COVID-19 tests.

The regional winners will now meet in their respective regional finals on Saturday:

 

Bemidji State versus Massachusetts, 5 p.m. ET, ESPNU (Bridgeport)

North Dakota versus Minnesota-Duluth, 7:30 p.m. ET, ESPNU (Fargo)

The other two NCAA regionals will both begin tomorrow:

Albany, NY Regional

Boston University versus St. Cloud State, 1 p.m. ET, ESPNews 

Boston College over Notre Dame (no contest, Notre Dame out due to COVID-19)

 

Loveland, CO Regional

Minnesota State versus Quinnipiac, 5 p.m. ET,  ESPN3

Minnesota versus Nebraska-Omaha, 10 p.m. ET, ESPNU

 

The Albany and Loveland regional finals will each be contested on Sunday. All schedules and telecasts are subject to change.

2021 NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Bracket Revealed

The 2021 NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Championship field is set. 

Per collegehockeynews.com, here's the bracket:

Fargo, ND (Friday-Saturday - Host: North Dakota)

1. North Dakota (1) * vs. 4. American International *

2. Michigan vs. 3. Minnesota-Duluth

Albany, NY (Saturday-Sunday - Host: ECAC Hockey)

1. Boston College (2)  vs. 4. Notre Dame

2. St. Cloud State vs. 3. Boston University

Bridgeport, CT (Friday-Saturday - Host: Sacred Heart)

1. Wisconsin (4) vs. 4. Bemidji State

2. Massachusetts * vs. 3. Lake Superior State *

Loveland, CO (Saturday-Sunday - Host: Denver)

1. Minnesota (3) * vs. 4. Nebraska-Omaha

2. Minnesota State vs. 3. Quinnipiac 

* Automatic qualifier as conference tournament champion

The top four overall seeds are listed in parentheses. The four regional winners will advance to the Frozen Four in Pittsburgh on April 8, with the national championship game to be played two days later.

Minnesota-Duluth won the NCAA title in both 2018 and 2019, while last year's tournament was canceled due to COVID-19.

2020, 2021 NCAA Hockey Regionals Announced

The NCAA has announced the regional sites for the 2020 and 2021 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey tournaments at NCAA.com:

March 2020

East - Times Union Center - Albany, N.Y.
Midwest - PPL Center, Allentown, Pa.
Northeast - DCU Center, Worcester, Mass.
West - Budweiser Events Center - Loveland, Col.

March 2021

East - Webster Bank Arena - Bridgeport, Conn.
Midwest - Scheels Arena - Fargo, N.D.
Northeast - SNHU Arena - Manchester, N.H.
West - Budweiser Events Center - Loveland, Col.

Next year marks the first-ever NCAA hockey regional to be held in Loveland, while Allentown will host for the third straight season, and Albany returns to the rotation for the first time since 2016.

Worcester has hosted more Division I men's hockey regionals so far (15) than any other NCAA site, while Webster Bank Arena is back in the mix for the first time since 2017, and SNHU and Scheels arenas will both be utilized for the second time in three seasons.

The NCAA Frozen Four will be held for the first time ever at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit in April 2020, while the national semifinals and championship contest will return to PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh the following April, for the first time since 2013.

Notre Dame, UMD Punch Tickets to 2018 Frozen Four

Two of the four spots in the NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Frozen Four have been claimed.

Notre Dame won the NCAA East Regional in Bridgeport, Conn. on Saturday with a 2-1 win over Providence, while Minnesota-Duluth outlasted Air Force by the same score in the West Regional final in Sioux Falls, S.D.

The other two national semifinal berths will be decided on Sunday. The Northeast Regional final in Worcester, Mass. will feature Boston University against Michigan (4 p.m. ET, ESPN2), while the Midwest Regional final in Allentown, Pa. will match Ohio State against defending national champion Denver (6:30 p.m. ET, ESPNU).

BU defeated Cornell, 3-1, on Saturday, while Michigan edged Northeastern, 3-2. Ohio State beat Princeton, 4-2, for its first NCAA tournament victory in 20 years, while Denver dropped Penn State, 5-1, in a rematch from last year.

The NCAA Frozen Four will be held on March 5 and 7 in St. Paul, Minn. The BU/Michigan winner will meet Notre Dame in one semifinal, while the Ohio State/Denver winner will face UMD in the other.

Air Force Emerges on First Day of 2018 NCAA Tournament

The first day of the 2018 NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Championship is in the books.

At the West Regional in Sioux Falls, S.D., 16th-seeded Air Force pulled off another national tournament shocker by besting top-seeded St. Cloud State, 4-1. It’s only the second time ever in Division I men’s hockey that the 16th seed defeated the No. 1 seed in the nationals. In the other West semifinal, Minnesota-Duluth edged Minnesota State, 3-2, in overtime, and will meet Air Force in the regional final on Saturday (9 p.m. ET, ESPN2).

At the East Regional in Bridgeport, Conn., Notre Dame outlasted upstart Michigan Tech, 4-3, in overtime, while Providence made a first-period power play goal stand up in a 1-0 victory over Clarkson. The Fighting Irish and the Friars will face off Saturday (6 p.m. ET, ESPNU) for the right to go to the Frozen Four.

The other two regionals get underway on Saturday. At the Northeast Regional in Worcester, Mass., Boston University will face Cornell (1 p.m. ET, ESPNews) before Michigan encounters Northeastern (4:30 p.m. ET, ESPNews). At the Midwest Regional in Allentown, Pa., Princeton will meet Ohio State (3:30 p.m. ESPNU) before defending national champion Denver takes on host school Penn State (7 p.m., ESPN3).

Projected 2018 NCAA Hockey Tournament Bracket

My projection for the field for the 2018 NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Championship, which will be announced on Sunday (Noon ET, ESPNU):

March 23-24

East Regional (Bridgeport, Conn.)
Boston University vs. Cornell {3}
Providence vs. Clarkson

West Regional (Sioux Falls, S.D.)
Air Force vs. St. Cloud State {1}
Minnesota-Duluth vs. Minnesota State

March 24-25

Midwest Regional (Allentown, Penn.)
Michigan Tech vs. Notre Dame {2}
Penn State* vs. Denver

Northeast Regional (Worcester, Mass.)
Princeton vs. Ohio State {4}
Michigan vs. Northeastern

Overall seed numbers in { }
* Regional host institution

Of course, as always, the selection committee may decide on other match-ups, to maximize attendance and such. Other prognosticators have said Boston University will be headed to Worcester, due to proximity. The Terriers used to be the host team there, before Holy Cross took over—but hey, Northeastern is from Boston, too.

The winners of the four regionals will advance to the 2018 NCAA Frozen Four on April 5-7 in St. Paul, Minn., to decide the 2018 Division I men's national champion. Denver is the defending champion, having defeated Notre Dame and Minnesota-Duluth last year in Chicago.

ADDENDUM: The actual bracket can be found here. Both BU and Northeastern are headed to Worcester. along with Michigan. Princeton and Ohio State will face off in Allentown, while Notre Dame and Michigan Tech will play in Bridgeport.

2014 NCAA Tournament Brackets Announced

The field is in for the 2014 NCAA Men’s Ice Hockey Division I Championship (schools listed by seeding within regionals, not overall):

 

March 28-29

West Regional – Xcel Energy Center (St. Paul, MN)

#4 Robert Morris vs. #1 Minnesota
#3 St. Cloud State vs. #2 Notre Dame

East Regional – Webster Bank Arena (Bridgeport, CT)

#4 Vermont vs. #1 Union

#3 Providence vs. #2 Quinnipiac

March 29-30

 

Midwest Regional – U.S. Bank Arena (Cincinnati, OH)

#4 North Dakota vs. #1 Wisconsin

#3 Colgate vs. #2 Ferris State 

 

Northeast Regional - DCU Center (Worcester, MA)

#4 Denver vs. #1 Boston College

#3 Minnesota State vs. #2 Massachusetts Lowell

The four regional winners will advance to the NCAA Frozen Four at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia on April 10-12.

Final NCAA Tournament Field of 16 Set

The field is set for the 2012 NCAA Division I Men's Hockey Tournament. The top four seeds for this spring include Boston College, Michigan, Union and North Dakota.

Here's a look at the pairings (numbers refer to overall tournament seeds, not national rankings):

March 23-24

NCAA East Regional (Bridgeport, Conn.)No. 15 Michigan State vs. No. 3 Union
No. 12 Massachusetts-Lowell vs. No. 5 Miami

NCAA Midwest Regional (Green Bay, Wisc.)No. 13 Cornell vs. No. 2 Michigan
No. 11 Denver vs. No. 6 Ferris State

March 24-25

NCAA Northeast Regional (Worcester, Mass.)No. 16 Air Force vs. No. 1 Boston College
No. 10 Maine vs. No. 7 Minnesota-Duluth

NCAA West Regional (St. Paul, Minn.)No. 14 Western Michigan vs. No. 4 North Dakota
No. 9 Boston University vs. No. 8 Minnesota

All told, this year's participants include one team from Atlantic Hockey (Air Force), five teams from the CCHA (Ferris State, Miami, Michigan, Michigan State, WMU), two teams from the ECAC (Cornell, Union), four teams from Hockey East (BC, BU, Maine, Mass-Lowell), and four teams from the WCHA (Denver, Minnesota, Minnesota-Duluth, North Dakota).

The last five national champions, from 2007 to 2011, include Michigan State, BC, BU, BC and Minnesota-Duluth, all of whom are in this year's tournament. The last Division I school to claim back-to-back national championships, Denver, is also in the 2012 field, and won NCAA titles in both 2004 and 2005.

The four regional winners advance to the 2012 NCAA Frozen Four in Tampa, Fla. on April 5-7.