2026 Conference Tournaments Continue

Friday's games moved NCAA Division I men's hockey closer to filling out its 2026 NCAA tournament field, with three conference semifinal rounds and one conference final taking place, while the national title tilt for women's hockey is all set.

In Hockey East, UConn defeated Boston College in overtime, 4-3, while Merrimack edged UMass, 2-0. In ECAC Hockey, Princeton outlasted two-time champion Cornell, 3-2, while Dartmouth blanked Clarkson, 4-0. In the CCHA, Minnesota State topped St. Thomas, 2-1, to win its fourth league playoff crown in five years.

Saturday will be championship night, as Merrimack will meet UConn to decide Hockey East, Princeton and Cornell will face off in ECAC Hockey, Sacred Heart will take on Bentley for the Atlantic Hockey America championship, Michigan will host Ohio State for Big Ten accolades, and Denver will skate against Minnesota-Duluth for NCHC honors. As with Minnesota State, the championship game winners will earn their respective conference's automatic berth into the NCAA tournament. Boston College, UMass, Clarkson, and St. Thomas have all been eliminated from NCAA consideration. 

On the NCAA Division I women's side, Wisconsin and Ohio State will meet on Sunday (4 p.m. ET, ESPNU) in State College, Pa. to decide the national champion in a rematch of the past three NCAA title games. Ohio State punched its ticket with a 5-0 shutout of Northeastern on Friday, while defending national champion Wisconsin upended host Penn State, 4-3, in OT.

ADDENDUM: Dartmouth Denver, Merrimack, Bentley, and Michigan all won their respective men's conference championships and earned automatic berths to the 2026 NCAA tournament. The NCAA selection show will be televised on Sunday (3 p.m., ET, ESPNU).

Miami's Martinez Retires from NHL

Longtime NHL defenseman Alec Martinez (Miami) announced his retirement as an active player over the weekend. He made his final appearance on April 12 in the Chicago Blackhawks' 5-4 shootout loss to Winnipeg, recording two shots on goal and two blocked shots in almost 18 minutes of ice time.

Martinez, 37, from Rochester Hills, Mich., was drafted 95th overall by the Los Angeles Kings in 2007. In 862 career NHL regular-season games over 16 seasons with Los Angeles, Vegas and Chicago, he recorded 88 goals and 201 assists for 289 points to go with 250 penalty minutes. According to statmuse.com, he ranks 16th all-time among NHL skaters with 1,884 shots blocked, while also recording 16 game-winning goals and a plus-73 plus-minus rating.

In 131 career Stanley Cup Playoff contests, Martinez added 14-23—37 points and 47 PIM while winning three Cups in all, two with LA and one with Vegas, and also scored the Cup-clinching in overtime with the Kings in 2014. He also played in 150 career minor-league regular-season games, 147 of them in the AHL, along with 11 games for TPS (Finland) in 2012-13. In addition, he skated for the United States in the 2018 and 2019 IIHF World Championships, winning a bronze medal the first year.

A product of Stoney Creek (Mich.) High School and the Detroit-area Honeybaked AAA youth program, Martinez played at Miami from 2005 to 2008 after winning the USHL's Clark Cup with Cedar Rapids in 2004-05. In 123 career outings with the Red Hawks, he tallied 21-46—67 points and 113 PIM while helping Miami to 83 wins overall, three NCAA tournament berths and one CCHA regular-season crown. He also earned Second Team All-America accolades in his final season in Oxford, Oh. 

NCAA Hockey Coaching Ranks Changing

The head coaching carousel has begin spinning in NCAA Division I men's ice hockey.

Longtime Ferris State head coach Bob Daniels oversaw the final game of his long career with the Bulldogs' 4-1 loss at St. Thomas in the first round of the CCHA tournament. Daniels, a Michigan State graduate, began coaching FSU in 1992-93 and amassed a 510-625-117 record with the Bulldogs. Included among those numbers were six years with 20 or more victories, three CCHA regular-season championship, one CCHA tournament title, and four NCAA tournament appearances, including a national runner-up finish in 2012.

Rensselaer recently relived Dave Smith of his duties after eight years at the helm of the Engineers, as he compiled an 87-152-19 mark overall. An Ohio State graduate, Smith and his 2019-20 RPI team went 17-15-2 overall and sat fifth in ECAC Hockey at 13-8-1 before the remainder of that season was cancelled by the COVID-19 pandemic. He had previously manned Canisius from 2005 to 2017, taking the Golden Griffins to the 2013 NCAA tournament while also earning one Atlantic Hockey regular-season title and one tournament championship. His career record stands at 259-375-78.

American International's Eric Lang saw his NCAA Division I tenure at his alma mater end with Sunday's 4-3 loss at Holy Cross in the second round of the Atlantic Hockey tournament. The Yellowjackets are reclassifying to Division II beginning next season. In nine years, Lang led AIC to an overall mark of 168-148-33, plus four Atlantic Hockey regular-season championships, three tournament titles and three national tournament appearances, including an upset of No. 1 St. Cloud in the 2019 NCAAs.

Mercyhurst's Rick Gotkin, who has guided the Lakers since 1988-89, has announced that he will retire following the 2025-26 season. The only coach to take a school to the NCAA tournament at the Division I, II and III levels, Gotkin, who played collegiately at Brockport, has fashioned a 611-551-111 record through 37 seasons so far. His ledger includes four MAAC/Atlantic Hockey regular-season titles, three conference tournament crowns, and six NCAA tournament berths overall, plus 11 seasons with 20 wins or more.

WMU Wins NCHC Regular Season Title

Western Michigan won its first-ever regular season conference title last weekend, claiming the Spencer Penrose Cup as 2024-25 National Collegiate Hockey Conference champion following a win and an overtime loss at North Dakota. 

A charter member of the NCHC in 2013, it was the first-ever conference crown for the Broncos since they won the 2012 Central Collegiate Hockey Association title, after first winning the CCHA championship in 1986. WMU is four points ahead of second-place Arizona State, which has completed its regular season, in the current NCHC standings.

The fourth-ranked Broncos (24-7-1 overall, 17-4-1 NCHC), who began NCAA Division I play in 1975-76 after two years at Division II, close out their regular season this weekend at Miami, and are a lock to make their fourth consecutive NCAA tournament.

2024-25 Preseason Polls Flowing

Preseason polls for three of the six NCAA Division I men's hockey conferences are in. 

Boston College has been tabbed to finish first in Hockey East, while defending national champion Denver has been slotted to top the NCHC, and St. Thomas chosen likewise in the CCHA by its coaches (tied for first with Bemidji State in the media poll). 

In Division I women's hockey so far, Penn State has been selected as the preseason regular-season champion in the new Atlantic Hockey America conference, as the 2024-25 NCAA campaign draws closer.

More NCAA Head Coaching Changes Occur

Two more NCAA Division I schools have or will be making head coaching changes.

Jeff Jackson (Michigan State) will step down from college coaching following the 2024-25 season at the University of Notre Dame, after helming the Fighting Irish for a full 20 years. Since taking over in South Bend in 2005-06, Jackson, 69, has led UND to an overall record of 407-266-73, including 12 NCAA tournament berths, eight combined conference regular-season and tournament titles over three leagues (CCHA, Hockey East, Big Ten), four NCAA Frozen Four berths, and two NCAA championship game appearances. 

Prior to joining the Irish, Jackson spent six seasons as head coach at Lake Superior State University, winning two NCAA championships while also leading the Lakers to six NCAA tournament appearances, four CCHA tournament crowns and two CCHA regular-season titles. A native of Roseville, Michigan, Jackson has also served as head coach with St. Clair (NAHL), the U.S. National Team Development Program, and Guelph (OHL), while also working as an assistant with LSSU and the New York Islanders. He is also a two-time winner of the Spencer Penrose Award as the top head coach in college hockey, and has fashioned an overall NCAA record of 589-318-98.

Dave Shyiak (Northern Michigan) has returned to his alma mater as head coach after serving the past four years as associate head coach at St. Cloud State, where he helped the Huskies to the 2021 NCAA championship game. A native of Brandon, Manitoba, Shyiak previously served as head coach at the University of Alaska Anchorage from 2005 to 2013, where he compiled a record of 80-177-33 with the Seawolves. 

Shyiak, 57, first worked as a head coach in the BCJHL with both Kimberley and Merritt, then spent 10 seasons as assistant/associate head coach at NMU, before later serving as associate head coach at Western Michigan for six seasons after coaching at UAA. He was also a member of NMU's 1991 NCAA championship team, and tallied 20 goals and 22 assists for 42 points to go with 217 penalty minutes in 125 career games as a forward with the Wildcats. 

Former NMU head coach Grant Potulny (Minnesota), who left the Wildcats earlier this month after seven years in Marquette, has been announced as head coach of the AHL's Hartford Wolf Pack, the top affiliate of the New York Rangers. He guided NMU to a 128-113-17 mark overall, including their transition from the WCHA to the new CCHA, as just the third head coach in program history.

Coaching Changes at NCAA Division I Level

College hockey will have a different look at several NCAA Division I men's schools next season.

Grant Potulny has stepped down at Northern Michigan University after seven seasons to pursue a professional hockey job. Potulny, 44, who scored the game-winning power-lay goal in overtime for Minnesota in the 2002 NCAA championship contest, guided the Wildcats to a 128-113-17 mark overall, including their transition from the WCHA to the new CCHA, as just the third head coach in program history. Following a five-year professional playing career, the Grand Forks, N.D. native served as an assistant coach at his alma mater from 2009 to 2017 before taking over at NMU. Athletic director and former head coach Rick Comley, who led the Wildcats to the 1991 NCAA title, will serve as interim head coach until Potulny's successor is selected.

Clarkson is also in the market for a new men's hockey head coach, as Casey Jones is returning to Cornell University as associate head coach for next season. He will then transition to head coach next summer, when Mike Schafer retires following the 2024-25 campaign after 30 years at the helm of the Big Red. 

Jones, 56, from Temiscaming, PQ compiled a 234-185-56 overall record at Clarkson over the past 13 years, while leading the Golden Knights to the 2019 ECAC Hockey playoff crown and two NCAA tournament berths. Prior to taking over at Clarkson, he served as an assistant or associate coach at Clarkson and Ohio State, a stretch that was bookended by two stints at his alma mater. He skated four years as a Big Red center (1986-1990), helping them to 62 wins overall.

Schafer, 61, from Durham, Ont., has overseen the Big Red since the 1995-96 season, accumulating an overall mark of 542-289-111. A former Cornell defenseman (1982-1986), he served four years as an assistant coach at his alma mater before moving on to Western Michigan for four more years. He then took over the Big Red and has since led it to 13 Ivy League crowns, six ECAC Hockey Cleary Cup regular-season titles, and six Whitelaw Cups as conference tournament champion, including this past season. Cornell has also qualified for 14 NCAA tournaments under Schafer's watch, including a berth in the 2003 NCAA Frozen Four.

Lee Earns 2024 King Clancy Memorial Trophy

New York Islanders captain Anders Lee (Notre Dame) is the recipient of the NHL's 2023-24 King Clancy Memorial Trophy. The award is given annually to the NHL player "who best exemplifies leadership qualities on and off the ice and has made a noteworthy humanitarian contribution in his community." Lee is the third Islander to be so honored all-time, following Bryan Trottier (1989) and Doug Weight (2011), and will receive a $25,000 donation from the NHL that will benefit a charity or charities of his choice.

Lee, 33, has long supported Jam Kancer in the Kan, which is a foundation committed to fundraising for families dealing with cancer, and has helped the event raise more than $2.5 million in all to date, according to the Islanders web site. He also founded and continues to fund the Fenov Scholars college scholarship, which is awarded to graduating high school students who provide help and sympathy to an individual who is battling cancer.

Lee, who hails from Edina, Minn., has tallied at least 20 goals in an NHL campaign eight times so far in his professional career, including this season, and has tallied 260 career regular-season goals in all. A sixth-round draft choice of the Islanders in 2009, he skated at Notre Dame for three years, scoring 61 goals in NCAA play, and captained the Fighting Irish to the championship of the original CCHA in his final season at UND. Lee also helped the U.S. to bronze medals at the IIHF World Championships in 2015 and 2018.

St. Thomas Moving from CCHA to NCHC

The University of St. Thomas is changing conferences.

The Tommies, who are entering their fourth season of NCAA Division I men's hockey, will become full members of the National Collegiate Hockey Conference in 2026-27. UST is currently a member of the Central Collegiate Hockey Association and will play there the next two seasons before moving over to the NCHC, where it will become the league's 10th member.

St. Thomas began play at the NCAA Division I level in 2021-22, and last year finished 15-20-2 overall (12-11-1 CCHA), its best record since moving up from NCAA Division III. The program began back in 1920-21 in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, and from 1983 to 2021 earned 17 berths to the NCAA Division III tournament, along with 21 MIAC regular-season titles and 13 postseason conference crowns. 

St. Thomas is in the process of building a 4,000-seat on-campus arena in St. Paul, Minn. The facility's opening is expected to coincide with UST's first season in the NCHC.

Conference Championships Conclude Tonight

It's the last night of conference championships in NCAA Division I men's hockey.

One automatic bid to this year's NCAA tournament has already been awarded, and the rest of the field of 16 will be decided tonight, with the official bracket to be announced live tomorrow night (ESPNU, 6:30 p.m. ET).

Atlantic Hockey: American International @ RIT

Big Ten: Michigan @ Michigan State

CCHA: Michigan Tech (defeated Bemidji State, 2-1)

ECAC Hockey: Cornell vs. St. Lawrence (Lake Placid, NY)

Hockey East: Boston College vs. Boston University (Boston, MA)

NCHC: Omaha vs. Denver (St. Paul, Minn.)

The 2024 NCAA Division I women's hockey title will be decided in Durham, N.H. tomorrow afternoon (ESPN, 4 p.m. ET), when Ohio State takes on WCHA rival and defending national champion Wisconsin in a rematch of last year's national championship contest.

ADDENDUM: RIT, Michigan State, Cornell, Boston College and Denver all won their respective league tournaments and earned automatic berths to the NCAAs. 

Sean Tallaire 1973-2024

The hockey world is mourning the loss of former college star Sean Tallaire (Lake Superior State), who recently passed away in Texas at the age of 50.

A native of Steinbach, Man., Tallaire skated for LSSU from 1992 to 1996, and still ranks fourth among all-time Lakers with 207 career points on 103 goals and 104 assists in 171 games played. A member of the CCHA All-Rookie Team in 1993 when he helped the Lakers to the NCAA championship game, he guided LSSU to the national title the following season while earning NCAA Most Valuable Player honors. As a senior in 1995-96, he scored 32 goals, garnered All-CCHA First-Team and NCAA All-America accolades, and was also voted LSSU's MVP. He was inducted into the LSSU Athletics Hall of Fame in 2021.

After college, Tallaire went on to play 14 seasons of professional hockey, including five campaigns in the now-defunct IHL where he tallied 113-128—241 points in 376 regular-season appearances with Grand Rapids, Cleveland, Long Beach, Utah and Kansas City. He also had brief stints with Central Texas (WPHL) and Springfield (AHL) during that time, before finishing his career in Germany. In 425 career DEL regular-season outings, he posted 123-155—278 points in all before retiring following the 2009-10 season. 

Originally selected in the eighth round (202nd overall) by the Vancouver Canucks in the 1993 NHL Entry Draft, Tallaire starred with Estevan (SJHL) for two seasons before heading to LSSU. Following his retirement as an active player, he coached with the Soo Indians 18U AAA, the Texas Jr. Stars 14U AA, and the Austin Ice Bats (NA3HL), while also serving as a scout with the NAHL's Northeast Generals.

Tallaire was predeceased by his former LSSU teammate, goaltender Blaine Lacher, who backstopped the Lakers to the 1994 NCAA title and passed away in January at the age of 53.

MSU to Name Munn Ice Surface for Ron Mason

The ice surface at Munn Ice Arena at Michigan State University will be named Ron Mason Rink after the legendary Spartan head coach. The dedication will be held on Oct. 7, before MSU's 2023-24 home opener against visiting Lake Superior State.

Mason, from Blyth, Ontario, guided the Spartans from 1979 to 2002, where he fashioned an overall record of 635-270-69. That mark included the 1986 NCAA crown, plus 10 CCHA tournament titles and eight CCHA regular-season championships. He also led MSU to 19 NCAA tournament appearances, including a streak of nine consecutive berths to close his career. The CCHA's Mason Cup, awarded to the league's tournament champion in both its original and current incarnations, is named after him.

Mason also coached at Lake Superior, where he won an NAIA title, and at Bowling Green before spending 23 seasons at MSU, where he coached 35 All-Americans, and 50 former Spartans who went on to play in the NHL. At the time of his retirement, he was NCAA hockey's all-time wins leader with 924 victories, having compiled an overall record of 924-380-83 (.696) over 36 seasons, including 10 campaigns of 30 or more wins. 

Following his coaching career, Mason spent six years as athletic director at MSU, and celebrated the 2007 NCAA title with the Spartans before retiring the following year. A member of the MSU Hall of Fame, the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame, and the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame, and the 1992 AHCA national coach of the year, he passed away in June 2016 at the age of 76.

Munn Ice Arena, which seats 6,114 spectators, opened in 1974 as a hockey-only facility, and underwent a $26.7 million renovation over the last few years. The Spartans hosted an NCAA record 323-game regular-season sellout streak there from 1985 to 2004.

Hastings Leaves MSU for Wisconsin

Longtime Minnesota State men's hockey coach Mike Hastings has been named the new head coach at Wisconsin. The St. Cloud State alumnus takes over the reins from Tony Granato, who was let go earlier this month by the Badgers.

Originally from Eugene, Ore. Hastings coached his final game at MSU in the Mavericks' 4-0 loss to St. Cloud in the 2023 NCAA Fargo Regional on March 23. Last season he took MSU to its first-ever NCAA Division I national title game, where the Mavs fell to Denver, 5-1, in Boston.

In 11 seasons at the MSU helm, Hastings, 57, compiled a record of 299-109-25, all with at least 21 victories, and also guided the Mavericks to nine NCAA tournament berths. They also won six WCHA regular-season and three WCHA tournament crowns under his tutelage, along with two of each title in the new CCHA that began play in 2021-22. He earned the Spencer Penrose Trophy three times as the top men's hockey head coach in NCAA Division I, including these last two seasons.

Prior to taking the top jab in Mankato, Hastings served as the coach and general manager of the USHL's Omaha/River City Lancers from 1994 to 2008, where he was named USHL General Manager of the Year on five occasions. He then rejoined the college ranks, and served one season as an assistant coach with Minnesota, and three years as the associate head coach at Nebraska-Omaha, before moving on to MSU in 2012.

Wisconsin finished 13-23 overall this season, and was last in the Big Ten with a 6-18 conference mark.

2023 NCAA Hockey Selection Sunday

The field appears to be set for the 2023 NCAA Division I men's hockey championship.

The following schools earned automatic bids by winning their conference championship games on Saturday:

Atlantic Hockey: Canisius

Big Ten: Michigan

CCHA: Minnesota State

ECAC Hockey: Colgate

Hockey East: Boston University

NCHC: St. Cloud State

Holy Cross (Atlantic Hockey), Northern Michigan (CCHA) and Colorado College (NCHC) were eliminated from NCAA contention with championship game losses. All three needed to win their conference to gain an automatic NCAA berth.

Judging by the Pairwise Rankings, the following schools will receive at-large berths: Minnesota, Quinnipiac, Denver, Harvard, Penn State, Western Michigan, Ohio State, Michigan Tech, Cornell and Merrimack. Alaska (Fairbanks) was in the running for an at-large berth as an independent school, but was ousted by Colgate's victory.

The NCAA selection show is today at 6:30 p.m. ET (ESPNU), with four-team regionals to be contested in Allentown, Bridgeport, Fargo and Manchester from March 23-26. The only regional host school in the mix is Penn State, which must be placed in Allentown.

The four regional winners advance to the NCAA Frozen Four in Tampa on April 6.

2023 Conference Championship Matchups Set for Saturday

The championship games are set for Saturday for the six NCAA Division I men's hockey conferences:

Atlantic Hockey: Holy Cross @ Canisius

Big Ten: Michigan @ Minnesota

CCHA: Northern Michigan @ Minnesota State

ECAC Hockey: Colgate vs. Harvard (Lake Placid, NY)

Hockey East: Merrimack vs. Boston University (Boston, MA)

NCHC: Colorado College vs. St. Cloud State (St. Paul, MN)

The winners of those contests will each earn an automatic berth into the 2023 NCAA tournament that will begin on March 23-24.

Five of the six semifinal games contested on St. Patrick's Day were decided in overtime, as Colgate, Harvard, Merrimack, BU and St. Cloud all advanced in extra time, with SCSU netminder Jaxon Castor (above) making 23 saves for the Huskies in victory. Colorado College scored the only goal of the game in its meeting with Denver. 

Losses on Friday by North Dakota, Providence and UMass Lowell essentially eliminated them all from NCAA tournament consideration, while Cornell, Denver and Quinnipiac remain alive for at-large berths.

Andy Greene Retires as NHL Player

Longtime NHL defenseman Andy Greene (Miami) has called it a career.

Greene, 39, from Trenton, Mich., signed a one-day contract this week with his original team, the New Jersey Devils, before retiring as an active player after 16 full NHL campaigns.

In 1057 NHL regular-season outings with the Devils and New York Islanders, from 2006-07 through 2021-22, Greene scored 52 goals and assisted on 212 others for 264 career points, to go along with 277 penalty minutes. A former Devils captain (2014-2020), the 5-foot-11 Greene added 5-9⁠—14 points and 42 PIM in 90 career Stanley Cup playoff contests. He helped New Jersey to the 2012 Stanley Cup Final, and after being traded to New York during the 2019-20 season, helped the Islanders to both the 2020 and 2021 Eastern Conference finals.

A product of his hometown Trenton High School, Greene also played two full years of junior hockey with Compuware (NAHL) in Plymouth, Mich., earning NAHL Defenseman of the Year accolades in 2001-02 while also leading the Ambassadors to the Robertson Cup championship. He then enrolled at Miami (Ohio), where he tallied 27-87—114 points and 256 PIM over four years. He was a two-time All-America selection and a two-time CCHA Best Offensive Defenseman choice, and led the Red Hawks to the 2005-06 CCHA regular season title and two NCAA tournament appearances. He also served as Miami's captain his last two seasons.

An undrafted free agent, Greene signed with the Devils in 2006. He played 52 games with Lowell (AHL), and also skated in the AHL All-Star Game that season, before joining New Jersey for its 2007 playoff run and spending the rest of his career in the NHL. He also suited up for Team USA in the 2010 IIHF World Championship in Germany.

Doug Ross (1951-2022)

Longtime University of Alabama-Huntsville hockey head coach Doug Ross (Bowling Green) passed away today at the age of 70.

Ross mentored UAH from 1985 when it was a club program, until his retirement in 2007, after starting his career at Ohio University and then Kent State University. He coached the Chargers to four NCAA Division II tournament berths and two national titles at that level, along with an NCAA Division I tournament appearance in his final year after UAH won the College Hockey America postseason tournament. He also oversaw eight Chargers teams in all that won 20 or more games in a single season, and finished with a personal overall record of 376-255-42 (.590) at UAH. 

As a player, Ross skated for three years at BGSU at forward, after one season at the NAIA level with Lake Superior State. A Detroit native, he posted two 30-goal campaigns with the Falcons, while helping them to the CCHA playoff tournament crown in 1973. He earned First Team All-CCHA status in 1974-75 after notching 34 goals and 29 assists for 63 points, and finished his career at BGSU with 65-64⁠—129 points in just 74 games in all.

Ross then skated for the 1975-76 U.S. National Team. He recorded 10-23⁠—33 points in 34 outings on the pre-Olympic tour, before adding a goal and two assists in six games at the XII Olympic Winter Games in Innsbruck, Austria as Team USA finished in fifth place. He was later inducted into the UAH Athletic Hall of Fame is 2020 as part of its inaugural class.

UAH Hockey has been on hiatus since the conclusion of the 2020-21 season, awaiting acceptance into a conference. The program played as an independent from 1985 to 1999, and again from 2010 to 2013. The Chargers went 3-18-1 in their final campaign, as part of the now-dissolved men's component of the WCHA.

Augustana to Join CCHA in 2023-24

The Central Collegiate Hockey Association has granted membership to Augustana University's nascent NCAA Division I men's hockey program. The Vikings will both begin play and join the CCHA for the 2023-24 season.

Augustana, which is located in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, will enter the CCHA as its ninth member, joining Bemidi State, Bowling Green, Ferris State, Lake Superior State, Minnesota State, Michigan Tech, Northern Michigan and St. Thomas. MSU was the 2022 national runner-up after winning both the CCHA regular-season and postseason titles last season.

Augustana will begin playing a full CCHA schedule beginning with the 2025-26 season. The Vikings' new home, the 3,000-seat Midco Arena, is currently under construction on campus.

The "new" CCHA begins its second season with the 2022-23 campaign.

2022 Men's Conference Championships Decided Tonight

Following semifinal round games in four of the six NCAA Division I men's conferences yesterday, the conference championship games are set for today:

Atlantic Hockey: Air Force vs. AIC (Utica, NY)

Big Ten: Michigan vs. Minnesota (Minneapolis, MN)

CCHA: Bemidji State vs. Minnesota State (Mankato, MN) 

ECAC Hockey: Harvard vs. Quinnipiac (Lake Placid, NY)

Hockey East: UConn vs. UMass (Boston, MA)

NCHC: Minnesota-Duluth vs. Western Michigan (St. Paul, MN) 

The winners will all receive automatic bids to the 2022 NCAA Tournament that will commence with regional play next weekend. 

In women's NCAA Division I hockey, tomorrow's national title game will feature Ohio State versus Minnesota-Duluth, in State College, Pa. Both schools won by 2-1 counts in semifinal contests on Friday, with OSU outlasting Yale, and UMD edging Northeastern in double OT.

Multiple Sweeps in NCAA Hockey, Nov. 18-21

It was a weekend for sweeps in NCAA Division I men's hockey, including two major upsets, from Nov. 18-21.

In Big Ten play, No. 14 Notre Dame took two games from then-No. 1 Michigan by 3-2 and 5-4 scores, both of them in overtime. Michigan State also swept visiting Wisconsin, winning 3-2 and 5-2. 

In the NCHC, No. 9 Western Michigan upended No. 2 St. Cloud State, 6-2 and 4-0, while No. 11 Denver routed Miami by 7-1 and 4-1 scores.

Bowling Green bounced visiting Lake Superior State twice (5-1, 6-2) in a pair of CCHA contests. Northern Michigan took out Ferris State by 7-6 (OT) and 6-3 margins, while No. 3 Minnesota State blanked St. Thomas, 9-0 and 5-0.

In Hockey East, No. 12 Providence defeated Vermont, 4-3 and 2-0. No. 10 Cornell recorded a pair of wins in ECAC Hockey play, defeating Brown, 3-2 (OT) and Yale, 3-0, while Colgate did likewise with a 3-0 win over Yale and a 6-0 whitewash of Brown.

In non-conference play, No. 9 Omaha won two games at independent Alaska (Fairbanks) by 5-2 and 4-2 counts.