Hurricanes Ties Series with Habs

Mark Jankowski (Providence) notched two assists, including one on the game-winning goal, as the Carolina Hurricanes knotted their best-of-seven Eastern Conference series at one game apiece with a 3-2 overtime victory over the visiting Montreal Canadiens on Saturday.

Eric Robinson (Princeton) scored a goal for the second straight game for Carolina, which rebounded from its first loss in these Stanley Cup Playoffs with its ninth victory in 10 NHL postseason contests this spring. Jakub Dobes (Ohio State) stopped 23 shots for Montreal, which was outshot, 26-12. Game Three is Monday night in Montreal. 

ADDENDUM: The Hurricanes took a two games to one lead with a 3-2 OT victory in Game Three. 

30 Years Since Devils First Stanley Cup Title

The New Jersey Devils won their first-ever Stanley Cup 30 years ago today at the Meadowlands, completing a four-game sweep of the visiting Detroit Red Wings with a 5-2 victory. Former NCAA players on that NHL championship squad included (by last name): 

• Neal Broten (Minnesota)

• Danton Cole (Michigan State)

• Shawn Chambers (Alaska Fairbanks)

• Tom Chorske (Minnesota)

• Kevin Dean (New Hampshire)

• Jim Dowd (Lake Superior State)

• Bruce Driver (Wisconsin)

• Bill Guerin (Boston College)

• Randy McKay (Michigan Tech)

• Mike Peluso (Alaska Anchorage)

• Brian Rolston (Lake Superior State)

• Chris Terreri (Providence)

New Jersey also won the Stanley Cup again in 2000 and 2003, while also making the final in 2001 and 2012.

Oilers Tie Stanley Cup Final at Two

The Edmonton Oilers have made the best-of-seven 2025 Stanley Cup Final a best-of-three.

The visiting Oilers rebounded from a three-goal deficit after 20 minutes on Thursday to eventually take a 4-3 lead on a third-period goal by Jake Walman (Providence), before ultimately outlasting the Florida Panthers in overtime, 5-4. The Panthers had won the previous two games of the NHL's championship series, after the Oilers claimed the opener in OT.

Game Five is in Edmonton tomorrow night, while Game Six is slated for Florida on Tuesday evening.

ADDENDUM: Florida took Game Five by a 5-2 count, and can clinch its second straight Stanley Cup championship on Tuesday evening at home.

 

Oilers Win 2025 Stanley Cup Final Opener

Nate Schmidt (Minnesota) had two assists and Evan Rodrigues (Boston University) added another, but the defending NHL champion Florida Panthers fell, 4-3, in overtime last night to the host Edmonton Oilers in Game One of the 2025 Stanley Cup Final. 

After falling behind in the first two minutes of play, Florida rebounded to take 2-1 and 3-1 leads at Rogers Centre before watching the Oilers scored three unanswered goals to take the series lead. Jake Walman (Providence), who won an NCAA title in 2015, had one assist and five shots on goal last night for the Oilers, who won the NHL's Western Conference championship for the second straight year. Florida is the Eastern Conference champion for the third straight season.

Florida defeated Edmonton in seven games last spring in the final to earn the initial Stanley Cup in franchise history, taking a 3-0 lead in that series only to see Edmonton win the next three games before the Panthers claimed the clincher at home. The Oilers are seeking their first Stanley Cup crown since 1990, their sixth overall, and the first by a Canadian-based NHL club since 1993.

ADDENDUM: Schmidt again registered two assists and Rodrigues one as the Panthers tied the series with a 5-4 win in double OT on June 6. Game Three is Monday night in Florida.

Oilers Take Three-to-One Series Lead

Jake Oettinger (Boston University) made 29 saves in goal, but it wasn't enough as the visiting Dallas Stars fell to the Edmonton Oilers, 4-1, last night in Game Four of their best-of-seven Stanley Cup Playoff series. Edmonton now leads the NHL's Western Conference final, three games to one, with a potential series-ending Game Five slated for Dallas on Thursday. 

Jake Walman (Providence) assisted on the final goal by Edmonton, one of two empty-net scores in the final minutes of play. The Oilers led 1-0 after one period and 2-1 after two periods, but lost Zach Hyman (Michigan) to injury in the opening stanza. Hyman tallied two goals in a 6-1 win in Game Three for Edmonton, and has five goals in all this postseason.

Devils Done After 5-4 Double OT Loss

The New Jersey Devils 2024-25 campaign came to end with a 5-4 loss in double overtime at Carolina on Tuesday night. The Hurricanes win the first-round Stanley Cup playoff series, four games to one, becoming the first NHL team to end a playoff series this spring.

Shayne Gostisbehere (Union) assisted on both the tying and winning goals for Carolina, which fought back from 3-0 and 4-3 deficits to oust New Jersey for the fifth time in the postseason since 2002. Jackson Blake (North Dakota) also scored for the Hurricanes, assisted by Mark Jankowski (Providence). Paul Cotter (Western Michigan) assisted on New Jersey's final goal, while Seamus Casey (Michigan) made his NHL playoff debut for the Devils with two blocks and one hit.

Also in the Eastern Conference, Ottawa stayed alive and forced a Game Six by blanking host Toronto, 4-0. Brady Tkachuk (Boston University) notched a goal and two assists for the Senators, while Anthony Stolarz (Omaha) took the loss for the Maple Leafs on 15 saves.

In the Western Conference, Vegas took a three games-to-two lead over visiting Minnesota with a 3-2 OT victory, as Jack Eichel (Boston University) assisted on two goals for the victorious Golden Knights. Matt Boldy (Boston College) scored his fifth goal of the series for the Wild in defeat.

Also out west, Edmonton won its third straight game, this time at Los Angeles, in collecting a 3-1 victory over the host Kings to take a three to two series lead. Zach Hyman (Michigan) led the Oilers with six shots on goal.

Second Day of 2025 NCAAs in the Books

The 2025 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey championship continued on Saturday, with the Allentown and Manchester Regionals getting underway.

At the PPL Center in Allentown, Pa., Connecticut made the most of its first-ever Division I national tournament appearance to rout Quinnipiac, 4-1, getting goals from four different players and 21 saves from freshman goaltender Callum Tung. In the nightcap, host Penn State ousted top-seeded Maine by a 5-1 count thanks to two goals from Matt DiMarsico and three assists by Charlie Cerrato. UConn will now face Penn State in the regional final on Sunday at 4:30 p.m. ET (ESPN2).

At SNHU Arena in Manchester, N.H., number-one overall seed Boston College survived Bentley, 3-1, on a late wraparound goal by freshman forward James Hagens. In the second game, defending national champion Denver got three points apiece from Zeev Buim and Carter King in eliminating Providence, 5-1. BC and DU will meet on Sunday at 7 p.m. ET (ESPN2) in a rematch of last year's national title game.

Two tickets to this year's NCAA Frozen Four in St. Louis will be punched today, when Cornell meets Boston University in the Toledo regional final (4 p.m. ET, ESPNU), and Massachusetts meets Western Michigan in the Fargo regional final (6:30 p.m. ET, ESPNU).

NCAA Alums on Move at 2025 NHL Trade Deadline

A number of former NCAA players were on the move before Friday's NHL trading deadline, as listed by last name (per Sportsnet.ca and hockeydb.com), for transactions occurring since March 1:

Player, Position (School) New Team Old Team

Brendan Brisson, F (Michigan) NY Rangers Vegas

Dennis Cholowski, D (St. Cloud) New Jersey NY Islanders

Charlie Coyle, F (Boston University) Colorado Boston

Vincent Desharnais, D (Providence) San Jose Pittsburgh

Brian Dumoulin, D (Boston College) New Jersey Anaheim

Michael Eyssimont, F (St. Cloud) Seattle Tampa Bay

Trent Frederic, F (Wisconsin) New Jersey      Edmonton

Dennis Gilbert, D (Notre Dame) Ottawa Buffalo

Patrick Giles, F (Boston College) San Jose Florida

Jonathan Gruden, F (Miami) New Jersey Pittsburgh

Mark Jankowski, F (Providence) Carolina Nashville

Erik Johnson, D (Minnesota) Colorado Philadelphia

Spencer Knight, G (Boston College) Chicago Florida

Luke Kunin, F (Wisconsin) Columbus San Jose

Ryan Lindgren, D (Minnesota) Colorado NY Rangers

Tyler Madden, F (Northeastern) Minnesota Los Angeles

Marc McLaughlin, F (Boston College) New Jersey Boston

Casey Mittelstadt, F (Minnesota) Boston Colorado

Brock Nelson, F (North Dakota) Colorado NY Islanders

Josh Norris, F (Michigan) Ottawa Buffalo

Thomas Novak, F (Minnesota) Pittsburgh Nashville

Gustav Nyquist, F (Maine) Minnesota Nashville

Craig Smith, F (Wisconsin) Detroit Chicago

Reilly Smith, F (Miami) Vegas NY Rangers

Carson Soucy, D (Minnesota-Duluth) NY Rangers Vancouver

Nico Sturm, F (Clarkson) Florida San Jose

Brandon Tanev, F (Providence) Winnipeg Seattle

Jimmy Vesey, F (Harvard) Colorado NY Rangers

Jake Walman, D (Providence) Edmonton San Jose

BC Edges Providence, 3-2, in OT

Ryan Leonard took a penalty in the third period that negated what would have been a Boston College power play, then scored the tying goal late in regulation and the game-winner in overtime to lift third-ranked BC to a 3-2 victory at No. 10 Providence last night.

After Gabe Perreault had put BC ahead in the first minute of play, the host Friars responded with second-period goals less than three minutes apart by Clint Levens and Ryan O'Reilly to put Providence ahead, 2-1. That lead stood up until Leonard tapped home a pass from the far wing with less than four minutes remaining in regulation to tie the contest, before he backhanded home a loose puck in front just over four minutes into OT to end it.

Jan Korec stopped 24 shots for the visiting Eagles (8-2-0 overall, 3-1-0 Hockey East) in making his first start of the 2024-25 NCAA season, while Philip Svedebäck made 36 stops for the Friars (7-3-2, 5-2-2). Leonard and Perreault tallied three points apiece for BC, while James Hagens set up two goals for the Eagles. The two Hockey East rivals will close out the season series on Jan. 17 at BC.

NCAA Sweeps Abound in Early November

It was a weekend of two-step sweeps involving top teams in NCAA Division I men's college hockey (national rankings from last week, per USCHO.com) ...

- No. 1 Denver swept Yale (5-1, 6-0)

- No. 2 Boston College swept at No. 6 St. Cloud State (4-1, 2-1)

- No. 4 Minnesota swept No. 18 Penn State (3-1, 1-0)

- No. 7 Maine swept Merrimack (5-0, 6-0)

- No. 8 Colorado College swept Air Force (3-2, 6-1)

- No. 9 Cornell swept No. 6 North Dakota (4-1, 5-3)

- No. 11 Michigan swept No. 5 Boston University (5-1, 5-4/OT)

- No. 12 Providence swept New Hampshire (6-3, 3-0)

- No. 15 Ohio State swept Lake Superior (9-3, 6-2)

The home team won in each of those series, except for BC and CC.

NCAA Skaters Dot 2024 Stanley Cup Rosters

More than a dozen former NCAA players in all are listed on the rosters of the two competing teams in this year's Stanley Cup Final. Per hockeydb.com:

Edmonton Oilers

• Vincent Desharnais (Providence)
• Warren Foegele (New Hampshire)
• Dylan Holloway (Wisconsin)
• Zach Hyman (Michigan)
• Philip Kemp (Yale)
• Troy Stecher (North Dakota)

Florida Panthers

• William Lockwood (Michigan)
• Ryan Lomberg (Maine)
• Brandon Montour (Massachusetts)
• Kyle Okposo (Minnesota)
• Mike Reilly (Minnesota)
• Evan Rodrigues (Boston University)
• Mackie Samoskevich (Michigan)
• Anthony Stolarz (Nebraska-Omaha) 

Game One of the 2024 Stanley Cup Final is on Saturday at 8 p.m. ET (ABC, CBC). Florida returns to the final for the second year in a row, and the third time ever, but is still seeking its first-ever NHL playoff championship. Five-time Cup champion Edmonton is back in the final for the first time since 2006 and is after its first NHL title since 1990, along with Canada's first Stanley Cup crown since 1993.

Boeser Vaults Canucks to Late Win in Game Four

The Vancouver Canucks were missing Casey DeSmith (New Hampshire) in goal, due to an injury he suffered while earning his first career Stanley Cup Playoff victory in Game Three of their first-round series against the Nashville Predators.

That's OK. They still had Brock Boeser (North Dakota) up front.

Boeser scored all three goals for the Canucks in regulation, including two extra-attacker goals in the final three minutes of the third period on Sunday afternoon in Tennessee to force a three-all tie. Elias Lindholm then connected just over a minute into the overtime session for a 4-3 victory, and a three games to one lead in the best-of-seven NHL Western Conference quarterfinal series. Game Five is Tuesday night in Vancouver.

The Canucks are just the second team in NHL history to have three different goalies win each of their first three games in the playoffs. Thatcher Demko (Boston College) won Game One against Nashville with 23 saves before being sidelined by injury, and DeSmith followed up in Game Three with a 29-save effort before Arturs Silovs earned the victory yesterday on 27 stops.

Mark Jankowski (Providence) and Gustav Nyquist (Maine) each scored a goal Sunday for the Predators, who will be seeking to avoid early elimination when the series resumes tomorrow night at Rogers Arena.

NCAA Regionals Conclude, 2024 Frozen Four Set

The 2024 NCAA Division I men's hockey regionals are in the books, and the last two tickets to this year's Frozen Four have been punched.

In Providence, Boston College overcame several one-goal deficits to edge defending NCAA champion Quinnipiac, 5-4, in overtime. Cornell transfer Jack Malone pushed home a loose puck just over three minutes into the extra session to give BC (33-5-1 overall) its only lead of the afternoon, after fellow New Jersey native Aram Minnetian had tied the contest with just under five minutes remaining in regulation. Ryan Leonard tallied two power-play goals for the Eagles, who also got 26 saves from Jacob Fowler. Jacob Quillan, last year's national championship game hero for the Bobcats (27-10-2), scored twice, while Vinny Duplessis had 27 stops for Quinnipiac.

In Maryland Heights. Mo., Michigan (23-14-3) used four third-period goals to break a two-all tie and overcome Big Ten rival Michigan State, 5-2. The Wolverines, who won their third consecutive regional final, got three points from Dylan Duke, including two third-period goals and the game-winner, while Ethan Edwards notched a goal and two assists, and Jake Barczewski made 38 saves. Trey Augustine had 30 stops for the Spartans (25-10-3), who won their first-ever Big Ten regular season championship this year, and then added the Big Ten tournament title eight days ago with an overtime win against Michigan.

Top-ranked BC will now face Michigan in the second Frozen Four semifinal in St. Paul, Minn. on April 11 at 8:30 p.m. ET. The first semifinal will pit Sioux Falls regional winner Boston University against Springfield, Mass. regional winner Denver at 5 p.m. ET. Both contests will be televised live on ESPN2. The semifinal winners will meet two days later for the national championship, which will also be held at the Xcel Energy Center.

Day 2 of 2024 Regionals Completed

The second day of the 2024 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey regionals is over, and only half of the original 16-team field now remains.

In Providence yesterday, top-ranked Boston College scored five unanswered goals, four in the third period, to oust Michigan Tech, 6-1. Cutter Gauthier and Ryan Leonard tallied two goals each for the Eagles. In the second game at Amica Mutual Pavilion, Quinnipiac got two goals from Victor Czerneckianair, including the tying marker and the overtime game-winner, to top Wisconsin, 3-2. The defending NCAA champion Bobcats will now face BC on Easter Sunday ( 4 p.m. ET, ESPN2) in the regional final.

In Maryland Heights, Mo., Michigan State rebounded from a 4-2 deficit with three consecutive goals to best Western Michigan, 5-4, in overtime. Karsen Dorwart notched the tying goal in the final minute of regulation, before Jeremy Davidson scored in the extra session. In the nightcap at the Centene Community Ice Center, Michigan used three third-period goals to defeat North Dakota, 4-3. Dylan Duke notched two of those goals for the Wolverines, including the game-winner with just over eight minutes left. Michigan will now face MSU on Sunday (6:30 p.m., ESPN2) in the regional final, in a rematch of the Big Ten title game that was won by the Spartans last Saturday in OT. 

2024 NCAA Men's Hockey Bracket Revealed

The bracket for the 2024 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey championship was announced last night. The 16-team tournament gets underway this weekend at four regional sites.

Providence, R.I. (March 29 and 31)

1. Boston College
8. Wisconsin
9. Quinnipiac
16. Michigan Tech

Maryland Heights, Mo. (March 29 and 31)
4. Michigan State
6. North Dakota
10. Michigan
13. Western Michigan

Sioux Falls, S.D. (March 28 and 30)
2. Boston University
7. Minnesota
11. Omaha
15. RIT

Springfield, MA. (March 28 and 30)
3. Denver
5. Maine
12. Cornell
14. Massachusetts

(Numbers indicate overall seed)

The top seed in each regional will play the lowest seed in the regional semifinals, with the middle seeds in each regional playing each other. The semifinal winners will meet in the regional final two days later. The four regional winners will advance to the Frozen Four in St. Paul, Minn., on April 11, with the winners of those two contests to meet for the national title on April 13. The television schedule for all games can be found here.

Quinnipiac is the defending national champion, having bested Minnesota in the title game last year in overtime in Tampa. Boston University and Michigan also made last year's Frozen Four, while Cornell, Michigan Tech, North Dakota and Western Michigan all qualified for last year's tournament. 

Boston College is the top seed in this year's  tournament, and is making its first appearance in the NCAAs since 2021.  Michigan State is appearing in the nationals for the first time since 2012, as is Maine. Massachusetts won the NCAA title in 2021, while Denver did so in 2022.

Maryland Heights is hosting a regional for the first time, although the venue only seats 2,500 spectators.

No. 2 BC Tops No. 1 BU, 4-1

In the first meeting between the current first and second-ranked teams in NCAA Division I men's hockey, it was the latter who came out on top.

Ryan Leonard tallied a goal and an assist, and Jacob Fowler made 26 saves as No. 2 Boston College upended No. 1 Boston University last night at BC's sold-out Conte Forum. The two Green Line rivals will rematch tonight at BU's Agganis Arena. Also in Hockey East last night, No. 10 Providence routed host UMass Lowell, 7-2, thanks to two goals and two assists from Bennett Schimek, in the first game of their two-game series.

In other top 10 results from Friday, No. 14 Michigan routed No. 3 Wisconsin, 5-1, as Frank Nazar III scored two goals and set up another for the Wolverines. Also in the Big Ten, No. 8 Michigan State got a shorthanded goal from Karson Dorwart with just under five minutes remaining in regulation to tie the game, before Daniel Russell scored with four seconds left to lift No. 8 Michigan State over No. 9 Minnesota, 3-2.

No. 5 North Dakota defeated No. 4 Denver, 5-2, in their NCHC match-up as the host Fighting Hawks got goals from five different skaters. The two will play again tonight at UND's Ralph Engelstad Arena Marson. Out east, Mason Marcellus' first-period goal stood up as the game-winner as No. 7 Quinnipiac blanked crosstown rival Yale, 1-0, in Hartford in the first round of the Connecticut Ice tournament. Quinnipiac will play UConn tonight for the title, while Yale will face Sacred Heart in the consolation.

ADDENDUM: BC, UND and Providence all completed sweeps, with BC moving to first in the national polls and UND taking over the second spot. Minnesota and Wisconsin gained splits in their respective series, while Quinnipiac won Connecticut Ice for the third straight season.

Viccisitudes of NCAA's Top 10 Teams

Most of the top-rated teams in men's Division I college hockey experienced highs and lows over the weekend.

Top-ranked Minnesota split a two-game series at No. 5 North Dakota, while No. 4 Quinnipiac, the defending NCAA champion, did likewise at New Hampshire. No. 2 Denver fell at Providence on Friday before edging No. 3 Boston College, which had beaten Rensselaer the previous night, on Saturday. 

No. 6 Boston University split at Notre Dame, and No. 7 Michigan defeated and tied visiting No. 13 Ohio State. No. 8 Michigan State swept visiting Canisius, while Western Michigan doubled up Bowling Green in a home-and-home series, and No. 10 Providence finished up its home victory over Denver with another over Rensselaer.

Scout Truman (UMass Lowell) and Chad Hillebrand (Western Michigan) led all scorers over the weekend, with six points on six assists apiece, while 6-foot-7 netminder Michael Hrabel (UMass) went 2-0-0 with a .952 save percentage and a shutout in the host Minutemen's two-step sweep of No. 19 Minnesota State.

Minnesota is No. 1 in this week's USCHO.com poll, followed in order by Denver, BC, North Dakota, Quinnipiac, Michigan, Providence, Michigan State, BU and WMU. Rutger McGroarty (Michigan) leads all Division I scorers with 11 points in six games, while Kyle McClellan (Wisconsin) has fashioned a 5-1-0 record in net to go with a .935 save percentage.

Princeton Edges No. 12 Providence in OT

Jack Cronin's one-man effort in overtime lifted Princeton University to a 3-2 victory over 12th-ranked Providence College on Tuesday night, in NCAA men's hockey action at Hobey Baker Rink in central New Jersey.

Cronin's backhand shot from the slot, following a solo rush through the neutral zone, eluded Providence netminder Philip Svedebäck (23 saves) up high on the glove side to lift the Tigers (10-9-0 overall) to their third consecutive win, all at home. Ethan Pearson made 36 stops for Princeton, which snuffed all six Providence power-play attempts, while Tigers defensemen David Ma and Pito Walton notched two assists apiece.

After Liam Valente opened the scoring for the Friars (12-7-6) on a tip-in goal less than three minutes into regulation, Adams Robbins responded later in the first period for Princeton with his own deflection, to knot matters at a goal apiece. The score then remained unchanged until Princeton's Nick Seitz and Providence's Riley Duran exchanged goals 21 seconds apart in the third stanza, setting the stage for Cronin's sudden-death heroics.

Tuesday marked the third contest between the former Eastern College Athletic Conference rivals since last season, which began with a two-step sweep by the Friars at home, but it was the first meeting at Hobey Baker Rink since 1997. Providence still leads the all-time series, which started in 1954, by a 25-13-3 count.

Princeton returns to ECAC Hockey play this weekend at Colgate and Cornell, while Providence will be idle until returning to Hockey East action on Jan. 27-28 at Maine.

Bennett Resigns as Head Coach at Union

The Rick Bennett era has ended at Union College.

The longtime Dutchmen head coach resigned on Friday, following an internal investigation into the Union men's hockey program. He was put on leave on Jan. 20 after an "allegation about his coaching style and practices that was substantiated through an investigation by the college." He compiled a 195-134-45 record in nine-plus seasons in charge of the Dutchmen, including six seasons of 20 or more wins. He also guided Union to eight ECAC Hockey regular-season or postseason titles in his tenure. 

Assistant coach John Ronan (Maine) will guide the Dutchmen for the rest of the 2021-22 campaign as interim head coach. Union fell to visiting Long Island, 4-1, tonight in Ronan's first contest at the helm, and is now 9-13-3 overall on the season.

A native of Springfield, Mass., and a 1990 graduate of Providence College where he recorded 50 goals and 134 points in 128 outings at forward, Bennett played nine years professionally in the NHL, AHL, IHL and ECHL, and actually began his coaching career as an player-assistant coach in the ECHL in 1995-96. After four seasons he returned to the college ranks at his alma mater as an assistant coach for five seasons, before moving on to Union in 2005. 

Bennett, 54, served as an assistant for two years with the Dutchmen, and then as associate coach for five more before taking the head coaching reins in 2011 after head coach Nate Leaman moved on to Providence. Bennett subsequently led Union to five NCAA tournament berths and two NCAA Frozen Fours, including Union's first national title in 2014 in Philadelphia.

In other news, Union men's hockey can now offer athletic scholarships as an NCAA Division I program at an NCAA Division III institution, as can the Rochester Institute of Technology.

2021 NCAA Women's Hockey Championship Field Set

The eight-team field is set for the 2021 NCAA Division I Women's Ice Hockey Championship. The seeds/first-round match-ups are as follows, with conference affiliation in parentheses:

No. 8 Robert Morris * (CHA) vs. No. 1 Northeastern * (Hockey East)

No. 7 Providence (Hockey East) vs. No. 2 Wisconsin * (WCHA)

No. 6 Boston College (Hockey East) vs. No. 3 Ohio State (WCHA)

No. 5 Minnesota-Duluth (WCHA) vs. No. 4 Colgate * (ECAC Hockey)

* Earned automatic NCAA tournament berth by winning conference tournament championship 

The entire tournament will be contested on March 15-20 at the Erie Insurance Arena in Erie, PA, with the Frozen Four on March 18 (semifinals) and March 20 (championship game) to be televised live on the ESPN networks.

Last year's NCAA championship was canceled by COVID-19. Wisconsin, the 2019 NCAA champion, and Minnesota-Duluth have both earned five previous national championships apiece, the only schools in this year's field to have won an NCAA title.