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.

Minnesota-Duluth, Harvard Headed to Frozen Four

Half the NCAA Men’s Division I Hockey Frozen Four picture is set following six games on Saturday, with the other two spots to be determined on Sunday.

Minnesota-Duluth became the first team to punch its ticket to Chicago in two weeks’ time with a 3-2 overtime victory over Boston University in the West Regional final at in Fargo, N.D. Adam Johnson scored on the power play just 1:57 into the extra session for the top-seeded Bulldogs, who also got 22 stops from Hunter Miska and will proceed to their first Frozen Four since 2011.  

UMD’s opponent in Illinois will be Harvard, which advanced to its first Frozen Four since 1994 by outlasting Air Force, 3-2, in the East Regional final in Providence. Tyler Moy’s second-period power-play goal gave Harvard a 3-0 lead and stood up as the game-winner, as the Falcons responded shortly afterwards with two goals in 15 seconds. Merrick Madsen finished with 27 saves for the Crimson, including a point-blank save on a rebound shot by Matt Serratore with 14 seconds remaining in regulation to preserve the win.

Top overall seed Denver raced out to a 4-0 lead after 20 minutes and never looked back in besting Michigan Tech, 5-2, in a Midwest Regional semifinal in Cincinnati. Colin Staub scored twice for the Pioneers, who connected twice on the power play and also got 16 stops from Tanner Jaillet.

In the late game in Cincinnati, Penn State and Union traded field goals until the Nittany Lions got the touchdown, scoring seven straight times over the last two periods of play en route to a 10-3 victory in their first-ever NCAA Tournament contest. Nate Sucese led Penn State with two goals and two assists, while Andrew Sturtz, Chase Berger and Kris Myllari posted three points apiece. It was the most goals scored by one team in an NCAA Tournament game in 27 years, since Lake Superior State beat Alaska Anchorage by the same score in 1990.

Ryan Lohnin scored two goals and Ryan Collins had two assists as UMass Lowell blanked Cornell, 5-0, in the early Northeast Regional semifinal in Manchester, N.H. Tyler Wall had 19 saves for the River Hawks, who advanced to the regional final on Sunday to take on fellow Hockey East school Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish scored three unanswered goals, the last two by Anders Bjork, to oust top seed Minnesota, 3-2, marking the 12th year in a row that that an NCAA Division I men's hockey No. 1 regional seed was eliminated in the regional round.

UMass Lowell and Notre Dame will face off at 3:30 p.m. ET on Sunday at the SNHU Arena, while Denver will face Penn State in the Midwest Regional final at 6 p.m. ET at U.S. Bank Arena. Both games will be televised live on ESPNU. The winners of those two regionals will meet in Chicago on April 6.

BU, Harvard, Air Force, UMD Advance in NCAA Hockey Regionals

The first day of the 2017 NCAA Division I Men's Hockey Championship is in the books—and will be tough to top the rest of the tournament.

At the West Regional in Fargo, Boston University edged de facto host and defending national champion North Dakota, 4-3, in double overtime after an apparent UND goal in the first extra session was disallowed, due to an offside play on Ludvig Hoff. The Fighting Hawks had fought back from a 3-1 deficit in the third period with goals just three minutes apart by Hoff and Christian Wolanin to force sudden death, and outshot BU by a 59-29 margin on the afternoon. Charlie McAvoy connected for the game-winner 11:48 into the second OT off a cross-ice feed from Clayton Keller for BU, while goaltender Jake Oettinger finished with 56 saves for the Terriers.

In the nightcap in North Dakota, top-seeded Minnesota-Duluth took a 2-0 lead on Ohio State, which had a supposed goal of its own called back in the opening 20 minutes. The Buckeyes responded with two third-period goals by defensemen Matt Joyaux and Gordi Myer to tie matters, but it was NCHC champion UMD winning in sudden death on a slapshot by blueliner Willie Raskob at 11:58 of the additional session. Hunter Miksa made 40 saves for the Bulldogs, who will now face BU at 6 p.m. ET (ESPNU) on Saturday at Scheels Arena in the West Regional final.

At the East Regional in Providence, ECAC champion and top-seeded Harvard won its first NCAA Tournament game in 23 years, getting two goals from Tyler Moy and 41 saves from Merrick Madsen in topping Providence, 3-0. The Crimson also won its 15th straight game dating back to January.

In the second game, Atlantic Hockey champion Air Force outlasted Western Michigan, 5-4, with Kyle Haak scoring twice and Shane Starrett stopping 22 shots for the Falcons, who led by a 4-1 score early in the third period. Griffen Molino and Sheldon Dries scored 23 seconds apart to pull the Broncos within one, but Tyler Ledford’s goal just over a minute-and-a-half later stood up as the game-winner for AFA. The Falcons will now meet the Crimson on Saturday at 8:30 p.m. (ESPNU) at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center in the East Regional final.

The Northeast Regional at SNHU Arena in Manchester, N.H. gets underway with Cornell encountering UMass Lowell at noon ET (ESPN3.com) on Saturday, capped by Minnesota skating against Notre Dame at 3:30 p.m. ET (ESPNU). The Midwest Regional at U.S. Bank Arena in Cincinnati faces off with Denver meeting Michigan Tech at 1 p.m. ET (ESPNews), followed by Union (NY) taking on Penn State at 4:30 p.m. ET (ESPN3.com).

The Northeast and Midwest regional finals will be contested on Sunday, at 3:30 p.m. ET and 6 p.m. ET, respectively, both showing on ESPNU. The four regional winners will advance to the NCAA Frozen Four on April 6 at the United Center in Chicago.

2017 NCAA Hockey Tournament Field Set

The 2017 NCAA Tournament field is set for Men's Division I Ice Hockey. The full bracket, announced on Sunday, can be found here.

The regional seeds are as follows:

Midwest (Cincinnati)
1. Denver
2. Union
3. Penn State *
4. Michigan Tech

Northeast (Manchester, NH)
1. Minnesota
2. UMass Lowell *
3. Cornell
4. Notre Dame

East (Providence)
1. Harvard *
2. Western Michigan
3. Air Force *
4. Providence

West (Fargo, ND)
1. Minnesota-Duluth *
2. Boston University
3. North Dakota
4. Ohio State

* denotes conference champions, who earned automatic NCAA Tournament bids

Schools not qualifying this year that advanced to the 2016 NCAA Tournament include Boston College, Ferris State, Michigan, Northeastern, Quinnipiac, RIT, St. Cloud State and Yale.

Denver is the top seed overall in this year's tournament, while Penn State is appearing in its first-ever NCAA Tournament. North Dakota is the defending national champion, having won its eighth NCAA title overall last year.

The East and West regionals will be held on Friday and Saturday, with the Midwest and Northeast regionals to be contested on Saturday and Sunday. The four regional champions will advance to the NCAA Frozen Four in Chicago on April 6.

Half of Frozen Four Filled, Half to Go

Half of the 2016 NCAA Men's Division I Hockey Frozen Four bracket has been filled.

North Dakota punched its ticket to Tampa with a 5-2 victory over Michigan on Saturday in the Midwest Regional final in Cincinnati, while Boston College outlasted Minnesota-Duluth, 3-2, in the Northeast Regional in Worcester, Mass. UND, which last won the national title in 2000, will be playing in its third straight Frozen Four, while 2012 NCAA champion BC will return to the national semifinals after a one-year hiatus.

Two other NCAA regionals will conclude today, after getting underway yesterday. Ferris State advanced to the West Regional final in St. Paul, Minn. with a 5-4 overtime victory over St. Cloud State, while Denver ousted Boston University by a 7-2 score. Ferris and Denver will meet today at 5 p.m. ET for the right to face North Dakota in Florida on April 7.

At the East Regional in Albany yesterday, top overall seed Quinnipiac blanked RIT, 4-0, while UMass-Lowell edged Yale, 3-2, in OT. Quinnipiac and UMass-Lowell will face-off tonight at 7:30 p.m., with the winner to play BC in Tampa in two weeks time.

ADDENDUM: Denver scored three unanswered third-period goals to break a tie with Ferris in a 6-3 victory, while Quinnipiac spotted UML a one-goal lead before going on to win, 4-1. Quinnipiac will now face BC at 5 p.m. ET at Amalie Arena on April 7, followed by Denver-North Dakota at 8:30 p.m. ET, with both games to be shown on ESPN2.

NCAA Regionals Underway; Divison III Final Set

The first four games of the 2015 NCAA Division I Men’s Hockey Championship are in the books. 

 

The Northeast Regional in Manchester, N.H. began today with top-seeded Boston University edging Yale, 3-2, on overtime, to set up a Saturday final with No. 2 seed Minnesota-Duluth, which topped Minnesota, 4-1. 

 

The West Regional in Fargo, N.D. got underway Friday with St. Cloud State outlasting second-seeded Michigan Tech, 3-2, in overtime before No. 1 seed North Dakota upended Quinnipiac, 4-1.

 

The East Regional in Providence begins on Saturday, with Providence-Miami and Boston College-Denver, while the Midwest Regional in South Bend, Ind. opens tomorrow with Minnesota State-RIT and Harvard-Omaha. Those regional finals are scheduled for Sunday.

 

At the NCAA Division III men’s semifinals in Minneapolis, Wisconsin Stevens-Point routed Amherst, 6-2, while Trinity overcame Adrian, 5-3. The national final is set for Saturday night at Ridder Arena.

2015 NCAA Division I Men’s Hockey Championship Finalized

The seedings are in, and the field has been set for the 2015 NCAA Division I Men’s Hockey Championship. The regionals will be held this weekend, with the four regional winners advancing to the Frozen Four in Boston on April 9-11.

The top four seeds overall are Minnesota State, North Dakota, Boston University, and Miami.

March 27-28

Northeast Regional (Manchester, N.H.)

Yale vs. Boston University (2 p.m.)
Minnesota-Duluth vs. Minnesota (5:30 p.m.)

(Regional final - Saturday, 5:30 p.m.)

West Regional (Fargo, N.D.)

St. Cloud State vs. Michigan Tech (4:30 p.m.)
Quinnipiac vs. North Dakota (8 p.m.)

(Regional final – Saturday , 9 p.m.)

March 28-29

East Regional (Providence, R.I.)

Miami vs. Providence (6:30 p.m.)
Denver vs. Boston College (3 p.m.)

(Regional final - Sunday, 5 p.m.)

Midwest Regional (South Bend, IN)

Rochester Institute of Technology vs. Minnesota State (4 p.m.)
(Nebraska) Omaha vs. Harvard (7:30 p.m.)

(Regional final - Sunday, 7:30 p.m.)

Regional games will be televised  on ESPN2, ESPN3, ESPNU and Watch ESPN.

Conference champions this spring who earned automatic berths to the NCAA Tournament include Boston University (Hockey East), Harvard (Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference), Miami (National Collegiate Hockey Conference) Minnesota (Big Ten), Minnesota State (Western Collegiate Hockey Association) and Rochester Institute of Technology (Atlantic Hockey).

The rest earned at-large bids through the Pairwise Rankings, which mimics the NCAA selection process.

Upsets Continue on Second Day of NCAA Tournament

One half of the 2013 NCAA Division I Men’s Ice Hockey Frozen Four is set. Whoever completes the other side of the bracket will also be a first-time national semifinalist, which means there will be a first-ever national champion for the second time in three years, following Minnesota-Duluth’s first-ever national title in 2011.

Yale went further than it has in 61 years by scoring four unanswered third-period goals to oust North Dakota, 4-1, and win the West Regional in Grand Rapids, Mich. as a fourth seed. Jesse Root, the hero in Friday’s overtime win over Minnesota, again collected the game-winning goal, this time with just under five minutes left in the final period, after Josh Balch tied it with his third goal of the campaign at 12:25. Anthony Day had two assists for Yale, while Hobey Baker Memorial Award finalist Corban Knight scored North Dakota’s only goal.

The Bulldogs won’t be the only Eastern College Athletic Conference team in Pittsburgh in two weeks time, as either Quinnipiac or Union will also represent the conference in the national semifinals following Sunday’s East Regional final in Providence. (Quinnipiac defeated Union in both of their league meetings this season.)

The top-seeded Bobcats rebounded from a 3-1 third-period deficit to edge Atlantic Hockey champion Canisius by a 4-3 count. Kevin Bui’s goal with 5:32 remaining in regulation proved to be the difference as Quinnipiac recorded its first-ever NCAA Tournament victory. Connor Jones also had a goal and an assist for Quinnipiac, while Matthew Peca and Jordan Samuels-Thomas had third-period goals, and Hobey Baker finalist Eric Hartzell made 20 stops.

Union came within a win of its second straight Frozen Four by mauling defending NCAA champion Boston College, 5-1, in the other Providence semifinal. The Dutchmen tallied three times on the power play, while Josh Jooris notched two goals in all, including the game-winner early in the second stanza, as Union led 4-0 after 40 minutes. Troy Grosenick finished with 29 saves for the Dutchmen, while Hobey Baker finalist Johnny Gaudreau had the only goal for the Eagles.

UMass Lowell punched its tickets to its first-ever Frozen Four with a 2-0 win over Hockey East rival new Hampshire in the Northeast Regional final in Manchester, N.H. Scott Wilson’s wraparound goal with 30 seconds left in the second period put the River Hawks ahead, and Adam Chapie iced it on backhander off a rush with just over six minutes left in the final session. Connor Hellebuyck made 28 saves to earn the shutout, his sixth of the season that tied him for the national lead.

St. Cloud State, the fourth seed in the Midwest Regional in Toledo, advanced to the final by upending Central Collegiate Hockey Association playoff champion and regional top seed Notre Dame, 5-1. Joey Benik scored twice for the Huskies, while Ben Hanowski registered a goal and an assist for the last Western Collegiate Hockey Association team now left standing in the tournament. Mike Voran had the sole goal for the Fighting Irish.

SCSU will face the final CCHA team left in the tournament, Miami (Ohio), in the regional final on Sunday. The Redhawks blanked Minnesota State, 4-0, as Ryan Mckay made 20 saves, Austin Czarnik set up two goals, and Max Cook had a goal and an assist. Miami is also the last CCHA team overall, as the league is set to disband following the completion of the NCAAs.