U.S. Ousted at 2026 World Juniors

There will be no three-peat for the United States at this year's World Junior Championship. The U.S. was ousted tonight by Finland, 4-3, in overtime in a semifinal game in St. Paul. It was the second straight loss for the Americans, who also fell to Sweden, 6-3, on New Year's Eve in their final game of group play.

Ryker Lee (Michigan State) tied the contest late in regulation after Finland had taken a 3-2 lead on back-to-back goals. Cole Eiserman (Boston University) and Cole Hutson (Boston University) scored second-period goals for Team USA, which also got two assists from James Hagens (Boston College), and 21 saves in net from Nick Kempf (Notre Dame). Heikki Ruohonen (Harvard) scored a goal for Finland, which fell to the U.S. in last year's final in OT in Ottawa.

Finland will now face Sweden in one WJC semifinal, while Canada will take on Czechia in the other, both on Sunday. The bronze and gold medal games are scheduled for Monday.

ADDENDUM: Sweden won the gold medal over Czechia, while Canada took the bronze.

BC, Denver to Meet Saturday for NCAA Crown

The national title game is set. It will be Denver against Boston College on Saturday night in St. Paul, Minn., for the 2024 NCAA Division I men's hockey championship, after both teams won national semifinal contests today at the Xcel Energy Center.

In the opening game this afternoon, Tristan Broz scored just over 11 minutes into overtime to lift Denver to a 2-1 win over Boston University. Luke Tuch opened the scoring for BU (28-10-2 overall) with a shorthanded goal in the first period, before Tristan Lemyre tied it for DU in the second. BU outshot DU, 34-29, overall, even though the Terriers did not receive any power plays. Matt Davis made 33 saves in net for the Pioneers (31-9-3), while Mathieu Caron finished with 27 stops for the Terriers.

In the nightcap, Will Smith opened the scoring just over a minute into the opening stanza as top-ranked Boston College blanked Michigan, 4-0. The Eagles (34-5-1), who set a school record for most victories in a single season with tonight's win, broke the game open with goals 49 seconds apart in the second period from Smith and Cutter Gauthier (NCAA-high 38th goal of the year) while the two teams were skating 4-on-4. 

Gabe Perreault, who also assisted on both of Smith's goals, closed out the scoring early in the third period with an unassisted tally for the Eagles. Jacob Fowler stopped all 32 shots he faced in earning his third shutout of the season for BC, which was outshot by a 32-22 margin. Jake Barczewski had 18 stops for the Wolverines (23-15-3), who were making their third consecutive trip to the Frozen Four, and who were shut out for the first time in a Frozen Four appearance.

BC and DU will now meet for the national title on Saturday (6 p.m. ET, ESPN2). It will be a rematch of a game from October at BC, where the Pioneers edged the Eagles, 4-3. DU is seeking its record 10th NCAA men's hockey title all-time, and second in three years, while BC is after its sixth national championship ever, and first since 2012.

Day 3 of NCAA Regionals Finished

Two of the 2024 NCAA Division I men's hockey regionals are finished, and two national semifinal spots have been filled.

In Springfield, Mass. on Saturday, Denver rebounded from a one-goal deficit to edge Cornell, 2-1, at the MassMutual Center. Sam Harris' goal with four seconds left in the second period broke a 1-1 tie and stood up as the game-winner for DU (30-9-3 overall). The Pioneers, who avenged a regional loss to Cornell (22-7-6) from last year, are now headed to the NCAA Frozen Four for the second time in three seasons, and the fifth time in nine years. Matt Davis made 24 saves in net for DU, while Ian Shane had 16 stops for the Big Red in its season finale.

In Sioux Falls, S.D., yesterday, Boston University came back from two goals down early on to oust Minnesota, 6-3, at the Denny Sanford Premier Center. Macklin Celebrini set up three goals for the Terriers (28-9-2), who got goals from six different skaters and 25 stops from Mathieu Caron. Bryce Brodzinski notched a goal and an assist, and Justen Close made 32 saves for the Golden Gophers in their last game of the year. BU, which also got some payback for a Frozen Four loss to Minnesota (23-11-5) last spring in Tampa, will now face Denver in one of two Frozen Four semifinals on April 11 in St. Paul. 

The Providence and Maryland Heights, Mo., regionals conclude with their finals on Sunday, with those two winners also headed to Minnesota in two weeks' time for the Frozen Four.

Ohio State, Michigan Off to 2018 Frozen Four

The 2018 NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Frozen Four picture is now complete.

Ohio State advanced to its first Frozen Four in 20 years with a 5-1 victory over defending national champion Denver on Sunday in the title game of the NCAA Midwest Regional in Allentown, Pa. The Buckeyes got two goals from Kevin Miller, and 30 saves from Regional Most Outstanding Player Sean Romeo.

Michigan punched its ticket to its first Frozen Four since 2011 with a 6-3 win over Boston University on Sunday in the NCAA Northeast Regional final in Worcester, Mass. The Wolverines broke a 3-3 tie with three unanswered third-period goals, led by Jake Slaker's game-winning tally in the seventh minute of the final frame.

The Buckeyes and Wolverines will join fellow Big Ten Conference member Notre Dame at the Frozen Four in St. Paul, Minn. next month. along with Minnesota-Duluth of the National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC). OSU and UMD will face off in the early semifinal on April 5 (6 p.m. ET, ESPN2), while Michigan will meet Notre Dame in the nightcap (9:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2). The two winners will then advance to the national title game on April 7 (7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2).

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.

NCAA Tournament Underway

There will at least be a new champion in NCAA Division I men’s ice hockey this season.

Defending champion Providence fell, 2-1, in double overtime to Minnesota Duluth in Friday's Northeast Regional opener in Worcester, Mass. The Bulldogs will now meet Boston College, a 4-1 winner over Harvard, tonight at 9 p.m. (all times Eastern) in the regional final.

At the Midwest Regional in Cincinnati, Northeastern's 14-game unbeaten streak came to an end with a 6-2 loss to North Dakota. The Fighting Hawks will now face Michigan, a 3-2 OT winner over Notre Dame, tonight at 6 p.m.

The East Regional in Albany gets underway today with top-seeded Quinnipiac facing RIT at 4 p.m., followed by Yale against UMass Lowell at 7:30 p.m. The regional final is scheduled for tomorrow at 7:30 p.m.

The West Regional commences today in St. Paul, Minn. with St. Cloud State taking on Ferris State at 3 p.m. The nightcap will feature Boston University against Denver at 6:30 p.m., with the two Saturday winners to skate in the regional final on Sunday at 5 p.m.

The four regional winners will advance to the NCAA Frozen Four semifinals in Tampa on April 7.

NCAA Men's Ice Hockey Championship Field Set

The field is set for the 16-team 2016 NCAA Division I Men’s Ice Hockey Championship. The first-round pairings were announced live earlier today on ESPNU, while the bracket is available online at NCAA.com.

The top four overall seeds in this year’s tournament are ECAC playoff champion Quinnipiac, NCHC champion St. Cloud State, North Dakota, and defending NCAA champion Providence. Nine of the 16 schools in this year’s tournament have won at least one national title.

Quinnipiac, which just won its first-ever Whitelaw Cup as ECAC playoff king, will be the top seed at the East Regional in Albany. The Bobcats will face 16th seed RIT, this year’s Atlantic Hockey champion, at 4 p.m. ET at the Times-Union Centre on Saturday. The nightcap will feature No. 8 Massachusetts Lowell against No. 10 Yale at 7:30 p.m. ET, with the winners meeting on Sunday, also at 7:30 p.m. ET.

The Northeast Regional gets underway at the DCU Center in Worcester, Mass on Friday when Providence faces 14th seed and NCHC runner-up Minnesota-Duluth. The late game will pit No.5 Boston College against No. 11 Harvard. The two winners will face off on Saturday at 9 p.m.

The West regional will begin Saturday at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minn. St. Cloud will meet No. 15 Ferris State, the WCHA playoff champion, at 2 p.m. CT, followed by No. 6 Denver against No. 9 Boston University. The regional final will be held Sunday at 4 p.m. CT.

Last but not least, the Midwest Regional will be held on Friday and Saturday at U.S. Bank Arena in Cincinnati. The first day’s slate will see North Dakota take on Hockey East winner and No. 13 seed Northeastern at 2 p.m. ET, followed by Big Ten champion and No. 7 Michigan against No. 12 Notre Dame.

The four regional winners will advance to the 2016 NCAA Frozen Four at Amalie Arena on April 7, to play at either 5 p.m. or 8:30 p.m. ET. The national championship contest will be contested two days later in Florida at 8 p.m. between the two semifinal winners.

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.