by The road to the men’s Frozen Four heats up as the regular season winds down and conference tournaments begin.
The 16-team NCAA field will be announced on March 19 (6:30 p.m. ET, ESPNU), with regionals scheduled for March 23-26 and the Frozen Four on April 6 and 8 in Tampa, Florida.
The winners of the six conference tournaments — Atlantic, Big Ten, CCHA, ECAC, Hockey East and NCHC — and 10 at-large teams will make up the 16-team field. Major groups are determined by the PairWise ranking.
The Atlantic winner will fall out of PairWise’s top 16 as RIT, the league’s regular-season champion and highest-ranked team, enters the weekend at No. 22. And there are other potential bid stealers out there, particularly in Hockey East, where only Boston University is on the right side of the bubble entering the weekend.
Here’s a look at all six conference tournaments, with schedules and results updated as games are played.
Atlantic
RIT snapped AIC’s four-year run as Atlantic Hockey regular season champions. In a new format this season, the top eight teams in the 10-team league qualify for the championship. The top four seeds host a best-of-three quarterfinal series. The four quarterfinal winners advance to the best-of-three semifinals, with those winners advancing to the one-game final, all at the campus facility.
Quarterfinals, March 3-5
No. 8 Mercyhurst at No. 1 RIT — Game 1: RIT wins, 5-0
No. 7 Holy Cross at No. 2 AIC — Game 1: AIC wins, 3-1
No. 6 Niagara at No. 3 Sacred Heart — Game 1: Sacred Heart win, 3-1
No. 5 Army at No. 4 Canisius — Game 1: Canisius wins, 5-2
Semifinals, March 10-12: In the highest there were seeds left
Final, March 18: In higher remaining seed
Big Ten
Minnesota, the Big Ten regular-season champion for the second year in a row, gets a bye in the semifinals. Seeds 2-7 play best-of-three quarterfinals before single-game semifinals and finals, all at campus venues.
Quarterfinals, March 3-5
No. 7 Wisconsin at No. 2 Michigan — Game 1: Michigan wins, 6-5 (OT)
No. 6 Penn State at No. 3 Ohio State — Game 1: Ohio State wins, 5-1
No. 5 Michigan State at No. 4 Notre Dame — Game 1: ND Win 1-0
Semifinals, March 11: The lowest seed remaining in No. 1 Minnesota. second lowest seed and second highest seed
Final, March 18: In higher remaining seed
CCHA
Minnesota State captured its sixth straight CCHA regular season title and is the No. 1 seed. The best-of-three quarterfinals will be hosted by the top four seeds, followed by semifinals and a one-game final, all at campus venues.
Quarterfinals, March 3-5
No. 8 Lake Superior State at No. 1 Minnesota State — Game 1: Minn. Win. St., 6-1
No. 7 St. Thomas at No. 2 Michigan Tech — Game 1: Michigan Tech wins, 1-0
No. 6 Ferris State at No. 3 Bowling Green — Game 1: Ferris St. win, 4-3 (OT)
No. 5 Bemidji State at No. 4 North Michigan — Game 1: N. Mich. wins 7-3
Semifinals, March 11: In the highest there were seeds left
Final, March 18: In higher remaining seed
ECAC
With a 20-2 league record, top-seeded Quinnipiac was the first ECAC team since 1988-89 to record 20 regular-season wins. The top four teams receive first-round byes, with seeds 5-12 playing individual games in the first round. After a reseed, the top four seeds host the best quarterfinal series. The winners advance to the semi-finals and the final of a match. (All games are available on ESPN+.)
First round, March 3: No. 5 Colgate 5, No. 12 Dartmouth 3
First round, March 4: No. 11 Brown at No. 6 Clarkson? No. 10 Yale at No. 7 Rensselaer? No. 9 Princeton at No. 8 Union
Quarterfinals, March 10-12: TBD at No. 1 Quinnipiac. TBD at No. 2 Harvard. TBD at No. 3 Cornell. TBD at No. 4 St. Lawrence
Semifinals, March 17: in Lake Placid, New York
Final, March 18: in Lake Placid, New York
Hockey East
Entering the final weekend of the regular season, only one seed — No. 11 Vermont — is locked up. Seeds 6-11 play in the first round, and then the remaining eight teams are reseeded for the quarterfinals. The winners advance to the semi-finals and the final. (All games are available on ESPN+.)
First round, March 8: No. 11 Vermont at No. 6 seed. No. 10 seed at No. 7 seed. No. 9 seed at No. 8 seed
Quarterfinals, March 11: No. 5 seed at No. 4. TBD at No. 1 seed. TBD on No. 2 seed. TBD on No. 3 seed
Semifinals, March 17: at Boston’s TD Garden
Final, March 18: at Boston’s TD Garden
NCHC
Defending national champion Denver wrapped up the regular season title, but most of the remaining seeds were still to be determined heading into the final weekend. The top four seeds host best-of-three quarterfinal series, and then the winners advance to the semifinals and one-match final.
Quarterfinals, March 10-12: No. 8 Miami (Ohio) at No. 1 Denver. No. 7 seed at No. 2 seed; No. 6 seed at No. 3 seed. No. 5 seed at No. 4 seed
Semifinals, March 17: at the Xcel Center, St. Paul, Minnesota
Final, March 18: at the Xcel Center, St. Paul, Minnesota
