NCAA DI Men's Hockey

NCAA Hockey Tournament Bracket 2026: Here's The Frozen Four Schedule

NCAA Hockey Tournament Bracket 2026: Here's The Frozen Four Schedule

The 2026 NCAA men’s hockey tournament bracket is set with Michigan as the No. 1 seed and top NHL prospects in the field. The Frozen Four begins on April 9.

Mar 30, 2026 by Joe Harrington
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College hockey fans already knew which teams were in the NCAA tournament field. On March 22, they learned the matchups.

The road to the Frozen Four started when the NCAA revealed the brackets on Sunday as teams eye a trip to Las Vegas next month. But first: the regionals.

Michigan, North Dakota, Wisconsin, and Denver were the last four teams left standing after Regional semifinals and finals. Projected top 2026 NHL draft pick Gavin McKenna and the Penn State team left the tournament early, losing to Minnesota Duluth.

NCAA Hockey Tournament Bracket

Here’s the updated bracket and schedule. 

NCAA Hockey Tournament Schedule

Here's the schedule for the first round of the NCAA Division I men's hockey tournament. The round will be played from March 26-28. The second round begins on March 27.

The Frozen Four in Las Vegas begins on April 9.  

2026 NCAA Hockey Tournament Bracket, Schedule & Scores

Here's the schedule for the of the NCAA Division I men's hockey tournament.

The Frozen Four in Las Vegas begins Thursday, April 9.  

Worcester Regional 

Semifinals, Thursday, March 26

  • No. 1 Michigan State 2-1 No. 4 UConn
  • No. 2 Dartmouth 1-5 No. 3 Wisconsin

Final, Saturday

  • No. 1 Michigan 3-4 No. 3 Wisconsin

Sioux Falls Regional

Semifinals, Thursday

  • No. 2 Providence 2-5 No. 3 Quinnipiac
  • No. 1 North Dakota 3-0 No. 4 Merrimack

Final, Saturday 

  • No. 1 North Dakota 5-0 No. 3 Quinnipiac

Albany Regional

Semifinals, Friday

  • No. 1 Michigan 5-1 No. 4 Bentley, 5:30 p.m.
  • No. 2 Minnesota Duluth 3-1 No. 3 Penn State

Final, Sunday

  • No. 1 Michigan 4-3 No. 2 Minnesota Duluth

Loveland Regional

Semifinals, Friday

  • No. 1 Western Michigan 3-1 No. 4 Minnesota State 
  • No. 2 Denver 5-0 No. 3 Cornell

Final, Sunday

  • No. 4 Western Michigan 2-6 No. 2 Denver

Frozen Four

National semifinals, April 9

  • Wisconsin vs North Dakota 5 p.m.
  • Michigan vs Denver 8:30 p.m.

National final, April 11

  • April 11, 5:30 p.m.

What Teams Made The 2026 NCAA Men’s Tournament?

Here are the 16 teams that have reached the NCAA tournament:

  • Michigan
  • North Dakota
  • Michigan State
  • Western Michigan
  • Denver
  • Minnesota Duluth
  • Providence
  • Dartmouth
  • Penn State
  • Quinnipiac
  • Cornell
  • Wisconsin
  • Minnesota State
  • UConn
  • Merrimack
  • Bentley

What Teams Earned Automatic Bids To The NCAA Men’s Hockey Tournament?

Here are the teams that earned automatic bids to the NCAA tournament by winning their conference tournaments.

NCAA Men’s Conference Tournament Champions

  • Atlantic Hockey America: Bentley
  • Big Ten: Michigan
  • CCHA: Minnesota State
  • ECAC: Dartmouth
  • Hockey East: Merrimack
  • NCHC: Denver

What Team Is The No. 1 Seed In The NCAA Men’s Hockey Tournament?

Big Ten champion Michigan had the highest NPI rating going into the tournament and will be the No. 1 overall seed. They will likely play No. 16 seed Bentley in whatever regional they are sent to.

The Wolverines earned a convincing win in the Big Ten Championship Game against rival Ohio State, 7-3. They are led by Hobey Baker Top 10 finalist T.J. Hughes and Montreal Canadiens first-round pick Michael Hage.

Who Was The Last Team Out Of The NCAA Hockey Tournament?

Championship Saturday can be euphoric for some teams and tragic for others. The results of the day can impact far more than just the two teams playing in the game. Aside from teams that lost their conference championship games, a few would-be at-large teams saw their seasons end Saturday night.

The first team out of the NCAA tournament due to automatic qualifiers was Augustana. They needed wins from all the favorites in the conference championship games, but Merrimack upsetting UConn knocked the Vikings out of what would have been their first NCAA tournament.

Who Was The Last Team In The NCAA Men’s Tournament?

Aside from the automatic qualifiers from the conference tournaments, the last team to get into the tournament was actuall UConn. The Huskies lost the Hockey East Championship Game and would have been bounced from the tournament if Ohio State found a way to upset Michigan in the Big Ten Championship Game. UConn got the result it needed and punched its ticket to the tournament as the last team to know their fate.

Where Are The NCAA Regionals This Year?

The four NCAA men’s hockey regionals will be hosted at the following locations

  • Sioux Falls, S.D. – Denny Sanford PREMIER Center: March 26-28
  • Worcester, Mass. – DCU Center: March 26-28
  • Albany, N.Y. – MVP Arena: March 27-29
  • Loveland, Colo. – Blue Arena: March 27-29

Where is the 2026 NCAA Men’s Frozen Four?

Las Vegas will host the 2026 NCAA Men’s Frozen Four. It is that events first trip to Sin City. T-Mobile Arena, home of the Vegas Golden Knights will be the venue for the event which will run April 9 and 11.

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