Sizing up the men’s hockey bracket on the way to the Frozen Four

The NCAA men’s hockey tournament field is set, with 16 teams vying for a trip to Tampa, Florida, for the Frozen Four and a chance at the national championship.

The top four seeds include three of the sport’s most decorated programs — Minnesota, Michigan and defending champ Denver — plus a recent powerhouse in Quinnipiac, which has the best record in the country.

The 16-team field, which includes the six conference champions and 10 at-large teams, will compete in regional play Thursday and Friday, with the regional finals to be played Saturday and Sunday.

The Frozen Four will be at Amalie Arena in Tampa, with the national semifinals April 6 and the national championship game April 8.

Every game of the tournament will be on either ESPN 2, ESPNU or ESPNews and will be available to stream on the ESPN app.

Below are the pairings and schedules for the tournament and a team-by-team look at the field. The schedule will be updated with results as games are played. For a bracket that will update as games are completed, click here.

Schedule

All times Eastern

Manchester, New Hampshire, regional

Thursday: Western Michigan vs. Boston University, 2 p.m. (ESPN2); Cornell vs. Denver, 5:30 p.m. (ESPNews)

Saturday: Regional final, 4 p.m. (ESPNU)

Fargo, North Dakota, regional

Thursday: Minnesota State vs. St. Cloud State, 5 p.m. (ESPNU); Canisius vs. Minnesota, 9 p.m. (ESPN2)

Saturday: Regional final, 6:30 p.m. (ESPNU)

Bridgeport, Connecticut, regional

Friday: Ohio State vs. Harvard, 2 p.m. (ESPNU); Merrimack vs. Quinnipiac, 5:30 p.m. (ESPNews)

Sunday: Regional final, 4 p.m. (ESPN2)

Allentown, Pennsylvania, regional

Friday: Michigan Tech vs. Penn State, 5 p.m. (ESPNU); Colgate vs. Michigan, 8:30 p.m. (ESPNU)

Sunday: Regional final, 6:30 p.m. (ESPN2)

Frozen Four
at Amalie Arena, Tampa, Florida

April 6: National semifinals, 5 and 8:30 p.m. (ESPN2)

April 8: National championship game, 8 p.m. (ESPN2)

Manchester regional

Denver (30-9-0)

How they got in: At-large bid (lost NCHC semifinal to Colorado College)

NCAA appearances: 32

Frozen Four appearances: 18 (nine national titles, last in 2022)

Last NCAA finish: Won national title over Minnesota State in 2022

Of note: Denver was rolling along, winning 11 of 12, before a stunning 1-0 loss to Colorado College in the NCHC semis likely snapped the team to attention. … Special teams could be a key for Denver’s quest to defend its national title. The Pioneers have the third-best power play in the country (26.6%), but their penalty kill ranks just 45th (78%).

Boston University (27-10-0)

How they got in: Won Hockey East championship

NCAA appearances: 38

Frozen Four appearances: 22 (five national titles, last in 2009)

Last NCAA finish: Lost first round to St. Cloud in 2021

Of note: First-year coach Jay Pandolfo was captain of BU’s national title team in 1995-96. … Freshman Lane Hutson, a Montreal Canadiens draft pick, scored the overtime winner in the Terriers’ Hockey East final win over Merrimack. He is the highest-scoring U19 defenseman (47 points) in the NCAA since Brian Leetch in 1986-87. … For some BU fans, a Frozen Four run is needed to erase the sting of the Terriers’ fourth-place finish in Boston’s beloved Beanpot.

Western Michigan (23-14-1)

How they got in: At-large bid (lost to Colorado College in NCHC quarterfinals)

NCAA appearances: 8

Frozen Four appearances: 0

Last NCAA finish: Lost to Minnesota in regional final in 2022

Of note: The Broncos are well rested after a surprising two-game sweep by Colorado College (13-22-3) in the NCHC quarterfinals (although it must be noted CC knocked off Denver in the semis as well). … Senior Jason Polin leads the nation with 29 goals and is second with 149 shots.

Cornell (20-10-2)

How they got in: At-large bid (lost to Harvard in ECAC semifinal)

NCAA appearances: 23

Frozen Four appearances: 8 (two national titles, last in 1970)

Last NCAA finish: Lost regional final to Providence in 2019

Of note: Cornell is tied with Minnesota State for second in the nation in scoring defense (2.0 goals per game), and the Big Red also can score (eighth with 3.4 goals per game), particularly on the man advantage (25.9%, fourth in NCAA).

Fargo regional

Minnesota (26-9-1)

How they got in: At-large bid (lost Big Ten final to Michigan)

NCAA appearances: 40

Frozen Four appearances: 22 (five national titles, last in 2003)

Last NCAA finish: Lost national semifinal to Minnesota Duluth in 2022

Of note: Much of last season’s Frozen Four team is back, but the Gophers have gotten a huge spark from freshmen Logan Cooley and Jimmy Snuggerud, who are 1-2 on the team in points and plus-minus (Cooley at 52, plus-34; Snuggerud at 49, plus-31). … Minnesota is 11-6 against teams in the NCAA field.

St. Cloud State (24-12-3)

How they got in: Won NCHC championship

NCAA appearances: 17

Frozen Four appearances: 2

Last NCAA finish: Lost first round to Quinnipiac in 2022

Of note: After a disappointing season last year, St. Cloud State looks to get back to the national title game after losing to UMass in 2021. … The battle-tested Huskies have won three of four against Denver. They went through a 1-5-3 stretch late in the regular season, but turned things around in the NCHC tournament.

Minnesota State (25-12-1)

How they got in: Won CCHA championship

NCAA appearances: 9

Frozen Four appearances: 2

Last NCAA finish: Lost national championship game to Denver in 2022

Of note: The Mavericks have been to the last two Frozen Fours, but their spot in the field this season was not fully secured before their stirring comeback OT win over Northern Michigan in the CCHA title game. They scored twice in the last 2:19 of regulation to tie it, then won on Zach Krajnik’s goal 1:08 into overtime.

Canisius (20-18-3)

How they got in: Won Atlantic Hockey championship

NCAA appearances: 2

Frozen Four appearances: 0

Last NCAA finish: Lost in first round to Quinnipiac in 2013

Of note: The Golden Griffins emerged from an upset-filled tournament to claim the Atlantic’s automatic bid. Although checking in at No. 41 in the PairWise rankings, Canisius has at least one thing going for it — experience (albeit not on this stage). The Griffs are the second-oldest team in the country, with an average age of 23.2.

Bridgeport regional

Quinnipiac (30-4-3)

How they got in: At-large bid (lost ECAC semifinal to Colgate)

NCAA appearances: 9

Frozen Four appearances: 2

Last NCAA finish: Lost regional final to Michigan in 2022

Of note: Again led by Yaniv Perets (1.52 GAA), Quinnipiac put up absurd defensive numbers for the second straight season. This year, the Bobcats also scored 3.92 goals per game and the ECAC was much stronger.

Harvard (24-7-2)

How they got in: At-large bid (lost ECAC final to Colgate)

NCAA appearances: 27

Frozen Four appearances: 13 (one national title, in 1989)

Last NCAA finish: Lost first round to Minnesota State in 2022

Of note: The Crimson, who are in the top seven nationally in both goals scored and goals allowed per game, are led by junior Sean Farrell (1.58 points per game, second in the country). … Ted Donato, who keyed Harvard’s run to its lone national title in 1989, has led his alma mater to eight NCAA appearances in 18 seasons at the helm.

Ohio State (20-15-3)

How they got in: At-large bid (lost to Michigan in Big Ten semifinal)

NCAA appearances: 10

Frozen Four appearances: 2

Last NCAA finish: Lost in first round to Denver in 2019

Of note: The Buckeyes take a ton of shots (1,378, second only to Penn State) and hung a 6-spot on Minnesota and a 7-spot on Michigan in early-season wins over the Gophers and Wolverines. But OSU also lost 7-3 to Michigan in the Big Ten tourney and was outscored 9-2 in a weekend sweep at Minnesota to close the regular season. … Ohio State has the best penalty kill in the country (89.5%).

Merrimack (23-13-1)

How they got in: At-large bid (lost to BU in Hockey East final)

NCAA appearances: 3

Frozen Four appearances: 0

Last NCAA finish: Lost in first round to Notre Dame in 2011

Of note: The Warriors were the surprise team of the early season, getting well into the top 10 of the rankings, before a rough 2-8-1 stretch at the start of the new year. But they rebounded with a weekend sweep of Boston University and closed strong, securing the final at-large bid despite losing to the Terriers in overtime in the Hockey East championship game.

Allentown regional

Michigan (24-11-3)

How they got in: Won Big Ten championship

NCAA appearances: 40

Frozen Four appearances: 26 (nine national titles, last in 1998)

Last NCAA finish: Lost national semifinal to Denver in 2022

Of note: As has been the case of late, the Wolverines don’t lack for star power. Freshman sensation Adam Fantilli, the likely No. 2 pick in the upcoming NHL draft, leads the nation with 1.85 points per game, while sophomore defenseman Luke Hughes may well be wearing a New Jersey Devils uniform in a few weeks.

Penn State (21-15-1)

How they got in: At-large bid (lost to Ohio State in Big Ten quarterfinals)

NCAA appearances: 3

Frozen Four appearances: 0

Last NCAA finish: Lost in first round to Denver in 2018

Of note: Penn State got off to a 9-0 start that included a 3-0 win over Michigan. The Nittany Lions also beat Minnesota and lost in OT to the Gophers and Wolverines, so they’ve hung with the big boys, but they’ll need to recapture their early mojo to make some noise. … PSU leads the country with 1,462 shots (nearly 40 per game) and is third in faceoff percentage (55%).

Michigan Tech (24-10-4)

How they got in: At-large bid (lost CCHA semifinal to Northern Michigan)

NCAA appearances: 15

Frozen Four appearances: 10 (three national titles, last in 1975)

Last NCAA finish: Lost in first round to Minnesota Duluth in 2022

Of note: Michigan Tech’s best shot at making its first Frozen Four since 1981 is for senior goalie Blake Pietila to stand on his head. Pietila is fifth in the country with a 1.99 GAA, tied for third with a .929 save percentage and No. 1 with 10 shutouts.

Colgate (19-15-5)

How they got in: Won ECAC championship

NCAA appearances: 6

Frozen Four appearances: 1

Last NCAA finish: Lost in first round to Ferris State in 2014

Of note: Colgate, which entered the ECAC tournament at the No. 5 seed, won its first league title in more than 30 years and second ever by beating Harvard 3-2. Goalie Carter Gylander was the key for the Raiders with 34 saves, 14 in the third period.

Note: NCAA tournament and Frozen Four appearances since tournament began in 1948