The 2025 men’s Frozen Four is down to two teams: NCHC champion Western Michigan Broncos and the Boston University Terriers of Hockey East.

In Thursday’s first semifinal, reigning national champion Denver’s bid to defend its title fell short, as the Pioneers were beaten by Western Michigan 3-2 in double overtime. The Broncos, who are in the Frozen Four for the first time, also beat Denver in double overtime in the NCHC championship game. The teams split two meetings in the regular season.

For BU, the third time was the charm as the Terriers beat Penn State 3-1 to advance to the title game after losing in the national semifinals the last two years.

The Broncos and Terriers will play for the national title at the Enterprise Center in St. Louis on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. ET. The game will be on ESPN2, and streaming on ESPN+.

Western Michigan is the only one of the top four overall seeds to make the Frozen Four, marking the first time since 2011 that only one of the top four seeds has made it this far. Boston College, Michigan State and Maine all were eliminated in regional play.

In terms of NHL talent, a combined 38 players have been drafted from the Frozen Four teams. BU leads the way with 14, Denver has 13, Western Michigan eight and Penn State three.

Below is a look at what needs to go right for each team to win the national title, with insight from ESPN college hockey analysts Colby Cohen and Andrew Raycroft, as well as players to watch and key statistics from ESPN research.

Western Michigan (33-7-1)

How the Broncos got here: Western Michigan dominated Denver over the first 40 minutes, holding a 2-0 lead and 32-8 shot advantage after two periods. The defending national champs wouldn’t go down without a fight, however, as the Pioneers controlled the third period and tied the game 2-2 with 2:39 to play in regulation. After a scoreless overtime, the Broncos struck 26 seconds into double OT, with Owen Michaels roofing his second goal of the game to win it.

Regional recap: The top seed in the Fargo Regional, Western Michigan needed double overtime to beat Minnesota State 2-1, advancing on Grant Slukynsky’s goal, then beat UMass 2-1, erasing a 1-0 deficit with power-play goals by Liam Valente and Tim Washe on the same five-minute major penalty. The Broncos then had to kill off a five-minute major of their own to fend off the Minutemen.

Numbers to know: Western Michigan is playing for the national championship in its first trip to the Frozen Four. Excluding the first NCAA men’s hockey tournament in 1948, only three teams have won the national title in their Frozen Four debut: Denver in 1958, Cornell in 1967 and Lake Superior State in 1988. … The Broncos, who have a team-record 33 wins, are on a nine-game winning streak, the longest active streak in the nation. … Western Michigan is among the most balanced teams in the country, averaging 3.95 goals per game (second only to Denver’s 4.00), while allowing just 2.05 goals per game, fourth fewest in the nation. … Broncos goaltender Hampton Slukynsky entered the Frozen Four having allowed just two goals in 147:14 for a 0.82 goals-against average, the best among all tournament goalies. He then held Denver to two goals over 80:34 in WMU’s semifinal win.

How Western Michigan can win the national title

Forward depth delivers: There is not much of a drop-off from the first line to the fourth line for the Broncos. They will need to roll over the four lines to try to wear their opponent down, beginning with the Pioneers.

Hampton Slukynsky stands on his head: The freshman goaltender stopped 28 of 29 shots in both games in Fargo, then had 20 saves against Denver, holding on during the Pios’ third-period push before keeping them off the board in overtime. The Los Angeles Kings draft pick has a 18-5-1 record and will have to be at his best for Western Michigan to hoist the trophy.

Player to watch: Liam Valente. The Swedish winger factored in on three of his team’s four goals in Fargo. He has an absolute rocket for a shot and will need to find ways to get it off. — Andrew Raycroft

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Cole Eiserman doubles Terriers’ lead

Cole Eiserman scores to give Boston University a 2-0 lead over Penn State.

Boston University (24-13-2)

How the Terriers got here: After BU and Penn State felt each other out in the first period, the Terriers took control in the second. Jack Hughes got BU on the board at 1:35, taking advantage of a miscue by Nittany Lions goalie Arsenii Sergeev and poking home a loose puck. Midway through the period, Cole Hutson and Cole Eiserman broke free for a 2-on-1 break, with Hutson setting up Eiserman for a pretty goal to make it 2-0. Penn State came out strong in the third period, scoring at 2:12 to cut BU’s lead in half, but Mikhail Yegorov (32 saves) held the fort, with Jack Harvey sealing the win with an empty-netter.

Regional recap: The No. 2 seed in the Toledo Regional, BU blitzed Ohio State with six unanswered goals en route to an 8-3 win, then secured its third straight trip to the Frozen Four on Quinn Hutson’s goal 6:25 into overtime, edging No. 4 seed Cornell 3-2. Freshman Mikhail Yegorov made 37 saves for the Terriers in his 16th career game.

Numbers to know: BU’s win over Penn State was its 50th in NCAA tournament play, making the Terriers the fifth program to reach that mark, joining Minnesota (62), Michigan (59), North Dakota (53) and Boston College (53). … BU coach Jay Pandolfo is a combined 10-0 in NCAA regional games as a head coach and player, resulting in seven trips to the Frozen Four. Pandolfo is the third Division I men’s hockey coach to reach the Frozen Four in each of his first three seasons, joining Doug Woog (Minnesota) and Dave Hakstol (North Dakota). … Despite their recent success, the Terriers haven’t reached the national title game since 2015. This is BU’s 12th championship game appearance, tied for third most all time. … Brothers Quinn and Cole Hutson are BU’s top two scorers this season (Quinn 50 points, Cole 47), with Cole the points leader in NCAA tournament play with seven. Cole’s 33 assists are tied for the most by a BU freshman over the last 10 seasons with his brother Lane, who had 33 in 2022-23.

How BU can win the national title

Create off the rush: BU is a dynamic offensive team that loves to make plays on the rush. The Terriers are fast and get going quickly in transition, and they’ve had a lot of success in the tournament creating off the rush.

Take care of the house: BU has not been known for its defense, but against Cornell, the Terriers buckled down around their net and limited second and third chances. Goalie Mikhail Yegorov typically will stop the first one, so if BU takes care of its own end, it has a great chance to play for a championship.

Player to watch: Cole Hutson. Cole is one of the most dynamic players in the sport of hockey, not just the NCAA. I have not seen a player since Cole’s brother Lane — BU alum, current member of the Montreal Canadiens and a favorite to win the Calder Trophy — have the poise and offensive instincts that Cole has. Big moments seem to be where Hutson shines brightest — the Beanpot, the gold medal game of World Juniors, the Toledo Regional and again against Penn State — so it will be exciting to see what he brings to the national title game. — Colby Cohen