Mar 23, 2025, 04:30 PM ET

The 2025 NCAA men’s hockey tournament is set, with the 16-team bracket in place and all roads leading to the Frozen Four in St. Louis.

Regional play begins Thursday, with regional finals Saturday and Sunday, and the Frozen Four will be in St. Louis on April 10 and 12. All games will air on the ESPN networks and stream on ESPN+.

The winners of the six conference tournaments win automatic NCAA berths, while the top 10 at-large teams (based on the PairWise rankings) round out the field.

Boston College, the overall No. 1 seed, will play in the Manchester, New Hampshire, regional — with Big Ten champion Michigan State (Toledo, Ohio), Hockey East champ Maine (Allentown, Pennsylvania) and NCHC champion Western Michigan (Fargo, North Dakota) earning the other three top seeds.

Denver, last year’s national champion, will defend its title as the No. 3 seed in Manchester, while UConn (No. 2 in Allentown) and Bentley (No. 4 in Manchester) are in the NCAA tournament for the first time.

Below is the schedule for entire tournament, which will be updated with results as games are played, plus a look at each of the 16 teams.

Every NCAA tournament game will be available on ESPN+. Subscribe to watch.

Schedule

All times Eastern

Toledo (Ohio) Regional

Semifinals, March 27 Boston University vs. Ohio State, 2 p.m., ESPNU

Michigan State vs. Cornell, 5:30 p.m., ESPN+

Final, March 29

Semifinal winners, 4 or 6:30 p.m., ESPNU

Fargo (N.D.) Regional

Semifinals, March 27 Western Michigan vs. Minnesota State, 5 p.m., ESPNU

Minnesota vs. UMass, 8:30 p.m., ESPN2

Final, March 29

Semifinal winners, 4 or 6:30 p.m., ESPNU

Manchester (N.H.) Regional

Semifinals, March 28 Boston College vs. Bentley, 2 p.m., ESPNU

Providence vs. Denver, 5:30 p.m., ESPN+

Final, March 30

Semifinal winners, 4:30 or 7 p.m., ESPN2

Allentown (Penn.) Regional

Semifinals, March 28 UConn vs. Quinnipiac, 5 p.m., ESPNU

Maine vs. Penn State, 8:30 p.m., ESPN2

Final, March 30

Semifinal winners, 4:30 or 7 p.m., ESPN2

FROZEN FOUR

at Enterprise Center, St. Louis

National semifinals, April 10 Manchester winner vs. Fargo winner, Time TBD, ESPN2

Toledo winner vs. Allentown winner, Time TBD, ESPN2

National championship game, April 12

Semifinal winners, 7:30 p.m., ESPN2

Teams at a glance

Boston College’s Andre Gasseau skates with the puck against Denver in last year’s national title game. Both BC and Denver are back in the NCAA tournament. Bailey Hillesheim/Icon Sportswire

Toledo Regional

No. 1 Michigan State

Record: 26-6-4

PairWise rating: No. 2

How the Spartans got here: Big Ten champion

Last 10 games: 6-3-1

History lesson: This is Michigan State’s 29th NCAA appearance. The Spartans have been to the Frozen Four 11 times and have won three national titles, the last in 2007. Michigan State lost to Michigan in the regional finals last season, which was its first time in the tournament since 2012.

No. 2 Boston University

Record: 21-13-2

PairWise rating: 7

How the Terriers got here: At-large bid

Last 10 games: 6-3-1 (lost Hockey East semifinal to Maine)

History lesson: This is BU’s 40th NCAA appearance, including three of the past four years. The Terriers have been to the Frozen Four 24 times and have won five national titles, the last in 2009. The Terriers lost in overtime to Denver in the national semifinals last season, the second straight year they lost in the national semis.

No. 3 Ohio State

Record: 24-13-2

PairWise rating: 10

How the Buckeyes got here: At-large bid

Last 10 games: 5-5 (lost Big Ten final to Michigan State)

History lesson: This is Ohio State’s 12th NCAA appearance and its second in three years. The Buckeyes have been to the Frozen Four twice, most recently in 2018, and have never won the national title.

No. 4 Cornell

Record: 18-10-6

PairWise rating: 17

How the Big Red got here: ECAC champion

Last 10 games: 8-2

History lesson: This is Cornell’s 27th NCAA appearance, including the past three years in a row. The Big Red have been to the Frozen Four eight times and have won the national championship twice, most recently in 1970. Cornell lost to Denver in the regional finals last season.

Fargo Regional

No. 1 Western Michigan

Record: 30-7-1

PairWise rating: 4

How the Broncos got here: NCHC champion

Last 10 games: 8-2

History lesson: This is Western Michigan’s 10th NCAA appearance, including the past four years. The Broncos lost in overtime to Michigan State in the first round last season, falling to 1-10 all time in NCAA tournament play.

No. 2 Minnesota

Record: 25-10-4

PairWise rating: 5

How the Golden Gophers got here: At-large bid

Last 10 games: 5-4-1 (lost Big Ten quarterfinal series to Notre Dame)

History lesson: This is Minnesota’s 42nd NCAA appearance, including the past five years. The Gophers have been to the Frozen Four 23 times and have won five national titles, the last in 2003. Minnesota lost to Boston University in the regional finals last season.

No. 3 UMass

Record: 20-13-5

PairWise rating: 11

How the Minutemen got here: At-large bid

Last 10 games: 5-2-3 (lost Hockey East quarterfinal to BU in overtime)

History lesson: This is UMass’ seventh NCAA appearance, including five of the past six tournaments. The Minutemen have been to the Frozen Four twice and won one national title, in 2021. UMass lost to Denver in double overtime in the first round of last year’s tournament.

No. 4 Minnesota State

Record: 27-8-3

PairWise rating: 14

How the Mavericks got here: CCHA champion

Last 10 games: 9-0-1

History lesson: This is Minnesota State’s 12th NCAA appearance, including six of the last seven tournaments. The Mavericks have been to the Frozen Four twice and are still looking for their first national championship. Minnesota State didn’t make the tournament last year and lost to St. Cloud State in the first round in 2023.

Manchester Regional

No. 1 Boston College

Record: 26-7-2

PairWise rating: 1

How the Eagles got here: At-large bid

Last 10 games: 6-3-1 (lost Hockey East quarterfinal to Northeastern)

History lesson: This is BC’s 39th NCAA appearance. The Eagles have been to the Frozen Four 26 times and have won five national titles, the last in 2012. BC lost to Denver 2-0 in last year’s championship game after not making the tournament the previous two years.

No. 2 Providence

Record: 21-10-5

PairWise rating: 8

How the Friars got here: At-large bid

Last 10 games: 5-4-1 (lost Hockey East quarterfinal to UConn)

History lesson: This is Providence’s 16th NCAA appearance, its first since 2019. The Friars have been to the Frozen Four five times and won the national title once, in 2015.

No. 3 Denver

Record: 29-11-1

PairWise rating: 9

How the Pioneers got here: At-large bid

Last 10 games: 7-3 (lost NCHC final to Western Michigan in double overtime)

History lesson: This is Denver’s 34th NCAA appearance, including 15 of the past 16 tournaments. The Pios have been to the Frozen Four 18 times and won 10 national titles, the most ever. Denver beat BC for the national championship last season, its second title in three years.

No. 4 Bentley

Record: 23-14-2

PairWise rating: 22

How the Falcons got here: Atlantic champion

Last 10 games: 8-2

History lesson: This is Bentley’s first NCAA appearance in the program’s 26th season in Division I and the second year with Andy Jones as coach. The Falcons have set a school record for victories and are enjoying their first winning season since 2020.

Allentown Regional

No. 1 Maine

Record: 24-7-6

PairWise rating: 3

How the Black Bears got here: Hockey East champion

Last 10 games: 6-2-2

History lesson: This is Maine’s 21st NCAA appearance. The Black Bears have been to the Frozen Four 11 times and have won two national titles, the last in 1999. Maine lost to Cornell in the first round last season, its first tournament appearance since 2012.

No. 2 UConn

Record: 22-11-4

PairWise rating: 6

How the Huskies got here: At-large bid

Last 10 games: 8-1-1

History lesson: This is UConn’s first NCAA appearance in the program’s 27 years in Division I. The Huskies set a school record for wins as a Div. 1 team in Mike Cavanaugh’s 11th season at the helm.

No. 3 Quinnipiac

Record: 24-11-2

PairWise ranking: 12

How the Bobcats got here: At-large bid

Last 10 games: 7-3 (lost ECAC semifinal to Cornell in overtime)

History lesson: This is Quinnipiac’s 11th NCAA appearance, including each of the last six tournaments. The Bobcats have been to the Frozen Four three times and won one national title, in 2023. Quinnipiac lost to Boston College in overtime in the regional finals last season.

No. 4 Penn State

Record: 20-13-4

PairWise rating: 13

How the Nittany Lions got here: At-large bid

Last 10 games: 7-2-1 (lost Big Ten semifinal to Ohio State in overtime)

History lesson: This is Penn State’s fifth NCAA appearance. In 2023, the Nittany Lions lost in the regional finals to Michigan in overtime. Penn State has never been to the Frozen Four.