HOCKEY
Earlier this week, 16 teams entered the NCAA men’s hockey tournament holding onto dreams of winning a national championship.
That pool of aspirants will soon be down to four.
The puck won’t drop at the 2025 Frozen Four until April 10, but the field for college hockey’s preeminent event is starting to come together, with the regional semifinals of the NCAA Tournament complete and the regional finals drawing to a close.
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The first set of regional final games gave the Frozen Four both an established powerhouse — Boston University, a five-time national champion — and an upstart in Western Michigan, which is in the national semifinals for the first time in program history.
What does the rest of the Frozen Four look like? Here’s a closer look at the 2025 Frozen Four, including its participants, the schedule and the location:
Who’s in the Frozen Four?
- Boston University
- Western Michigan
- Penn State
- Boston College/Denver
On Saturday, Boston University and Western Michigan punched tickets to the Frozen Four with victories in their respective regional finals.
The Terriers are in the Frozen Four for the third time in as many years under coach Jay Pandolfo, a BU alum who made the Frozen Four in each of his four seasons as a player from 1993-96. Once in the Frozen Four, his teams have lost their first game in their previous two trips, including a 2-1 overtime setback against eventual national champion Denver last year. This year, BU made it back to the Frozen Four by thumping Ohio State 8-3 in the regional semifinals before outlasting Cornell 3-2 in overtime in the regional final.
While the Terriers are in the Frozen Four for the 25th time in program history, Western Michigan is making its first trip there. The Broncos, the No. 1 seed in their region in Fargo, North Dakota, survived a scare from Minnesota Duluth in the regional semifinals before winning 2-1 and then got past UMass 2-1 in the regional final. Western Michigan, which becomes the seventh different program in Michigan to make the Frozen Four, has tied a program single-season record with 32 wins.
The field for the national semifinals expanded to three Sunday when Penn State outlasted UConn 3-2 in overtime. Like Western Michigan, the Nittany Lions’ Frozen Four berth is the first in program history. After a 65-year pause, and with financial help from billionaire booster and alum Terry Pegula, Penn State began fielding an NCAA-sanctioned team again in 2012, first as an independent and later as a member of the Big Ten. The Nittany Lions quickly found their footing, with four NCAA Tournament appearances since 2017.
The fourth and final spot will go to the winner of a matchup Sunday between Boston College, the tournament’s No. 1 overall seed, and Denver, which has won the national championship in two of the past three seasons.
REQUIRED READING: Western Michigan hockey makes history with first Frozen Four berth
Frozen Four matchups
Here’s a look at the matchups for the 2025 Frozen Four:
- Boston University vs. Penn State
- Western Michigan vs. Boston College/Denver
Frozen Four schedule
Here’s the schedule for the Frozen Four:
All times Eastern.
Thursday, April 10
- Boston University vs. Penn State | 5 p.m./8:30 p.m. | ESPN2 (Fubo)
- Western Michigan vs. Boston College/Denver | 5 p.m./8:30 p.m. | ESPN2 (Fubo)
Saturday, April 12
- Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner | 7:30 p.m. | ESPN2 (Fubo)
All three Frozen Four games will air on ESPN2. It has yet to be determined which teams will play at which of the pre-established times.
Where is the Frozen Four?
- Location: Enterprise Center (St. Louis)
The 2025 Frozen Four is being held at the Enterprise Center in St. Louis, the home rink of the NHL’s St. Louis Blues. It’s the first time since 2007 that St. Louis has served as the host site for the event.
