INDIANAPOLIS—The NCAA Division I Men’s Ice Hockey Committee has selected the 16 teams that will be participating in the 2021 NCAA Division I Men’s Ice Hockey Championship.
The championship playoff format involves four predetermined regional sites with four teams assigned to each site. The regional winners advance to the Men’s Frozen Four. The entire championship uses a single-elimination format.
BRACKET: View the 2021 DI men’s hockey bracket
Automatic qualification privileges are granted to the postseason champions of the six conferences. The remainder of the field is selected at large.
North Dakota was the No. 1 overall seed. The other No. 1 seeds, in order, include Boston College, Minnesota and Wisconsin.
The dates, sites, times and pairings of this year’s championship are as follows:
MORE: Live updates from the 2021 DI men’s hockey championship
Fargo Regional, March 26-27
Scheels Arena, Fargo, North Dakota
- No. 2 Minnesota Duluth (14-10-2) vs. No. 3 Michigan (15-10-1)
- Friday, March 26 | 4 p.m. ET | ESPNU/WatchESPN
- No. 1 North Dakota (21-5-1) vs. No. 4 American Int’l (15-3-0)
- Friday, March 26 | 9:30 p.m. ET | ESPN3/WatchESPN
- Fargo Regional Championship
- Saturday, March 27 | 6:30 p.m. ET | ESPNU/WatchESPN
Bridgeport Regional, March 26-27
Webster Bank Arena, Bridgeport, Connecticut
- No. 1 Wisconsin (20-9-1) vs. No. 4 Bemidji State (15-9-3)
- Friday, March 26| 1 p.m. ET | ESPN2/WatchESPN
- No. 2 Massachusetts (16-5-4) vs. No. 3 Lake Superior State (19-6-3)
- Friday, March 26 | 6:30 p.m. ET | ESPNU/WatchESPN
- Bridgeport Regional Championship
- Saturday, March 27 | 4 p.m. ET | ESPNU/WatchESPN
Loveland Regional, March 27-28
Budweiser Events Center, Loveland, Colorado
- No. 2 Minnesota State (20-4-1) vs. No. 3 Quinnipiac (17-7-4)
- Saturday, March 27 | 4 p.m. ET | ESPN3/WatchESPN
- No. 1 Minnesota (23-6-0) vs. No. 4 Omaha (14-10-1)
- Saturday, March 27 | 9 p.m. ET | ESPNU/WatchESPN
- Loveland Regional Championship
- Sunday, March 28 | 8 p.m. ET | ESPN2/WatchESPN
Albany Regional, March 27-28
Times Union Center, Albany, New York
- No. 1 Boston College (17-5-1) vs. No. 4 Notre Dame (14-13-2)
- Saturday, March 27 |1 p.m. ET | ESPNews/WatchESPN
- No. 2 St. Cloud State (17-10-0) vs. No. 3 Boston U. (10-4-1)
- Saturday, March 27 | 6:30 p.m. ET | ESPNews/WatchESPN
- Albany Regional Championship
- Saturday, March 28 | 5:30 p.m. ET | ESPN2/WatchESPN
Men’s Frozen Four, April 8 and 10
PPG Paints Arena, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Fargo Regional Champion vs. Bridgeport Regional Champion
- Albany Regional Champion vs. Loveland Regional Champion
- Thursday, April 8 | 5 and 9 p.m. ET | ESPN2/WatchESPN (order of games TBD)
- National Championship
- Saturday, April 10 | 7 p.m. ET | ESPN or ESPN2/WatchESPN
The following conferences and teams received automatic qualification:
Atlantic Hockey Association – American International
Big Ten Conference – Minnesota
ECAC Hockey – Saint Lawrence*
*Saint Lawrence was replaced as ECAC Hockey’s Automatic Qualifier by Quinnipiac after Saint Lawrence had to withdraw from the championship due to NCAA Health and Safety protocols.
Hockey East Association – Massachusetts
National Collegiate Hockey Conference – North Dakota
Western Collegiate Hockey Association – Lake Superior State