The men’s college hockey season is heating up, with conference tournaments getting underway and the Frozen Four (April 7 and 9 at TD Garden in Boston) within sight.
The first steps toward filling the NCAA field are the conference tournaments, which, in addition to crowning league champions, will determine the six automatic qualifiers. From there, 10 at-large teams will be selected, based largely on the PairWise rankings. The NCAA selection show is March 20 at 6:30 p.m. ET on ESPNU, with regional play to begin March 24.
Here’s a look at each of the conference tournaments, including schedules and outlooks. This page will be updated throughout the tournaments and as NCAA berths are secured.
Atlantic
The top six seeds of the 10-team league get first-round byes. Seeds 7-10 play best-of-three first-round series. After a reseed, the top four seeds host best-of-three quarterfinal series. Winners move on to the semifinals.
First round, March 4-6: No. 9 Bentley at No. 8 Niagara; No. 10 Holy Cross at No. 7 Mercyhurst
Quarterfinals, March 11-13: Niagara/Bentley/Holy Cross at No. 1 AIC; Mercyhurst/Niagara/Bentley at No. 2 Canisius; No. 6 Air Force at No. 3 Army; No. 5 Sacred Heart at No. 4 RIT
Semifinals and finals, March 18 and 19: at Adirondack Bank Center, Utica, N.Y.
AIC, which won its fourth straight regular-season title, is the team to beat, but the Yellow Jackets had at least one loss (regulation, OT or shootout) to seven of its conference foes, so they are not a shoo-in. There are no NCAA at-large candidates in the Atlantic.
Big Ten
Regular-season champ Minnesota gets a bye into the semifinals. Seeds 2-7 play best-of-three quarterfinal series before the single-game semis and final, all on campus sites.
Quarterfinals, March 4-6: No. 7 Michigan State at No. 2 Michigan; No. 6 Wisconsin at No. 3 Notre Dame; No. 5 Penn State at No. 4 Ohio State
Semifinals, March 12: at highest remaining seeds
Final, March 19: at higher remaining seed
Top seed Minnesota is surging, winning its last eight games, as is Notre Dame, which swept Michigan to close the regular season and is 4-0 against the Wolverines. Those three teams are among the top seven in the PairWise rankings, so they’re NCAA locks. Ohio State should be pretty safe for an at-large berth, but could use a series win over Penn State to solidify its standing.
CCHA
Best-of-three quarterfinals at the top four seeds, followed by single-game semifinals and final, all on campus sites
Quarterfinals, March 4-6: No. 8 St. Thomas at No. 1 Minnesota State; No. 7 Ferris State at No. 2 Michigan Tech; No. 6 Bowling Green at No. 3 Bemidji State; No. 5 Northern Michigan at No. 4 Lake Superior State
Semifinals, March 12: at two highest remaining seeds
Final, March 19: at higher remaining seed
Minnesota State has been dominant from start to finish this season, winning 20 of its last 21 games, and is the likely overall No. 1 NCAA seed. The Mavericks won their four games with Michigan Tech, but they all were tight, with two going to overtime. Tech is in position for an at-large spot if it can’t pull off an upset and grab the CCHA’s automatic bid.
ECAC
Top four seed receive first-round byes, with seeds 5-12 playing best-of-three series. After a reseed, the top four seeds host best-of-three quarterfinal series. Winners move on to single-game semifinals and final.
First round, March 4-6: No. 12 Yale at No. 5 Colgate; No. 11 Dartmouth at No. 6 Rensselaer; No. 10 Princeton at No. 7 Union; No. 9 Brown at No. 8 St. Lawrence
Quarterfinals, March 11-13: Series hosted by No. 1 Quinnipiac, No. 2 Clarkson, No. 3 Harvard and No. 4 Cornell
Semifinals and final, March 18 and 19: at Herb Brooks Arena, Lake Placid, N.Y.
Quinnipiac, the league’s only NCAA lock, suffered losses to Cornell, Harvard and Clarkson over the last few weeks, so there is potential for a stolen bid here. Entering the tournament, Clarkson appears to be just outside the NCAA field, with Harvard and Cornell even further from the picture.
Hockey East
Single elimination throughout. Seeds 6-11 play in the first round, then the eight remaining teams are reseeded for the quarterfinals. Winners move on to the semifinals and final.
First round, March 9: No. 11 seed at No. 6 seed; No. 10 seed at No. 7 seed; No. 9 seed at No. 8 seed
Quarterfinals, March 12: at campus sites of top four seeds
Semifinals and final, March 18 and 19: at TD Garden, Boston
Perhaps the most wide-open conference tournament, and with the most at stake. Seeding from top to bottom is very much up in the air entering the final weekend of the regular season, and only UMass can consider itself safely in the NCAA field. UMass Lowell, Boston University, Northeastern, Merrimack, Providence and UConn all are lurking on, or at least near, the bubble — and any are capable of sparing themselves the selection show drama by winning the league’s automatic berth.
NCHC
Top four seeds host best-of-three quarterfinal series, then winners move on to the single-game semifinals and final.
Quarterfinals, March 12: at campus sites of top four seeds
Semifinals and final, March 18 and 19: at Xcel Center, St. Paul, Minnesota
North Dakota and Denver have separated themselves from the pack entering the final weekend of the regular season. They will be the top two seeds, with Colorado College and Miami (Ohio) the bottom two seeds (matchups still to be determined). Western Michigan, St. Cloud and Minnesota Duluth should be in good shape for at-large NCAA spots and certainly could make some noise here, and even Omaha, with wins over North Dakota and Denver in February, can’t be discounted.