The 2026 NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Tournament was the national championship tournament for National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) men's Division I college ice hockey in the United States. Held from March 26 to April 11, 2026, the tournament involved a total 16 teams in single-elimination play to determine the national champion for the top level of play.
For the first time since 1981, none of the four programs that compete in the annual Beanpot tournament (Boston College, Boston University, Northeastern, and Harvard) qualified for the NCAA tournament. Dartmouth made its first tournament appearance since 1980, ending the longest active drought between tournament appearances and tying Yale for the longest gap between bids (46 years) in NCAA Division I men’s ice hockey history. As of 2026, the longest active drought since their last bid belongs to Alaska Anchorage, who has not appeared in the tournament since 1992 (34 years).
Michigan earned a record-extending 29th Frozen Four appearance with their 4–3 win in the Albany Regional Final over Minnesota-Duluth. Also, Denver became the 6th program in NCAA Division I history to earn 20 Frozen Four appearances following their 6–2 win in the Loveland Regional Final over defending champions Western Michigan.
Following their 4–3 overtime loss to Wisconsin in the Worcester Regional Final (a game in which they led 3–1 with five minutes remaining), Michigan State became the first program in the 16-team tournament era (since 2003) to hold a 1-seed for 3 consecutive tournaments without reaching the Frozen Four.
This year’s Frozen Four featured a multiple overtime matchup for the second year in a row, with both games involving Denver. Following a 3-2 double overtime semifinal loss to Western Michigan in 2025, Denver defeated Michigan 4-3 in a double overtime semifinal in 2026. Also in this year’s Frozen Four, Wisconsin became the first program in NCAA Division I history to advance to the National Championship game in seven straight Frozen Four appearances, with 1978 being the last time Wisconsin advanced to the Frozen Four without appearing in the title game. Denver ultimately defeated Wisconsin 2-1 in the National Championship to earn their NCAA record-extending 11th title and become the first program since Boston College in 2012 to win three titles in five years.
Tournament procedure
The tournament was composed of four groups of four teams in regional brackets. The four regionals are named after the cities in which they take place. The following are the sites for the 2026 regionals:
Regional Semifinals and Finals March 26 & 28 Sioux Falls Regional, Denny Sanford Premier Center – Sioux Falls, South Dakota (Hosts: University of Nebraska Omaha and Sioux Falls Sports Authority) Worcester Regional, DCU Center – Worcester, Massachusetts (Host: College of the Holy Cross) March 27 & 29 Albany Regional, MVP Arena – Albany, New York (Hosts: Union College and MVP Arena) Loveland Regional, Blue Arena – Loveland, Colorado (Host: University of Denver and Budweiser Events)
National semifinals and championship (Frozen Four and championship) April 9 & 11 T-Mobile Arena – Las Vegas, Nevada (Hosts: University of North Dakota and Las Vegas Events)
Note: The Loveland Regional was awarded to the Budweiser Events Center, which was subsequently renamed as the Blue Arena prior to the start of tournament play.
Qualifying teams
The at-large bids as well the seeding for each team in the tournament were announced on March 22, 2026, on ESPNU at 3:00 pm ET.
The Big Ten and NCHC each received four bids, ECAC Hockey and Hockey East received three bids, while Atlantic Hockey America and the CCHA received one bid apiece.
Albany RegionalSioux Falls Regional SeedSchoolConferenceRecordBerth typeAppearanceLast bidSeedSchoolConferenceRecordBerth typeAppearanceLast bid1Michigan (1)Big Ten29–7–1Tournament champion42nd20241North Dakota (2)NCHC27–9–1At-large36th20242Minnesota Duluth (8)NCHC23–14–1At-large16th20222Providence (7)Hockey East23–10–2At-large17th20253Penn State (9)Big Ten21–13–2At-large5th20253Quinnipiac (10)ECAC Hockey24–11–2At-large12th20254Bentley (16)AHA23–11–5Tournament champion2nd20254Merrimack (15)Hockey East21–15–2Tournament champion4th2023Worcester RegionalLoveland RegionalSeedSchoolConferenceRecordBerth typeAppearanceLast bidSeedSchoolConferenceRecordBerth typeAppearanceLast bid1Michigan State (3)Big Ten25–8–2At-large30th20251Western Michigan (4)NCHC26–10–1At-large11th20252Dartmouth (6)ECAC Hockey23–7–4Tournament champion5th19802Denver (5)NCHC25–11–3Tournament champion33rd20253Wisconsin (12)Big Ten21–12–2At-large28th20243Cornell (11)ECAC Hockey22–10–1At-large26th20254Connecticut (14)Hockey East20–12–5At-large2nd20254Minnesota State (13)CCHA22–10–7Tournament champion11th2025 Number in parentheses denotes overall seed in the tournament.
Bracket
Number in parentheses denotes overall seed in the tournament. * denotes overtime period
Results Note: all game times listed are eastern.
Albany Region Regional semifinals
Game summary Before the game had even started, Michigan announced that their top-line center Michael Hage would miss the game. Bentley kicked off the match with a rush into the Michigan end but they were unable to get a good look at the next. The puck see-sawed up and down the ice but both defenses were able to keep the attackers to the outside for the first several minutes. The first good scoring chance came about three and a half minutes in when Jayden Perron fired a low shot from the right circle but Lukas Swedin made the save with his leg. After a second chance for Michigan from T. J. Hughes was stopped at the 6-minute mark, Bentley got its first good look off of a turnover but Jack Ivankovic was able to stop the attempt from Arlo Merritt. After Bentley was able to put some pressure on the Michigan cage, Michigan countered with a rush and gave Luca Fantilli an open shot on goal. Swedin held firm and snagged the puck with his glove. The middle of the period saw Michigan continually attacking but Bentley's players collapsed back and prevented the Wolverines from setting up in the offensive zone. Just before the midway point of the period, Perron grabbed a clearing attempt with his glove just inside the Bentley zone. He then slid the puck over to Hughes who fired it under Swedin's glove for the game's opening marker. Bentley went on the attack on the ensuing faceoff and drew a hooking call on Dakoda Rheaume-Mullen. Despite some sloppy play from the 39th-ranked penalty kill, Michigan was able to limit Bentley to a low-percentage shots and retain their lead. After the penalty expired, the back and forth play resumed with the two sides limited to singular chances before the puck was either cleared or frozen for a faceoff. Both defenses played hard in their own zones while the attackers were looking more for good scoring chances than just trying to get the puck on goal. With less than 3 minutes left in the period, Michigan was finally able to establish itself in the Falcons' end, however, Bentley kept the Wolverines away from the goal and allowed Swedin to stop a long shot by Tyler Duke from the point. Just before the end of the period, Ben Robertson was carrying the puck out of the Michigan end and he looked up at the clock to check the time. He then skated the puck forward and, as soon as he got to the Bentley blueline, he fired a hard wrist shot between two Falcon defenders. Swedin raised his glove to grab the puck but it sailed just below the outstretched trapper and into the net for a shocking goal, his first of the season.
Now down by 2, Bentley got right back to the attack at the start of the second period. Play again see-sawed between the two sides for the first few minutes but when Chase Davis attempted to collapse down low and help out defensively, he lost and edge and ran into Swedin. Michigan got possession of the puck while the cage was unoccupied but could not get the rubber into a shooting position before Swedin regain his footing. However, in order to prevent an open look at the goal, Tobias Larsen was forced to take a holding penalty. Michigan's #1 power play got several good shots on the Bentley cage but Swedin held firm and the Falcons were able to clear the puck and prevent a follow up chance. After the penalty expired, Jake Black put a hard shot on goal off the rush. Ivankovic made the save but Oliver Salo crashed the crease and bodied the Michigan netminder to the ice. While the Wolverines called for a penalty, none was forthcoming. A few minutes later, Salo was handed a minor penalty when he was called for interference on Kason Muscutt. Michigan's offensive firepower was on full display on their second man-advantage. Will Horcoff and Perron had several good looks on goal but it was Nick Moldenhauer who found the back of the net after the Wolverines completely wore out the Bentley defenders. Bentley went on the attack once more, desperately trying to close the gap and managed to force a couple of offensive zone draws. Michigan, however, did not give the Falcons much to work with. On one of the Wolverines' counters up the ice, the puck was deflected into the corner behind the goal. Hughes jumped on the puck and backhanded out in front, sending the rubber into Muscutt's body where it rebounded towards the goal. While the puck probably would have entered the cage under its own power, Muscutt made sure by smacking it into the back of the net. After exchanging chances, Bentley got its chance on the power play when Duke was called for boarding. While most of the man-advantage went by the wayside, Bentley did get a tremendous scoring chance when Davis fired one on goal from the half wall. Ivankovic made the stop but the puck rebounded off of his stick right onto Salo's stick but the Finnish forward could not get his shot around the Michigan goaltender. Though they failed on their chance, the Falcons kept coming with both David Helledy and Garrett Horsager getting chances for a goal, however, Ivankovic stopped the former and a defensive wall provided by the Michigan skaters stopped the second. After a TV timeout, the Wolverines tilted the game back in their favor but Bentley would not go away. After Ivankovic stopped a Kellan Hjartarson shot, Black was nearly able to get his stick on the biscuit with a yawning cage in front but he overskated the puck. At time was counting down, Drew Schock broke towards the Bentley cage on a partial breakaway but Swedin made the save.