Frozen Four: How Denver, Michigan, Wisconsin and North Dakota can win it all

Q: Which teams are in the 2026 men's Frozen Four?

The 2026 Frozen Four field includes Michigan, Denver, North Dakota and Wisconsin. Michigan claimed the final spot by beating Minnesota Duluth in the Albany Regional final, while Denver, North Dakota and Wisconsin won their regional brackets earlier.

Q: Who plays whom in the Frozen Four semifinals?

Denver will face Michigan in one semifinal, and Wisconsin will play North Dakota in the other. Both games are scheduled for Thursday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Q: How did Wisconsin reach the Frozen Four?

Wisconsin reached the Frozen Four by winning the Worcester Regional. The Badgers beat Dartmouth 5-1 in the semifinal and then rallied from a 3-1 deficit to defeat Michigan State 4-3 in overtime in the final.

Q: What makes Michigan and Denver such strong contenders?

Michigan and Denver both enter the Frozen Four with elite tournament résumés and high-powered special teams. Michigan had the nation's best power play going into the tournament, while Denver is chasing its record 11th national title and has been in the Frozen Four in four of the last five seasons.

Q: How can fans watch the Frozen Four games?

All games in the men's hockey tournament will air on ESPN networks and stream live in the ESPN App. The Frozen Four semifinals will be on ESPN2, and the national championship game will be on ESPN.

The 2026 men's Frozen Four is set, with Michigan and Denver joining North Dakota and Wisconsin in the field bound for Las Vegas to play for the national championship.

Michigan held off a furious comeback bid to beat Minnesota Duluth 4-3 to win the Albany regional Sunday and claim the final spot. Earlier, the Pioneers avenged last season's Frozen Four loss to Western Michigan with a 6-2 win over the defending national champs to win the Loveland Regional. On Saturday, the Fighting Hawks, who were the top seed in the Sioux Falls Regional, advanced with a 5-0 rout of Quinnipiac, while the Badgers won the Worcester regional with a 4-3 overtime victory over top seed Michigan State.

Denver is eyeing its record 11th national title in its 20th Frozen Four and fourth in five seasons. Michigan, which is in the national semifinals for an NCAA-record 29th time, is seeking its 10th national crown but hasn't won since 1998. This is North Dakota's first Frozen Four appearance since 2016, when it won the national championship. Wisconsin is in the Frozen Four for the first time since 2010. The Badgers last won it all in 2006.

Denver will meet Michigan in a battle of titans in one semifinal, with Wisconsin and North Dakota facing off in the other. Both games match up teams from the NCHC and Big Ten. In all, the four teams have a combined 33 national championships, the most ever for a Frozen Four.

Every game of the men's hockey tournament will air on the ESPN networks and will stream live in the ESPN App. The Frozen Four semifinals will air on ESPN2 and the final on ESPN.

Below is a preview of the Frozen Four, including insight from college hockey analyst Andrew Raycroft, along with the complete schedule for the tournament, game highlights and video features.

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Frozen Four preview
Video features | Teams at a glance

Schedule

All times Eastern.

Worcester (Massachusetts) Regional

Semifinals
No. 1 Michigan State 2, No. 4 UConn 1
No. 3 Wisconsin 5, No. 2 Dartmouth 1

Final
Wisconsin 4, Michigan State 3 (OT)

Sioux Falls (South Dakota) Regional

Semifinals
No. 3 Quinnipiac 5, No. 2 Providence 2
No. 1 North Dakota 3, No. 4 Merrimack 0

Final
North Dakota 5, Quinnipiac 0

Albany (New York) Regional

Semifinals
No. 1 Michigan 5, No. 4 Bentley 1
No. 2 Minnesota Duluth 3, No. 3 Penn State 1

Final
Michigan 4, Minnesota Duluth 3

Loveland (Colorado) Regional

Semifinals
No. 1 Western Michigan 3, No. 4 Minnesota State 1
No. 2 Denver 5, No. 3 Cornell 0

Final
Denver 6, Western Michigan 2

FROZEN FOUR
at T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas

National semifinals, Thursday
Wisconsin vs. North Dakota, 5 p.m., ESPN2
Michigan vs. Denver, 8:30 p.m., ESPN2

National final, Saturday
5:30 p.m., ESPN

Frozen Four preview

WISCONSIN (23-12-2)

How the Badgers got to Vegas: Wisconsin saved its best for last in the Worcester Regional. The Badgers trailed Michigan State 3-1 with less than five minutes to play in the regional final, but scored twice in 34 seconds to tie it, then Ben Dexheimer won it with a goal 24 seconds into overtime. In the semifinal, Jack Horbach snapped a 1-1 tie midway through the third period to send Wisconsin to a 5-1 win over Dartmouth.

Andrew Raycroft's keys

Keep the energy up: The 15-day break between Wisconsin's elimination in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten tournament (a 7-1 loss to Ohio State) and the start of the NCAA tournament ended up being an advantage for the Badgers. They played with the most energy of any team in the regionals and they will need to continue with that in Vegas.

Stay disciplined: Wisconsin had the fifth-worst penalty kill in the nation (72.3%) and went 0-for-2 against Michigan State. Special teams often dictate playoff hockey, and North Dakota and Michigan both have top-10 power plays nationally.

Player to watch: Quinn Finley. The talented forward with a great shot was instrumental in the Badgers' regional wins with two goals and three assists, including one on the OT winner against Michigan State.

NORTH DAKOTA (29-9-1)

How the Fighting Hawks got to Vegas: Freshman goaltender Jan Spunar stole the show with back-to-back shutouts at Sioux Falls. First, he turned back 31 shots, including 14 in the third period, in a 3-0 win over Merrimack. Then he had 22 saves as NoDak blitzed Quinnipiac with three first-period goals en route to a 5-0 win, his sixth shutout of the season.

Raycroft's keys

Steady hand behind the bench: In his first year as a head coach following 19 seasons as a North Dakota assistant, Dane Jackson has reestablished the culture at his alma mater, and it showed in the regionals. The Hawks were dominant in dismantling Merrimack and Quinnipiac by a combined score of 8-0.

Deep, large forward group: The Fighting Hawks' forwards have a great mix of size and skill and the ability to carry momentum shift to shift. Their top three lines scored in Sioux Falls and manhandled the opposing teams with their forecheck.

Player to watch: Spunar. In addition to going 53-for-53 in the save department in the regionals, making big stops when they were needed, the NHL free agent plays the puck extremely well, which can help spring the Hawks out of their zone.

MICHIGAN (31-7-1)

How the Wolverines got to Vegas: The trip to Sin City seemed secure when Michigan broke out to a 3-0 lead over Minnesota Duluth midway through the first period of the Albany final and led 4-1 midway through the third. The Bulldogs showed their bite, making it 4-3 with three minutes to play and applying serious pressure to tie it, but Michigan held on behind Jack Ivankovic (30 saves, 13 in the third period). The Wolverines cruised past Bentley 5-1 in their opener.

Raycroft's keys

Special teams: The Wolverines had the best power play in the nation going into the tournament with a conversion rate better than 30%, and it continued to produce (2-for-4). But the real story in the regional was their penalty kill going 7-for-8 with a huge short-handed goal against Duluth.

Hage's health: Star forward Michael Hage didn't play the first game of the regional and was a game-time decision for the second -- he got on the ice but played less than seven minutes. The Wolverines didn't need his 51-point talent in Albany, but they will be going up against Denver in the Frozen Four.

Player to watch: T.J. Hughes. The senior captain sets the tone and plays with great energy, leading Michigan with 56 points.

DENVER (27-11-3)

How the Pioneers got to Vegas: In the Loveland Regional final against defending national champion Western Michigan, Denver rushed to a 2-0 lead 5:24 into the game and led 4-1 after the first period. The Broncos made it 4-2 midway through the third period, but Kieran Cebrian's goal with 6:02 to play essentially sealed a 6-2 win. Denver blanked Cornell 5-0 in the semifinals.

Raycroft's keys

They've been here before: This is Denver's third straight year in the Frozen Four and its fourth in five seasons. Coach David Carle is 14-3 in the NCAA tournament all time and will have the Pios prepared for Vegas.

Johnny Hicks might be unbeatable: Hicks, Denver's freshman goalie, has never lost a college hockey game! Since taking over the starting role Jan. 24, he is 14-0-1 -- as is Denver. Hicks has given up three goals in only one game all season, and that was a double-overtime win over Minnesota Duluth in the NCHC championship game.

Player to watch: Eric Pohlkamp. The right-shot defenseman is a Hobey Baker finalist and controls the play for the Pios at both ends of the ice.

Highlights

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1:29

Denver Pioneers vs. Western Mich. Broncos Game Highlights

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1:29

Quinnipiac Bobcats vs. North Dakota Fighting Hawks Game Highlights

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0:41

Wisconsin scores winner 24 seconds into OT to book ticket to Frozen Four

Ben Dexheimer buries the winning goal in overtime for Wisconsin to knock off Michigan State and reach the Frozen Four.

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