NCAA men's ice hockey championship
US collegiate sports tournament
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
NCAA men's ice hockey championship refers to either of the two tournaments in men's ice hockey – one in Division I and one in Division III – contested by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) since 1971.[1] The NCAA Division II Men's Ice Hockey Tournament, contested from 1978 to 1984 and from 1993 to 1999, was discontinued due to a lack of Division II conferences sponsoring ice hockey.
Current season, competition or edition: 2026 Division I Championship | |
| Sport | Ice hockey |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1948 |
| No. of teams | 16 |
| Country | United States |
Most recent champions | DI - Denver Pioneers, DIII - Hamilton College |
| Broadcaster | ESPN |
| Website | NCAA.com |
Since 1999, the semifinals and finals for the Division I championship have been branded as the "Frozen Four", echoing the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament's "Final Four".
The NCAA started a Women's Frozen Four beginning with the 2000–01 season.
The Hobey Baker Award ceremony, Hockey Humanitarian Award ceremony, and USCHO.com Town Hall Meeting take place annually during Frozen Four weekend.[2]
The 2020 Championships were cancelled due to ongoing concerns over the coronavirus.[3][4][5]
See also
- List of NCAA Division I Men's Frozen Four appearances by team
- National Collegiate Women's Ice Hockey Championship
- U Sports University Cup, Canada's closest equivalent college ice hockey competition