COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - With the 2024-25 regular-season complete, the second season begins this weekend as the 2025 NCHC Playoffs get underway. All four best-of-3 NCHC Quarterfinal series are set for Friday, March 14 through Sunday, March 16, if necessary, with the winners advancing to the final Frozen Faceoff in Saint Paul, Minn.
 
Only the top eight finishers in the NCHC make the postseason this year, with the top four seeds hosting the bottom four seeds for the NCHC Quarterfinal round. The four series winners will then converge for the ‘Last Call in Saint Paul’ at the 2025 NCHC Frozen Faceoff at Xcel Energy Center on March 21-22, when the final neutral-site NCHC Tournament champion will be crowned. Beginning in 2026, the NCHC will move its playoffs entirely to campus sites.
 
The four quarterfinal match-ups in 2025 feature a pair of repeat match-ups from the final weekend of the regular season, as well as a repeat series from last year’s NCHC Playoffs. First-time Penrose Cup champions Western Michigan are the top seed in the NCHC Tournament and will host No. 8 seed St. Cloud State in Kalamazoo, Mich. The two met last year in the postseason as well, with the Huskies taking the series in three games in St. Cloud.
 
NCHC newcomer Arizona State locked up the No. 2 seed in its debut season and will welcome No. 7 seed Minnesota Duluth to Mullett Arena for its first-ever playoff games. After sweeping its Gold Pan rival last weekend, Denver earned the No. 3 seed and entertains sixth-seeded Colorado College at Magness Arena. Omaha split at North Dakota last weekend to set up a rematch between the two, but the Mavericks picked up the No. 4 seed with a win on the final night to shift the quarterfinal series with UND to Baxter Arena in Omaha.
 
Every game of the NCHC Quarterfinals this weekend (March 14-16) can be seen on NCHC.tv. For fans who don’t already have an NCHC.tv pass, the NCHC Quarterfinal Pass is available for purchase to watch all the playoff action Friday through Sunday. The complete NCHC Quarterfinal schedule is listed at the end of the release.

No. 8 seed St. Cloud State at No. 1 seed Western Michigan
No. 3 ranked Western Michigan (26-7-1, 19-4-1 NCHC) captured its first Penrose Cup and regular-season conference championship in program history to earn the NCHC’s top seed, with the 19 conference wins tying the NCHC record. St. Cloud State (14-19-1, 7-16-1 NCHC) finished in eighth place, its lowest finish since the NCHC began, with its previous low a sixth-place finish in 2015. The Broncos and Huskies are two of only four NCHC teams to ever lift the Penrose Cup, along with North Dakota and Denver.
 
WMU and SCSU are meeting in the NCHC Quarterfinals for the second straight season and third time in conference history (also 2016). The Huskies won each of the first two playoff series against the Broncos, with last year’s series going three games in St. Cloud. The teams were also slated to meet in the 2020 NCHC Quarterfinals before the pandemic abruptly ended the season.
 
Western Michigan heads into the playoffs after sweeping Miami last weekend. The Broncos dropped only one NCHC game in regulation all season, picking up at least a point in 23 of 24 games. WMU is tied for the NCAA lead on offense averaging 3.9 goals per game, along with Denver. St. Cloud State split with Minnesota Duluth to close the regular season, with the Huskies’ win coming in overtime. Despite an 11-game winless streak in January and February, SCSU finished the season 3-2-0 in conference play.
 
The Broncos and Huskies met just once in the regular season this year with WMU sweeping SCSU by a combined score of 10-1 on Feb. 7-8 at Lawson Ice Arena. This weekend’s series at Lawson begins on Friday at 7:05 p.m. ET, with Saturday and Sunday’s if-necessary game both set for 6:05 p.m. ET. All games will be streamed on NCHC.tv.
 
Western Michigan is looking for its first trip to the Frozen Faceoff since 2022 when it made the championship game. The Huskies, meanwhile, have made each of the last two Frozen Faceoffs, winning the title in 2023.
 
No. 7 seed Minnesota Duluth at No. 2 seed Arizona State
In its inaugural season in the NCHC, No. 12 ranked Arizona State (19-13-2, 14-9-1 NCHC) surprised many by earning a second-place finish after being picked to finish eighth in the NCHC Preseason Media Poll. Minnesota Duluth (13-18-3, 9-13-2 NCHC), meanwhile, finished in seventh place for the second straight season.
 
The Sun Devils were idle last weekend and finished the regular season two weekends ago with a split at Omaha. The Bulldogs closed the regular season with a split at St. Cloud State a weekend ago and finished unbeaten in regulation in their final four games going 2-1-1 with an overtime loss to SCSU.
 
ASU and UMD met four times during the regular season, with the Sun Devils going 2-1-1, including both wins coming at home. Three of the four contests between the two this year went to overtime with an ASU win the lone regulation finish.
 
The first-ever playoff game at Mullett Arena is Friday night at 7:05 p.m. MST, while Saturday and Sunday’s if-necessary game are set for 6:05 p.m. MST. All games of the series will be televised in Phoenix on FOX 10 Xtra and in Duluth on My9 Sports, as well as streamed worldwide on NCHC.tv.
 
The Sun Devils are looking to make their first trip to the Frozen Faceoff in their first NCHC season, while the Bulldogs are aiming for a return to Xcel Energy Center for the first time since 2022 when UMD won its third Frozen Faceoff crown as the No. 5 seed.
 
No. 6 seed Colorado College at No. 3 seed Denver
In one of the two rematches from last weekend, Gold Pan rivals collide again at Magness Arena in Denver as No. 6 ranked Denver hosts Colorado College for a quarterfinal series. The Pioneers (26-9-1, 15-8-1 NCHC) swept the Tigers (17-16-1, 11-12-1 NCHC) in a home-and-home series last weekend to secure a third-place finish in the NCHC and the No. 3 seed. The Tigers came in sixth place after ending the regular season on a three-game losing streak.
 
Denver won three of four meetings with the Tigers during the regular season this year, including winning both contests at Magness Arena, to retain the Gold Pan trophy for a sixth straight season. Three of their four games this year were decided by only one goal.
 
This marks the third time the in-state foes have met in the NCHC Quarterfinals, but first time since 2018. Denver won both previous playoff series with a sweep in 2017, but needed three games to advance in 2018. The Tigers did top the Pioneers in the 2023 Frozen Faceoff Semifinals, 1-0, in their last postseason meeting, which marked CC’s first championship game appearance.
 
The Pioneers are looking to defend their NCHC Tournament title after winning the 2024 Frozen Faceoff last season – the first of two championships for DU on Xcel Energy Center ice. Denver is the only NCHC team to have advanced to every single NCHC Frozen Faceoff since it began in 2014. The Tigers are looking to make it back to the Frozen Faceoff for the first time since 2023 and third time overall.
 
The all-Colorado series gets underway Friday night at 7:07 p.m. MDT, while Saturday and Sunday’s if-necessary game are slated for 6:07 p.m. MDT at Magness Arena. All games of the series can be seen anywhere on NCHC.tv.

No. 5 seed North Dakota at No. 4 seed Omaha
The second rematch from last weekend pits No. 17 North Dakota at No. 20 Omaha in the 4-5 quarterfinal series. The two teams split their series at Ralph Engelstad Arena a weekend ago, with the Mavericks’ 7-3 win in the regular-season finale clinching home ice and flipping the series to Baxter Arena in Omaha. Those were their only two meetings of the regular season.
 
This is the third time UND and Omaha have met in the NCHC Quarterfinals. The Fighting Hawks won both previous playoff series, sweeping in 2018 in Grand Forks and needing to rally for a three-game series victory in 2023 in Omaha as the No. 6 seed. The teams also met in the 2024 Frozen Faceoff Semifinals last year, with the Mavericks downing UND, 6-3, in its first Frozen Faceoff appearance.
 
North Dakota has made each of the last four Frozen Faceoffs, winning its lone NCHC Tournament title on home ice in 2021. The only Frozen Faceoff UND failed to qualify for in NCHC history was in 2019. Omaha is going for its second straight trip to the Frozen Faceoff after making the championship game in its debut last year before falling to Denver.
 
Friday’s playoff series opener is set for 7:07 p.m. CT at Baxter Arena, as is Saturday’s game two. Sunday’s if-necessary decisive game is scheduled for 6:07 p.m. CT. All games of the series will be televised on Midco Sports and streamed worldwide on NCHC.tv. The Midco Sports broadcast will be provided as the NCHC.tv feed.
 

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The four NCHC Quarterfinal series winners are then re-seeded for the Frozen Faceoff semifinals, which are set for Friday, March 21 at 4:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. CT at Xcel Energy Center. The championship game is on Saturday, March 22 at 7:30 p.m. CT. All three Frozen Faceoff games are nationally televised exclusively on CBS Sports Network and can also be seen on their authenticated stream. Tickets to the 2025 NCHC Frozen Faceoff can be purchased here, while ticket information is available here.

In addition to the three Frozen Faceoff games, the Minnesota Wild host the Buffalo Sabres on the afternoon of Championship Saturday, March 22 for fans wanting to see more live hockey in Saint Paul. NCHC Fan Fest returns to Smorgie’s Bar on Smith Avenue in the afternoon before the Frozen Faceoff games across 7th Street West from Xcel Energy Center. On Friday, March 21, Fan Fest will take place from 2-6 p.m. CT, while Saturday it will be from 4-7 p.m. CT. Along with food and drinks, music and games such as bubble hockey and air hockey will be available for fans to enjoy.
 
Team practices leading into championship weekend are open to the public on Thursday, March 20 during the day, with the annual NCHC Fan Skate will be held on the same Xcel Energy Center ice that night.  

Last season, two NCHC Quarterfinal series went the distance needing three games, with No. 5 seed Omaha the lone lower seed to advance in the 2024 playoffs. The Mavericks made it to the NCHC Championship game in their Frozen Faceoff debut, before falling to No. 2 seed Denver in the final. The Pioneers earned their third Frozen Faceoff title in program history in 2024 with a 4-1 win on March 23, 2024.
 
2025 NCHC QUARTERFINALS SCHEDULE
Friday, March 14
St. Cloud State at Western Michigan, 7:05 p.m. ET
North Dakota at Omaha, 7:07 p.m. CT (TV: Midco Sports)
Colorado College at Denver, 7:07 p.m. MDT
Minnesota Duluth at Arizona State, 7:05 p.m. MST (TV: FOX10 Xtra / My9 Sports)
 
Saturday, March 15
St. Cloud State at Western Michigan, 6:05 p.m. ET
North Dakota at Omaha, 7:07 p.m. CT (TV: Midco Sports)
Colorado College at Denver, 6:07 p.m. MDT
Minnesota Duluth at Arizona State, 6:05 p.m. MST (TV: FOX10 Xtra / My9 Sports)
 
Sunday, March 16 (all games if necessary)
St. Cloud State at Western Michigan, 6:05 p.m. ET
North Dakota at Omaha, 6:07 p.m. CT (TV: Midco Sports)
Colorado College at Denver, 6:07 p.m. MDT
Minnesota Duluth at Arizona State, 6:05 p.m. MST (TV: FOX10 Xtra / My9 Sports)