SAINT PAUL, Minn. – The field for the final NCHC Frozen Faceoff at Xcel Energy Center on March 21-22 is set, with semifinal match-ups and times announced by the National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) on Monday morning. The first semifinal on Friday, March 21 will feature No. 3 seed Denver and No. 2 seed Arizona State, followed by fifth-seeded North Dakota and top-seeded Western Michigan.
 
Friday’s opening semifinal between the sixth-ranked Pioneers and No. 12 Arizona State will drop the puck at 4:07 p.m. CT, while the nightcap between No. 17 ranked North Dakota and No. 3 Western Michigan is slated for 7:37 p.m. CT. The two semifinal winners then advance to Saturday’s championship game on March 22 with game time set for 7:38 p.m. CT. All three Frozen Faceoff games will be televised nationally on CBS Sports Network.
 
This year will mark the final NCHC Frozen Faceoff at Xcel Energy Center. Starting with the 2026 postseason, the NCHC will move its entire championship tournament to campus sites and higher seeds.
 
No. 3 seed Denver vs. No. 2 seed Arizona State
The second-seeded Sun Devils (21-13-2) earned a trip to the Frozen Faceoff in their inaugural season in the NCHC. Arizona State swept No. 7 seed Minnesota Duluth in the NCHC Quarterfinals with a 4-3 win on Friday and a 6-5 overtime win on Saturday at Mullett Arena in Tempe, Ariz. for its first postseason victories in program history. Despite being picked eighth in the NCHC Preseason Media Poll, ASU finished in second place with a conference record of 14-9-1.
 
Third-seeded Denver (28-10-1), meanwhile, needed three games in its quarterfinal series with rival Colorado College to knab the final Frozen Faceoff berth. Though the Pioneers were the only team to need three games to advance, Denver is also the only NCHC team to make every Frozen Faceoff in conference history. After a 6-3 win Saturday to tie the series with No. 6 seed Colorado College, DU rolled to a 9-2 win Sunday night at Magness Arena to make it 11 out of 11 NCHC semifinals reached. The Pioneers return to Xcel Energy Center looking to defend their 2024 Frozen Faceoff title, one of three NCHC Tournament crowns DU has won (2014, 2018). The Pioneers are only 3-7 in their 10 previous NCHC semifinal appearances, but have won the title each time they’ve made the final.
 
Arizona State won the regular-season series with the Pioneers, going 3-1-0, including sweeping Denver on the road at Magness Arena to end DU’s 12-0-0 start to the season back in November. The two then split their series in Arizona in February, with both games going to overtime.
 
No. 5 seed North Dakota vs. No. 1 seed Western Michigan
In the second semifinal, No. 1 seed Western Michigan (28-7-1) heads to Saint Paul fresh off a convincing sweep of No. 8 seed St. Cloud State, winning both games by 6-2 scores. The Broncos are the top seed in the NCHC Tournament for the first time after capturing their first Penrose Cup and regular-season conference championship in program history this season. WMU’s No. 3 ranking ties the program’s highest ever, while the Broncos have won four straight games and six of their last seven. Western Michigan is making its fourth appearance at the Frozen Faceoff and first since 2022, when WMU reached its first NCHC Championship Game before falling to Minnesota Duluth.
 
Fifth-seeded North Dakota (21-14-2) was the lone lower seed to advance in the NCHC Quarterfinals, sweeping No. 4 seed Omaha at Baxter Arena by identical 3-2 scores. The Fighting Hawks are making their fourth straight trip to Xcel Energy Center for the Frozen Faceoff and have only missed the NCHC Semifinals once in 11 years (2019). Despite all the appearances, the Fighting Hawks are 2-7 all-time in the Frozen Faceoff semifinals, with UND’s lone NCHC Tournament title coming in 2021 on home ice at Ralph Engelstad Arena.
 
Similar to the ASU-Denver regular-season series, Western Michigan went 3-1-0 against North Dakota this season, with each team earning one win in overtime on the road. Friday’s semifinal will mark the third Frozen Faceoff meeting between the two and second semifinal match-up, with the Broncos winning the 2022 semifinal over the Fighting Hawks, 4-2. The teams also met in the inaugural Frozen Faceoff in the 2014 third-place game, won by North Dakota, 5-0, at Target Center.
 
Frozen Faceoff Tickets
All-session and single-day tickets to the 2025 NCHC Frozen Faceoff are on sale and can be purchased HERE, while ticket information can be found here. Discounted student tickets are also available through each participating school’s athletic ticket office.
 
Frozen Faceoff Fan Events
In addition to the three Frozen Faceoff games at Xcel Energy Center Friday and Saturday, fans in Saint Paul will have plenty of other events and activities to participate in. On Thursday, March 20, fans can attend team practices throughout the day, starting at 10:15 a.m. CT and running until 3 p.m. CT. Fans attending practices should enter Xcel Energy Center through Gate 1, which will open at 10 a.m. CT. Following each practice on Thursday, a press conference will be held with the head coach and select student-athletes. Fans can watch all of Thursday’s press conferences live (or archived) for free on NCHC.tv.
 
Later on Thursday night, the Conference will host its annual NCHC Awards Celebration at the St. Paul Event Center, when the Conference will announce its individual award winners. Parents and guests of participating teams and individual award winners are welcome and may purchase tickets to the NCHC Awards Celebration by RSVPing to Heather Weems (hweems@nchchockey.com) by Monday, March 17 at 5 p.m. CT. Fans and family members not in attendance can watch the event live for free on NCHC.tv. The Awards Celebration begins at 5:15 p.m. CT. That same Thursday night back at Xcel Energy Center, fans can skate on the same ice as the Frozen Faceoff as part of the annual NCHC Fan Skate, which runs from 7 p.m. until 8:30 p.m. CT.
 
NCHC Fan Fest takes place one final time on Friday and Saturday, March 21-22, before the Frozen Faceoff games each day. Fan Fest returns to Smorgie’s Bar on Smith Avenue (127 7th St. W) 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, trivia and games such as bubble hockey and/or air hockey will be available for fans to enjoy. Fan Fest is free and open to the public.
 
In addition to the NCHC hockey, the Minnesota Wild will host the Buffalo Sabres on Championship Saturday afternoon at 1:00 p.m. CT. A separate ticket is required for the Wild game and can be purchased here.
 
For more information on Xcel Energy Center and its fan policies, including bag policy, click here. For the latest Frozen Faceoff news, schedule, videos and more, visit NCHChockey.com and NCHC.tv, and follow the NCHC on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Bluesky.
 
GAME SCHEDULE
Friday, March 21 (times CT) 

• Denver vs. Arizona State - 4:07 p.m. 
• North Dakota vs. Western Michigan - 7:37 p.m.

Saturday, March 22 (times CT) 

• Minnesota Wild vs. Buffalo Sabres - 1:00 p.m. (separate ticket required)
• Championship Game - 7:38 p.m.

PRACTICE SCHEDULE (open to public/enter through Gate 1)
Thursday, March 20 (times CT) 

• Denver Practice: 10:15 a.m. - 11:15 a.m.
• Arizona State Practice: 11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. 
• Western Michigan Practice: 12:45 p.m. - 1:45 p.m. 
• North Dakota Practice: 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.