COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – For only the fourth time in National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) history and first time since 2018, the Frozen Faceoff Semifinals will feature the top four seeds. All four higher seeds won their best-of-3 NCHC Quarterfinal series in two games last weekend to advance to Saturday’s semifinals, which will be held on two different campus sites for the first time in conference history.
 
The first Frozen Faceoff Semifinal on Saturday, March 14 will feature fourth-seeded and No. 8 Minnesota Duluth taking on top-seeded and No. 2 North Dakota at Ralph Engelstad Arena in Grand Forks, N.D. Puck drop is set for 6:07 p.m. CT. The second Semifinal on Saturday features third-seeded and No. 4 Western Michigan battling second-seeded and No. 6 Denver at DU’s Magness Arena. Puck drop in Denver is set for 6:07 p.m. MT.
 
The single-game semifinal winners will then advance to the Frozen Faceoff Championship Game next Saturday, March 21 at the highest remaining seed. The 2026 Frozen Faceoff marks a new postseason format in the NCHC, as the entire tournament is being held on campus sites, from the quarterfinals to the champion crowned, with the higher seed hosting each match-up.
 
The only other time the entire NCHC Tournament took place on a campus was the 2021 Frozen Faceoff, which was held entirely at Ralph Engelstad Arena during the COVID-19 pandemic with all eight teams and was single elimination every round.
 
Tickets are on sale and available to the public for both 2026 Frozen Faceoff Semifinal match-ups. Fans can purchase tickets to see the Bulldogs and Fighting Hawks HERE and the Broncos battle the Pioneers HERE.
 
Both 2026 Frozen Faceoff Semifinals will be streamed live on NCHC.tv for the first time. In addition, the Minnesota Duluth at North Dakota game will be available on television on both Midco Sports and My9 Sports in Duluth. The Western Michigan at Denver game will be televised on Altitude. Fans who don’t already have an NCHC.tv subscription can watch both semifinals and get access to next Saturday’s Championship Game with the NCHC Playoff Pass.
 
Calling the Frozen Faceoff Semifinals will be familiar voices within the NCHC. Handling play-by-play duties for the Minnesota Duluth at North Dakota game will be long-time St. Cloud State announcer Jim Erickson, while former North Dakota goaltender Jake Brandt will provide color analysis. On the microphone for the Western Michigan at Denver game will be long-time UMD play-by-play announcer Zach Schneider and former Denver forward Charlie Host as the color analyst.

No. 4 seed Minnesota Duluth at No. 1 seed North Dakota
 
Time: 6:07 p.m. CT
Location: Ralph Engelstad Arena, Grand Forks, N.D.
TV/Streaming: Midco Sports, My9 (Duluth), and NCHC.tv
 
Saturday’s Semifinal between the eighth-ranked Bulldogs and Penrose Cup champion and second-ranked North Dakota will mark their fifth meeting of the season. UMD won two games in overtime, while the Fighting Hawks won their two games in regulation. In Grand Forks back on Oct. 31 and Nov. 1, the teams split their series to open NCHC play with the Bulldogs win coming in OT.
 
Saturday will be the fourth NCHC Frozen Faceoff meeting between the long-time rivals, with UMD holding a 2-1 edge. However, this is only the second semifinal match-up. The Bulldogs and Fighting Hawks last met in the Frozen Faceoff in the 2018 third-place game (won by UND), while their only other semifinal meeting came in 2016 – a 4-2 Minnesota Duluth win at Target Center in Minneapolis. UMD also topped North Dakota, 4-3, in an epic, 2017 Frozen Faceoff Championship Game, the final one at Target Center.
 
North Dakota (27-8-1, 17-6-1 NCHC) swept eighth-seeded Omaha in the Frozen Faceoff Quarterfinals last weekend at The Ralph with 5-3 and 5-1 wins. In doing so, UND advanced to the Frozen Faceoff Semifinals for the 11th time in 12 tries, including six straight. The Fighting Hawks are just 2-8 in Frozen Faceoff Semifinals, however, with their lone NCHC Tournament title coming on home ice in 2021. If UND wins this Saturday against Minnesota Duluth, it would host the Championship Game next Saturday.
 
The Fighting Hawks are led in scoring by senior transfer Ellis Rickwood’s 34 points. He earned Third-Team All-NCHC honors this season. Classmate Ben Strinden, a Second-Team selection, and All-Rookie Team member Cole Reschny are tied for second with 33 points. Freshman Will Zellers and senior Dylan James share the team lead with 18 goals. Freshman Jan Špunar anchors UND in goal, leading the NCHC with a 1.93 goals-against average, while his .915 save percentage is fourth. He became the first freshman to win NCHC Goaltender of the Year this season.
 
Minnesota Duluth (22-13-1, 11-12-1 NCHC) advanced to the semifinals by sweeping fifth-seeded St. Cloud State in its NCHC Quarterfinal series, with both wins coming in overtime. Both nights sophomore forward Zam Plante tied the game late for UMD, then scored both overtime game-winners – Friday it was a 4-3 victory while Saturday was a 2-1 margin. The Bulldogs are making their first Frozen Faceoff Semifinal appearance since winning the NCHC Tournament in 2022. It is UMD’s sixth Frozen Faceoff Semifinal overall, going 4-1 in past semifinal match-ups, including tournament titles in 2017, 2019 and 2022.
 
UMD sophomore Max Plante leads the entire NCHC with both 47 points and 22 goals this season, which earned him First-Team All-NCHC honors. His brother, Zam, is second on the Bulldogs with both 45 points and 20 goals, which landed him on the All-NCHC Third Team. Fellow sophomore Adam Gajan backstops the Bulldogs, going 17-11-1 in 29 starts while carrying a 2.25 GAA and a .906 save percentage.
 
No. 3 seed Western Michigan at No. 2 seed Denver
 
Time: 6:07 p.m. MT
Location: Magness Arena, Denver Colo.
TV/Streaming: Altitude and NCHC.tv
 
Like the first semifinal, Saturday’s clash between the Broncos and Pioneers will be their fifth meeting this season. The top-10 teams split their previous four meetings, with each team sweeping the other on the road. Denver took two in Kalamazoo back on Nov. 7-8, while the Broncos returned the favor with two wins in Denver on Jan. 9-10. All four games were decided in regulation.
 
While this year’s contests ended in regulation, both postseason meetings last year between WMU and Denver required two overtimes. The two teams met in a thrilling, 2025 Frozen Faceoff Championship Game at then-Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul, with the Broncos erasing a three-goal deficit before winning in double OT, 4-3, for their first NCHC Frozen Faceoff crown. DU and WMU met again in the NCAA Frozen Four Semifinals in St. Louis a month later with the Broncos again prevailing in double overtime en route to their first National Championship.
 
Saturday will mark the second Frozen Faceoff Semifinal between the teams, with the first coming in the inaugural tournament back in 2014 – a 4-3 Denver win. DU and WMU also squared off in the 2017 Frozen Faceoff Third-Place Game, also won by the Pioneers.
 
Denver (23-11-3, 17-6-1 NCHC) heads into the semifinals on a seven-game winning streak and 11-game unbeaten streak (10-0-1) after sweeping seventh-seeded Miami last weekend in the Quarterfinals with 3-0 and 6-2 victories. In doing so, the Pioneers keep their streak of making every Frozen Faceoff Semifinals intact – the only NCHC team that can make the claim, having made all 12 NCHC semifinal rounds to date. Denver has won three Frozen Faceoffs previously, capturing the inaugural title in 2014, again in 2018 and most recently in 2024. The Pioneers are 4-7 all-time in the Frozen Faceoff Semifinals.
 
DU is led in scoring by junior defenseman Eric Pohlkamp, who tops all NCAA blueliners with both 17 goals and 36 points this year. He was named First-Team All-NCHC on Tuesday and is a finalist for NCHC Player of the Year. Classmate Sam Harris is second on the team with 31 points (13g/18a). In net, freshman Johnny Hicks has started his career on fire, going 10-0-1 in 11 games since taking over for classmate Quentin Miller, while leading the NCHC with both a 1.04 GAA and a .960 save percentage.
 
Defending champion Western Michigan (26-9-1, 16-7-1 NCHC) travels west for the semifinals after sweeping Colorado College in the NCHC Quarterfinals with a 5-2 win in the opener and a 2-1 overtime victory to advance. WMU has been hot down the stretch, as well, going 7-1-1 in its last nine. The Broncos qualified for their fifth Frozen Faceoff Semifinals, going 2-2 in past semifinals, including wins in their last two trips in 2022 and 2025.
 
Junior forward Grant Slukynsky leads the Broncos with both 30 assists and 40 points in 36 games this season, which earned him Third-Team All-NCHC honors. Senior Liam Valente tops WMU in goals with 20, which is second in the NCHC, while his 35 points are second on the squad. Grant's brother, sophomore goalie Hampton Slukynsky, has started every game in net this season for the Broncos, leading the NCAA with 26 wins, while posting a .915 save percentage and a 2.27 GAA, both of which rank third in the NCHC.
 
2026 NCHC FROZEN FACEOFF SCHEDULE
Saturday, March 14: Frozen Faceoff Semifinals (Single game hosted by higher seeds)
(4) Minnesota Duluth at (1) North Dakota, 6:07 p.m. CT (TV: Midco Sports/My9)
(3) Western Michigan at (2) Denver, 6:07 p.m. MT (TV: Altitude)

Saturday, March 21: Frozen Faceoff Championship (hosted by higher seed)
Semifinal 1 winner vs. Semifinal 2 winner, TBD