COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - With the regular season complete, the 2026 National Collegiate Hockey Conference Tournament is upon us, and for the first time, the entire Frozen Faceoff will take place across campus sites. The NCHC Tournament will now span three weeks from March 6-21, rather than two weeks in years past.
 
The 2026 Frozen Faceoff begins with four quarterfinal series, which get underway Friday night, March 6 with the top four seeds hosting the bottom four seeds. The best-of-three Quarterfinal series consist of top-seeded and Penrose Cup champion North Dakota hosting No. 8 seed Omaha, No. 2 seed Denver welcoming No. 7 seed Miami, No. 3 seed Western Michigan entertaining No. 6 seed Colorado College and No. 4 seed Minnesota Duluth squaring off with in-state rival and fifth-seeded St. Cloud State. The series will run from Friday through Sunday night (March 6-8), if necessary. Only the top eight finishers in the NCHC regular season quality for the postseason.
 
The four quarterfinal series winners are then re-seeded and advance to the Frozen Faceoff Semifinals, which will be single games on Saturday, March 14 at the two highest remaining seeds. The semifinal winners then move on to the championship game, which is set for Saturday, March 21 at the highest remaining seed, where the National Cup will be presented to the champion. An NCAA Tournament automatic berth is also awarded to the winner.
 
Also for the first time, the entire Frozen Faceoff, from the quarterfinals to the champion crowned, can be seen live on NCHC.tv. Fans who already have an NCHC.tv subscription will have access to playoff games, but for those without access, the NCHC.tv Playoff Pass is available and gets access to every NCHC Tournament game. Local or regional TV stations within school markets may also televise some or all rounds of the Frozen Faceoff.
 
While host schools will produce NCHC Quarterfinal games on NCHC.tv, the Conference has contracted with a third-party company to produce the Frozen Faceoff Semifinals and Championship to provide an elevated broadcast for the biggest games of the season. Announcing the Frozen Faceoff semifinals will be Jim Erickson (play-by-play) and Jake Brandt (color analyst) at one site and Zach Schneider (play-by-play) and Charlie Host (color analyst) at the other. The Championship game will feature Alex Heinert (play-by-play) and Brandt on the call, with Taylor Budge providing rinkside coverage.
 
Ahead of this weekend’s Frozen Faceoff Quarterfinals, here’s a closer look at each series.
 
NO. 8 SEED OMAHA AT NO. 1 SEED NORTH DAKOTA
 
For the second straight season, No. 3/2 North Dakota faces Omaha in a quarterfinal series, only this year it’s in Grand Forks, N.D. rather than in Nebraska. Last year, UND swept the series in two games at Baxter Arena as the No. 5 seed. This year’s playoff series at Ralph Engelstad Arena gets underway Friday at 7:07 p.m. CT, with Saturday’s game and Sunday’s if-necessary contest set for 6:07 p.m. CT. All games of the series will be televised on Midco Sports, in addition to streamed on NCHC.tv.
 
North Dakota (25-8-1, 17-6-1 NCHC) captured its seventh Penrose Cup last Friday with a 5-3 win at No. 4 Western Michigan, finishing the season with 55 points, three better than second-place Denver. In doing so, UND secured the top seed and assured the Frozen Faceoff will go through Grand Forks if the Fighting Hawks continue to win. North Dakota’s only Frozen Faceoff title came in 2021, when Ralph Engelstad Arena hosted the entire tournament due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
 
Omaha (12-22-0, 8-16-0 NCHC) heads into the postseason coming off back-to-back splits against Arizona State and Miami, which secured the final NCHC playoff spot. The Mavericks have made the Frozen Faceoff semifinals just once in NCHC history, which came in 2024, when Omaha was the No. 5 seed, won a series at Colorado College and then defeated North Dakota in that semifinal in St. Paul, Minn.
 
The Fighting Hawks and Mavericks are meeting for the fourth time in the NCHC Quarterfinals.  UND has won all three previous series, doing so in Grand Forks in 2018 in two games, and in Omaha in 2023 (three games) and 2025.  North Dakota also won all four regular-season meetings between the teams this season.

NO. 7 SEED MIAMI AT NO. 2 SEED DENVER
 
No. 7 Denver hosts Miami for a best-of-three series at Magness Arena. Puck drop for Friday’s opener is set for 7:00 p.m. MT, with Saturday’s Game 2 and Sunday’s if-necessary game a 6:00 p.m. MT start time. All three games can be seen exclusively on NCHC.tv. The Pioneers won both regular-season meetings against Miami this season back in December in Denver.
 
Denver (21-11-3, 17-6-1 NCHC) heads into the postseason as one of the hottest teams in the country, finishing the regular season on a five-game winning streak and nine-game unbeaten streak (8-0-1). DU closed the regular season with a sweep of Arizona State last weekend to finish in second place. By doing so, the Pioneers could host a semifinal game next Saturday, March 14 if they advance. Denver has won the Frozen Faceoff three times previously, including the inaugural tournament in 2014 and most recently in 2024, as well as in 2018.
 
Miami (18-14-2, 9-13-2 NCHC) earned a spot in the NCHC Tournament with a split at Omaha last weekend to close the regular season. The RedHawks missed the 2025 postseason after a last-place finish, but have a 15-win improvement this season, the largest in college hockey, including nine more wins in conference play. Miami’s lone Frozen Faceoff title came back in 2015, which was also the last time MU made the semifinals.
 
This weekend marks the third quarterfinal series between the RedHawks and Pioneers. Denver comfortably swept both previous first round playoff series in 2022 and 2023 when it was the No. 1 seed. Miami did defeat DU in the 2015 semifinals en route to the title.
 
NO. 6 SEED COLORADO COLLEGE AT NO. 3 SEED WESTERN MICHIGAN
 
Defending Frozen Faceoff and National Champions Western Michigan will welcome Colorado College to Lawson Ice Arena for a best-of-three series beginning Friday. The opener is set for 7:00 p.m. ET, with Saturday’s contest and Sunday’s if-necessary Game 3 slated for 6:00 p.m. ET. The entire series is exclusively available on NCHC.tv.
 
No. 4 Western Michigan (24-9-1, 16-7-1 NCHC), which also won its first Penrose Cup last year, finished in third place in the NCHC after a loss and overtime win against North Dakota to close the regular season. The Broncos are looking to lift the National Cup as NCHC Tournament champions for a second straight season, something that has never been done before. WMU has made the Frozen Faceoff semifinals four times previously.
 
Colorado College (13-15-6, 7-11-6 NCHC) finished the regular season on a high note with a win and tie at No. 10 Minnesota Duluth last weekend to jump Miami for the No. 6 seed. The Tigers are looking for their first NCHC Frozen Faceoff crown, after making the championship game in 2023. CC also made the semifinals in 2019.
 
Both times the Tigers have advanced past the NCHC Quarterfinals, it’s come against Western Michigan in Kalamazoo – as a No. 6 seed in three games in 2019 and as a No.7 seed in two games in 2023. Those are the only previous NCHC playoff meetings between the teams. This season, WMU and CC played just one series in Colorado Springs with the teams tying 1-1 before a 2-0 Broncos win in the finale.
 
NO. 5 SEED ST. CLOUD STATE AT NO. 4 SEED MINNESOTA DULUTH
 
In-state rivals collide in the final NCHC Quarterfinal series as No. 10 Minnesota Duluth sees St. Cloud State coming to town for a best-of-three showdown. Puck drop for game one on Friday is 7:07 p.m. CT, while the remaining game(s) in the series will be a 6:07 p.m. CT start. All games of this quarterfinal series can be seen on My9 Sports in Duluth and anywhere on NCHC.tv.
 
In the regular season this year, UMD won three of the four meetings against the Huskies with one of those wins coming in overtime.
 
The Bulldogs (20-13-1, 11-12-1 NCHC) were locked into fourth place entering the final weekend of the regular season, tying the Tigers in their regular-season finale. UMD is hosting a playoff series for the first time since 2019, but did win the Frozen Faceoff in 2022 as the No. 5 seed. The Bulldogs also won the NCHC Frozen Faceoff in 2017 and 2019.
 
St. Cloud State (16-17-1, 9-14-1 NCHC) was idle on the final weekend of the regular season, but held on to the No. 5 seed despite not playing. The Huskies finished 3-2-1 down the stretch, including a tie at North Dakota. SCSU has twice won the NCHC Tournament, first in 2016 and again in 2023, and last made the Frozen Faceoff semifinals in 2024.
 
This weekend will mark the third all-time NCHC Quarterfinal series between the in-state foes, but the first in Duluth. Each team has won a previous playoff series with SCSU taking the last one in three games in 2023. The Bulldogs swept SCSU at home in 2022 on their way to the Frozen Faceoff title.
 
For more information on the 2026 Frozen Faceoff, visit NCHChockey.com/FrozenFaceoff.

2026 NCHC Frozen Faceoff Schedule
 
Friday, March 6 (Quarterfinal Game 1)
#6 seed Colorado College at #3 seed Western Michigan, 7:00 p.m. ET
#8 seed Omaha at #1 seed North Dakota, 7:07 p.m. CT
#5 seed St. Cloud State at #4 seed Minnesota Duluth, 7:07 p.m. CT
#7 seed Miami at #2 seed Denver, 7:00 p.m. MT
 
Saturday, March 7 (Quarterfinal Game 2)
#6 seed Colorado College at #3 seed Western Michigan, 6:00 p.m. ET
#8 seed Omaha at #1 seed North Dakota, 6:07 p.m. CT
#5 seed St. Cloud State at #4 seed Minnesota Duluth, 6:07 p.m. CT
#7 seed Miami at #2 seed Denver, 6:00 p.m. MT
 
Sunday, March 8 (Quarterfinal Game 3, if necessary)
#6 seed Colorado College at #3 seed Western Michigan, 6:00 p.m. ET
#8 seed Omaha at #1 seed North Dakota, 6:07 p.m. CT
#5 seed St. Cloud State at #4 seed Minnesota Duluth, 6:07 p.m. CT
#7 seed Miami at #2 seed Denver, 6:00 p.m. MT
 
Saturday, March 14: Semifinals (Teams re-seeded, single game hosted by higher seeds)
#4 seed at #1 seed, TBD
#3 seed at #2 seed, TBD

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